Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  “The night wished it was quieter.  The bag wished it was deeper.  The light wished it was brighter.”  The story of a family’s escape from their home in an open sailboat is told with spare text and illustrations, showing them saying goodbye to loved ones, walking a long road with three small children, and traveling by boat on a stormy sea until they are finally picked up by a larger ship and see their destination ahead.  “I didn’t have to wish anymore,” concludes the story, switching into the first-person voice of the young girl narrator. Includes notes from the artist and the author, telling of her family’s escape from Vietnam in the 1980’s and tying it into the story of present-day refugees.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  It’s amazing how much of a story can be told in just a few brief sentences, accompanied by the lush, detailed illustrations, which should not escape the attention of the Caldecott committee.  The back matter fills in details and invites readers to think more deeply about how they can help new refugees.

Cons:  It’s hard to know what age to recommend this book for.  It looks like a 4-8 picture book, but I think older kids would benefit from it and understand it on a deeper level.

Published by Norton Young Readers

Summary:  Lili is thrilled when Nai Nai (her grandmother) invites her to help with baos, dumplings made with dough, filled with a spicy pork filling, and steamed in a basket lined with cabbage leaves.  When they go to steam them, though, Nai Nai discovers she’s out of cabbage.  She sends Lili to Babcia’s fifth floor apartment to borrow some.  Babcia has a head of cabbage, but needs potatoes for her pierogies, and sends her to Granma’s on the second floor.  And so it goes, as grandmothers throughout the apartment building need different ingredients to make their versions of dumplings.  Finally, Lili is able to return to Nai Nai’s, where they finish their bao.  They join all the others in the courtyard for a dumpling feast, which turns into a welcome-home party for Lili’s new baby brother…another dumpling treasure.  Includes a recipe for baos and pictures of all the other dumplings on the endpapers.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This mouth-watering picture book may inspire young cooks to try bao and some of the other yummy foods mentioned in the story.  The party and new baby brother make a perfect ending.

Cons:  I would have liked more information for the other dumplings, especially their countries/cultures of origin.

Published by little bee books

Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers

Summary:  In Grandad’s Camper, a girl enjoys hearing Grandad reminisce about travels with his husband, Gramps, in their old camper.  Since Gramps died, Grandad hasn’t felt much like traveling, but the girl convinces him to fix up the camper so that the two of them can take a trip to the beach.  The boy in Grandpa Across the Ocean doesn’t like spending time with his grandfather, who lives in a strange place, eats unfamiliar food, and doesn’t speak his language.  When the boy breaks Grandpa’s orchid pots with his ball, he’s sure he’s in trouble, but Grandpa turns out to be pretty forgiving and actually a lot of fun.  By the end of the family’s visit, the boy and his grandfather have had lots of adventures, he’s learned a few Korean words, and both eagerly anticipate another summer visit.  Grandad is 32 pages and Grandpa is 40; both recommended for ages 4-8.

Pros:  Two more excellent reads for Father’s Day that celebrate a grandfather-grandchild bond and show how a grandchild can bring out the kid in a grandfather.  

Cons:  I feel like I’m becoming the spelling police, but why Grandad and not Granddad?

Published by Tundra Books

Published by Schwartz & Wade

Summary:  Two books for Father’s Day that celebrate a bond between a father and daughter and a grandfather and grandson.  In Carpenter’s Helper, Renata is enjoying helping her father build a new bathtub, imagining herself building bubble castles in the deep new bathtub.  One night, though, a pair of wrens come in through the window hole and build a nest in the bathroom.  Dad says they need to stop work until the babies are hatched and ready to leave the nest.  Renata enjoys watching them grow, and has to do some problem-solving when they fall into the bathtub and can’t get out again.  

Moshom (Grandpa) hasn’t been to the trapline in the northern wilderness since he was a boy, but now he and his grandson are going back for a visit.  Their first stop is the Cree community where Moshom and his family lived after they left the trapline.  From there, they take a boat ride to the trapline.  Moshom reminisces as they go, recalling how he worked and played with his family, and how he attended an English-only school where he and his friends had to sneak into the bush to speak Cree (“I learned in both places.  I just learned different things.”).  Each page ends with a Cree word and its meaning.  As they fly home, the grandson is able to close his eyes and imagine the trapline just the way it used to be.  Includes notes from the author (who made a similar journey with his father) and the illustrator, as well as a glossary of Swampy Cree words.  Carpenter’s Helper is 40 pages; On the Trapline is 48 pages; both ages 4-8, although older kids would also enjoy On the Trapline.

Pros:  Both books show warm, loving relationships between a father/grandfather and child.  Carpenter’s Helper celebrates STEM and using problem-solving skills to figure out a real-world problem.  On the Trapline gives readers a look at an indigenous lifestyle as well as an introduction to Cree culture and language.

Cons:  Both stories require a good attention span from the intended audience: they are both on the long side and somewhat low key.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary: “There’s a time each and every day when the inside feels too small for Sam…”  That’s when it’s time for a strollercoaster ride.  Faster than you can say “toddler meltdown”, Sam’s dad picks her up, straps her in her stroller, and is off.  It’s a wild, high-energy run around the neighborhood, through streets and parks, over bridges, and through tunnels.  Finally, “the breeze slows, the wheels squeak, the brakes squawk,” and the ride is over.  And just in time, as both Sam and Dad crash on the couch for an afternoon nap.  32 pages; ages 2-7.

Pros:  So much energy in the words and the cram-packed psychedelic illustrations from Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay, whom I think we can all agree should get some Caldecott recognition.

Cons:  I would have gone with stroller coaster, not strollercoaster.  Maybe stroller-coaster?

Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary:  A girl and a boy (siblings?) decide to go on a wonder walk, which consists of walking outside and wondering.  Is the sun the world’s light bulb?  Do mountains have bones?  Is rain the day’s tears?  And finally, Is the moon the world’s night-light?  They head for bed with the refrain, “I wonder. Me too.”  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  This would make a great writing or discussion prompt, as kids think of what they wonder about.  The collage art is incredible and definitely should get some Caldecott consideration.

Cons:  Most of the questions were in a similar format.  It would have been nice to switch it up a little since there is so much to wonder about in the world.