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We’re in This Together: Leo’s Lunch Box
U.S. Senator (and Pastor) Raphael Warnock wrote this heartening story based on the story of the loaves and fishes in the New Testament, yet here, it revolves around a boy at a poor school, filled with hungry children, each eating only what their family can afford, if anything. One day, the boy’s mother finds a magic lunchbox that, when the boy tries to share his pizza(!) lunch with a hungry friend, he finds there is still more pizza to share.
The story — and the food — grows from there. “The more he gave, the more he received.” I used to serve on a board for our local food bank and this magical book reminds us all that there is always enough love to go around, if we’re only willing to share it with others.
This beautifully artistic and poetic book is written by Amanda Gorman, the well-known National Youth Poet Laureate and youngest inaugural poet in American history. Here, she encourages girls to look out for one another and to recognize their strength, individually and collectively. “Being a girl takes a brave heart,” she explains, yet “when one girl stands up, she is never alone.” The book is remarkably lovely, with gorgeous artistry that blends well with the poetry of the book itself. In the end, “when one girl is on the rise, everyone else is, too.”
Rose Weaves a Garden
This beautiful and heartwarming storybook tells of a young girl who loves to spend time with her grandfather, who works making Persian rugs — both in a factory (in the daytime) and on a loom at home, by hand (every other time). When her grandfather teaches her how to weave, she draws her own rug design based what she sees in the family garden.
He is delighted, so they begin making a new rug based on her design. Yet, before the rug is finished, the grandfather becomes ill. What will she do? This book, written and illustrated by a young woman who learned rug-making from her own grandfather, is a delight throughout. Every word, every colorful motif, is an absolute delight. And, I’ll tell you what, I’d buy a rug with that little girl’s design in a heartbeat. This entire, perfect book is wonderful in every way.
In this book, two boys and their parents fly to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where they will face the heavy responsibility of being the ring bearers at their uncle’s wedding. Can they measure up? Luckily, they meet a friendly little flower girl who isn’t nervous at all (the real life Drew Barrymore).
There is lots of Spanish language tips throughout the colorful and chatty book. There are real-life photos of the wedding at the end of the book, too. Learning how to bring different cultural elements together, in happy ways, is an important message we can all learn from, just like the boys do in this charming book!
Tios and Primos
Our extended family speaks many languages. This is a book for families like ours with uncles, aunts, and cousins who may not speak the same language primarily. In Spanish, “tíos” refers to uncles and aunts, while “primos” means cousins. This is a heartwarming story about a young girl who goes on a trip to visit her Spanish-speaking relatives, in a Latin American country, yet worries that she isn’t able to communicate as well as she would like, since her Spanish isn’t perfect. In the end, the girl and her abuela find that they can get along, play, eat together, and enjoy each other’s company just fine.
The writing is sensitive and enlightening, and the illustrations are colorful and engaging. This is a great book for families where multiple languages are spoken (or not) with some gentle guidance toward getting along well together.
Dream for the Land
My extended family used to farm and raise cattle, but now their farms and ranches are mostly gone, and our family has moved on to other trades and other places. The local river is mostly diverted to supply a coal-fired power plant beyond the mountains that surround us. For some families, simply moving on isn’t an easy option. For families who still work multi-generational farms, it can be the hardest.
The book’s lovely imagery and engaging story, told from a young child’s perspective, reflects more on the impact than the actual causes of river depletion, as commercial concerns over-extract water to supply their own concerns, leaving those downstream with little water to grow their crops, no matter how hard they work. This lovely yet sad children’s book doesn’t offer a simplistic and happy ending, but it does end on a hopeful note, regardless. We can always hope for a better, kinder, more generous world.
Many Things at Once
Other than the few native Americans who retained their lands, all of the rest of us Americans are from families of immigrants, of one type or another. Many of us don’t have to think back very far to our pioneer and immigrant ancestors who labored and suffered much to bring us to life here, wherever we are now. This autobiographical book tells of a little girl who worries that, while she’s proud of her mixed heritage, she feels a bit too little of either sides of her family.
“It’s okay to feel many things at once,” her parents reassure her. The beautiful illustrations of this moving book showcase the struggles of her forebears and the compelling text explains the challenges they faced — and overcome. My children particularly love the illustrations in the garden, where the girl sees a lovely butterfly, which helps her recognize that we are each unique, yet part of a whole. I hope all of us Americans learn and remember that, just like this little girl does.
The Jade Bracelet
My family shares traditions from several cultures. Each of us finds our own ways to appreciate them. In this, another heartwarming, autobiographical story, a little girl describes her receiving a traditional Vietnamese gift, a jade bracelet. Here, this seven year old girl is gifted it in remembrance of her grandmother, who she loved, yet all the other girls at school have glitzy tchotchkes they wear proudly.
It takes her a little while to come to appreciate the jade’s more subtle, yet more valuable, beauty. My daughters love to go through this book, again and again, comparing the fun illustrations of the girls comparing their bracelets. Now, they all want a jade bracelet, just like this lovely girl.