Neat Nick’s Big Mess
This fun book deals with anxiety, along with related issues, such as an overt focus on order, punctuality, silence, and other concerns. Yet, it’s all offered in a humorous context, eventually emphasizing that love is more important than our anxious concerns. To accept others — and thereby overcome loneliness — we often have to overlook the faults, flaws, and peculiarities of others (including when that other is a rambunctious, hairy dog). This comical yet caring book shows children (of all ages) how they might do that — and, importantly, why. The binding and printing are top-notch, and the illustrations are exceptionally appealing and fun. The text is well-written, with humor and a sense of momentum throughout, yet sensitive without becoming too precious. All in all, this book is a great way to help little ones accept that sometimes things may be a little out of their control, but that’s not always a bad thing, especially when fun and friendship come with it.

Birthday Soup
This engaging story tells of a little girl looking forward to a meal of “miyeok guk” — a.k.a., birthday soup, a beef and seaweed soup. The story explains when it is often eaten, and family members join in to help make it on the little girl’s birthday. She shares the soup with her friends at her birthday party, alongside her other favorite foods (pizza and tacos). Throughout the book, there are reminders that traditional foods tie families together. The book offers two versions of the recipe to make at home, fun illustrations, and is printed with a reinforced binding. It’s an engaging glimpse of how different foods help bring families and friends together.

ABCs of the Bible
This well-illustrated and carefully written ABC board book should appeal to all young children (and many of their parents from a range of sects found within Christianity). Each page has a letter, a brief sentence (“R is for Rainbow, which God gave Noah after the flood.”), a cute illustration on a colored background, and a bible verse that shows the lettered object in its use in The Bible (“I set my rainbow in the cloud,” etc.). Everything about it is charming, well-considered, and appealing. I suppose that the only things that may be confusing for some children are different representations of Christianity in practice, such as infant baptism, kneelers on pews, priests in robes, a mention of grace, and a pictorial use of the cross throughout.