Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  Daisy is a warthog named for her mother’s favorite flower. “They seem plain, but when you look closer you see their beauty,” Mom tells her.  Unfortunately, Daisy’s classmates don’t bother to look closely, laughing at her instead and calling her “Thistle”.  Consequently, Daisy keeps her head down a lot.  She discovers there are treasures to be found that way, though, and keeps her broken cups, abandoned birdhouses, and old pots and pans in a secret tree fort.  One day she discovers a broken crystal candy dish at the fort’s entrance, and before long, treasures are popping up in other familiar places.  Then she makes a discovery that leads to the greatest treasure of all–a new friend and kindred spirit.  40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  A tender ode to the introverts of the world, as well as a celebration of friendship and finding a soulmate.  This would pair nicely with Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes in a girls-named-for-flowers-who-come-to-embrace-their-identities story hour.

Cons:  The mean girls never get their comeuppance.

Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary:  Five children live in the ramble shamble house, taking care of the garden and chickens, apparently without any adult supervision.  At night, they pile into the same bed, where Merra, the oldest girl, tells them stories.  One day they find a book in the attic with a picture of a “proper home” and set about transforming their own house from ramble shamble to proper.  But it doesn’t quite feel like home, and worst of all, baby Jory goes missing.  Finding him helps them realize that ramble shamble is the perfect style for them, and they stay up late, enjoying the stars and celebrating their family.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  The Newbery-Caldecott team of Soontornvat and Castillo have created a fanciful tale of happy children enjoying their own home and life in a story that feels like a little bit of a throwback to the Boxcar Children era.  Sure to spark kids’ imagination and have them imagining their own ramble shamble homes and families.

Cons:  Happy childhood fantasy or dark post-apocalyptic dystopia? 

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.