"The Day the Crayons Quit"
"Inside Out and Back Again"
This beautifully written book covers various emotions and concepts ranging from grief and loss, hope, love, acceptance and resilience. It's about Hà's experience of immigrating due to war from the home that she knew and loved to Alabama.
Memorable quote from the book: "Mother says, People share when they know they have escaped hunger. Shouldn't people share because there is hunger?"
To buy: "Inside Out and Back Again", $7
"Wonder"
This is a wonderful book to read alongside your older child and one of my all-time favorites. The story is touching and allows the reader to see things through the eyes of the various characters beginning with August. August is a child with facial deformities, which resulted in him being home-schooled until fifth grade, the grade he begins public school. This story is a testament to the power of the human heart and its ability to, unlike our eyes, see beyond the surface.
Memorable quote from the book: " … your deeds are like your monuments. Built with memories instead of stone."
To buy: "Wonder", $10
"Brown Girl Dreaming"
This memoir provides a glimpse into history for an African American girl growing up in the 1960s and '70s but it also tugs at the heart strings of the reader. "Brown Girl Dreaming" is so many things, including a beautiful reminder of the power of our stories and the universal feeling of wanting to belong.
Memorable quote from the book: "May, I am thinking, there is something hidden like this in all of us. A small gift from the universe waiting to be discovered."
To buy: "Brown Girl Dreaming", $12
"The One and Only Ivan"
A touching story about growth and seeing things differently, the book addresses concepts such as accountability to one another, being an agent of change and using your gifts to help you create it (for Ivan his art was a tool that helped shed light on the poor treatment the animals at the mall were subjected to.).
Memorable quote from the book: "A good zoo," Stella said, "is a large domain. A wild cage. A safe place to be. It has room to roam and humans who don't hurt." She pauses, considering her words. "A good zoo is how humans make amends."
To buy: "The One and Only Ivan", $8
"The Story of Ferdinand"
Despite being the biggest bull, Ferdinand is most content being calm and smelling flowers, rather than engaging in the behaviors of the other bulls. His mother would sometimes worry about him but he was happy. And because of that, she didn't try to convince him to do or be something different.
Memorable quote from the book: "His mother saw that he was not lonesome, and because she was an understanding mother, even though she was just a cow, she let him just sit there and be happy."
To buy: "The Story of Ferdinand", $10
"The Invisible Boy"
This book is a reminder of the gift it can be to be seen. It can literally change the course of someone's day or even life to have someone acknowledge their existence. Friendships have the ability to make us come alive and flourish in a way that we might not have, should we remain isolated.
Memorable (and heartbreaking) quote from the book: "And the kids laugh. All of them, that is, except Brian. He sits there wondering which is worse—being laughed at or feeling invisible."
To buy: "The Invisible Boy", $14
