by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell Illustrated by Rafael López 5 stars Absolutely gorgeous. A spectacular picture books inspired by the real-life Urban Art Trail in San Diego. An art-loving child does her best to bring color to her neighbors by sharing her art. But it isn’t until she teams up with a muralist…
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by Joanna McClintick Illustrated by Keisha Morris 4 stars A lovely story of food, reminiscing, and bringing people together. A child wonders how their chosen family’s Friendsgiving tradition got started, asking different members of the family. They all think they had a part in starting the tradition, but by the end they recognize that the…
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Illustrated by Frenci Sanna 5 stars The most beautiful picture book I have ever read. A gentle intergenerational tale of a family’s gifts of kindness, love, an appreciation of nature, and time spent together. They grow and build a community as large as the forest they’ve planted. I checked this one out because I love…
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Illustrated by Emily Holden 5 stars A sweet story about love, happiness, belonging, and connection with a fascinating cast of characters. Ruby the barista at the local coffee shop may seem a little strange. That’s because she’s actually a super-genius humanoid created in a lab to solve problems. After escaping the lab, she tries her…
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Illustrated by Yu Ting Cheng 4 stars A sweet story that follows Mr. Chow, a supermarket owner who loves the nighttime and sleeping in. But supermarkets are supposed to be open early. Mr. Chow seeks advice from his neighbors on how to get up earlier. But maybe he doesn’t have to. Maybe he needs to…
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Translated by Takami Nieda 4 stars A wonderfully cozy read. Rumor has it that the hippo ride at Hinode Park has magical powers. Rub a body part on Kabahiko the healing hippo and it will heal the same part on you. Follow various neighbors as they seek Kabahiko’s healing powers, only to discover what they…
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by Andrew Larsen Illustrated by Oriol Vidal 5 stars The fascinating story of Nelson Molina and the amazing museum he created with things people threw away. A wonderfully-told story. Great focus on finding new uses for things and rethinking before throwing something away. I really enjoyed the stories of Molina’s childhood fixing, repurposing, and gifting…
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Illustrated by Sophie Bass 5 stars Absolutely stunning. Weaving together a Rapunzel narrative with the history of enslaved Africans using cornrow patterns to navigate their journey to freedom, Cooke creates a compelling, empowering, and magical tale. Wonderfully written with flowing narration. A lengthy text but certainly worth the read. I love how empowering the narrative…
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Illustrated by Kelsi Jo Silva 3 stars A nice story of a community coming together to fight unfairness and corruption. Soup grew up in The Brazen Manticore, a restaurant run my the infamous Trysil Heldritch. She loves cooking and being a chef in its kitchen, but when she sees a different side of her boss…
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by Gayle E. Pitman Illustrated by Christopher Lyles 3 stars A sweet book providing a tour of San Francisco landmarks related to the LGBTQ community, all of which are visible from Lyon and Martin’s picture window. The text follows the transformation from when the couple first moved in to the community that blossomed. The text…
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