For this final column of a most interesting calendar year, I have been reading some recent children’s books that celebrate what it is to be human. Like the best art, literature (including children’s literature) sheds a brighter light on lived experience than reality ever could. Through poetry, fine illustration, and humor, the best children’s books honor what is good in all of us. Children deserve nothing less than excellence.

“Where do poems come from?” a boy asks his wise grandfather. Grandfather jots down short poems on Kiyoshi’s Walk through the city—haiku about oranges in the market, flying pigeons, a lonely teddy bear. Kiyoshi learns that poetry comes from observing and imagining—the union of the world outside and our deepest interior lives, and by the end of their walk he sees a poem in every face, in every sight and sound. This quiet and lovely book includes a short explanation of haiku and would be a fine introduction to making poems.
Kiyoshi’s Walk by Mark Karlins, illustrated by Nicole Wong (Lee and Low Books, 2021) Ages 4 – 8.

The ink and watercolor illustrations in Elisha Cooper’s Yes & No could not be more simple, or more expressive. A dog (reminiscent of the big yellow pandemic puppy in our family) and a black cat wake up, eat breakfast, go outside, have adventures, and go to bed—and so much more. Cooper’s eager puppy is in constant, joyful motion while the black cat is catlike, a haughty and unwilling companion. But as they sit on a hilltop together feeling the breeze, you know they truly are the best of friends. The littlest readers will enjoy chiming in with a “yes” or a “no” as they join in the story.
Yes & No by Elisha Cooper (Roaring Brook Press, 2021) Ages 1 – 6.

Chris Raschka is a man of few words. In fact, one of his early picture books, Yo, Yes, contained just two words, but explored the evolution of a great friendship. Others celebrate the rhythms of jazz through words and rhyme and sunny watercolors. The Blue Table is about just that: a small sky-blue table filled with all that accompanies family life—coffee, a newspaper, crayons, vegetables from the garden and good things from the farmers market until the table overflows. A leaf is added, guests arrive, and the blue table becomes the site of a wonderful feast of friendship and thankfulness.
The Blue Table by Chris Raschka (Greenwillow Books, 2020)
Ages 2 – 6.

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There have been many children’s books that attempt to explain the ongoing pandemic to young children, but I think LeUyen Pham’s Outside, Inside is one of the best. Pham never mentions the words virus or pandemic in her text, but her words and the sketches she made every day during quarantine (each of them inspired by a real person or event) tell the story of why, on a day in March, everyone who could, went inside, and those who needed to be, were outside. And why was that? “…mostly because everyone knew it was the right thing to do.” Pham’s illustrations and comforting words may help to make some sense of a time that children will surely never forget.
Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham (Roaring Book Press, 2021)
Ages 4 – 8.

I like sitting on the beach in the sun with a good book most of all. But also, most of all, I like a slice of bread, warm from the oven and slathered with butter. In What I Like Most, a preschooler tells us the things that are special to her, and as happens with most of us, it is very hard to pick just one. Is it her new bouncy shoes, or the river where otters live, or the red pencil that is getting shorter as she draws? Or maybe it’s french fries! The cheerful illustrations by Zhu Cheng-Liang will inspire kids to share the experiences they enjoy most in this wonderful world.
What I like Most by Mary Murphy, illustrations by Zhu Cheng-Liang (Candlewick Press, 2019) Ages 2 – 6.

The team of Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson never shy away from the hard parts of urban life, and they manage to find joy in difficult places. Milo, in Milo Imagines the World, and his teenage sister are on a long subway ride, both feeling “like shook-up sodas” on their way to visit their incarcerated mother. To pass the time, Milo imagines the lives of his fellow passengers in his sketch book. Are they happy or sad, rich or poor? Do they have families at home, or do they live alone? And what do people imagine about him? Milo thinks in this deeply felt book about challenging assumptions, “Maybe you can’t really know anyone just by looking at their face.”
Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2021) Ages 5 – 8