Fly Away Home by Betty Quan and Akin Duzakin - ESSENTIAL

Fly Away Home by Betty Quan and Akin Duzakin. PICTURE BOOK. Groundwood Books, 2026. $20. 9781773069623

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

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Told through nursery-rhyme-esque language, Little Bird and her family migrate to find a new nest. Other birds, turtles, and other animals are also migrating to find safety as a girl and her family also search for a new home. While the animals are the main focus of the pages, we see people in the background, fleeing their homes, crowded into small boats, rushing through a burned-out village, looking for a safe new place. It ends on a hopeful note, both for the birds and the little girl. 

With the world in upheaval and millions of people displaced every year, this book provides an entry point for those conversations with young children. The author uses collective nouns like a "charm of goldfinches", a "flamboyance of flamingoes" and a "gift of robins" which adds to the whimsical quality of the action in the foreground. Each page shows a different species and their journey, while there is always help along the way. The illustrations are beautiful and enhance the lyrical quality of the verses. The focus of the book is on the animals and the ethnicity of the people is ambiguous, although they appear pale-skinned. 

Heather Robinson 

Rivka's Presents by Laurie Wallmark and Adelina Lirius - ADVISABLE

Rivka's Presents by Laurie Wallmark and Adelina Lirius. PICTURE BOOK. Random House Studio, 2023. $19. 9780593482070

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Rivka, a young immigrant girl in 1918 New York City, can't wait to go to school. But when her father falls ill, her mother has to work, and Rivka has to stay home to watch her younger sister. Undeterred, she trades work for reading lessons with the grocer, and math lessons with the tailor. She also helps her neighbor study for her citizenship test so that she can learn history.

A beautifully illustrated, read aloud book that teaches about the thirst for knowledge and the kindness of others to help a young girl be educated. There is a glossary at the back of English and Yiddish words. The family is Jewish.

Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian 

Bela and Lily by Natasha Khan Kazi - OPTIONAL

Bela and Lily by Natasha Khan Kazi. PICTURE BOOK Kokila, 2025. $19. 9780593858912

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

After arriving in the United States from Bangladesh, Bela meets Lily at the park. Unlike the other children, Lily does not laugh when Bela struggles to find the right words in English. Together they play, laugh, and discover ways to communicate beyond language. But when an argument threatens their friendship, Bela wonders if she can find a way to make things right.

Kazi explores friendship, empathy, and the challenges of navigating a new culture and language.

Bela is Bengali and Lily is white

A. Snow, Librarian 

We Always Had Wings by Jess X. Snow - ESSENTIAL

We Always Had Wings by Jess X. Snow. PICTURE BOOK Penguin Random House, 2025. $19. 9780593428511

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

Snow and her mother are flying back to China to visit her grandmother in China. Snow is afraid as she watches the only home she has known disappear in the clouds. Her mother tells her a story that helps calm her fears.

Snow tells the story of her childhood when she is able to go back to China to visit her grandmother. But, the story has deeper meaning about immigration, refugees, and the longing for home. The beautiful illustrations send the imagination flying.

MOMMAC 

April's Journey by Annamaria Piccione, Luis Amavisca and Francesc Rovira - ESSENTIAL

April's Journey by Annamaria Piccione, Luis Amavisca and Francesc Rovira. PICTURE BOOK. NubeOcho, 2026. $18. 9788410406803

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

April, a young girl, has nowhere to go after the bombing. Everything was destroyed and people have left. All she has is her backpack and her stuffed rabbit Coco. She has to find a new home and journeys through inclement weather and harsh conditions. Along her way, she finds Julio, a boy who also has a backpack and a stuffed bear named Nina. Together, they build a raft and eventually find a place that welcomes them into a new home.

I liked this book because of the mystery behind the bombing and the conflicts that the young characters are facing. It is just vague enough that this situation could be applied to a lot of different times in history. As the author wrote, "it is a story to spark conversation about something that should never happen."

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher 

Little Bird Laila by Kelly Yang and Xindi Yan - ESSENTIAL

Little Bird Laila by Kelly Yang and Xindi Yan. PICTURE BOOK. Dial Books (Penguin), 2025. $19. 9780593407110

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Laila, a young Chinese girl, wishes her friends could realize how cool her parents are. Her parents don't have enough money to pay for English classes and they are struggling to understand this new language. Laila is not only learning English herself, but she is also busy translating for her parents. She decides to teach them English and along the way learns more Chinese from them. Learning a new language can be hard, but as a family they have fun while doing so.

I liked this book because it shows how children might feel if they are torn between speaking two different languages. This book addressed why the word "ballet" is so difficult to pronounce to non-native English speakers. It also showed how idioms can be so confusing. It showed that all cultures are important and should be valued.

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher 

The Last Last by Wendy J. Whittingham - ADVISABLE

The Last Last by Wendy J. Whittingham. PICTURE BOOK. Groundwood Books, 2025. $19. 9781773068657

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

A young Jamaican girl's family is packing all their things.  She is nervous that they are leaving their island home.  On her final day, she takes in the final sights and smells.  She wants to remember all of it.  She takes a last swim in the ocean and finds a beautiful shell to take with her.  Her family flies to a big city in Canada.  She is still worried about her new home until she hears something outside her window.

The Last Last deals with the bittersweet experience of immigration, honoring memories of home while looking forward to new adventures.  I liked Whittingham's use of vibrant colors in her illustrations.

PGPowers

Mariana and her Familia by Monica Mancillas and Erika Meza -

Mariana and her Familia by Monica Mancillas, illustrated by Erika Meza. PICTURE BOOK Balzer + Bray. 2022. $13. 9780062962461 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Mariana and her mom travel to Mexico to visit their family. Even though Mariana is the same ethnicity as her family, her culture is very different. Mexico's looks, smells, and sounds are jarring to her at first. Mariana is nervous to meet her family. She has only seen pictures of them. Her abuelita reads her The Big Bad Wolf in Spanish. Mariana was amazed to see that they were able to share the same story, just with different words. After overcoming some language barriers, Mariana soon realizes that they are all familia. 

Mariana and her Familia can help teach or introduce Spanish words. Mariana learns words such as abuelita for grandma, and tio and tia that mean uncle and aunt. It helps show that even though you might have grown up in a different culture, there are many similarities. I liked the theme and the font of the print. 

A. Criswell, English Language Arts

Still Dreaming Seguimos Soñando by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, illustrations by Magdalena Mora - ADVISABLE

Still Dreaming Seguimos Soñando by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, illustrations by Magdalena Mora. PICTURE BOOK Children's Book Press ( Lee and Low). 2022. $21. 9780892394340 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A family must pack their belongings and leave their home in Texas because they fear their father will be taken away - which has happened to some of their friend's fathers. They drive at night because it is much cooler then. They stop at a roadside camp and meet families from all over, and hear their stories - shop owners, railroad builders, migrant farm workers. The family is moving to Mexico while the child is dreaming of the life they are leaving behind. 

A heartbreaking story of Mexican Repatriation. The family is moving to Mexico, so they won't be separated from their father, although the United States is all the children have ever known. Mora's illustrations are beautiful. Still Dreaming Seguimos Soñando would be a great conversation starter in a classroom, it's like the opposite of immigration. I had no idea this happened. Includes an author's note that explains more about the historical context. 

Lisa Librarian

My Two Border Towns by David Bowles and Erika Meza - ADVISABLE

My Two Border Towns by David Bowles, illustrated by Erika Meza. PICTURE BOOK Kokila (Penguin Random House), 2021. $18. 9780593111048 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Every other Sunday, a little boy and his dad visit "the other side". They drive through town, and pay to cross at the border. The town on the other side of the river is the twin of the boy's town. They visit the boy's Uncle and cousins, then they get the things on mom's list, including t-shirts. treats and a prescription. On the way back, they stop on the bridge. The boy has a friend who is a refugee - living on the bridge because neither the US nor Mexico will take him. The boy leaves his family with many of the things they purchased, and they hope for the day everyone can travel freely back and forth 

Oh! What a surprise - this review is a bit of a spoiler, but so poignant, I couldn't leave it out. What started as a cute story about driving to another town to shop turned into a real life story about community, caring for each other, and the problems happening at the border, Wow. 

Lisa Librarian

The Woodcarver's Daughter by Yona Zeldis McDonough - OPTIONAL

The Woodcarver's Daughter by Yona Zeldis McDonough, 110 pages. Kar-Ben Publishing (Lerner Publishing Group), 2021. $18. 

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (mention of pogroms, beatings) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Batya and her family decide to emigrate from Russia to America to escape the persecution that has been heaped upon the Jewish people of their village. The Breittelmann family faces further difficulties once they are in the United States and must work hard to find a way to have happiness in their new home. 

This is an engaging story, filled with enough history and drama to keep the reader engaged. The story is likely to appeal to a female audience, and it has a definite "girls-can-do-anything" message. You'd have to hand sell it, though, because the cover is decidedly unappealing.

 Keri, elementary school teacher 

Dear Abuelo by Grecia Huesca Dominguez and Teresa Martinez - ADVISABLE

Dear Abuelo by Grecia Huesca Dominguez, illustrated by Teresa Martinez. PICTURE BOOK. Reycraft Books, 2019. $7. 9781478868897 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

 Juana moves with her family from Mexico to New York. She will miss a lot about living in Mexico, but especially she misses her grandfather, her Abuelo. She writes him letters telling him about all her new experiences, strating with the plane taking them to New York. We get to know Juana through her letters to her grandfather.

 I loved this book. It is hard to move from one country to another, even harder when you do not speak the new language. I liked reading about her experiences at school, meeting her teacher and meeting children. She also meets a girl that speaks both Spanish and English. They become fast friends. The illustrations are bright and colorful and the story is told in pictures, too. A fun book to read. 

Ellen-Anita, Librarian 

Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins - ADVISABLE

Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Sara Palacios. PICTURE BOOK. Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan), 2019. $18. 9780374303730

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Two kids and their mom head to the border between the U.S and Mexico to visit their grandma during the festival La Posada Sin Fronteras. They are allowed to see her through a fence and visit for half an hour. They can not, however, pass along gifts. Desperate to get a drawing to their grandma, the kids fly the drawing as a kite and send it over the wall. 

This story is a great introduction to the complicated new stories that come out of the border debates. This book has the potential to teach empathy as well as provide some context for young readers in America. The illustrations are sweet and the family acts with respect to both the guards and the citizens. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher