Kaylani Juanita

Joyful young narrators celebrate feeling at home in one's own skin.

When her mother goes on a business trip, a little girl, who loves to sit between Mama and Mommy at the table, misses her a lot and feels empty until Mommy finally comes home, filling the void with love.

Two young storytellers start with "once upon a time" but quickly realize that a good story needs action, danger, and most of all, a happy ending.

"A young artist has drawn birds and bird houses in corresponding colors. Now it's time to match them up. The blue bird goes in the blue house, the orange bird in the orange house, and so on. But wait! The birds don't agree with the narrator's choices and, much to her distress, are rebelling by swapping houses. Can the narrator make the birds see sense? Or is it possible that you just can't tell a bird by its feathers?"--

Ace gets her mountain bike ready for the big bike race, but during the race Ace's bike chain comes off the sprocket, and a tire goes flat--luckily she has her tools with her to fix the problem so she can finish the race.

"The only thing better than reading about this full day of play is having one in real life." -Kirkus Reviews What makes a good story? One little girl thinks it's a princess with magic powers that can (ta-da!) overcome any obstacle. Her friend thinks it's (dun dun duh!) a host of dragons, pirates, and volcanos that cause total chaos. But as each of their stories intertwine and interact, these two young storytellers soon learn that a good story needs...

This exploration of the natural world and family bonds through the eyes of a young mixed-race narrator is a living, breathing, dazzlingly multi-faceted, exuberant masterpiece, firmly grounded in her sense of self-worth and belonging. If Walt Whitman were reborn as a vibrant young woman of color, this is the book he might write. America, we hear you singing! Samara Cole Doyon sings a carol for the plenitude that surrounds us and the self each of us...