Amidst the upheaval of war, a young girl and her family leave their homeland and face the challenges of adapting to a new life in a foreign land, but find comfort in a star-shaped cardboard lamp reminiscent of the one they cherished back home.
Hope
Snoozie, Sunny, And So-So
A cat named Soozie doesn’t like to move very much, while Sunny, a dog, is afraid of the rain. They may be very different, but they are still best friends. One day, they meet a timid a dog who is feeling “so-so”. How will the two friends coax her into joining them for a birthday part? And how will it change their lives?
The Pebble: An Allegory Of The Holocaust
Two best friends, Eitan and Rivka, live in a gated Jewish ghetto, where they have been imprisoned by the Nazis since last Spring. But here they can still experience children laughing, dogs barking and women chatting, all as Eitan plays his violin. Yet no one can leave, and if anyone goes through the gates, they never come back. Light hearted in appearance only, this picture book presents one of the darkest moments in human history, the Holocaust, by showcasing the complexities of the human condition and how hope can endure, be it the music of a violin, or the sound of laughter and chatting. They may be trapped within walls of a ghetto, but they can still climb to the rooftop.
Threads: Zlata’s Ukrainian Shirt
Threads is an inspiring picture book about a girl’s survival of the 1930s Ukrainian Famine-Genocide, messaging hope, pride for one’s heritage, and context for today’s War in Ukraine.
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 Coquíes Still Sing: A Story Of Home, Hope, And Rebuilding
A powerful story about home, community, and hope, inspired by the rebuilding of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017, written by debut author Karina González and illustrated by Krystal Quiles.
I Hope
This beautifully illustrated picture book, written by award-winning Indigenous author Monique Gray Smith, explores all the hopes adults have for the children in their lives.
The Little Book Of Joy
Nobel Peace Prize winners His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu share their own childhood struggles to show young readers how they can thrive and find joy even during the most challenging times in this picture book adaptation of the international bestseller The Book of Joy.
Thirst
A heroic girl in Mumbai fights for her belief that water should be for everyone.
Notebook Keeper
After traveling to Tijuana, Mexico, Noemi and her mother are denied entry at the border and must find the refugee in charge of the notebook, an unofficial ledger of those waiting to cross into the United States. Includes author’s note.
The Notebook Keeper was featured in the WOW Currents The Power of Home: Promise or Uncertainty? Part II.