Ellie's story teaches us that sometimes, we have to try something completely new to us to learn what our unique gifts are! Her contribution to the zoo wasn't anything that anyone else was doing, but something that she tried for the first time. Kudos to the zookeepers in our lives who recognize our unique talents when we're not sure of ourselves.

It's so hard when you have a vision of what a thing is, but when you try to make it, it doesn't turn out right! In this one, the protagonist learns that sometimes it takes many tries, (and some yelling?) to realize your visions. But that doesn't mean that you've failed, and it doesn't mean that you can't make the thing! Just keep working on it!

Picked this one up on a whim because the title caught my eye. A lovely book about how our mistakes can be transformed into beautiful things if we shift our perspective a bit. A great book for the perfectionist children in our lives. And the artwork is really simple, but such an integral part of the story.

So much packed into such a short book. Clark manages to build an amazing world and tell am exciting story in just over 100 pages. Can't wait to read his next work!

The most striking thing about this book is the visuals: the layout is unconventional, and gorgeous. And the advice on personal growth and relationships is pretty good too. I definitely had several moments when I had to stop and think about what she said because it struck a chord in my soul.

In Exit West, Mosin Hamid paints a picture of the nuances of migration: the forces that push or pull us from our native lands, the ways that a society reacts to massive change and upheaval but most strikingly, the ways that migration and change affect the intimate relationships of our lives.

Doors open up that allow people to move from one country to another in seconds, and with that comes the expected reactionary military and social responses. Hamid tells the story of Saaed and Nadia, their lives as a unit navigating drastic social upheaval and migration to new countries. We learn of the challenges that they face on each side of the door and how they change and also become more themselves through each transition.

"Each time a couple moves they begin, if their attention is still drawn to one another, to see each other differently, for personalities are not a single immutable color, like white or blue, but rather illuminated screens, and the shades we reflect depend much on what is around us."