The Thing At 52

There’s a Thing on my street. He lives at number 52. I see him sitting in his front yard when I walk to school. He was big and lumbering and a wore a tiny top hat perched on top of his rather large head. She didn’t think he had any friends, so she brought him a flower. It wasn’t long before their friendship bloomed. The Thing was gentle and kind and the adventures they went on were the best she could ever imagine. The girl soon discovered that there were many Things, living all over the place, which gave her an idea. She invited them all to a party, and the Things danced till midnight. Thing had never felt so happy. But one day the Thing had to go and their adventures came to an end. All Things have to go sometime.

The Worry Balloon

On the first day of school, Isla’s mind plays the what if game. Scary thoughts come, the world goes dark, and everything feels stormy. With Mami at her side, Isla takes a deep breath and blows her worries away in a big balloon. But as school gets closer, Isla’s worries come back like a tornado. Mami encourages her to imagine something happy, and Isla remembers there’s nothing she can’t handle. The storm might come again, but for now, her mind is quiet.

Yukie’s Island: My Family’s World War II Story

A picture book autobiography by Yukie Kimura about her childhood in Japan during World War II.

Benjamin’s Thunderstorm

Benjamin loves the rain. He loves splashing through puddles in his bright yellow rain boots and watching the colors of a rainbow in the water as they ripple around his feet. But most of all, Benjamin loves thunder. To him, thunder, piyêsiwak and sounds like his grandfather’s drum. It calls to him, like the songs his grandfather plays while his father and other powwow dancers spin and step in time to the drumbeat. As Benjamin hears the thunder rumble overhead, he imagines himself as a powwow dancer. He spins, he taps his feet and he lifts his knees. Faster and faster he twirls, delighted by and filled with the rhythm of piyêsiwak.

Amadou’s Zoo

Amadou has waited…and waited…and WAITED for his class trip to the zoo. But when they arrive, his teacher would rather talk about rules and facts. So, Amadou eagerly explores the zoo in his own special way–by allowing his imagination to lead. As more and more classmates follow him into his irresistible world of adventure, the sepia-toned zoo fills with vibrant color. Only one question remains–will Amadou’s teacher follow, too?

Yellow Butterfly: A Story From Ukraine

A wordless picture book portrayal of war seen through the eyes of a young girl who finds hope in the symbolism of yellow butterflies against the background of a pure blue sky. Using the colors of his national flag, Oleksandr Shatokhin has created a deeply emotional response to the conflict in Ukraine and provided a narrative full of powerful visual metaphors for readers to consider as they travel from the devastating effects of war to a place of hope for peace and the future.

Yellow Butterfly is featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 3.

The Great Grrrrr

Patience is not in the Great Grrrrr’s strongest trait. He is a monster in a hurry and has packages to deliver, so you had better answer the doorbell before his patience runs out, or worse, it starts to rain. Frustration and impatience explode onto the pages of this hilariously expressive two-color picture book.