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A large and diverse group of writers and visual artists present a range of art and writing to encourage young people to use their voices. From essays to poems, from collage to photographs, this handsome volume is sure to inspire as it introduces readers to different forms of expression.

The Vanderbeekers are back in this standalone companion to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (opens in a new window). Here they help create a community garden to help a neighbor and to avoid losing parts if their neighborhood to even more development.

Join the celebration from morning until evening. It’s presented in rhyming English with Spanish seamlessly incorporated. “No one’s working, closed tiendas./ Bright balloons and meriendas.” Unfamiliar words can be found in the cheerful illustrations (but there’s a glossary just in case!).

The delectable smell of Omu’s thick red stew wafts through the neighborhood. She shares it with neighbor after neighbor until she has none left for her own dinner. But her generosity is returned when the community brings a potluck supper to thank Omu. Semi-abstract illustrations in muted tones and an engaging telling create a warm story.

Fire fighters, police offices, medical staff and others are all rapid responders. Here, each introduces their special emergency vehicle. Lift the flap on sturdy pages for additional information about what it does. A similar format introduces all types of working boats in Whose Boat? (opens in a new window) by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Tom Froese.

A group of friends tell each other how they are alike and how they differ. The one thing that is always the same, however, is that, “I just like you! Yes I do!”  Gentle, detailed watercolors illustrate the gathering and activities of a motley group of animals.

As the season changes, farm animals make their home and find warmth in the barn where a calf is born. Handsome, realistic illustrations in the artist’s signature style depict the animals in a cozy barn with an attentive farmer.

Lily and her mom miss their own garden. When they visit the public garden they find their neighbor preparing the soil. Soon Lily and her friends are helping Mr. Sam plant and tend a vegetable garden. A concluding activity for an easy home garden ends this informative, easier to read book.

Beaver doesn’t think about his neighbors downstream while he’s building his dam. Frog bravely tries to make Beaver understand but Beaver just doesn’t listen. Only when disaster strikes do all of the animals figure out how to make homes for everyone. Gentle wisdom and cartoon illustrations tell a satisfying story.

The natural world is presented in gorgeous photographs combined with lyrical language to present this “love letter to our planet.” Included at the end are tangible ways for young readers to actively engage and learn about the world in which they live.

John’s mother thought cooking was more important than beauty in this gently humorous riff on a traditional tale. Here, John finds perfection in a batch of perfectly prepared black-eyed peas. A tasty looking recipe concludes this colorfully illustrated tale told with a distinctively Southern flavor.

Take a walk along Main Street to visit a bakery, a fish market, a hair salon, and other shops. Discover secrets that hide beneath each of the many flaps on sturdy pages. Enjoy the surprises at each cleverly designed and simply illustrated spread.

The questions asked by two children celebrate our commonalities as well as what makes each person distinct. Lyrical text and handsome watercolors portray the tapestry of a city and the people who live in the world. 

A boy walks his dog as the sun sets, glimpsing different activities in the lighted windows. The brightest window is in his own home where his mother waits for him. As night falls outside that window, the pair curl up together to share a book.  Detailed illustrations use light and dark to present a warm story.

“Life is for me/and is shining!” begins the poem and continues as the child expresses her wish for a peaceful world in which there is laughter and family. Watercolors are both fantastical and realistic as the poem continues to a gleeful, “Life is for us,/and is shining./We have a right to sing.”

With bottle caps on the bottom of their shoes, two brothers have a tap dancing contest on the sidewalk. Animated, rhythmic language, filled with onomatopoeia is complemented by cartoon illustrations showing New Orleans and the warm relationship between the boys.

The narrator recalls the time when Tony, a large white draft horse, would pull Tom’s wagon to deliver milk, butter, and eggs. Soft, handsome illustrations evoke an earlier time in this sweet, nostalgic story.

How one person helped make one community into the bicycle capital of the world is told in animated illustrations and easy text. It began in the 1970s when Maartje Rutten and her friends strived to change one city. The impact of that movement is still evident in Amsterdam today where bicycles remain more prevalent than automobiles. 

Colette’s loses her imaginary parrot but finds friends in her neighborhood while the children help her search for it. Sequential art expressively tells the story in mostly blacks and grays punctuated with yellow. Limited text completes the appealing package. 

There are many ways to say Hello! There’s more than just “hi!” People world-over say it in their own languages. Travel the world through the pages of this book to say “hello” then lift the flaps to discover more interesting facts. Small illustrations on large double-page spreads are sure to help readers become more cognizant of the similarities among the people of the world 

As the weather warms farmers’ markets begin to open. Celebrate the start of the season through lively illustrations and short poems that allow communities from large cities to small towns to “…teem with farmers and their goods — /tasty transformations.”

The true story of a mother, her four daughters, one son, and a handsome white cat named Kunkush is a journey out of war-torn Iraq to resettle in Norway. It is also the tale of valiant volunteers who reunite Kunkush with his brave family after being separated during the grueling jouney. Richly hued, realistic illustrations accompany the straightforward text. Photos of the family, Kunkush, and the volunteers conclude the book.

When Sophie was born, her neighbor made Sophie a hat. Now that Sophie is big, she makes pom-poms for Mrs. Goldman’s hats. Sophie then makes a very special hat for Mrs. Goldman especially for when they walk the dog, Fifi. Instructions for hat-making are included at the end of this charming story of friendship.

After a busy night in the neighborhood, Mr. Pip, the cat, tries to find a quiet place to sleep. That’s easier said than done! Vacuum cleaners, canoodlers and more make noises that keep the poor feline awake! Stylized illustrations in rich colors and lots of alliterative language create an irresistible tale.