Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  The narrator can’t wait to grow her hair out, believing, as her ancestors did, that hair is a source of strength and memories.  Her mother has always had short hair, having been forced to have it cut at an Indian school and always being told that it was too wild to wear long.  As the girl grows up, she marks important days by how long her hair is and weaves the memory of each day into her hair.  When her grandfather dies, she cuts her hair and sends it with him into the spirit world.  Her mother decides to join her when she begins the journey of growing her hair long again.  Includes an author’s note about indigenous people’s beliefs about hair and her own family’s experience with Indian boarding schools where children were forced to have their hair cut.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A fascinating story that brings to light an aspect of Native American culture that may not be familiar to many readers, and also shows, yet again, the disastrous impact of boarding schools on that culture.  The narrator’s decision to undo the trauma of several generations is inspiring.  I loved the illustrations, which look like they have been painted on wood with brilliant, vibrant colors.

Cons:  I didn’t fully understand the mother’s decision to keep her hair short until I read the author’s note at the end.

Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  The author’s note at the beginning tells of his Baba, a Polish survivor of World War II, who settled in a renovated chicken coop in Canada with her husband.  Jordan Scott didn’t know his grandfather, but visited his grandmother every day, forming a bond that transcended their different languages through food, gardening, and collecting worms to enrich the soil.  The story is a memoir of their times together, continuing until the chicken coop is torn down and Baba comes to live with the family.  Although she can’t get out and work in the garden anymore, the boy continues to spend time with her each morning, planting tomatoes on her windowsill, and showing her the worms he finds as she watches from her window.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The team that brought you I Talk Like a River has created another beautiful family story, understated in its narration, but perfectly conveying the love between a child and his grandmother.  

Cons:  My hopes for Sydney Smith to win a Caldecott were dashed when I read on the back flap of the book jacket that he lives in Canada.

Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  A girl and her two siblings love their father’s bedtime stories, especially those about their homeland, a place the kids have never seen.  Their father tells about visiting his grandparents in the Old City of Jerusalem, with the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of a bustling city with a rich history.  The story ends with his grandfather releasing hundreds of homing pigeons.  “Won’t they fly away?” asks the boy, to which the grandfather replies, “This is their home.”  It’s the last time their father sees his grandfather, and he shows his kids the rusty key to the family’s home.  The children fall asleep and dream of their homeland.  Includes a glossary of Arabic words and an author’s note (with photos) about the history of Palestine, which is her own homeland.  40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  The story and folk art-style illustrations bring to life the family’s homeland in Palestine and beautifully convey the sadness and longing they have to return there.

Cons:  Readers unfamiliar with the history of this region will need some additional information to understand what’s going on.

Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  “When I went to the hospital, I cried nine times,” begins the girl narrator, then recounts what each of those times was.  Sometimes the pain makes her cry, like when her stomach starts hurting, and when the car goes over a bump on the way to the hospital.  Other times, it’s from fear, when she finds out she has appendicitis, and she needs an operation.  And once the procedure is done, and she’s staying overnight at the hospital, she sheds a few tears of loneliness.  But in the morning, her family visits, there are pancakes for breakfast, and then she gets to go home.  There are a few tears of joy when she arrives, but those, she says, don’t count.  40 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  Just as she did in The Airport Book, Lisa Brown offers a comforting tour through the hospital (based on the reappearance of the sock monkey, I’m pretty sure this is the same family).  There is some sly humor, with hospital staffers Nurse Nightingale and Drs. Zhivago and Watson, but Brown doesn’t shy away from some of the less happy emotions kids may feel in the hospital and matter-of-factly explains some of the procedures they may encounter there.  

Cons:  I’ll take an airport visit over a hospital one any day.