Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks is a story of friendship, loss, and hope. A magpie with a burnt wing and a dog who is blind in one eye help each other and soon become friends. But when a jealous and lonely fox tries to separate them, Magpie learns what it really means to be a true friend. With warm, vibrant illustrations, a story that sounds like a poem, and an ending that’s a little bit sad but very hopeful, this is a book that anyone who has ever made a mistake or had to face a bully will understand.
Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley tells the story of Buckley and his mama, a pair of beavers who live on the beach by the sea. Buckley and Mama both miss Papa, so Buckley decides to make little boats out of driftwood and send them out to sea for Papa. Buckley thinks that if the boats don’t wash up on shore the next day, it means that Papa got them. Then one day, he finds out that Mama, who also misses Papa, has a secret. This is a gentle book about family where someone is gone away but never forgotten.
In Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein by Amanda Peet, Andrea Troyer, and Christine Davenier, Rachel, a Jewish girl, wants nothing more than to celebrate Christmas with her other friends from school. But her family tells her they don’t celebrate Christmas. So Rachel decides to take matters into her own hands by decorating the house and writing a secret letter for Santa. But when Santa doesn’t bring her presents on Christmas Day, Rachel is sad… until she finds out that she’s not the only kid in her class who doesn’t celebrate Christmas! This is a funny and heartwarming book for anyone who’s ever wondered why some people celebrate different holidays.
In The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux and R. Gregory Christie, a young boy named Lewis tells the story of his father’s bookstore, the National Memorial African Bookstore. Far from being an ordinary bookstore, the National Memorial African Bookstore sold books by and about black people and their history and culture. It was also a place where anyone could come to read and learn. In the book, which is based on a true story, Lewis talks about the famous people he met at the bookstore and how his dad spoke up for civil rights. With detailed pictures and historical facts, this is a good book for exploring the time period of the civil rights movement.
by Ashley B. Smith, Children’s Room Staff Member
