Brother and sister

It Feels Like Family / Se Siente Como Familia

Readers join Elena and Miguel as they navigate the changes brought about by their parents’ divorce. Living in two separate homes—Mami’s during the week and Papi’s on weekends—Elena and Miguel initially struggle with feelings of loss and fragmentation. Despite these initial challenges, Elena and Miguel gradually find moments of comfort and connection in their new routines. While the pancakes Papi makes may not taste exactly like Mami’s, they still bring a sense of warmth and familiarity. And at birthday parties surrounded by relatives and cousins, they rediscover the joy of family bonds.

Through its bilingual narrative, “Elena and Miguel’s Two Homes / Las Dos Casas de Elena y Miguel” sensitively explores the challenges of divorce and the importance of maintaining connections with extended family. It offers young readers a message of resilience, adaptation, and the enduring power of familial love to transcend changes in living arrangements.

The Walking School Bus

Inspired by interviews conducted with children in rural African and India, author Aaron Friedland tells the story of a brother and sister, Shaka and Nandi, who must find a way to get to school safely. With their father having to go to work in a mine far away, they won’t be able to go to school anymore because of the long, and unsafe, distance.  But after discovering a yellow toy school bus, Shaka and Nandi come up with a brilliant solution that will take the whole community to help bring it to fruition.

Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 1.

Along The Tapajós

This picturebook, first published in Brazil, offers kids a unique look into the lives of children who live along Brazil’s beautiful Tapajós River. Two siblings follow their family to higher ground to avoid yearly floods, only to realize they’ve left their pet turtle behind.

Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 2.

Milo And Georgie

When Milo’s family moves to a new city, he vows to officially retire from having fun. So he stays inside for days while his little sister, Georgie, yearns to explore the new neighborhood. Finally, Milo ties Georgie to the end of a ball of yarn so she can go out, on one condition: she has to come home when he tugs the string twice. But one day, Georgie isn’t at the end of the string. Which means Milo might just have to step outside and discover everything he’s been missing.

A Horse Called Hero

On the brink of World War II, a family forced out of their London home flees to the country. Wolfie and his older sister Dodo are devastated to leave behind everything they’ve ever known, but they begin settling into their new life. One day, they come across an orphaned fowl, which they raise as Hero, a strong and beautiful horse who lives up to his name when he saves the children from a fire. Wolfie and Dodo find comfort in their new life, but the war is escalating quickly and horses are needed for combat. One night, Hero is stolen, and the children are shattered. Years then pass without any indication Hero will return. It’s only when Wolfie becomes a stable hand that he discovers Hero has ended up working in the mines under terrible conditions. Then and there, Wolfie resolves to save Hero, a plan that places both of their lives in jeopardy. Together again, can they will survive?

Pirates Of The Silver Coast

At long last, Dessa knows the location of her missing twin brother: the Island of Astaroth. But getting there is another matter. No one has ever seen the Dark Island. Together with her friends, Topper and Fisk, she must navigate nasty surprises and pirate treachery in her desperate search for what is left of her family.

Little Red Lies

The war is over, but for thirteen-year-old Rachel, the battle has just begun. Putting childhood behind her, she knows what she wants – to prove she has acting talent worthy of the school drama club, and what she doesn’t want – to romantically fall for someone completely inappropriate. Worries about her veteran brother’s failing health and repugnance at her mother’s unexpected and unwanted pregnancy drive her to seek solace from a seemingly sympathetic, but self-serving teacher. The lies she tells herself hoping to reach solutions to the problems complicating her life merely function to make matters worse. Ultimately, she finds a way to come to terms with life as it reaches an end and life as it begins.