The Stray and the Strangers

The Stray and the Strangers

by Steven Heighton

Kanella is a scrawny orphan doggie who timidly slinks around the wharfs, waiting for scraps. Eventually settling uphill in a camp, the story of the refugee situation on the Greek island of Lesvos is told through the close perspective of Kanella, the dog with the white-socked paws, whose name means cinnamon. She helps out with the newcomers, bonds with a little boy, and grows quietly fat. When the refugee camp is dismantled, Kanella needs to find a new forever home ... and she does.

Based on a true story, Kanella was the heart of the largest ever refugee community of over 20,000.

The Big Bad Wolf in My House

The Big Bad Wolf in My House

By Valérie Fontaine

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!

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.