deeply beautiful

The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang. Illustrated by Khoa Le Carolrhoda Books/Lerner, 2020. Picture Book, 32 pp. Features: Elders; Grandmother; Intergenerational Family; the Hmong; Refugee stories; Tigers. That cover is a gorgeous glimpse at just how stunning the book is. The narrator, a young Hmong girl, wants to tell us about her grandmother

the sweetest

Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk Illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis Inhabit 2014 Picture Book 32pp. Features: New Child; Mother-Child; Gender-Neutral; Animals/Nature; Indigenous Creators; Digital Art. To quote the jacket copy, Sweetest Kulu is a “bedtime poem, written by internationally acclaimed Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, describ[ing] the gifts bestowed upon a newborn baby by all the

Oona

Oona by Kelly DiPucchio Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa Katherine Tegen, 2021 Picture book 32pp. Features: Black mermaid; friendship; invention; perseverance; joy. Oona is “brave and curious,” “and a little bit salty, like the ocean where she lived.” She and her otter companion Otto are treasure hunters. They find all number of things, but this adventure

for the littler ones

The Secret Fawn by Kallie George. Illustrated by Elly MacKay Tundra 2021 Picture book, 40pp Elly MacKay’s cut-paper art makes it always worth picking up one of her books. But it isn’t only MacKay that makes The Secret Fawn such a magical experience. George tells a story of childhood and nature…and the nature of childhood

vincent’s home

Vincent Comes Home by Jessixa Bagley & Aaron Bagley Roaring Brook/Neal Porter 2018. Picture Book, 32 pp. Vincent lives on a cargo ship. While his paws have never touched land, he’s been to ports all over the world. It’s a really good life. But then there is one thing he begins to believe he’s missing.

good creatures

Becoming a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery Illustrated by Rebecca Green HMH 2020. Hardcover Picture book, 40pp Based on the New York Times bestseller From New Hampshire to Australia to Africa and on to many, many more places and adventures, we watch a girl grow into a young woman and then an older woman still.

a wonderful way with wild things…

A Way With Wild Things by Larissa Theule Illustrated by Sara Palacios Bloomsbury 2020. Hardcover Picture book, 32pp How the story opens: Poppy Ann Fields liked bugs. They were her friends. How it closes: Poppy’s Glossary of Bug Friends. When you aren’t trying to find a shy, camouflaged Poppy, the book invites readers to scan

a warming read

Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper Illustrated by Kenard Pak Kokila 2020 Picture Book, 32pp There are different ways of noticing the world, of experiencing it. Pak’s illustrations are so pretty; the architecture in the line work; the palette…so tidy, and quiet. This is a picture book you can hand to a lover

an invitation to relax and play

Off to See the Sea by Nikki Grimes Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 2021 Hardcover Bath time Picture book, 32pp The nonplussed mother and her child from the excellent Bedtime for Sweet Creatures return for a Bathtime Book. That first installment set the bar high; good news is, Off to See the Sea rose

a gift… a kiss

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho Illustrated by Dung Ho HarperCollins 2021 Hardcover Picture book, 40pp Gorgeous. In words and pictures. Our narrator tells us: “I have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea”—and so does her Mama’s, and Amah’s, and little sister Mei-Mei’s. She has eyes like