Monday, April 22, 2024

The Light She Feels Inside by Gwendolyn Wallace and Olivia Duchess - ESSENTIAL

The Light She Feels Inside
by Gwendolyn Wallace illustrated by Olivia Duchess
. PICTURE BOOK Sourcebooks, 2023. $19. 9781728239798 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - 
ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Maya has a warm glow when she talks to her parents about her day when she sees people caring about each other around her. But, Maya's glow is different and heavy when she gets pushed on the playground, when she hears her parents talking about money struggles, and when she sees her friend get stopped by the police. With help from her librarian, Maya learns about Black women who came before her and how they dealt with their glowing feelings. Can Maya learn, like those who came before her to share her glow and the things she loves? 

Maya's feelings are illustrated with different colors glowing around her, making feelings that are often difficult to identify tangible and accessible to children. Children so often have big feelings and don't know how to deal with them; Wallace does a great job of putting difficult things in a light that children can understand without it getting overly heavy. Maya and the majority of the characters are Black. Characters are illustrated with varied ethnicities and abilities. 

Rachel, Elementary Library Specialist 

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