One of the most genuine books using story and illustrations to demonstrate the challenges of being a new kid in a foreign school. After a long journey from abroad, Dat will begin his first day of school. His mother tells him he will hear gibberish all day as he does not speak the same language as the students and staff at his new school. Readers will understand Dat's frustration with hearing gibberish all day as all the words spoken by the teacher and other classmates are presented as gibberish text- a mix of icons and letters in different fonts. Facial expressions show Dat's confusion, and the cartoonish alien classmates reiterate how different and frustrated Dat feels from everyone else. It isn't until one student finally tries to communicate with him that Dat's feelings start to change. The other student begins by simply playing with Dat during recess. Later, the other student sits beside him on the bus, draws simple items, and says the English words they represent. As Dat begins to connect the news words with the drawn items, Dat's view of the other student changes as well. The student begins to shed the cartoonish look and appear more human. It is as if the revelation of understanding brings about the truth. While Dat doesn't suddenly understand everything, he realizes he can. While intended for ages 4 to 8, this book would be helpful in all elementary grades. The honest way the story is presented will appeal to every child. Children will either see themselves as Dat or the other students with someone like Dat in their classroom. Readers will step away with an understanding of how important it is to be empathetic to students experiencing a new and strange world. Highly recommended.

Waking up, every day is a new adventure for Little Wonder, and this book portrays itself as a love letter from mother to Little Wonder. Nowhere and no dream is too out of reach. While adventure joins in with every step along the path, guided by curiosity, it is Little Wonder's decision of what new worlds to explore. Even when there are strange or frightening places, Little Wonder's mom will always be in his corner. More than that, he is reminded that he himself has the courage to make it to the other side. He is encouraged through these ups and downs by his mother sharing that when he gets through the dark or scary moments, he will find new treasures, friends, and wonderful activities on the other side. Going further and higher than ever expected, Little Wonder will collect so many stories before heading home and sharing them all with his loving and supportive mom, who is just as excited to get to hear all about his day as he is to experience it. While the clever illustrations show us the story of one Boy's underwater journeys to coincide with the words, each and every one of us is a Little Wonder, making the text suitable for anyone and its message to embrace life important for everyone to hear, child to adult.

Martin loves nature, especially the landscape along the river near his home. Every available moment, Martin goes to the river to watch the animals and plants that live along it. There, Martin sees ospreys diving for fish to eat, otters playing in the water, herons fishing along the shore, and any number of birds that live along the stream. Then, Martin's parents inform him that the family will be moving to a nearby city. At first, Martin is heartbroken to leave his river and the home he loves. Then, while visiting the city, Martin discovers a small creek that flows through parkland. Martin explores the creek and encounters a fascinating environment filled with new adventures. Returning home one last time, Martin takes a keepsake from the river he grew up exploring and transports it to the new stream he will try to love as much. Told with great pathos, this picture book captures the joy that nature can provide, as well as how painful transitions can be. In Martin, we see a boy who has a passion for nature but also the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Told with heart and featuring charming illustrations, this is a story that touches on a number of themes that are important for young children attempting to cope with transition, loss, and change.

Right away, readers are introduced to a young leopard named Leo on his birthday. Among the wonderful gifts he receives, Leo's favorite is a pen. He isn't quite sure about it yet though. When Papa gave it to him, he told Leo that many beautiful things were inside, but he was off to the market before having time to show any of them to Leo. Without any success, Leo tries to get the beautiful things out. When his big sister helps, ink drips out, but that's it. Leo sets off to his other animal friends, but Coco-Tembo doubts a pen is big enough to have anything beautiful inside, and Super-Zombo tries to play it like a flute. Nothing worked. Finally, Leo asks Mama if she could show him the beautiful things inside. She holds the pen with him and guides his paw to write 'Leo' before going on to write all the words they can think of. On his own, Leo draws picture after picture (captured in relatable child-like illustrations), and when Papa returns from the market, he compliments the beautiful things Leo has discovered, and brought to life, from his pen. This book is a wonderful read with its short and sweet, yet important, message: the gift of self-expression is beautiful and there are ways to use words and pictures to do so. A solid standalone read, this book could also be paired well as an introduction for slightly older children to journaling, art, or just reflecting on discovery and the beauty we can create with the tools around us.

What’s a poor, unfortunate badger to do when a case of boredom strikes? In this not-so-boring picture book, Badger eventually finds out. As the day starts, Badger really doesn’t know what to do with himself: he’s extremely bored. When his friend Fox comes by, they build a den together, but even that doesn’t hold off the monotony for very long. More friends come over, and one by one, their usual favorite activities are all struck down by the very contagious ennui that’s enveloped them all. Eventually, inspiration strikes the friends in an unexpected way, and a new adventure begins. Throughout, the illustrations of the animal companions and their surroundings are filled with creative details. It’s a cartoonish and colorful style that works perfectly with the story. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly dull topic, either: this book is actually a very fun read. It presents a relatable situation that every kid goes through sooner or later, even with so many ideas and options at their fingertips. Sometimes, all it takes is a little imagination to break that tedium!

Everyone knows the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but very few people have ever heard of his brilliant older sister. Maria Anna Mozart, known to her family as Nannerl, was just as talented as her younger brother. She loved to play the harpsichord and often duetted with her little brother, Wolfie. Their father realized their amazing talent and arranged for them to play concert halls all over Europe. Her father often bragged that Nannerl was the best child musician in Europe. Not only did Nannerl perform, but she composed. Music flowed out of her, begging to be free. However, as she grew older, her father grew stricter. He forbade her from making any kind of music publicly. Although Nannerl and Wolfie begged him to reconsider, their father was resolute. As her brother performed more and more, Nannerl was excluded. Instead, she married a man who had no love of music. However, after his death, she laid her fingers once again on the beautiful keys and remembered her true love. The music flowed once more. This creative nonfiction story about a very real woman and her personal struggle is beautifully written and illustrated. Every page has engaging pictures that tie beautifully to the text and draw readers into Nannerl's story. To better help young readers, the author has included a note at the end explaining about life for women during Mozart's time. Also included is a glossary and timeline of the Mozart family. This book is recommended for any elementary-aged child who is ready to be swept away by a story that tells what was, and the hope for what could have been.

It's winter, nearly the Lunar New Year, and Dandan tells her best friend Yueyue that she's moving. Rather than lament the news, the two best friends embrace their last Lunar New Year's Eve together. They eat dumplings as Dandan commits the moment to memory, from her Nainai's stories to the garlic and ginger delighting her senses. After dinner, Dandan and Yueyue cut out paper snowflakes, sink them in water, and take them outside to freeze. Come morning, they knock their new frozen ornaments out of the trays and hang them on the tree. Yueyue gifts Dandan a set of red paper and string so that she could make snowflakes with her new friend when she gets to America, and the two girls hug tightly. When Dandan gets to America, it feels lonely and quiet compared to her life in China. Nobody wants to be her friend, but she keeps trying. When her birthday arrives, she wears a traditional satin dress to school; while many of her classmates snicker, Christina loves Dandan's dress. They become quick friends, sharing lots of moments and giggles. When the Lunar New Year comes around, Dandan introduces Christina to her family traditions, from the delicious dumplings to the frozen paper snowflakes. The last spread of the book has a note about Lunar New Year and a how-to guide for cutting out paper snowflakes. A great story about moving, friendship, and the Lunar New Year. The illustrations capture the emotions well and make it easy to empathize with Dandan as she leaves the familiar, both people and culture, and has to let time take care of the new. Then she embraces it.