A PLACE JUST FOR ME: Priceless.

 The words of Virginia Wolff resonated from the moment they first appeared in her 1929 extended essay: A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN. That piece is a very adult reflection on creativity, identity, and independence. Even so, the impulse to have "space", to find yourself and be yourself, can be recognized in even the youngest among us. A PLACE JUST FOR ME, written by Loredana Baldinucci and illustrated by Melinda Berti, seizes that impulse and celebrates agency and self-awareness in a young mouse.

GREYSTONE BOOKS
2023

Beginning with the illustrations, Berti has captured the perspective and character of nature at mouse-scale, blending realism with lighthearted marvel. The youngest mouse in the family lives in the roots of a large tree in a sprawling meadow. That little mouse and family live a human-ized life that mirrors that of many young children. 

There is absolutely nothing WRONG with mouse's life, but something about it is just not RIGHT. Silver's many siblings and generations are busy mice, with space to pursue their interests. Silver seeks a place to do NOTHING, at least for a little while, amid the very busy household. This simply-stated narrative is enhanced with detailed scenes on white backgrounds, with clarity that even the youngest audiences will investigate but with enough simplicity to feel safe and comforting. Silver doesn't need to escape, he needs to FIND a place that is a good fit. This is a quest story at its heart.

The narrative and scenes allow Silver to explore among safe neighbors, and to recognize ones that are not safe. His journey offers growth and learning what does or doesn't work for him. He is only out and exploring for a few hours, and yet he acquires awareness that some of his dissatisfaction comes from within. The lovely conclusion reveals that his quest has been on Mama Mouse's radar. Carving out a niché for Silver leads to recognition that home is the right place: for doing nothing, for doing something, and for being HOME. 

DRAGONFLY BOOKS, 2017
(reprint)

Something about the visuals and the gentle sense of mouse-persona reminded me of Leo Lionni's mouse tales, especially FREDERICK.  The illustrations involve very different media and techniques, but both titles and visuals capture a lightness of spirit, insights into the mind of a sensitive young mouse, and calming resolutions that welcome repeated readings and imagined connections. Both the creators of A PLACE JUST FOR ME and FREDERICK are (were) from Italy. It makes me wonder what magical personalities those Italian mice must have!

When you or someone you know seems in need of a place of their own, or time and space to do NOTHING, share this book. Or both!

WALK With Me Through Powerful Picture Books

 Two new picture books share several things. Each includes WALK in the title. Each addresses topics or issues that could be (actually ARE) stressful and wrapped in grief, yet each provides a deep experience with the positivity and potential of our lives.

AND THEY WALK ON  is written by Kevin Maillard and illustrated by Rafael López. 

ROARING BROOK PRESS, 2025

Luminous illustrations offer hints (and some subtle indicators of the ethnic origins), providing a sunset endpaper spread with vibrant tones and a winding trail, then echoing the same landscape in the closing endpapers, viewing it at sunset. That unless cycle of our planet mirrors the sense that we habitants also have an endless quality. 

The text is simple and lyrical, but capture the voice of the narrator, who only occasionally clarifies that with some "I" phrasing. This gives the text a sense of the child's distance from his experiences in the early pages. Someone has "walked on" , someone he cares for deeply, but what does that mean? 

Will he see them again? Where have they gone? their room seems unchanged, and the kitchen, the "hearth" of their home still beckons. That kitchen and the family's activity there (making grape dumplings) brings the missing someone back into existence, "like a cauldron of memory".

The conclusion pages offer even more of the connection and identity of this family and its members, those present and others walking on.  The luscious language reveals shifting mood, from concern to acceptance, celebrating the cultural sense that people we love never leave us, we walk on through our lives alongside them. 

Back matter includes helpful notes from both author and illustrator, as well as receive for those grape dumplings. This certainly fits well in collections about dealing with grief, but it seems to me it has potential for helping young readers recognize the concept of Death before they even experience it. Everything about it makes me want to read it again and again.

A second book that captures big concepts through words and text that wrap readers in care and conviction is THE WALK, 

ABROMS BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
2023

written by award-winning creators, among my favorites. Winsome Bingham wrote the compelling and upbeat text while E. B. Lewis sets the scenes with his recognizable style:  familiar faces that might often be overlooked, shifting perspectives to assure that each person and detail merits our attention, rendered in tones that offer both depth and glow. In this case the endpapers are solid color- a golden splash that assures good things are ahead. 

The story opens with a girl and her granny preparing for a walk. Along the way they encounter and encourage folks from their neighborhood, as the girl asks questions and granny offers bits of personal and social history in simple snippets and hints. "The walk" they are taking is longer now that it once was, but no political commentary indicates why that is, or confronts readers directly with debates about access to their goal. Granny's nods to those who came before, to those who managed past struggles and walks, is subtle but certain and sincere. 

The language is direct and accessible, incorporating onomatopoetic phrases and capturing the rhythm of the neighborhood with "just right" word and illustration choices. 

"A sea of faces swimming 

upstream like a school of fish."

while the spread casts the walkers on sharp white backgrounds  as their  shadows double their numbers. 

Then the girl's big question catches in my throat as I read aloud. They arrive at their destination, and she asks, "Why do people vote?"

Granny answers firmly, "For HOPE, baby. For HOPE!" This captures the story in a nutshell, lifting it beyond a stroll or civic duty and making it personal. "Voting lets grown folks speak up."

That's just what the girls Mama had taught her to do. 

TEA IS LOVE... And I LOVE Tea!

When my body was younger and more resilient, I consumed coffee at a furious pace. Faster and in greater volumes than allowed for any effort toward connoiseur reflections. Coffee was coffee. 

Then, with age, I couldn't tolerate coffee on a physiological level, even though I still enjoy coffee's aroma. Instead, I became a tea drinker, gradually acquiring preferences among various types and brands. Mainly, though, I found a calming effect in tea, in contrast to  the "ramping up" impact of a cup of strong coffee. 

That's all a lead in to a new picture book that considers tea as an experience rather than as a beverage, TEA IS LOVE, 

DIAL BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
2025

written by Adib Khorram and illustrated by Hannah Cha. With lyrical lines that, written alone, launch entire spreads, the lines assembled reveal a poetic humage to tea, the poep[le who provide it, and those who share it: 

"TEA is a plant.

TEA is a journey.

TEA is a rainbow.

And TEA is love."

With full spreads and spot illustrations, tea becomes an experience between and among people of every background and culture. Much of the "information" within this warm-hearted revelation about the power of TEA in our various lives is explored through images that involve diversity of homes, geography, and identity. Tea transcends it all. The author note in back (using many more words than the brief main text) offers details on types of tea, ways tea is used in various cultures, and ways it is prepared for market and then in various homes and restaurants. 

The distinctly diverse individuals (in age, ethnicity, gender, geography) suggest that TEA is a unifier, a universal experience despite distinct differences among us.The end papers are not only warmly welcoming with soft edges, finishes, and tender colors, but also in the variations of vessels associated with tea. This approach invites curiosity and questions rather than challenges and concerns.There are so MANY ways we can learn more about tea, but this simple book is a lovely introduction to and reminder of the "big picture " of TEA, what it is and what it means in our lives.

 For many decades now I've been on firm footing: I LOVE TEA. But this book (a new favorite of mine) persuades me that TEA IS LOVE. Why not pour yourself a cuppa your favorite tea and check this out?

EMILY SAW A DOOR: Consider WHY Doors Matter

 In recent posts I've featured titles dealing with "Others" or with separation or discrimination. (I've featured other titles on this topic in the past, of course.) Whatever the reason for treating others differently, the stories each reveal ways in which denial of access or justice have affected people for reasons unrelated to right or wrong. In the new, recent picture book, we find Emily trying to enter various doors. The response from the "doors" (or whatever was speaking from the other side) varied. In this story there is rejection, welcoming  (for nefarious reasons), and willingness to accept without offering any benefit to entry.

EMILY SAW A DOOR is written by Mel Rosenberg and illustrated by Orit Magia.

RANADOM HOUSE STUDIO, 2026

Responses to her knocks point out  on Emily's size, or color, or volume, or mindlessness, or more. In the end, Emily has been left to her own devices and determined that if she wants access to a door, she'll have to create her own. She eventually uses resources at hand to make a choice, celebrating her own positivity and imagination. 

The door she creates is exuberant, vibrant, smile-inviting. Unlike the refusals or false welcomes on the previous pages, which included subtle symbols fading or dying plants, diminished spirits, and minimizing of Emily's value. Emily's door is uplifting. When she creates her own door it attracts a knock, which she quickly responds to with welcome, leading to joyous play and friendship. 

This book is a kind of parable or analogy for the many ways in which acceptance by others can feel like our only way forward. many may feel that finding the right door, the right validation, the right sense of belonging are necessary to be our full selves. Certainly, those things matter, but not as much as figuring out that we, the truth of who WE are on our own, is already enough. Then expressing and sharing that self, embracing our own potential can be the very door we were seeking. 

In this story it feels to me that the many blocks Emily dealt with made her more willing than ever to welcome others into her own space. If that were the pattern for all adults, throughout history, much of the pain and suffering that "othering" causes could have been avoided. Prevented. Countered. Repaired.

With so much talk and concern about the potential for AI engagement to harm children, one fear focuses on the "pleaser" programming that makes such systems eager to confirm whatever the user wants or feels.I thought about that as I reread this story. I hope this might be shared across many ages with that very discussion in mind. If affirmation and guaranteed approval define us, it also limits what we might learn about ourselves. Building capacity to deal with struggle and rejection, if not in excess, can be the fuel for inner strength and identity. 

This story has staying power, especially when shared with the intent for such discussions and in combination with specific titles placed in history and actual events. But it is also a delightfully simple and elegant story for even the very youngest audiences. Enjoy!