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| Lost and Found Cat |
In August of 2015, an Iraqi family fled their home, traveling by car and on foot along with their cat, Kunkush. When the family reached Greece, Kunkush escaped from his carrier. They searched for him for hours, but finally had to continue on their journey. Volunteers found the feline a few days later and became determined to reunite him with his owners.
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| Lizzy and the Cloud |
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| Abalone Woman |
Abalone Woman is the third book in the Little Wolf series for young readers. Here, Little Wolf has a bad dream but it reminds her to learn more about Indigenous culture and the importance of passing on knowledge to the new generation. When Little Wolf encounters injustice in her community, she turns to her family for the strength to fight back.
Local author Spathelfer has all three picturebooks at the Richmond Public Library:
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| Abuelita and Me |
An empowering story of a girl and her grandmother travelling by bus across the city when racist slurs are directed at the grandmother, Abuelita. How the two decide to react to this situation gives an example of a way to maintain dignity and respond with positivity when someone is being mean.
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| Out Into the Big Wide Lake |
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| Letters From Bear |
A longer picturebook for ages 4-8, Letters From Bear is an enchanting story of Bear, who misses his friend, Bird.
"Dear Bird,
I've made up my mind.
I'm coming to find you on the other side of the world.
All our friends have wished me a safe journey.
"Don't get too hot," said Badger.
"Bring me back a coconut," said Fox.
"We'll be thinking of you," said Beaver.
Here I come, Bird!
Yours,Bear
An epistolary book that would be perfect to teach letter writing. Such a sweet ending, too!
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| I Dream of a Journey |
Evocative, I Dream of a Journey takes us travelling along with the many guests of the Solitude Hotel, who send the innkeeper postcards from their adventures. Black and white ink drawings are juxtaposed with full colour images of sunnier days on the road.
The pandemic has left even the armchair traveller ready for the next trip. Freedom and solitude play chess in this otherwordly picturebook.
A sweet, beautiful picture book with an embosed cover, vivid colors and large font for easy reading.
David is a gentle boy with flowers in his hair. The children at his school all love him, especially his best friend.But one day David comes to school with a hat because all his flowers have fallen off. He is sad and some of the children stay away from him, but not his best friend who has a wonderful idea on how to help him be bright and colourful again.
The story isn’t so much about the flowers but about the friendship the two best friends had and how caring, selfless, and thoughtful David’s best friend truly is.
The Boy with Flowers in his hair is heart-warming, poignant, and remarkable. A darling story about friendship and inclusion that will have you thinking.
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| Stuntboy, In The Meantime |
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| A Gift for Nana |
Rabbit wants to find the perfect gift for his Nana, and embarks on a quest adventure, asking various animals advice. The illustrations are etheral, created with paints and wax.
In the end, Rabbit finds the perfect gift and Nana loves it. A bit predictable, but sweet nonetheless.
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| Look Up With Me |
Come along and read about Neil deGrasse Tyson's childhood, growing up in New York City and going to the Hayden Planetarium one day - the day that changed his life forever. Encouraging kids to keep their curiosity and to realize that dreams can indeed come true with perseverance, we see young Neil walk dogs every day for two years to buy a gigantic telescope that he would then lug to his rooftop every night.
Digital styled collage art plus a simple story with a glossary make for an educational and winning book for little learners.
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| Everybody in the Red Brick Building |
A clever, cumulative story of a chain effect of sounds that wakes up a community of neighbors (including one cat) starting from the bottom of an apartment building travelling all the way to the top. But just as the noises reach a climax, the author brings down the energy as the onomonopedia sounds travel back to the first floor. Goodnight! This is a super fun bedtime book that children will be begging to read for many years to come.
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| Lights on Wonder Rock |
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| The Stray and the Strangers |
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| The Big Bad Wolf in My House |
A serious "issues" book, The Big Bad Wolf in My House takes a look at domestic abuse by turning it into a fable. Children experiencing such terror will be able to relate, and how crucial it is for children to be able to see themselves in books! There certainly is a derth of picturebooks on domestic abuse; this one could be used especially well in theraputic environments. For those who read without the firsthand experience, it will respectfully teach on this important topic with the help from the illustrations of hand-painted gouache textures combined with painting using a digital pastel brush.
The story ends with hope when the mother and daughter go to a women's shleter.
Chaiwala!
By Priti Birla Maheshwari, art by Ashley Barron
Chaiwala! is an energetic, attractive, multisensory picturebook about a young girl and her mom who order cups of chai at a stand while stopping for a few minutes at the Jaipur train station. There's lots of colour, movement and onomatopoeia to keep this short book flying. Cut-paper illustrations will entice the reader as they watch the chai "boil and bubble," mixing together perfectly sweet.
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| What a Nice Car! |
By Anita Bijsterbosch
Anita Bijsterbosch is back with a charming tale of Mouse, who found a red convertible on the side of the road. One by one, he invites animal friends to hop in and join the search for the car's owner. Mouse's hat blows off, leading them to meet Elephant, who is looking quite sad.
Friends and teamwork accompany colourful pictures for an adventurous ride!
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| We Adopted a Baby Lamb |
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| The Oldest Student |
By Laurie Halse Anderson Chains
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| Dragons in a Bag |
A fresh new chapter book fantasy series in an urban setting, Dragons in a Bag follows Jaxon as his mom leaves him with Ma, an older woman he's never met. He soon discovers Ma is not his grandmother, but a witch! And his mother was her apprentice. Ma tells Jaxon she needs help delivering baby dragons to a magical realm, but there are two important rules: do not open the bag they are in and do not feed them anything sweet. His friends, Vikram and Kavita, become involved in the adventure by freeing the baby dragons and sharing their sweets.
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| Brown Girl Dreaming |
On the surface, Brown Girl Dreaming is the story of a girl’s journey from the South to the North and how her perceptions of race and self changed during that time. Go a bit deeper, and you may discover it to be a kind of touchstone for other children’s books about the African-American experience in North America. Brown Girl Dreaming may be the story of a girl’s journey to find her vocation and her voice but Jacqueline Woodson's novel in verse is more than a story. For it tells us more than most of our children’s nonfiction history books do.
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| When We Say Black Lives Matter |
A poetic picturebook to introduce the complex topic of Black Lives Matter. Aspects highlighted are straightforward and not overwhelming for a small child. The illustrations are bold and simplified, allowing the message to take center stage. This is an important book to read as a family and discuss together. People's faces are left blank, in hopes the reader will effortlessly insert their own family.
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| Love, Violet |
A trailblazing book that normalizes feelings between two girls. I haven't seen another picturebook that embraces a young child's feelings for someone of the same sex quite the way this one so boldly does. Tender and sweet, it's the story of shy Violet and her crush with the snow-sparkling eyelashes, Mira.
Lovely language and a strong story arc, Love, Violet should be your choice for Valentine's Day.
By Jory John, illustrated by Lane Smith
Grouchy cat has problems. Sometimes he gets dry food - not wet! Sometimes the other cat is in his spot. Or his other spot. Or his third spot! And sometimes the vacuum cleaner turns on and becomes a furocious monster!
The worst part is the squirrel who mocks him from the outside world, informing him that he has it MUCH better on the inside.
Absolutely the most hysterical book of 2021, whether or not you have a cat at home.
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| Animal Go Vroom! |
