This heartwarming book tells the story of two young sisters going to bed. One is moving into her own, “big girl” bedroom. The younger one is a little scared. So the older one shares her stuffed animals with her, each of which (she explains) offer magical powers — the lion offers bravery, while the unicorn offers wonderful daydreams, and so forth.

It’s all quite clever, including an ending that is a little surprising and quite endearing. The book is well-written and the illustrations are darling. Altogether, the book offers a clear view of little girls’ perspective, a caring relationship, and an unexpectedly moving view of an important stage of life, that they choose to face together.

This is a beautifully written story of a multiracial Oakland family’s day trips to the Mission District, to an artisan market, to school, and to a softball game. As she travels and plays, different people they encounter comment on the child’s appearance and ask where her family is from. She finds that her friends’ families are also from all over the world. At home, her parents talk about their DNA tests and how they are all branches on their extended (and extensive) family tree.

She concludes that, while she may look like her extended families, who are from Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and elsewhere, she is “one hundred percent me.” The simple yet artistic illustrations, along with the wonderful specificity of place, the family’s background, and all the family eats, does, and enjoys together, help elevate the book considerably into a moving consideration of how, whoever we are, we are each “one hundred percent me.”

This eye-opening book portrays the story of a homeless family, from the child’s perspective, in a well-told story with delightful vintage-style illustrations, through sensitively written text. In short, of necessity, the child learns how to make do or make due while living in an old school bus, traveling around, living that #vanlife. As the child learns, “It’s hard sometimes, but after a while, I felt like I could do just about anything when I looked on the bright side.”

The child seems to be homeschooled, in some sense, until they move to a new school. The child feels out of step with the others until they share some activities they’d learned to do on their own. For any children who’ve homeschooled, or lived with less advantages than others, this would be a real comfort, while offering insights to other children, too. Very well done, overall, with a valuable lesson for child — no matter their circumstances! Finally, this is simply a must-buy for any library serving diverse communities, especially with some whose families may be at the lower end of the economic spectrum.

This charming rhyming book, by author and illustrator Karen Obuhanych, recounts the daily activities of a kindle of kittens. They get into all sorts of mischief, none of which will be terribly surprising to cat owners. And yet, as we all know, there is little else in all the world as cute and endearing as a playful kitten — which is what “This Little Kitty” captures and illustrates very well! The book is beautiful, with delightful kittens on every beautifully printed and well-bound page.