Nicole Wong – illustratör

A book about the strength of a family's love, especially during times of illness, by cancer survivor and president and CEO of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Paula Schneider.

Making friends with faraway relatives you’ve never met can be a little daunting at first, but this family finds a unique way to connect.It’s a joyous occasion when you get to visit family in another country after a long time apart. But sometimes it takes a while to connect. That’s what happens to the little girl in this book—when she first sees her faraway family, they feel like strangers. To make matters worse, the power goes out at bedtime, and that means no more night-light. Then a flashlight beam appears—it’s her grandmother, who invites her into a lively game of shadow play. And soon the two of them are having a grand adventure, and the girl’s faraway family starts feeling more like friends.Award-winning author Padma Venkatraman’s picture book debut shows the joy of connecting through imaginative play, and Nicole Wong’s evocative illustrations bring the story to brilliant life.

Each of the three seeds in this story—a cherry stone in Iran, an acacia seed in Australia and a lotus seed in China—survives a difficult journey through flood, fire or drought, then sprouts and ultimately flourishes.

Joshua and his grandfather love being together. More than anything else they love fishing. But Grandpa gets ill and is in the hospital a long time. When he gets out, he and Joshua share one more fishing adventure, and Grandpa promises Joshua that he will always be near.“Think of it this way,” Grandpa says. “Today, you and I are like two fish swimming together in this lake. When I die, things will be different. I won’t be a fish anymore, but I’ll become something even better. My love will be like the water in the lake. You might think I’m not with you, but we’ll be closer than ever because you’ll be surrounded by my love.” Long after Grandpa dies, Joshua comes to understand that Grandpa kept his promise—and that love and its memory survive death. When grown-up Joshua goes fishing with his daughter, he teaches her what Grandpa taught him: “She knows we never have to feel alone or afraid because we are surrounded by a love that lasts forever.”

How many friends, turns, clothes, toys, fashion accessories, books? How much of anything? The pictures follow one child as she learns the difference between wanting and needing and, in the end, feels the contentment that flows from being satisfied with what she has. The text, meanwhile, frames a difficult idea in simple, spare language: “Somewhere between a little and a lot, there is Enough. It might be hard to spot, but it’s always there.”

Finalist, Green Earth Book AwardsSelected for the New York Botanical Garden's LuEsther T. Mertz LibraryIncluded in Wordcrate amp rsquo s resilience activity boxThe Hugging Tree tells the story of a little tree growing all alone on a cliff, by a vast and mighty sea. Reading this book with your child can be a way to teach resilience, self-confidence, and self-control and help you discuss challenges your child may be facing at home or school.Alone on a mighty cliff by the sea, a tiny tree struggles to grow and thrive. She is nurtured by the sea, sun and moon, and becomes home to a family of loons. But winter ice storms and bitter cold break her boughs and roots. Will she survive? Find out how the hugging tree grows until she can hold and shelter others. Even though childhood can be a wondrous and carefree time, children must deal with difficulties as they grow. Those range from minor disappointments like losing a game, arguing with a friend or sibling, earning a poor grade amp hellip to significant blows such as the death of a parent or loved one, abuse, or neglect.Through all her troubles, the Hugging Tree holds fast. Sustained by the natural world and the kindness and compassion of one little boy, the tree grows and grows until it can hold and shelter others under its immense green canopy. Every day, people of all ages come to rest and sit under the tree. The resilience of the Hugging Tree calls to mind the potential in all of us: to thrive, despite times of struggle and difficulty. To nurture the little spark of hope and resolve. To dream and to grow, just where we are.  Psychologists use the term resilience to describe an individual amp rsquo s ability to adapt successfully to challenging events. Reading this book with your child can be a way to teach resilience, self-confidence, and self-control and help you discuss challenges your child may be facing at home or school. This book has been used as an inspiration and teaching tool by teachers, librarians, pastors, rabbis, and parents around the world. There are more than two dozen read-a-louds of the book available on You Tube. Children enjoy making their own drawings of hugging trees, with words like amp ldquo love amp rdquo and amp ldquo perseverance amp rdquo alongside the branches. They enjoy outdoor read-a-louds accompanied by hugging and being hugged by trees.  A Note to Parents by Elizabeth McCallum, PhD, provides information about resilience, and guidelines for building resilience in children.

A sweet poem about being an introvert in a big loud world.Inspired by a quote from the late, great children's book author Margaret Wise Brown, this poem honors and celebrates the beauty of being your authentic self. Soothing rhymes and soft illustrations convey the peace of being alone with your thoughts.This is a gentle introduction to the concept of being an introvert, as well as an invitation for child and grown-up readers alike to observe and imagine their inner world and the world around them. What can you hear when you stay quiet as mud?