You Were Made for This World: Celebrated Indigenous Voices Speak to Young People. Edited by Stephanie Sinclair and Sara Sinclair with a foreword by Mazina Giizhik-iban (Murray Sinclair). tundra, Penguin Random House. 2025. $28.99 all ages

"Mother Earth takes care of us without 
ever asking anything in return. We need
to give back and help the water and the 
planet. They need our voices. 

Use your voice like I have chosen to use mine."

                                - Autumn Peltier

This fine collection of letters and art celebrate Indigenous voices for young people. Reading the many entries show readers that they belong, and that they deserve recognition for who they are. Every single one matters. Forty-three writers, artists, activists, athletes, teachers, and others celebrate what young people can do while encouraging them to share the pride they have in their heritage. They speak of finding comfort in the language and traditions that make them who they are, and invite readers to share their experiences with others. 

Five titled medicine bundles are included: Water, Tobacco, Cedar, Sweetgrass and Sage. Within these traditional medicine sections, twenty influential writers encourage readers to think about their strengths, their place in the world, and what their future might look like. Each writer's entry is accompanied by meaningful and beautiful artwork that reflects the warm encouragement being shared. 

The book offers a starting point for conversations to be had with children to help them feel good about themselves and their ancestry. There is a lot of misunderstanding for young kids who may not be fully aware of family, the past, and what the future might bring. The writers and artists are well-known to many and offer encouragement at every turn of the page. 

In their own family, the editors learned about the horrors of the Holocaust from their Jewish grandmother, while there was shame felt and secrets kept about their Indigenous grandfather's survival at an Indian Residential School. It is their wish that young people today will find their own identity and culture through the entries presented. The letters serve as a look at the past while encouraging wishes for times to come. 

A list of contributors brings the book to an end, with names and short informative passages about each. 

"Watch your aunties and copy what they do. That's the 
best way to learn. 

You don't need to cut moose meat, scale fish, pick 
medicine, or go to sweat lodge to be an Indian. 

Love your friend and your family. 

Accept love back. 

You were made for this world. 

                         Jessica Johns"

Community Snowman, written by Deborah Kerbel and illustrated by Tine Modeweg-Hansen. Groundwood Books, 2025. $21.99 ages 4 and up

 

"A pickle for a nose, 
               bagel halves for ears, 
lychee buttons, 
               flower-bouquet hair ... "

Now that the kids are out for Christmas break, I am not likely to be watching much snowman building at the K-8 school across the street. I will have to wait until January. It's always great fun to watch them work together when the snow is just right. This wordless picture book celebrates the arrival of enough snow to get a young child eager to pile on snow clothes and head out the door with her grandfather. 

While he makes room for himself on a park bench where he can sit and knit socks, she makes angels in the newly-fallen snow before starting to build a snowman. She's working hard on her own when she is bowled over by the sheer weight of the middle-sized ball needed. Another child, who has been observing her work, comes to her rescue and steps up to help. While doing so, his hat blows off and away. The girl retrieves it with the help of another of the children in the park. Now, there are three at work. Very soon, others join in putting the snowman together. 

It takes no time more people and animals to offer their help. Features are added that attract attention, with many stepping up to admire the ever-changing snowman. As the crowd grows, so does the camaraderie between all in attendance. When a veteran adds a poppy to the snowman's chest, he is warmly welcomed and offered a seat on the bench. There he becomes the recipient of a number of needed articles; most of which come from what was shared to create a very fine community snowman.

No words are needed to offer a lovely winter story of connections and compassion. Using watercolor, Micron pen and Photoshop, Ms. Modeweg-Hansen interprets Ms. Kerbel's story with imagery that allows young readers to watch carefully what is happening. Using variety in perspective, multicultural park visitors, expressive characters, and numerous fine details to hold attention, she ensures that they will see the kindness of the community and the value found in teamwork.
                                                                                 

The Yellow Bus, written and illustrated by Loren Long. Roaring Brook Press, Macmillan. Raincoast. 2024. $25.99 ages 4 and up

 

"One day, a new driver came
and drove the Yellow Bus along 
unfamiliar roads. Every morning 
they climbed in ... shuffle - clunk,
shuffle - clunk, creak, creak - clunk."

Oh, I love this book, and the story of its evolution. You can read all about it when you are finished sharing its words with an engaged audience of young listeners. There is plenty of back matter in an author's note to let readers know how it came together. 

Early on, readers watch as the bright yellow bus travels through the quiet streets of a small town on its way to do the important work of picking up children along its route, and taking them to school. The children fill the Yellow Bus with joy. When it is no longer needed for schoolchildren, it finds new life transporting the elderly from their care home to the library and to visit local attractions, including a waterfall. Its work is much appreciated by its riders. The bus is, once again, filled with joy to be making a difference in their lives. 

No longer of use, the Yellow Bus is driven to the city where it is abandoned and becomes home to the homeless when shelter is needed. As they sit in quiet comfort, the bus is filled with joy once more. It isn't long until the Yellow Bus is moved to yet another place - a farm deep in a valley. Longing to hear the voices of the children it once carried, the elderly who appreciated its transport, and those who sought comfort on its seats, the Yellow Bus becomes home to a flock of goats. They climb its steps, use its roof for rest, and enjoy its presence. It fills the bus with joy. 

The noise of trucks and machinery surrounds the farm paddock where it sits. Once that noise ends, a farmer retrieves the goats and leaves the Yellow Bus to its next life. When the river rises in the spring, the water fills the valley and submerges the bus in high waters. There, it finds final joy as fish and other sea creatures swim in and out, around and over it. 

Loren Long's art is simply stunning! I could go on and on, describing its detailed spreads and unspoken stories, its changes in perspective, its use of color, the evolution of the village landscape, its riders and inhabitants, and its impact for readers of all ages. 

Here's the description for how the art was created: 

The art for this book was crafted with graphite pencil, charcoal pencil, and charcoal dust on Epson Doubleweight Matte paper; it was scratched out with X-Acto blades and smudged with Q-tips. The colors were created with acrylic paint, and all of it was mixed with whatever dust and dog hair may have been flying around the artist's studio.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! If it matters at all, it was my choice for the Caldecott this year (a list that championed many other stunning books). 

https://youtu.be/PcyTiM_pYxs?si=cWPuBMaIfl4uPabz                                                                               

Ferris, written by Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2024. $24.99 ages 9 and up

 

"'This here is on the house in honor of all 
the words you have given to my son and 
his friend Ferris Wilkey.' Because I had 
told Pop about how you and me felt about
those Mielk words - that it was terrible to 
memorize them, but good to have them, 
and how, in the end, we felt grateful to 
her. I had told that to Pop." 

I do so hope that you are a Kate DiCamillo fan. If you are, you will be happy to have this new book in your hands as quickly as possible. If you are not, this is a perfect way to learn about her incomparable storytelling, and meet just some of her most memorable characters. 

Ferris has finished her year in fourth grade, and is spending the summer in the midst of circumstances that prove the beauty to be found in love. It starts with her family and her best friend, Billy Jackson. Her grandmother is happy to repeat the story of Emma Phineas Wilkey's birth, which fully explains why she is called Ferris. Ferris's family consists of her father, mother, little sister Pinky, and her grandmother Charisse. Her Uncle Ted is living with them at the present time after leaving his wife to work on a history of the world in the Wilkey basement. 

Billy Jackson is her constant companion and has been since kindergarten. Billy plays the piano incessantly, as he hears the music of the world at all times. Charisse, her beloved grandmother, is teacher and sage. She tells Ferris she sees an unhappy ghost at her bedroom door. Pinky, her little sister, is a cantankerous annoyance whose dream is to be an outlaw; she does her best to become one. Boomer, their dog, is an equally indispensable part of their family. 

Ferris and Billy just spent fourth grade with Mrs. Mielk, whose daily vocabulary lessons help Ferris make sense of the noteworthy summer moments. In her matchless way, Kate DiCamillo manages to engage readers with each of these singular characters and the magic that love brings when a person is open to it. It is a gift to all. 

Every good story is a love story. 

City Beet, written by Tziporah Cohen and illustrated by Udayana Lugo. Sleeping Bear Press, 2023. $24.99 ages 4 and up

 

"Victoria minced the garlic while 
Officers Deena and Tina tugged
and tugged at Mr. Wen, 

            who tugged
            at Mrs. Kosta, 

                who held tight to that big red beet
                and pulled with all her might."             

There's going to be a community potluck in July. Victoria and her friend Mrs. Kosta have decided they will contribute a beet salad for the party. For that, they will first have to plant the beet. That they do, and then spend months caring for their garden. To their surprise, the beet grows and grows and grows! 

On potluck day, they prepare to harvest their beet and make the salad. It will not budge. While Victoria checks the recipe in her Baba's Kitchen cookbook, a parade of community workers stops to see if they can help Mrs. Kosta get the beet out of the ground. Victoria wants to help; she is told at every turn that she is too small. As the adults work to remove the beet, Victoria makes preparations for the salad itself. 

That beet will not be harvested. Helpers keep stopping by. Victoria continues putting all other salad ingredients together. The beet refuses to budge. Passersby stop to watch, take pictures, and show astonishment at what is happening in the garden. Victoria can't take it any longer. She gets on her tricycle, attaches herself with a skipping rope to Ms. Browne, the bus driver, and pedals with all her might. 

SPROING!!

Any child who knows The Enormous Turnip story will be delighted to listen to this book. It's great fun to read aloud. Repeating the words with each additional helper is perfect for little ones. All the while, they are also learning about the making of a beet salad. The illustrations are full of color and detail, adding another dimension to the enjoyment. The community is multicultural, happy and helpful. 

A recipe for the salad ends the book, and a hint that another might be on the way for the fall ... with a butternut squash pie. We will have to wait and see. 

Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book, written by Tonya Bolden and illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Quill Tree Books, Harper. 2022. $21.99 ages 7 and up

 

"These travelers, 
whether going places with smiles
or with tears in their eyes, 
could face 
hassles, humiliations, hardships. 
Even bodily harm. 

Because Jim Crow - segregation - was 
intense in the North, South, East, and West.
Because legions refused to see Black 
people's humanity."

What an amazing man to get to know in this fine picture book biography. Victor Hugo Green was a proud and industrious mail carrier who delivered important packages, letters, magazines to the people who lived in Hackensack, New Jersey before he moved on to little Leonia. When he moved across the river to Harlem, he continued delivering mail in New Jersey. 

Life in Harlem with its 'world of Black folks' was often happy, despite the pressures of the Great Depression. In Detroit, cars of all types were being produced for highway and turnpike travel. Because of Jim Crow laws, many Black people were encouraged to buy a car in order to make travel easier for them. These people were making trips for vacations, meetings, reunions, even funerals. 

Travelers, famous and not so, made mental maps to ensure safety, comfort, and good food. They learned about places to avoid from others whose experiences there were frightening. Victor Hugo Green was distressed by the stories he heard, and unhappy that his people faced such troubles. He began collecting information from friends, newspapers, colleagues. He used that information to create a guide known as the Green Book. 

Its first edition was printed in 1936; a pamphlet for the New York City area. Within two years, it was more than 20 pages and cost 25 cents. The list of places that welcomed Black travelers kept expanding. By 1940, it was 48 pages and just kept growing. Soon, it covered train and plane travel in the United States and beyond. After that, Victor had his own travel company, all while continuing to deliver mail. 

After retirement in 1953, he made the travel guide his life's work. Always hoping it would no longer be needed, Victor died in 1960, four years before The Civil Rights Act was realized. Victor would have worn his beaming smile in celebration. Rightly so! 

The text is poetic, inviting and informative, accompanied by images of families, communities and activities in settings that are telling and full of life. Primary source evidence, included throughout the book adds to the powerful telling.  Backmatter includes a timeline, additional information about Green, citation notes, and suggested further resources for young readers.

Hoops, written and illustrated by Matt Tavares. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2023. $17.99 ages 8 and up

"And, Judi, you're 
my point guard. 

Now, if I didn't just call 
your name, don't think for 
one second you are not an 
important part of this team. 
If we're going to win with 
just eight players, I'm going
to need 100 percent from every
single one of you. Got it?"

Judi loves to play basketball on the driveway with her brother and his friends. She dreams of being on a basketball team someday, not cheerleading for one. Wilkins Regional High School has a boys' team, and their Friday night games draw huge crowds and a great deal of support. There is no girls' team. It is, after all, the 1970s. 

When Title IX legislation is passed, the school announces that they will field a team for girls. Judi is thrilled, and keen to get going. How will she tell her best friend Stacey that she is choosing to play rather than co-captain the cheerleaders? It does not go well. When she gets to the first practice, there are only 8 girls interested, they have no coach, and they are having to practice in an elementary school gym because the boys are using the high school gym. They have no funding for buses, travel, or uniforms. It is not an easy endeavor. 

Frustration with the system that honors the boys' team and does little to support the girls is a constant source of concern. Judi works tirelessly to keep team spirit up and make it worthwhile for all. There are many disparities. The basketball scenes are filled with action, the trips are eventful, and the success they achieve is worthy of admiration for their perseverance. 

This is a terrific middle grade novel about sports equality with a historic bent. In an author's note, Matt Tavares shares what led him to tell the story of the 1976 Warsaw High School Tigers girls' basketball team. As well, he explains why he chose to tell it in graphic form, envisioning an older audience than the one he most often writes for. He was lucky enough to meet with three of the starting players from that team and hear their stories.  The result of those conversations and his extensive research brings this novel to full life, perfect for those who love sports stories and for those who cheer for the underdog. 

When Spider Met Shrew, written by Deborah Kerbel and illustrated by Genevieve Cote. Groundwood Books, 2022. $18.99 ages 3 and up

"You could be my new mom, for a 
little while at least," said Possum. 

"What does a mom do?"
asked Dog. 

"For starters, you carry 
your kids around on your 
back," said Possum."

In this charming tale of community, Spider is carried by the wind right into the path where Shrew is standing. Shrew has just lost its home, and Spider offers the eight eyes needed to find a new one. Rain forces them to look for shelter under a nearby tree, where they meet up with a tiny bat. Scared by the wild weather, the two join the wet bat who tells them a sad story about being without friends.

The hungry spider, the homeless shrew, and the wet bat stop to talk with possum who is scared of being alone. The four find camaraderie in being together and enjoy a quick romp in the gathering puddles. As they wander on, they meet a sad dog whose puppies have grown up and gone. It is suggested that the dog become 'mom' to the traveling companions. Voila, a new home for them all as they find a place on the dog's back and move on. Seeing the animals on the dog's back reminds a pony they meet of the job he once did himself. Once aboard his back, the task becomes finding the next place to go. How about lunch? Remember - spider is hungry! 

Peppy dialogue and endearing watercolor illustrations provide all the charm needed to make this a perpetual request for rereading with little ones.                                                                                      

The World Belonged to Us, written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House. 2022. $24.99 ages 5 and up

 

"In Brooklyn 
in the summer
not so long ago

       grown-ups always had someplace to be
       or some kind of work to do, but the minute
       school ended, us kids were free as air.   
       Free as sun. Free as summer." 

While the kids in Brooklyn have been out of school for weeks now, our kids are just getting their summer holiday started. I wonder if they will be spending their days the way Jacqueline Woodson and her friends did when they were set free. It was a different time; one that I remember vividly. 

In Brooklyn, in summers not too far past, the kids played outside all day. On their way home on that last day of school, they were already experiencing the joy of water hydrant play. 

"But we had to run through the water, 
bookbags and all. Because our teachers' final words had been 

Have a good summer. 

Our only plan on that last day of school 
was to take what they said seriously."

Days passed, filled with the joy of being together from breakfast until dinner. They played games, skipped double dutch, raced, jumped, and spun tops in the street all day long. When someone got hurt, an older kid would soothe them with stories about being the same age and the accidents endured. They used huge cardboard boxes, imagination, and everyone's help to create play spaces, then called for money for the ice cream truck. 

"Then we shared with the friends with no money
because some days the ones with no money were us."

In this, their third collaboration, Leo Espinosa creates a world of amazing diversity and energy. His artwork takes us back to the summers of the late 60s and the 70s when kids wore bell bottoms, tube socks, and sneakers, and spent untold time close to home while always outside with their friends. The joy felt is evident on every open-mouthed, smiling face. Together with Jacqueline Woodson's ebullient text, readers discover what life was like before tablets, phones and television keep them indoors, and often not getting to know other children from their neighborhood. 

Questions are sure to follow a reading of this book about the summers of old, and the adventures you remember and can describe. Careful now!                                                                              

Outside, Inside, written and illustrated by LeYuen Pham. Roaring Brook Press, Macmillan. Raincoast, 2021.$25.99 ages 3 and up

"OUTSIDE,
the sky was quiet, 
but the wind still blew
and birds kept singing.
Raccoons came out
and squirrels played in 
the streets, 
but the cars stayed away. 

The world felt 
a little different."

This is a book you will want to have. Ms. Pham sheds a light on the spirit that humans exhibited when faced with spring 2020 and the Covid virus. Although she does not mention the virus by name, she very carefully describes a world askew. 

As winter turned to spring, people of the world went inside, and their outside world was abruptly changed. They stayed in and watched the world through their windows as outdoor action slowed to a crawl. Not everyone could stay inside; many needed to be outside to do what needed to be done. They opened stores, transported sick patients, cared for those patients, delivered mail. 

Outside, nature changed. Animals came out to play, the streets were quiet, birds sang - it all felt peaceful. Inside, families worked and played, learned new skills and did their best to keep busy and healthy. 

"INSIDE
we waited
and we worried, 
we laughed
and we cried,
and we tried to breathe. 

We made things together
and did things alone.
We hoped 
and prayed
and wished. 

We were all changing 
a tiny bit inside."

Gloriously illustrated to bring attention to OUR shared experiences and the many adaptations made to do the right thing, this book is filled with sensitive vignettes. The text is calm, the words are simple and flawless, the tone is hopeful and inspiring. Sharing it with children will spark conversation, memories, and careful attention to the detailed artwork. It is a record for all of a shared experience, and a time when communities came together to do the right thing. 

A meaningful author's note is inspiring, and the dedication to first responders and essential workers feels absolutely perfect.   

 “On the outside, we are all different. But on the inside, we are all the same.” 
                                                                                    

Trillions of Trees: A Counting and Planting Book, written and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus. Henry Holt, Macmillan. Raincoast, 2021. $26.99 ages 3 and up

 

"A county park! The perfect place! 
(We asked permission, just in case.)
Along the trails and all around - 
another hundred in the ground!"

The note on the blurb at the back of this follow-up book to Billions of Bricks (2016) states: "Working with his family, friends and neighbors, Kurt has planted thousands of trees in public places and in his own small woodland."

This entertaining and educational book is partially due to that community spirit and concern for the environment, I'm quite sure. With many books to his credit, Mr. Cyrus knows what appeals to his audience. Young readers will appreciate the humor found in this story that begins with a surprising miscommunication. 

After a quick peek at the Polly's Plant Pavilion Spring catalog, Lizzie knows just what she wants ... a trillium. She makes the call; the nursery owner is frazzled, but takes her order for a trillion trees! Wow! He is surprised, and accommodating. The first thousand will be delivered ASAP!

Their arrival stuns, as one might expect. Up to the task, the family pitches in to plant 100 trees in their yard, ant then on town streets, in a park, in an orchard, as a windbreak for farming ... and on they go, planting every delivered tree. They plant all named species in perfect places. They work tirelessly and when they are done, there is no gas in the car. Home they walk. What's that up ahead? Oh, no!  

Full of energetic rhymes and a good deal of hard work, children might just be inspired to try a little tree planting with their own families. The illustrations are full of rich color and important details. They give perspective to the many different landscapes that benefit from tree planting and their value to our environment.                                                                      

The Lost Package, written by Richard Ho and illustrated by Jessica Lanan. Roaring Brook Press, Macmillan. Raincoast, 2021. $25.99 ages 4 and up

 

"The package was tattered and muddy, 
but its destination was clear. 

Like all packages, this one was sent with hope
that neither snow, 
nor rain, 
nor heat, 
nor gloom of night
will keep it from being delivered." 

There were many reasons for posted packages not arriving on time this past year ... not the least of which was VOLUME. Can you imagine being a postal worker faced with the loads and loads of packages being sent daily to people through the many months that the pandemic has kept them home? 

How much did you use the postal service in the past year to get what you needed to be delivered? Were there times when you were angry for delays? Of course, it was frustrating. Did you consider the alternative? 

The story begins with a box, an empty cardboard box. It is the right size for sending a parcel from a young girl in New York City all the way to the other side of the country ... San Francisco. From the postal counter where she lives, through all its many stops along the way, to being bumped from a delivery van, and discovered by a young boy and his mother who find it on a wet neighborhood street, the package remains in transit. Luckily, its address is clear. 

In another bit of happenstance, the two are about to move to San Francisco. They take the package with them. Once they reach their destination they make sure the package does the same. Their kindness is much appreciated; they are invited in for a visit. The mothers have tea; the boys discover its contents. Its delivery means that another package is soon on its way across the country. 

Richard Ho writes this heartwarming homage to people like his father, a postal clerk for over thirty years. Richard knows the value of an institution that is under scrutiny from many for a variety of reasons. By telling this rich and emotional story of but one package within the system, he allows young readers a chance to see the process of mail delivery, the kindness of others, and the need to support the service by buying stamps, writing letters, and mailing packages. 

Jesssica Lanan does a superb job of helping readers understand the mail system. The settings for the storytelling are expertly presented and offer quiet context for the package's journey.