Age

Catalog sorted by age group

The Little Green Envelope

Olive’s friend has moved away, and Olive wishes she could visit her. A little green envelope, lost in the bottom of the desk drawer, knows how Olive feels. It, too, wants so much to travel, and imagines zipping up and down conveyer belts and bouncing along in a mail bag, on its way to deliver an important letter. An old postcard reassures that for every occasion, there is an envelope but it seems like it will never be the little green envelope’s turn. When Olive’s grandpa suggests writing her friend a letter, the little green envelope hopes and hopes that it will be chosen to carry the letter to its destination but will it be a perfect fit?

The Pet Store Window

Ana looks out the pet store window with the store’s last remaining animals for sale a dog, a hedgehog and a mouse. What are they waiting for? Ana remembers finding the dog and bringing him to the store as a puppy. She’s watched as all the other dogs, the most charming, the most elegant, the strongest have all gone off. Ana, too, has never left, except at nights when she closes the store and goes home to the modest apartment she shares with her grandmother. But a day comes when the store owner announces that he has sold the store. An office tower will be built in its place. It makes no difference to him what happens to the animals, but Ana knows what she does next will make all the difference to her friends. Because after being together so long, isn’t that what they are?

The Words We Share

A young girl helps her dad navigate life in a new country where she understands the language more than he does, in an unforgettable story about communication and community. Angie is used to helping her dad. Ever since they moved to Canada, he relies on her to translate for him from English to Chinese. Angie is happy to help: when they go to restaurants, at the grocery store, and, one day, when her dad needs help writing some signs for his work. Building off her success with her dad’s signs, Angie offers her translation skills to others in their community. She’s thrilled when her new business takes off, until one of her clients says he’s unhappy with her work. When her dad offers to help, she can’t imagine how he could. Working together, they find a surprising solution, fixing the problem in a way Angie never would have predicted.

A gorgeously illustrated picture book from up-and-coming author-illustrator Jack Wong (When You Can Swim, Scholastic) that is at once a much-needed exploration of the unique pressures children of immigrants often face, a meditation on the dignity of all people regardless of their differences, and a reminder of the power of empathy

The Remembering Stone

Alice keeps a perfectly round skipping stone in her pocket to remember her grandfather by but the stone goes missing. It looked just like a regular stone, but Alice knew it was different: It was perfectly round so you could use it to trace circles, and sometimes she could trick her dad into thinking it was a quarter. It was also how Alice remembered her grandpa, who taught her how to skip stones, and who passed away last winter.

Alice brings the stone to school for Show and Share, but when her classmate asks to see it again at recess, Alice discovers that the stone is gone! Her friends search high and low and can’t find the stone but their friendship gives Alice an idea of another way that she can remember. A gentle look at loss, grief and how small everyday actions can connect us to those we love.

This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.

We Are Lions!

The narrator and his big brother have the best game in the world together. They are dangerous lions on the savannah! One day, big brother doesn’t want to run around anymore. His stomach hurts. He has to see the doctor and take medicine, and even has to stay at the hospital. Lions don’t want to be trapped by wires and tubes! The narrator instigates a hunt, and the brothers run around the hospital together, chasing gazelles and startling the wildebeest. But big brother is very sick and can’t keep up. Lions can’t cry, his little brother insists. But they can miss the rest of their pride. With Mom and Dad, the narrator tries to comfort his sibling. Soon, he knows, the two lions will go hunting again.