“The animals are holding a meeting to decide which is the most important thing. They each advocate for their particular trait, but in the end the owl helps them realize they are all different and each have something unique to contribute.”
People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it’s hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn’t help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.
But there’s one person who’s always in Charlie’s corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing–he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her?
When five-year-old Sulwe’s classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but her encounter with a shooting star helps her understand there is beauty in every shade.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XIII, Issue 4.
Thirteen-year-old Newt Gomez must confront his fears and accept uncertainty while coping with aftereffects of a bear attack and deciding between attending middle school on the mainland or his Pacific Northwest island home.
Buzz is a very good boy, who lives in a fancy house, eats well, and has equally well-behaved (boring) friends–but sometimes he would really like to break free, run fast, dig holes, and play with the other dogs.
The boy in this story never wants to go to his friends’ birthday parties, because Happy the Clown is always there. And Happy is … his dad.
It is David’s first day at his brand-new school. He doesn’t know anyone. At recess, he stands alone and watches the other children enjoying their activities on the playground, from practicing soccer moves and climbing monkey bars to playing hopscotch and daydreaming in the grass. Bundled deep inside David’s pocket is a string of rubber bands, knotted and ready for a game of elastic skip.
Shy and unsure of herself, Leila discovers all the things that make her special with the loving help of her Naani.
Mira doesnt like her hair. It curls at the front. it curls as the back. It curls everywhere! She wants it be straight just like her mama’s. But then something unpredictable happens… and Mira will never look at her Mama’s hair the same again!
One little girl dreams of being a star. But whether it’s finding Mom’s lost wedding ring or winning the costume prize, her big sister always shines brighter. In her grandfather’s eyes, though, she is a star. As he dries her tears and they both gaze up at the night sky, he tells a story about how everything and everyone is made of stardust and we all shine in different ways. With illustrations from new talent Briony May Smith, this is a touching story about being true to yourself from award-winning author Jeanne Willis.