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Nadia is thrilled to be the flower girl at her aunt’s wedding, yet continues to worries her classmates will respond on Monday to the temporary henna tattoos (mehndi). The intricate hand decorations that wear off slowly are a tradition of the family’s Pakistani background. Respect for tradition and the need to conform are at odds, but then resolved in this well-illustrated story.

Harry’s Aunt Rose is getting ready to marry the tuba player in her five-piece band. Will Harry’s first experience as a ring bearer be as awful as his friend’s stint as ring bearer and flower girl combined? This warm family story is punctuated with gentle humor.

As the page boy in his friend’s wedding, Beni carries the ring and experiences the excitement of his first wedding. Rich in Jewish wedding tradition, there is a sweet treat offered to guests at the end — and the recipe is included!

Amber Brown’s narration brings drama and humor to the story of her life after her parents’ divorce. She alternately feels green (with envy), blue (with melancholy) and red (with anger), during this transitional time in her life, and gives young readers new language to express their own feelings.

Sara has initial hesitations when she is asked to create a painting for the class art show. But when her mother suggests that the universe Sara wants to paint starts right outside her window, Sara opens the door to the art all around her. Child-like watercolors present Sara’s creative process - from being overwhelmed to finding inspiration.

Socks has a difficult start in life, but things get much better when he is taken in by the Brickers. The young couple adore their feline friend. But when the baby arrives, Socks loses his place at the center of the Brickers’ universe. Socks’ antics are both humorous and recognizable in this engaging novel. Older siblings will relate!

Janet and Jimmy are twins but like all siblings, Janet doesn’t want Jimmy to touch her stuff. She takes her mother’s suggestion and puts her “thingamajigs” in a special place. Janet’s thingamajigs are dispatched when her special place, her crib, is replaced by a regular twin bed and the twins realize they’re growing up. Full color illustrations complement the tone of this recognizable milestone in children’s lives.

A young boy, Leigh, begins writing letters to a famous author, Mr. Henshaw, revealing what’s going on in his life — like his parents’ divorce — as he gradually matures and finds his place in the world. Leigh’s voice is plausible and poignant.

When Rosa’s grandmother becomes sick, Rosa comes up with an idea that not only makes Grandma feel better, it helps add coins to the family’s near empty money jar. Translucent watercolors illustrate this timeless, affectionate tale of family, community and the power of music.

When their mother bakes a dozen cookies, Sam and Victoria plan to have six each. Then the doorbell rings — again and again! Just when it seems that there aren’t enough cookies, grandma saves the day!

Christine recalls growing up with her brothers (known as M.L. and A.D.) in a family in which laughter and love were celebrated. She describes a pivotal moment in their childhood when her brothers are told by the white boys who live across the street that they can no longer play together because the King’s are “Negroes.” The story provides insight into the child M.L. King was, and the man he would become. Realistic watercolors evoke the era and events of this well-told memoir.

While on a family vacation in California, the Gridleys stay in an old hotel where a mouse named Ralph finds a toy motorcycle and meets Keith, the youngest Gridley. Thus begins a friendship and a memorable adventure of a mouse on a motorcycle. Ralph’s adventures continue in Ralph S. Mouse (1982).

A Chinese family goes out for dim sum (“little dishes”), choosing their favorites off the restaurant cart and sharing with each other. The illustrations evoke the textures and patterns in this traditional meal, and an endnote provides background on the cultural history and customs surrounding dim sum.

More than just delicious food comes from Granny Torrelli’s kitchen. The recipes for friendship and family are there in abundance for Rosie and her pal Bailey as they listen to Granny’s timeless tales.

Two children prepare for a backyard adventure, taking with them a rainbow of necessities: a blue backpack, a yellow book, even a multi-colored blanket to serve as their tent when they take a nap. The simple adventure is told in uncomplicated sentences presented in Spanish and English, and is illustrated in richly hued, swirling images.

Even the bedtime rituals don’t subdue the dramatic baby llama and the nighttime fears that descend when Mama Llama leaves his room. Young readers (and their parents) will see their own behavior in the rhyming text and expressive and winning illustrations.

Oscar and his inter-racial family celebrate his half birthday with a joyful picnic in the park. Families are likely to recognize Oscar’s slightly cluttered home, the pleasure sister Milly takes in wearing her fairy wings (made from coat hangers), and the happiness in sharing a day together in the lighthearted illustrations and subtle text.

A fuzzy green ball is accidentally dropped by a large lumpy dog into a hole inhabited by prairie dogs. All of this causes great excitement. The prairie dogs not only make fashion statements, but discover that fancy fuzz can cause trouble. Spirited illustrations in a large format are as vivacious and funny as the text.

Soonie’s great grandmother was only seven-years-old when sold to the big plantation. A quilt that showed the way to freedom and chronicled the family’s history connects the generations, and continues to do so. Idealized illustrations and the poetic text provide an unusual family story.

The window at Nanna and Poppy’s house looks like a regular window, but it’s really a doorway to the child’s world and a celebration of the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Celebrate family with this 2006 Caldecott Medal-winning book.

Lucy Rose realizes she is a “smart cookie,” but is still thrown by the changes in her life, which include a move to Washington, D.C., where her grandparents live. She narrates her own story in this fresh, fast, often funny, and always plausible novel. Her story continues in Lucy Rose: Big on Plans.

Meet the “stair and step” girls, Ella, Henny, Charlotte, Sarah, and Gertie who live with their parents on the Lower East Side of New York at the turn of the nineteenth century. Though the girls lived long ago, their fears as well as their triumphs are a celebration of everyday doings and remain as fresh today as when the girls were first introduced more than 50 years ago.

Pictures of Miss Spider’s family are presented in an album format on sturdy pages. The Sunny Patch characters continue to engage young children as they learn about family relations.

Bitty, the smallest mouse in the family is sure that her mother won’t miss her when she follows the big kids to school. Of course Bitty’s mom misses her but Bitty is taken into school and becomes the teacher’s helper until her worried mom comes to pick her up. The author/illustrator has newly added a minimal text to this once wordless but still winning tale of the younger sibling left behind.