Jabari Jumps (2017)

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall (2017)  is a gentle story about a little boy summoning up enough courage to jump from the diving board at a city pool. We can infer this from the cover art. Jabari’s dad listens with understanding. He validates Jabari’s multiple forms of hesitation and speaks kind words of encouragement. Jabari lets the children in line behind him jump first. He climbs the tall ladder of the diving board only part way and decides to climb back down for a tiny rest. He’s down right adorable. He looks at the diving board with high hopes yet real anxiety. When his dad reframes the situation, Jabari jumps. 

*baby einstein the ABCs of Art (2002)

*baby einstein the ABCs of Art by Julie Aigner-Clark (2002) is the very young child’s introduction to fine art. An introduction by the author reads, “The collection of paintings, lithographs, and sketches frown in The ABCs of Art are drawn from an array of artists from a variety of periods. It is my great hope that I have given parents, grandparents, and caregivers who look through this book with children the opportunity to explore each work of art, to ask questions, and to engage their youngster in interesting conversations.” Each art work is accompanied by suggestions for conversation. Franz Marc’s Little Blue Horse corresponds to the letter H. “Name five colors that you see in this painting. Can you find the mountains in the scene?” I wish I had this book as a young child. I wish I had it for my own child. Illustrations by Nadeem Zaidi seem to be the cartoonish blue goat that that looks at the reader and encourages conversation for each work of art. 

*Gone Wild: an Endangered Animal Alphabet (2006)

*Gone Wild an Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans (2006) is a very special and unique alphabet book. An introduction informs readers that scientists have named almost 1.5 million species, yet so many more are not identified. When people take over wild spaces,  creatures are in danger. “There are more than 5,000 animals facing extinction today.” Each letter is a unique design that represents an animal. Beside each letter are five pieces of information about the animal: class, habitat, range, threats, and status. For example, the Bushman Hare is of the class mammallia. Its habitat is Scrubland, range is South Africa, threats are habitat loss, hunting, wide cats and dogs, and its status is critically endangered. It corresponds to the letter H. For me to describe the design of the H would be inadequate; however, the top vertical lines of the H become ears and the horizontal that connects them has the nose. There’s also back matter for each of the animals. This is a stunning book that must have taken a lot time to research and design. 

*Alphabet City (1995)

*Alphabet City by Stephen T. Johnson (1995) is a collection of paintings! The only text is an introduction. “Building Alphabet City required self-imposed guidelines. All letters had to be capital letters, found in their natural positions, out-of-doors or in public spaces such as the subway, readily accessible to anyone who looks carefully at our urban world at various times of day, and during the cycle of seasons. There are not right or wrong solutions to finding letters in a city, only pleasurable ones.” Johnson painted images in which he perceived capital letters of English. There are no identifying marks in the paintings that highlight the letters Johnson perceives. The painting of a fire escape on the side of a building does not have a brightly colored red overlay of the letter Z. No text directs our attention. Johnson thus demands that we discover the letters ourselves! What a delightful exercise! 

Inside Outside Who We Are (2006)

Inside Outside Who We Are by Steve Tiller (2006) celebrates diversity in its many manifestations. It does so in rhyme. The first line sets the stage: "When I look at you It isn’t hard to see, You really do not look Very much like me!” The rhyme mixes in skin color, hair style, body types, abilities and disabilities, likes and dislikes. It’s the philosophy I recall advocating for in my own family and social circles. “We disagree On lots of stuff, But how we feel Is close enough. We think different . . . But our feelings Are the same we find. Inside our hearts We all feel love, For friends and family And things above!” Now, in 2025, the illustrations by Harry Teague  have the feel of a dreamscape. In 2025, this poem reads like a delusion, an unfulfilled wish. Was it naive to think our differences would somehow still allow all the human race to get along? This respect for differences is now being erased from the government anything. 

*If You Plant a Seed (2015)

*If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson (2015) is a gorgeous book that illustrates the difference between selfishness and kindness. This award winning author/illustrator has created a meaningful work of art in this book. It’s a story with a moral that somehow avoids coming across as preachy. A rabbit and mouse plant tomato, carrot, and cabbage plants. As they munch on the fruits of their labor, along come some neighbors. Five different kinds of birds would like to share the feast. We see the results of two choices: sharing and not. The story is read aloud here

This story reminds me of  The Hare Who Wouldn’t Share by Steve Small (2024) 

Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa (2005)

Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers (2005)is a lovely story of an artist with persistence. Celia Cruz “sang like a bird” at a young age. Her beautiful voice attracted neighbors outside her home in Cuba as she sang lullabies to her younger siblings. In high school, she sang in school shows and local clubs. Her father encouraged her to train to be a teacher, but Cruz attended Cuba’s National Music Conservatory after high school. Despite her natural talent, a career in music was not easy to find. When she was hired by a popular band, its fans were furious. But the band kept Cruz and “rewrote the history of Cuban music with new arrangements and a fresh, innovative style.” Cruz left Cuba in 1960 and politics dictated that she could never return. Although she found fame and love in the United States, leaving Cuba was “a heartache she carried her whole life through.” Julie Maren’s illustrations reflect the text with little embellishment. This book has a two-page author’s note, glossary, and bibliography.