Books

Lots of great books this week! Read the book reviews below, and learn more about my favorite reads:

• Discover all the books I read this week in the It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? post.
• Read more book review posts.
• Follow my reading and reviews on Goodreads.

The Avant-Guards: Down to the Wire by Carly Usdin (graphic novel)
Gr. 6+. Everyone is examining their identity and where they feel like they belong–on the team and in the world–all while the final basketball games of the season approach. And the attendance at and the outcome of that final game will decide whether this basketball league ever gets another chance to play. No pressure?

The last Avant Guards book! (Though I hope there will be more!) A satisfying end to a goofy, fun, and explorative series about teamwork, perseverance, falling in love, and finding yourself.

The Big Race Lace Case: Mack Rhino, Private Eye by Paul DuBois Jacobs (first chapter)
Gr. 2-3.Mack Rhino and his sidekick Redd Oxpeck run a detective agency in Coral Cove. Their morning quickly goes off the rails as they discover clues that might uncover a new case–someone is running off with everyone’s shoelaces, hours before their community’s Big Race! With prize money on the line, can Mack and Redd identify the thief before they get away with the big award?

A cute mystery series perfect for readers transitioning out of Beginning Reader books. This may appeal to fans of Inspector Flytrap or Investigators, though it isn’t quite as funny (or slapstick) as those books.

The Goblin Princess by Rebecca Elliott (first chapter)
Gr. 2-3. Bo the unicorn is excited to earn her Imagination patch! Bo needs to figure out how to solve a problem using her imagination. Bo and best friend Sunny stumble onto the Goblin Princess, sad that she isn’t able to fly yet, like her mom, the Goblin Queen. This will be easy! Bo will just use her wish-granting powers to make the Goblin Princess Queen for a Day, giving the princess all of the queen’s amazing powers. But when the Goblin Princess takes her new abilities a little too far, can the unicorns figure out how to save the day?

Another cute addition to the Unicorn Diaries series. I appreciate that the layout is similar to Owl Diaries, with a mixture of speech bubbles, illustrations, and patches of text. This will appeal to much of the same audience–and of course anyone who loves bright colors, glitter, and unicorns!

Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron
Gr. 4-5. Maya is sure she is seeing things. First, the color seems to drain out of her classroom at school. Then there are the scary dreams about a man made of shadows. And soon, her Papa’s stories seem to begin to come to life around her, with magical–and very dangerous–creatures springing up in the streets and at school and threatening her family and friends.

Things grow worse when her Papa goes missing. He travels a lot as it is, but soon Maya learns that those weren’t regular business trips. Instead, her father protects the veil, or the barrier between our world and the Dark. The Dark is filled with an army of monsters, led by the Lord of Shadows, and he is determined to enter the human world and destroy everything in its path. Now that Papa is gone, the veil is failing, and Maya and her friends are going to need to do everything they can to save him and their home.

I wanted to like this book so much. Maya’s adventures are based on West African mythology, and she has quite the villain to fight. But something in the writing made this fall short for me. There was a lot of exposition. There has to be in order to build a new universe, but this felt like an extraordinary amount, especially for the first half of the novel. I just wanted the adventure to start, and instead, we spent a lot of time talking. The Comic Con connection also confused me–I knew the book took place in Chicago, but “Comic Con” is so associated with San Diego, and I’m actually a little familiar with the Chicago cons, and the larger ones are more generally known as C2E2 or Wizard World (not Comic Con). Even though there was a lot of exposition, I still felt like I didn’t know enough about the world–I’m not quite sure I could tell you what a darkbringer looked like or exactly how Maya and her friends kept defeating them. The villain dialogue also felt a little cheesy–I remember one line that made me cringe a bit that was essentially “what are you doing? get them you fools!”. It is hard to not compare this to other recent mythology tales, and, unfortunately for Maya and the Rising Dark, Tristan Strong and Paola Santiago are just stronger reads.

The Missing Dragon by Ryan Estrada (graphic novel)
Gr. 3-4. Joseph Bazan wins an essay contest, making him a “student ambassador.” He is just supposed to get a picture with the President of the United States, but Joseph’s keen abilities to listen and settle disputes give the President an idea–maybe the student ambassador could become a real ambassador, and help with a sticky situation involving a newly crowned king of a country across the world who also happens to be Joseph’s age.

Joseph isn’t so sure what he has gotten into, but the castle is cool even if the boy king seems like a bit of a brat. But nothing is as it seems, and soon the two boys are running for their lives, trying to figure out why everyone seems to be trying to capture a missing dragon (and not caring if the kids get caught in the middle). The two find themselves adventuring across South Korea and Japan, translating languages and piecing together a mystery along the way.

Lots of action and adventure, mixed in with a story about friendship and being a kid. The humor will appeal to many young readers, and this could work as a great readalike for a kid who has read all of the age-appropriate superhero comics.

Pepper & Boo: A Cat Surprise by Charise Mericle Harper (graphic novel)
Gr. 1-3. Dogs Pepper and Boo aren’t so sure about their housemate, Cat. Cat is happy to explain their preferences–such as how to find the best spot for nappingand the proper steps to taking a cat bath. When Cat decides to nap on Boo’s bed, Boo is afraid he may never get his bed back again.

A funny graphic novel, perfect for beginning readers. The text is large and fairly repetitive, with simple vocabulary and pictures that align with the words. A cute story that may appeal to Elephant & Piggie fans who want to start exploring graphic novels.

The Secret of Bosco Bay by Zac Gorman (graphic novel)
Gr. 4-6. Allie is not looking forward to spending the summer with her cousin Jen. Allie and Jen haven’t hung out since they were really young, and things are even more tense now because Jen’s brother disappeared a few months ago. Everyone thinks he ran away, but Jen is convinced that something much more sinister happened at the last place he was seen–the fun house at the Bosco Bay amusement park.

That building, and the whole park, are about to be demolished, and Jen drags Allie along to explore the building and find proof of foul play. They discover more than they could have imagined, including the mysterious ride designer, Mr. Peterson, who has many secrets of his own.

I’m not familiar with the video game this is based on, and I don’t think I missed anything without that knowledge. This stands on its own as a well-written horror graphic novel with a lot of action and more than a touch of sadness. Allie and Jen are decently fleshed-out characters, each with their own motivations and struggles. The action was easy to follow, and I can see this pairing well with Black Sand Beach or any of the R.L. Stine graphic novels,

Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children by Kath Shackleton (graphic novel)
Gr. 4-7. Read the true stories of six Jewish children from Europe who survived the Holocaust, adapted into graphic novel format. These stories are each a little different. One child ends up in a concentration camp, but others have different journeys. Another child was a toddler in Paris when it was occupied and was sent to a farm in the middle of nowhere with no explanation. She didn’t know the war ended until two years afterward. Another family managed to escape Nazi-controlled countries just to be put in internment camps in the United Kingdom. Stories of escape, sometimes with families in tact, but more often alone, frame the rest of the book.

A fascinating, quick read examining these atrocities through the eyes of children. Zane Whittingham’s illustrations make each story stand out, and the format makes this book approachable to upper elementary school readers and appealing to middle school readers. I’m surprised I haven’t heard more about this book.

Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker
Gr. 4-6. Zenobia July used to live with her father in Arizona, where everyone told her she was a boy. But after her dad died, Zen moved in with her aunts, living as the girl she is. There are a lot of adjustments in Zen’s new life–her aunts are a lot different than her dad, and they aren’t used to having a kid. Zen has never been able to live as herself before, and dressing like a girl is an adjustment. Gradually, Zen navigates her new school, makes friends, and continues to excel behind a computer screen, with her amazing hacking skills.

But someone is posting horrible memes to her new school’s website–memes targeting Muslim and transgender kids. Zenobia knows she has the skills to figure out who is behind the hacks, but she may need the help of some of her new friends to figure out the exact culprit.

This book was wonderful! I love that this is an own voices trasngender story that has a solid plot beyond the main character’s identity. Zen’s identity is a major part of the story–as it would be a major part of a transgender kid’s life–but the computer mystery weaves throughout the book, holding various plot points together. It is also wonderful to see a school with so many kids thinking about gender–Zen is not the only trans kid at her school. Her best friend, Arli, is genderqueer. Zen’s guardians are gay. So many times, books seem to isolate these characters, but that is definitely not the case here. Excellent read.

Lots of great books this week! Read the book reviews below, and learn more about my favorite reads:

• Discover all the books I read this week in the It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? post.
• Read more book review posts.
• Follow my reading and reviews on Goodreads.

The Alphabet’s Alphabet by Chris Harris and Dan Santat (picture book)
Gr. 1-3. The letters of the alphabet are each unique–but they have a lot of similarities too! Just like the way you might look a little like members of your family, all of the letters share some small details with other letters. After all, isn’t an A just a H that couldn’t stand up straight?

This is a cute book exploring shapes, lines, and letters. I wouldn’t give this to a child that isn’t completely confident in their ability to recognize and write letters, as the images morphing one letter into another are very likely to confuse a preschooler. I was a little disappointed with some of the examples–K felt a little hard for me wrap my head around, and S’s lack of a letter buddy felt a little disappointing. Older kids may explore making the letter comparisons, and this could easily evolve into an art lesson exploring the alphabet.

Animals at Large by Patricia Reilly Giff and Abby Carter (first chapter book)
Gr. 2-3. Tori is excited to have her cousin, Sumiko, come to visit Tori’s home on Zoo Lane this summer. But things are getting a little strange at the zoo–there are rumors of a missing animal, but Tori can’t quite catch word of what, exactly, is on the loose. Combine a missing animal with strange noises coming from Tori’s backyard–definitely a friend pulling a prank–and there are plenty of mysteries for the local zoo kids to solve.

Another book in the Zoo Lane series. These books are a great fit for animal lovers just moving from beginning readers to first chapter books, with extra large text and black-and-white illustrations. The plot is a little tedious, especially with the “mystery” of what animal is missing from the zoo–a zoo with a real missing animal would send out a lot more notice than one posted flyer–and at any point Tori could have just asked any adult what was going on. Advanced first grade readers will enjoy the predictable quietness of this book, but I’m not sure the series will hold appeal with older readers.

Attack of the Underwear Dragon by Scott Rothman and Pete Oswald (picture book)
Gr. PreS-K. Young Cole is thrilled to be a new Assistant Knight of the Round Table. When the mighty Underwear Dragon defeats every real knight, it is up to Cole to try to save the day.

This had the potential to be cute and funny (dragons! underwear!), but I feel like I was left with a lot of unanswered questions. Why was the dragon wearing underwear? Why did we focus on the fact the dragon couldn’t read but never return to that? If the princess could knock Cole out with one punch, why didn’t she fight the dragon? If the dragon defeated all the knights, including the one that trained Cole, how, exactly, was Cole able to use their training to save the day? I’m sure I’m reading too much into this, but I was left more puzzled after reading.

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann (nonficion)
Gr. K-2. Follow a summer honeybee through its 35-day lifecycle–from birth to helping the hive and finally flying, exploring the world, and bringing back the tools needed to produce honey for the colony.

Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann once again make an amazing team, creating an educational and visually engaging book through a story that would work well as a read-aloud. The oil painting illustrations almost make me want to look at bees more in nature (almost–bugs are definitely not my thing). The continued question about if the bee is ready for flying serves as a great hook to keep young readers and listeners engaged.

I Like Animals … What Jobs Are There? by Steve Martin and Roberto Blefari (nonfiction)
Gr. 3-4. A fun exploration of twenty-five jobs involving working with animals. I appreciate the variety of jobs shared here. So many of these kinds of books focus on jobs that, in reality, are a bit more obscure–like puppy bowl referee or panda keeper. This collection spans from jobs a kid may be able to have right now (like dog walker or pet sitter) to jobs that are more common (pet vet, dog groomer, and pet adoption counselor) and still some jobs that are competitive but not quite as rare (pet portrait artist, animal actor agent, and wildlife filmmaker). Each page or spread contains a simplified “day in the life” of someone with that job as well as the best and worst parts of the selected career.

If Your Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall (picture book)
Gr. 1-3. A child writes a letter–a book–to invite aliens to come to earth and give them a glimpse of what they might encounter.

Sophie Blackall creates a beautiful summation of earth with her recognizable artwork. While the message is lovely, for something inspired by Blackall’s work traveling the globe, I wish there had been a bit more diversity present here. There are different cultures and races depicted, but the actions feel very white and western-centered (a picnic in a park, sitting around a dinner table, the clothing and structure of students in a classroom, and more).

Kits, Cubs, and Calves by Suzie Napayok-Short (nonfiction)
Gr. 2-3. Akuluk visits her family in Nunavut off of the Arctic Ocean. While she doesn’t know what to expect at first, she is quickly swept away into the magic of nature, learning about beluga whales, polar bears, and even seagulls.

A beautiful book that follows a family as they teach about and discover a plethora of Arctic animals and talk about the need to respect nature. While the story is engaging, there is a lot of content here, making this a little long for a readaloud, but great for one-on-one reading with a child already fascinated by Arctic animals.

Let’s Dance! by Valerie Bolling and Maine Diaz (picture book)
Gr. Toddler-Preschool. Groove along with young dancers showing off a variety of dance moves, often in culturally specific clothing. Try the moves yourself before learning more about each dance with details in the back of the book.

A good in-person toddler or preschool storytime pick. (I don’t think I could attempt some of these moves on camera with just the top half of my body showing in a virtual storytime.) I might choose to have separate notes from the backmatter to talk about while sharing the different dance moves to provide a little more context about what is going on in each spread.

The Old Truck by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey
Gr. 1-2. Follow life on a small farm through the aging of a truck that is already old when our story begins. Over a lifetime of hard work, that truck, and the family who owns it, age, grow, and change. The weather and the increasing age of the young girl turned woman show the passing of time, but other details do as well–the size of the trees in the background, the seasonal yellowing of grass and plants, and the way the color of the wood of the barn fades over time. In addition to the simple story enhanced by the illustrations, it also breaks stereotypes by featuring a diverse family and a young girl who eventually takes over the farm. This is a gem I haven’t seen much buzz about, but I hope it gets some recognition come award season.

The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story by Thao Lam (picture book)
Gr. 3-4. A wordless picture book following a family escaping war-torn Vietnam through a small fishing boat. The family tale is woven together with a family of ants also making their own journey across the water in a paper boat.

While the illustrations are powerful, especially when examined again through the lens of the author’s note, this book didn’t speak to me quite as much as I had hoped. By transferring the illustrations to ants instead of people once they entered the boat, some of the harder parts of the journey may be easier for young eyes to examine. However, the shift in narration felt a bit confusing in the moment, until looked at again during a re-reading. For older elementary or middle school readers.

Rent A Boyfriend by Gloria Chao (teen)
Gr. 10+. Chloe just wants her parents to stop trying to set her up with Hongbo–a very wealthy guy from their community who is also, well, quite an asshole. Her parents have taken wishes of a courtship a step further, regularly talking about Chloe’s marriage to a person she despises. Chloe has told them, again and again, how much she despises her supposed suitor, but no one will listen. So, she tries a new tactic. She hires a fake boyfriend through Rent for Your ‘Rents, a company specialized in providing fake dates to impress traditional Asian parents.

Drew’s parents cut him off after he dropped out of college to pursue his passion for art. Being a Rent for Your ‘Rents employee (or “operative”) keeps the bills paid while also letting Drew pursue his dreams while never having to do more than hold a stranger’s hand and say the right words (though those can be tricky depending the parent you are impressing).

Chloe meets Drew on the way to her parents’ house for Thanskgiving, prepared to use him to convince her parents that they can stop pressuring her to accept Hongbo’s proposal. Neither of them expects sparks to fly–or for them to want to get to know the person hiding behind each other’s mask.

This was fun! I’m always ready for a fake-boyfriend trope, and this one delivers that but also so much more. The romance is predictable (maybe a little too predictable in places), but there are some great conversations about toxic parent-child relationships, specifics to the Asian American immigrant parent-child relationship, and a lot of much-needed dialogue about how dropping out of college isn’t something to look down on. I wish Drew had a bit more personality? Dynamic? I love that he lets Chloe take the lead and recognizes that she doesn’t need saving, but he had a right to be very frustrated at multiple points, and instead his answer was always “I am here for you; how can I help.” That is wonderful–and something lacking in so many teen romance books–but there is also a point where it seems a bit over the top. No one in a relationship needs to be fully self-sacrificing. While their relationship sometimes felt one-dimensional, their text banter was always outstanding. I sort of wish the entire book had occurred via text. Will be loved by teen romance readers looking for more books with the energy of When Dimple Met Rishi or even new adult romance readers who don’t mind if their romance reads don’t contain much physical intimacy.

Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin (picture book)
Gr. K-2. An eight-year-old is about five times as tall as this book–but an ostrich is taller than two eight-year-olds standing on each other’s shoulders! But of course an ostrich isn’t as tall as a giraffe, which isn’t as tall as an oak tree. But even the tallest tree–a redwood–is dwarfed by the Eiffel tower. The tallest skyscraper is tiny compared to Mount Everest–but even Mount Everest doesn’t reach outer space.

I’ve heard a lot about this book, and I understand why! Chin blends a picture book about size with an epic nonfiction story giving us a glimpse of our place in the universe. Make sure to read the whole thing before choosing this one for a readaloud–I thought about trying to make this work for preschool storytime, but it does get a little more dense once it enters the scale of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the cosmic web (not a bad thing–just shows the intended audience of the book). Small factoids and labels add additional content to each page, and back matter extends the experience with even more details and a list of sources.

Lots of great books this week! Read the book reviews below, and learn more about my favorite reads:

• Discover all the books I read this week in the It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? post.
• Read more book review posts.
• Follow my reading and reviews on Goodreads.

Cubs in the Tub by Candace Fleming (nonficiton)
Gr. K-2. Explore the life of Helen Martini. She longed to be a mother, and her dreams came true in a way she didn’t expect–when her husband, a keeper at the Bronx Zoo, returned home with a tiny lion cub who had been abandoned by its mother. Helen immediately bonded with the cub, raised it, and sadly watched it return to the zoo–but soon more animals came home needing her care. She became tired of losing animals to the zoo, so she insisted her husband take her to work, and she secretly installed an animal nursery at the zoo–eventually leading to her being offered a job.

I appreciate the back matter that explains why Helen was allowed to raise baby animals at home at the time, and why that would not happen now (and also the emphasis on Helen helping women break into the male-dominated zoo workplace).

Every Little Letter by Deborah Underwood (picture book)
Gr. PreS-1. All of the letters live in their own cities, walled off from the cities of all of the other letters. One day, a young “h” gets curious. She finds a hole in one of the city walls, and on the other side, she discovers a small “i”. Together they form something new (hi!). But soon all the grown-ups find out and try to keep them apart until, gradually, the little letters show the grown ups how to reach out to one another.

Wow! This is a winner for sure that I wish I had read earlier this year. This can be treated on a surface level as a conversation about letters and wordplay, but there is also so much more depth about kindness and compassion.

Every Night Is Pizza Night by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (picture book)
Gr. K-1. Pipo knows one thing for sure: pizza is the BEST FOOD EVER! Pipo can’t imagine eating anything else. But after getting annoyed by her parents’ complaints, she decides she can try other foods. For science. To prove that pizza is, ultimately, the best. But some of these other foods, like bibimbap, tagine, red beans and rice, dumplings, and more, might prove to be better than Pipo could have imagined. Can there be more than one BEST food?

This was delightful! Lots of wonderful foods, so much diversity, and bright, colorful illustrations that try to capture the essence of the delicious treats highlighted on the pages.

The Fighting Infantryman: The Story of Albert D.J. Cashier, Transgender Civil War Soldier by Rob Sanders (biography)
Gr. 2-4. The fascinating story of transgender Civil War solder Albert D.J. Cashier. Cashier spent most of his life identifying, living, and working as a man, until an illness made local doctors (and eventually the national news) aware that Cashier had been been born a woman.

This was an entirely new story for me, and a part of history I am excited to learn more about. It doesn’t shy away from the difficulties faced by a transgender individual during Civil War times, and it would be a great story to share with elementary school students.

Nita’s Day by Kathy MacMillan (board book)
Gr. Baby-Toddler. Follow along with Nina’s daily activities, learning sign language along the way using pull tabs.

This book is so inventive! I will admit that I was a bit confused at first–it took me a few seconds to realize that the sides of the pages pulled apart to show a hidden tab with an ASL sign (and then another few seconds to realize that there was a sign on both sides of each pullout!). Great colorful illustrations, a great way to include sign language (or not–it is easy enough to not use the tabs), and a blended family too. Will be recommending!

A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan
Gr. 4-5. Sara isn’t used to her public middle school. She is one of the only Pakistani American kids at the school, and it is nothing like the private, religious elementary school she used to attend. Sara doesn’t really have friends here, her teachers can’t be bothered to pronounce her name right, and now her mom will be at school all the time now, leading a new South Asian cooking club. Sara just wants her parents to support her art, her mom to pass (or just show interest in!) her U.S. citizenship test, and she wouldn’t mind a new friend of two.

Elizabeth has convinced her best friend, Maddie, to attend the new South Asian cooking club with her. Elizabeth is so excited to learn to cook, especially since her mom is struggling with depression after Elizabeth’s grandmother died. Elizabeth really needs her mom to care about, well, anything, but especially about Elizabeth’s commitments at synagogue, her mom’s U.S. citizenship test, and cooking a homemade meal once in a while. It would also be great if her dad was ever around to help.

Sara and Elizabeth aren’t friends, exactly, but when Elizabeth needs a new cooking partner, Sara steps in to make sure her mom’s class is a success. They gradually realize they have more in common then they might have first thought, starting with their need to convince their moms to take the U.S. citizenship test seriously. Soon, they are planning their dish for the end of year cross-cultural cooking competition–and maybe even becoming real friends.

This was so much fun! Having two authors really helped with the voicing and authenticity. The diversity and cultural touches are excellent, and the books also carries strong themes of friendship (and food!) that will resonate with all young readers. I especially appreciate that Maddie had a small bit of character development (even if it did feel a little sudden). Also, how is Saadia Faruqi writing all of these awesome books? I just finished A Thousand Questions (which is new!), and it feels like there are a handful of new Yasmin titles each year.

A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi
Gr. 4-5. Mimi is not excited about her summer vacation with her mom in Karachi, Pakistan. Other than stilted phone calls around the holidays, Mimi has never met her grandparents or any of her mom’s extended family. She would much rather be visiting her dad, who left when she was really young. She plans to write to him in her journal, writing down all of the questions she never got to ask him in person.

Sakina works in the household of Mimi’s grandparents, and she isn’t that excited about the new guests coming to visit. Mimi seems all too American–with her t-shirts with silly sayings, her poor manners, and her inability to understand basic Pakistani culture, from prayer times to why Sakina, a girl Mimi’s age, is working in a kitchen all day instead of going to school. Sakina would love to go to school, but most kids her age from her background don’t, and, before she would even be considered, she would need to improve her English test score. Even if she gets accepted, she can’t imagine that her family can afford to lose her income.

The girls strike a deal–Mimi will help Sakina with her English, as long as Sakina hangs out with Mimi, giving Mimi someone to talk to. They quickly become close friends, discovering that they have more in common than either initially thought, and, maybe, they also have ways to help one another achieve their dreams.

This was so much fun! I loved the friendship between Mimi and Sakina. I learned a lot about Pakistan right alongside Mimi, falling in love with Karachi along with her. (I had a reaction embarrassingly similar to Mimi’s at the mention of the local KFC.) Sakina is such a strong, resilient character filled with more snark than Mimi (not that you would expect it at first, particularly with Sakina’s harsh judgement of Mimi’s t-shirts and how Mimi sticks out her tongue out at grown-ups). I’m not entirely thrilled with how the situation with Mimi’s parents played out–there was a lot of blame placed on Mimi’s mom that wasn’t resolved, and Mimi essentially let her dad off for having abandoned them (with what feels like a mistaken hope that their relationship will continue). I hope some of that might get wrapped up in a sequel…perhaps where Sakina visits Mimi in Houston.

When Charley Met Emma by Amy Webb (picture book)
Gr. PreS-K. Charley sometimes feels different from his classmates because he would rather be quiet instead of loud and ready to play. His mother reminds him that being different is okay, but when he gets to the park, and notices Emma–in a wheelchair and missing her hands–Charley forgets to be kind and loudly asks his mom why Emma looks weird. His mom explains that Emma is just a little different too–and that is okay. Charley and Emma talk about what makes them both special, but how they are also the same, eventually becoming friends.

A sweet story about kindness and recognizing and accepting differences. It is good to see picture book representation of a child with limb differences (as well as some background illustrations of a girl helping her blind caregiver and a child with a walker).