Uplifting, hopefully told version of events in Haiti, told from the point of view of Moses, a boy who lost all his family as an infant and lives in a children's village. A good starting point for a conversation.

Both whimsical and haunting, not by turns but simultaneously. It's a very impressive feat.

Terrific, with layered complexities and a thoughtfully closed plot with enough left unsaid as to keep your mind coming back to it after reading. I cried. But then, it's not that hard to make me cry.

The only criticism I have for this book is that if you're not already trusting of Selznick (the author) you may have a difficult time getting through the large amount of wordless story that comes before the narrative. Unlike Hug Cabret, the story styles do not alternate back and forth frequently, and i found the pictures to be a bit of a slog at times. That said, I highly recommend pushing through! It's a beautiful story.

Profoundly satisfying, in the way of fairy tales and folklore.

Very similar in tone and content to Surviving the Applewhites, though with a more emotionally complex backstory. Very satisfying ending.

Simple story about a princess saving the day and then getting her prince. The "I"m not like other girls" trope was heavy-handed and, though I think it was supposed to be empowering, very much not in line with current feminism. Probably would have been daring in the 80s, but that was 30 years ago. Fun enough, but not a read I'd recommend.

Very fun wish fulfillment, for a librarian. It does seem as if it's more written for librarians than children, but I'm ok with that being the case for a small subset of books.

Super fun! This magical school story follows the format and themes for the sub-genre with aplomb, with just enough of it's own twists to give it a fresh uniqueness.

Completely engrossing tale iwth relateable characters. Neurodiversity handled both matter of factly and kindly, without the "othering" that so often the downfall of diverse characters.

When Aidan was born, his parents thought he was a girl. Having experienced the pain of being misgendered, he wants to be extremely certain that it won't happen to his new baby. But what if he makes mistakes, and isn't a perfect big brother? His parents assure him that he will be a great big brother, since he already knows how to love. Honestly I'm not sure any adult can get through this sweet story without tearing up.

A totally terrific picture book, which depicts the experience of being trans without being an issue book. Add to your "a new baby is coming" pile!