All mama bears must sometimes be separated from their cubs if only for a while, Little Bear’s mother tells him. But her love is constant and whenever a kiss is needed, Mama and her cub can take one out of a special box. Soft, expressive illustrations convey their sharing and love. A storyteller’s note may inspire others to make their won Kiss Boxes.
The Kiss Box
Chris’s life is complicated. At school, he’s been selected to lead a project on sports teams with Indian names. At home, where his father is battling alcoholism on the Penacook reservation, the Indians are divided about building a casino. It would destroy the beautiful island Chris thinks of as his own. What can one sixth-grade boy can do in the midst of so many challenges?
The Heart of a Chief
Children and their parents are always connected by love — even when they are apart — shown in this gentle book by sparkly “love waves” sent from parent to child to parent.
Love Waves
Gossie, a small yellow gosling thinks she has lost her favorite red books until she sees them on her friend’s feet. This small board book is presented in Spanish and English.
Gossie / Gansi
Gerald the elephant feels left out when his buddy, Piggie, celebrates Pig Day. All ends well as Piggie reaffirms his friendship with in this addition to an ever popular series.
Happy Pig Day!
Aspen Colorado Kim Chee Lee finds a cure for her writer’s block in a unique pottery class. Child-like illustrations and text are presented in calendar-like orientation.
Polka Dot Penguin Pottery
Even though Squish and his pals are one-cell amoebas, children will recognize themselves in the frenetic adventures of bullies and saving the world from evil.
Squish: Super Amoeba
Ellray, a small third grader, has trouble not responding to Jared, the class bully. If Ellray can stay out of trouble though, his dad has promised a trip to Disneyland!
Ellray Jakes is NOT a Chicken!
Clementine is afraid that she’s in trouble but instead finds out that a new baby is on the way when the family meeting is called.
Clementine and the Family Meeting
How a small white dog with black ears loses his orange ball to another hound but finds friendship instead comes to life through the author/illustrator’s signature illustrations. (2012 Caldecott Medal Winner)
A Ball for Daisy
When they arrive at school, Shi-shi-etko reminds Shinchi, her six-year-old brother, that they can only use their English names and that they can’t speak to each other. For Shinchi, life becomes an endless cycle of church mass, school, and work, punctuated by skimpy meals. He finds solace at the river, clutching a tiny cedar canoe, a gift from his father, and dreaming of the day when the salmon return to the river — a sign that it’s almost time to return home.
Shin-chi’s Canoe
Shi-shi-etko has just four days until she will have to leave her family and everything she knows to attend one of Canada’s Indian residential schools. She spends her last precious days at home treasuring and appreciating the beauty of her world — the dancing sunlight, the tall grass, each shiny rock, the tadpoles in the creek, her grandfather’s paddle song. LaFave’s richly hued illustrations complement Campbell’s gently moving and poetic account of a child who finds solace around her, even though she is on the verge of great loss.
Shi-shi-etko
Danny Bigtree’s family has moved to a new city, and Danny can’t seem to fit in. He’s homesick for the Mohawk reservation, and the kids in his class tease him about being an Indian — the thing that makes Danny most proud. Can Danny, drawing on his Mohawk heritage, find the courage to stand up for himself?
Eagle Song
Inspired by the idea of being thankful for all that you have, An Awesome Book of Thanks! is a lively, free-form illustrated poem of “thanks.” Kids will delight in the fresh, imaginative illustrations that include a walk through a world of magical unicorns, robotic dinosaurs, and all of life’s simple moments, great and small.
An Awesome Book of Thanks!
An Awesome Book! is a book about the power of dreams. The joyful prose and vibrant illustrations jump from the page. A perfect read aloud, this book can inspire adults and kids to “dream big” together.
An Awesome Book!
Product description: Why was I adopted? What was it like where I was born? How did you find me? Children have many questions about adoption. With a perceptive text and dynamic photographs of adopted children and their families, the creators of this book demystify adoption for young children and celebrate the joy that comes with adding to a family.
I’m Adopted!
After her husband’s death, an old woman finds friendship when she rents an older cat via the Internet. A charming and quirky take on the sensitive subjects of bereavement and care of the elderly.
Lola and the Rent-a-Cat
Tamika loves everything about her grandpa, especially his expressive face. But one day, when Tamika watches Grandpa rehearsing for a play, she sees a different face, one she has never seen before.
Grandpa’s Face
Two friends are very different. Evelyn is adventurous and has an eye for fashion but is also the worst at cookie making and spelling. “I’m not!” replies the narrator after each observation providing reassurance that everyone has different talents and skills but still share friendship.
I’m Not
“I never thought one small lady from Japan could make such a big difference in my life, but she did.” So begins Rinko’s story about the time that Aunt Waka came to visit. From Mama’s new business to Papa’s new courage in standing up to Depression-era discrimination against the Japanese, Rinko can barely keep up with the way that everyone in the house (herself included) is changing. Rinko and her relatives are unforgettable characters whose stories are told with an easy familiarity, warmth, and gentle humor.
A Jar of Dreams
All the more moving in its restraint, this picture-book account of a fictional family reveals, with gentle dignity, a sad chapter in American history. Laura Iwasaki and her Japanese-American family will soon move from California to Boston, so they are making one last visit to Laura’s grandfather’s grave, which lies near the Sierra Nevada Mountains, so far from the sea he loved. Before World War II, he was a fisherman. Then, along with Laura’s father, her grandmother, and 10,000 other Japanese Americans, he was sent to the Manzanar War Relocation Center. There he died, and his grave is marked with only a ring of stones. The family leaves silk flowers, but Laura leaves her own special memento. — School Library Journal
So Far from the Sea
Children will recognize themselves and everyday problems in these two modern classics.
Freckle Juice & The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo
One never knows until they try something — much like a small yellow fledgling that is afraid to leave the nest. Lyrical language and textured, stylized collage illustrations combine for a surprisingly sophisticated push toward flying independently.
If I Never Forever Endeavor
At the start, the square was perfect and red but things change and so does the square. In a series of images accompanied by playful language, the red square changes into different forms and colors, challenging the reader to think literally outside of the box — that perhaps change isn’t such a bad thing after all.