A tender, sensory-rich picture book about the many ways love is shared in everyday moments. As a child helps prepare tea with a loved one, each step (pouring, waiting, sipping) becomes an expression of care, patience, and connection. With gentle language and warm illustrations, this story celebrates family, cultural traditions, and the quiet intimacy of being together. A soothing, heartfelt read perfect for cozy sharing.
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| Mama's Car |
A heartfelt and joyful picture book told from a young child’s point of view about her mother’s wheelchair, affectionately nicknamed the “Mama Car.” In simple, warm language, the Mama Car goes on everyday “expeditions” around the house and beyond, from breakfast trips to cozy snuggles when the child gets hurt. The story presents disability as a natural and loving part of family life, focusing on the comfort, connection, and care that come with being together, rather than on limitations. This tender book celebrates love, belonging, and the everyday adventures that make family life special.
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| Again! |
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| While We Wait |
While We Wait by Bee Johnson is a thoughtful and reassuring picture book about patience, anticipation, and finding comfort in quiet moments. Through gentle text and expressive illustrations, the story shows how waiting—though sometimes difficult—can be filled with connection, curiosity, and calm. Johnson’s approach helps young readers understand their feelings and discover small joys along the way. It’s a soothing and reflective book that encourages mindfulness and appreciation of the present.
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| Snuggle Season |
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| Ivy Lost and Found |
Ivy was Anne the librarian's doll when she was a young girl. But now she has moved to Anne's library to be its newest Book Buddy--a toy that can be checked out just like a book. Ivy isn't sure she wants to be borrowed, though. She'd rather go back to just being Anne's favorite toy. Fern, a child who visits the library with her stepfamily, also wishes things could go back to the way they were, when Fern had her dad all to herself. When Fern takes Ivy home, an unexpected outdoor adventure helps both of them find confidence and belonging in their changing worlds. This heartwarming story by Cynthia Lord, with a classic feel and gentle illustrations by Stephanie Graegin, is the first in a chapter-book series that pairs friendly toys with child characters who need them.
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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.
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| We Adopted a Baby Lamb |
By Laurie Halse Anderson Chains
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| Outside Inside |
Browsing for a good Father's Day book, I stumbled upon Dad By My Side by author illustrator Soosh. The first thing to strike me was the vast difference in size between the burly, husky dad and the petite girl. In an author note, Soosh explains how this is on purpose in order to accentuate the way the daughter views her father -- as a sanctuary, a force of all good, and a source of wisdom. Shown in a variety of activities, dad is constantly present and willing to try his hand at anything, from hula hooping to sewing a dress to cheering each other up when they're sad.
Warm watercolour vignettes were initially posted on Instagram and quickly garnered over 2 million views per week, propelling the publication of Dad By My Side. Soosh now has her second book out, Mermaid and Me, and it's equally charming.
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| Carmela Full of Wishes |
Illustrator Robinson portrays the wishes Carmela considers as papel picado decorations, like those hung for her birthday. Her wishes include a candy machine, her mother being able to sleep in one of the hotel beds she makes every day, and her father getting his papers fixed so he could come home. This is the second de la Peña–Robinson collaboration after Last Stop on Market Street and it is just as tremendous and important. It touches on immigration, class, and loss without dwelling on them. Carmela’s Spanish-speaking community is most certainly portrayed as a vibrant place of possibility, as Robinson’s acrylic painted collage cutouts show street vendors, workers in the fields, and sweeping views of the sea. Skillfully designed and developed, Carmela’s story radiates.
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| Eyes That Kiss in the Corners |
When a little girl notices her eyes look different from her friends’ eyes, she wonders why she has to be different. They all have big, round eyes "like sapphire lagoons with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns". She realizes that her eyes are like her family's eyes, and she slowly gathers strength and power in the knowledge that mother, her grandmother, and her little sister all have eyes that "kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future." Indeed, she is set down the path of self love, strength and acceptance.
We all need stories like Eyes That Kiss in the Corners no matter what our race. If our eyes kiss in the corners, then this book can act as a mirror, a place one can see themselves. If our eyes do not kiss in the corners, then stories such as this one act as a window to the world and facilitate acceptance.
The illustrator, Dung Ho, presents vibrant images that have been digitally created and pair beautifully with the poetic prose. The author, Joanna Ho has an author page where she talks more about her own struggle with not feeling as if she fit into the world's standard of beauty. As she explains, this is essentially a book about love. "It is the story of the love shared between generations, the love we must develop for ourselves, and the love that we use to create change in the world."
