Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary:  From the team that brought you The Day You Begin comes this picture book about a brother and sister going through a difficult year.  There’s boredom in the spring when the weather keeps them inside, sibling fights in the summer, loneliness in autumn, and finally, a move away from the familiar neighborhood in winter.  Each season, their grandmother reminds them, “Lift your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath.”  When they do, the two children are able to fly, looking down on their city and letting go of their difficult feelings.  In their new house, other kids are initially unfriendly, but when they see the two who can fly, they close their eyes, take a deep breath, and join them.  Includes an author’s note acknowledging Virginia Hamilton’s The People Could Fly: Black American Folktales as her inspiration for this story.  Available in English and Spanish. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  I probably shouldn’t start predicting the 2023 Caldecott the day before the 2022 awards will be announced, but I do love Rafael López’s beautiful illustrations that perfectly complement the intriguing, poetic text by Jacqueline Woodson.

Cons:  Don’t hurry through the story; there’s a lot to unpack in both the text and the illustrations.

I have a discussion guide for this book on Teachers Pay Teachers that includes discussion questions, vocabulary, and connections.

Published by Kokila

Summary:  A boy and his father take a Saturday morning trip over the border to Mexico, something that is obviously a familiar routine for them.  As they approach the bridge, Dad reminds him that the land once belonged to the Coahuiltecans before it became two countries.  They enjoy coffee and hot chocolate in a restaurant, then head out for their errands, visiting relatives and shopping for friends.  When it’s time to go back home, they have one more stop to make part way across the bridge.  It’s lined with people camping there, refugees from the Caribbean and Central America who can’t get into either Mexico or the U.S.  The boy and his father distribute much of what they’ve bought that day to the people on the bridge: food, medicine, comics.  “All the way home I imagine a wonderful day, when all my friends from the Other Side can go back and forth between my two border towns, just like me.”  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  An uplifting but realistic look at the life of an American boy who still has close ties to his Mexican heritage–and who is being taught empathy and compassion as he and his dad consider the plight of their friends waiting to gain admittance to one country or another. 

Cons:  A little back matter with additional information about the border and/or refugees would have been a nice addition.

Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  “Child, you are awake! Breathe in, then breathe out, hermosa creatura.  You are alive! You are a bright star inside our hearts.”  A fawn travels through a desert landscape with its mother.  When it discovers the destruction of the beautiful cacti and a wall blocking its way, the mother is comforting, encouraging her fawn to speak up with a “No!”.  The fawn imagines a beautiful healed world, which includes human children: “You are a bright star inside our hearts.”  Includes a note from the author giving eleven reasons she wrote this book, which include a wish to show the environment of the borderlands, and its destruction from building fences and walls; also, a list of source materials. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  I’m putting this on my list of books to watch for Caldecott and/or Belpré recognition.  The illustrations are amazing, Spanish and English are effortlessly woven together in the text, and the back matter adds extra depth.

Cons:  It took me a few readings to fully understand what was going on in the story. That may be the book–there’s definitely more than meets the eye–or possibly my brain.

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  When the narrator visits her abuelo, she loves helping him sell fruit.  Together they make up a song to let people know the fruits they have, “Mango, limón, coco, melón, naranja, toronjo, plátano, piña.”  On New Year’s Eve, many customers buy grapes so they can gobble up twelve at midnight, making a wish for each chime of the clock.  The girl’s last wish is always to be able to visit her grandparents more often, but much of the time they have to make do with letters that travel between the U.S. and Cuba.  Includes an author’s note with additional information about Spanglish, travel restrictions to Cuba, los pregoneros or the singing vendors, and New Year’s Eve. Available in Spanish and English. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The lively narration and colorful illustrations present an inviting portrayal of Cuba that would pair well with All the Way to Havana for a Cuban/Margarita Engle story hour. Well deserving of some Pura Belpré recognition.

Cons:  Eating twelve grapes on the stroke of midnight sounds challenging.