Published by Kokila

Summary:  When the kids play a farm animal game at school, Laxmi wants to be a chicken, but Zoe says she should be a cat because she has whiskers.  Laxmi’s never noticed the hairs above her lip, but after that she becomes self-conscious about them, as well as the ones on her arms, legs, and in between her eyebrows.  When she tells her parents about the incident, they immediately assure her that all the women in the family (including her mother) have a mooch, and that everyone has hair on their bodies to keep them warm.  The next day at recess, Laxmi says that she wants to be a tiger, because of her whiskers, and suggests that Zoe can use her golden whiskers to be a lion.  Zoe denies having whiskers, but a trip to the bathroom mirror proves otherwise.  Noah wants whiskers, but doesn’t have them, so Zoe draws some on his face, and then proceeds to decorate everyone in her class–even the teacher–with a mooch.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A great story about self-acceptance, with Laxmi’s parents rocking their role of helping their child feel good about herself.  

Cons:  Mooch or no, it seems way more fun to pretend to be a cat than a chicken.

Published by Simon and Schuster

Summary:  The world is full of noise, but if you stop, close your eyes, and listen, you can hear each individual sound.  You can also listen to words: some are quick and snappy, others are long and leisurely.  Words can be filled with joy or painful to hear.  Sometimes if you listen carefully, you can hear the feelings of the person who is speaking the words.  Even when it’s night and time for bed, there are still plenty of sounds around that you can listen for before falling asleep.  Includes additional information about listening with definitions of terms like “startle response” and “bottom-up response”.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  An excellent resource to teach a variety of listening, focusing, and mindfulness skills, all presented in a child-friendly way.  I loved the illustrations, which I realized were done by the creator of one of my favorite wordless picture books, Little Fox in the Forest. 

Cons:  A list of additional resources would have been nice,

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Nico is nervous on his first day of school, and the reactions of the other kids don’t help much.  At recess, Nico’s not into sports or gossiping with friends, preferring to sit still and watch bugs crawling across the asphalt and the birds that gather around him.  When kids start calling him Bird Boy, Nico knows they’re making fun of him, but he embraces the name, imagining himself as an eagle, or a penguin, or a hummingbird.  Slowly, he makes a couple of friends, as some of the kids start to notice Nico’s kindness and vivid imagination.  At recess, playing on the swings with his new friends, Nico sometimes feels like he really can fly.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A beautiful book with a great “be yourself” message that will appeal to introverts and others who sometimes feel like they don’t fit into the mainstream.

Cons:  It seemed like a teacher or other adult could have provided some intervention with the name calling instead of letting Nico deal with it on his own.

Published by Philomel Books

Summary:  “Me…can be we. You…can come, too. They…can be ‘Hey!’ It’s all of us.”  This affirming book shows kids of different races and with a variety of physical attributes all playing together.  From hopscotch with the names of the continents in the boxes to sailing on a sea of words in various languages, differences and similarities are embraced and celebrated.  Religious practices and a variety of vocations are also touched upon.  The text circles back at the end: “All kinds of kids, thoughtful and free.  Sometimes in groups, sometimes…just me.”  32 pages; ages 2-8.

Pros:  An affirming book that celebrates all kinds of kids through both text and pictures.  It’s a quick read, but could engender longer discussions, and would make a good welcoming book at the beginning of any sort of kids’ gathering.

Cons:  Far be it from me to utter a disparaging word about such a rosy view of the world.

Published by Dial Books

Summary:  Tall, short, wide, narrow, fat, thin, hairy, bald, skin of many different colors…bodies are cool!  This is the repeating refrain that concludes each of the catchy rhymes (“Freckled bodies, dotted bodies, rosy-patched or speckled bodies, dark-skin-swirled-with-light-skin bodies. Bodies are cool!”).  Each two page spread shows lots of different types of people all enjoying fun activities like swimming, eating ice cream, or going to the movies.  Conclusion? “My body, your body, every different kind of body! All of them are good bodies! Bodies are cool!”.  32 pages; ages 2-7.

Pros:  What’s not to like?  The positive images and words accept all different types of bodies and body parts, including those that are sometimes deemed “ugly”.  The busy illustrations are a joyful celebration of humanity, and, combined with the catchy rhymes, will have preschoolers up on their feet dancing.

Cons:  I can’t help feeling envious that this message is in the world for kids now…I wish it had been the case when I was growing up.

Published by Greystone Books

Summary:  When things go wrong, two kids practice self-calming by breathing deeply while thinking of things around them: a goldfish blowing bubbles, an elephant trumpeting, a dandelion scattering its seeds, or a flower stretching toward the sky.  When they’re calm, they’re ready to focus on the task at hand.  Includes an author’s note about using breathing techniques to feel better in difficult situations.  48 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  A perfect introduction to the use of breathing as a calming technique for the preschoolers or early elementary kids.  The real-life examples are engaging and will help them visualize how to take calming breaths.

Cons:  A creature with gills may not be the best example of deep breathing.

Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Have you ever seen a flower?  Really seen a flower?  Seen it using only your nose?  Have you ever felt a flower…the veins on the petals that feel like veins on your skin?  Those veins show that life is inside you and all around you.  Put your hands on your belly (like your stem), then stretch your arms up toward the sky like a flower reaching for the sun.  48 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Shawn Harris has his debut as an author, although he illustrated Her Right Foot and A Polar Bear in the Snow, two books, which, like this book, defied categorization.  His brilliant (in both senses of the word) colored pencil illustrations made me want to go color, and kids will undoubtedly feel the same tug of inspiration.  The text could be used for a lesson in mindfulness, using your imagination, or undoubtedly a host of other interesting ways that my limited mind isn’t thinking of right now.

Cons:  Adults may be scratching their heads at the end, wondering what exactly this book was about (which might actually be a “pro”).

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.

Published by Charlesbridge

Summary:  Lily’s in the back seat of Gram’s car, heading toward her new home: Gram’s Iowa farm.  To distract Lily from her sadness, Gram suggests they find ten beautiful things before they get to the house.  “There’s nothing beautiful here,” says Lily, but at that moment, there’s a breathtaking sunrise.  Every time she starts to descend back into her sadness, there’s something beautiful to see: a wind farm, a red-winged blackbird, a gurgling creek.  Finally they pull up at Gram’s farmhouse.  “We only made it to nine,” says Lily.  But Gram reaches down for a hug.  “We’re ten,” she says.  “None of this was easy.  Maybe it would never be easy.  But she belonged with Gram now.  She belonged here now.”  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  While the reader never finds out why Lily is going to live with Gram, it’s clear there’s a lot of grief behind the reason, and Gram is wise to start the hunt for beauty.  The illustrations of the sunrise and thunderstorm are pretty spectacular.

Cons:  Some kids may feel dissatisfied not to know more about Lily; on the other hand, there are many groups of kids who will connect with her situation, so the vagueness may be a good thing.

Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  A group of volunteers comes together to provide a community dinner, working with the food that they have on hand to make chili, bread, salad, and apple crumble.  The pace quickens as someone shouts “Fifteen minutes!”, and the early birds start to arrive.  Finally, it’s dinnertime, and the volunteers bring the food to the waiting crowd.  Everyone sits down to share a meal and some time together.  As the guests trickle out, one of the kids loudly announces the obvious: “OK, time to clean up!”  Includes an author’s note about her experiences volunteering in a similar small kitchen weekly to prepare a community meal, and endpapers that outline how to prepare vegetable soup and apple crumble.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The bouncy rhyming text and colorful, comic-inspired illustrations by Caldecott honoree Tamaki have a ton of kid appeal and an inspiring message.  Pair it up with Harlem Grown for a community service-themed story hour.

Cons:  Some of the rhyming words (hot/start/bought) were a little loose.

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