Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Summary:  Shanti leaves her village (in India) to go to her new town (in the United States).  in the village, she enjoys the food, language, and traditions; in town, she learns a new language, tries new foods, and makes new friends.  It’s exciting to have new experiences, comforting to fall back on the old ones, and sometimes exhausting to travel between the two.  Finally, she needs a rest, and she takes one in the in-between that bridges the two worlds.  Refreshed, she realizes she can make any place feel like home, including that space between her two cultures.  Includes an author’s note about her experiences that inspired Shanti’s story and a glossary of Bangla words.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  There are many books that tell kids’ immigration stories, but this one more than most captures the experience of living in two cultures, both the difficult and the valuable aspects.

Cons:  One of my pet peeves: the glossary is on the back end papers, which means approximately 30% of it was covered up by the taped-on dust jacket of my library copy of the book.

Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  “Something strange happened on an unremarkable day just before the season changed. Everybody who was outside…went inside.”  All over the world, people stayed inside except for those who needed to be out of their homes.  People inside worked, played, and worried.  Why did people do this?  “Mostly because everyone knew it was the right thing to do.”  While waiting it out, we remembered that spring would come…inside and outside (outside is shown with a gatefold page with unmasked people hugging and playing outside).  Includes a two-page author’s note explaining more about the pandemic and how it inspired this book. 48 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  Not surprisingly, books borne of the pandemic are starting to appear in 2021.  This is the best I’ve seen so far, showing many scenes that we’ve experienced or seen on the news in the last year without ever specifically mentioning Covid.  Students at my school will be returning April 5 after more than a year at home, and this book will be perfect to help share and process our pandemic stories.

Cons:  “Everyone knew it was the right thing to do” seems like a bit of an oversimplification of what really happened in America.

Published by Make Me a World

Summary:  A young boy describes the journey from his home along the Mekong River to an undisclosed destination.  He paddles a small boat through waves and rain showers, seeing animals big and small all around him.  Some of the metaphors he uses may tip the reader off about where he is going: he gets to “write my name across the blackboard of a river”, and describes the sky as “a crayon box full of colors”. His travels conclude as he and his friends arrive for their first day of school. Includes additional information about the Mekong River and a note from Christopher Myers, creative director of the Make Me a World imprint.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would make a great back-to-school book; although the Vietnamese setting may be unfamiliar to kids, the boy’s anxieties and excitement are universal.  The bold, colorful illustrations are beautiful, filled with both real and imagined animals.

Cons:  I was going to say this could be a Caldecott contender until I realized the illustrator lives in Vietnam.  Just had the same hope dashed about a Newbery for Too Small Tola by Atinuke.  ALSC, please change the rule that winners have to be citizens or residents of the United States!

Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  The package is sealed, addressed, and given an extra personal touch.  Then it’s on its way: to the post office, to a building to be sorted, onto a truck to go to the airport.  But on the way, the truck hits a pothole, and the package falls out.  It sits in a puddle on the side of the road until a boy notices it and picks it up.  He’s excited to see a drawing of the Golden Gate Bridge, because it turns out he and his mom are moving to San Francisco!  Upon their arrival, they find the address on the package and deliver it to a kid who is about the same age as the boy.  The boys talk, the moms talk, and a friendship is born.  The last page shows the package recipient with a replica of the Empire State Building next to the battered box it came in; he’s getting ready to send a package of his own. Includes an author’s note that starts out, “If it wasn’t for the United States Postal Service, I might not be here today” and an illustrator’s note. 40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  A celebration of both the Post Office and new friends, this book is spare with its text, but the illustrations do an amazing job of telling the story, showing each step on the package’s long and winding journey.  The author’s note reminds readers of the importance of the USPS, and what they can do to support it.

Cons:  It seemed like an almost impossible, although wonderful, coincidence that the boy who found the package was just about to move to California.

Published by Feiwel and Friends

Summary:  In the pages before the title page, Louise packs a ball into a box with other doggy items, and she and her parents hold the box, with the caption, “Goodbye, Charlie.”  The main story begins as a grief-stricken Louise rows a boat to a small island near her house.  As she starts to enjoy the animals she sees there, colors return to the sepia-toned illustrations.  Then a bear appears.  Louis is afraid at first, but her fear turns to anger and she roars back at the bear.  The bear seems as sad as Louise, and on subsequent visits to the island, the two become friends.  As winter approaches, the bear settles down to sleep.  “It’s not fair,” thinks Louise “when the things we love must end.”  But sometimes an end is a beginning, and before spring, Louise has a new puppy named Milly.  The two of them return to the island, but she doesn’t find the bear, and Louise wonders…was he ever there?  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  I’ve been avoiding this book since I read it was about the grief of losing a dog, but I’m glad I finally overcame my resistance.  Caldecott winner Cordell does a masterful job of exploring grief and the healing powers of nature and time in ways that kids will relate to.

Cons:  The ending may be a bit ambiguous for the younger set.