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!

NAVIGATING NIGHT: A Glimpse At Family Work

 The first week of MAY is designated to celebrate SMALL BUSINESSES, and that's a topic worthy of attention throughout the year. Many "small businesses" are larger than you'd think, but are designated as such because they are not massive, large-stock companies. They may or may not be family-owned, may employ dozens or even hundreds of folks, but they remain "small fish" in the big pond of our American economy. A great many "small businesses" are more micr-businesses, run entirely or  nearly-so by family.  Relatives keep things running, or others may be employed as needed or seasonally. These often operate on shoestring budgets and rely on local support to remain viable. 

That description is especially typical of independent food service operations, from mobile food trucks to corner shops to multi-outlets in a single community. The demands on family members to make such a business succeed are incredible. We can try to imagine what those stresses might be if we take a moment to appreciate having their services available in our neighborhoods. 

ANNE SCWARTZ BOOKS, 2026

NAVIGATING NIGHT, written by Julie Leung and illustrated by Angie Kang, is a recently released picture book that invites readers along for the ride as Baba (father) takes his daughter along for the end-of-night delivery from his Chinese restaurant. It is a dark and dreary night, and she is more than just a companion. In this pre-GPS story, daughter navigates using a physical map, providing directions throughout multiple deliveries. She wishes she could be home, watching television or playing games. She cringes when witnessing the verbal assaults on her father or lack of tips if the delivery isn't prompt enough. 

Their time together, though, is priceless. Baba uses their drive to reveal his own challenges while in China, during times of fear and hunger. As they struggle to find delivery routes to new addresses, Baba describes his solo journey to this country. He was chosen as the one to use a single ticket, designated as the source of support for his family there and also the family he would build in a new world. Tender text references the hardships of isolation, lacking local language, and seeking ways to survive for himself and secure the future of his families. 

Baba's story is dark and intense but dealt with gently, as are the colors of the soft-edged illustrations. As they nearly complete the deliveries, Baba reminds daughter that he would be "lost" without her. The tone-shift to a steaming meal at the warmly lit family table in the restaurant shines through with love and appreciation. That goes both ways, as Baba makes daughter feel valued and daughter (the narrator) sees her own routines and her family life in new light. 

CANDLEWICK, 2025

The author note reveals that the story reflects her childhood memories, sharing a sense of the cross-generational sacrifices within immigrant families. Children become translators, navigators, and advocates. I highly recommend reading aloud this author note and the illustrator's note after sharing the book. The story is stacked with potential for young listeners to share their own experiences of family responsibilities and heritage. The storytelling and illustration also offer mentor text and images for young writers to find "small moments" from their own lives with family and caregivers that can reveal layers of values and caring. 

This lovely family story invites returns from readers in the same way that a favorite family restaurant calls us back again and again. If you are interested in another recent book about parent jobs at night, check out NIGHT JOB, written by Karen Hesse and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. In this one the dad is the night shift custodian in a school, which should intrigue many a student!