Tag: immigration

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Non-Fiction, Teen, Tween Reads

All I Want for Christmas is… a pile of awesome books!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s that time of year, everyone! If you’re stumped on what to get the kids, tweens, and teens in your life, books are always a great gift. I’ve been reading some good stuff lately, so I’ll be spotlighting them here. I bet they’d each look lovely in a stocking or wrapped up with something a little extra.

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy (Pocket Portraits), by Don Marshall, (Nov. 2025, Adams Media), $17.00, ISBN: 978150722417

Ages 12+

This was my first foray into the Pocket Portraits series, and I am HOOKED. The fact that the very nice person at Simon & Schuster asked me if I wanted to look at a Tolkien biography makes me think this was serendipity, for starters. First of all, the book is so beautifully crafted. It’s a small book – about 6″ x 4.5″ – and will fit into a coat pocket as easily as it will tuck into your bag. The die-cut cover is sturdy and feels great in your hands, and the book cover’s portrait of JRR himself is beautifully showcased by the die-cut. I was in love from the second I took the book out of its envelope when it arrived.

If you have tweens and teens who balk at biographies – you know I do! – this Pocket Portraits series is for them. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy captures key moments in Tolkien’s life, interspersed with quotes and brief excerpts from his work and interesting facts. Marshall is known as the Obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy and is an excellent choice to create this easily readable, informative, and comprehensive overview of Tolkien’s life and work. Beginning with Tolkien’s childhood, Marshall identifies the moments in his life that influenced his work: the loss of his parents in childhood; the trauma of World War I; falling in love with his wife, Edith; his friendship with C.S. Lewis. Readers see Tolkien’s lighter side as Marshall touches on his reputation as a prankster, and we read about his letters to his children, particularly his son Christopher, who carried on his father’s literary legacy.

There are several other Pocket Portraits books in the series, with more on the way. And they fit easily into a stocking! (I checked.) There’s no shortage of LOTR gifts out there: wrap up a set of the series or check out some creators on Etsy to find the perfect companion gift!

 

 

The Arrival, by Shaun Tan, (May 2025, Scholastic Graphix), $16.99, ISBN: 9780439895309

Ages 9+

Shaun Tan’s classic is available in paperback release, and this is a modern classic that deserves a spot on every shelf. A moving story of immigration with a touch of the fantastic, The Arrival is told with beautiful pencil illustrations that resemble old sepia photographs. A man leaves his wife and daughter, traveling by locomotive and steamship to… a new world. In Tan’s universe, images we are familiar with: Ellis Island, families sleeping on crowded trains and ships, close-ups of frightened and hopeful faces, share a world with fantastic creatures both adorable and dreadful. Completely wordless, Tan’s illustrations speak volumes as we see the man struggle with learning a new language and the companion animals that seem to accompany the residents of this new land. Tan taps into the immigrant experience in a way that reaches readers’ hearts as well as their minds. An Author’s Note goes deeper into Tan’s inspiration. Pair with a sketch pad and pencils for a budding artist.

The Arrival received multiple awards, including a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Locus Award; it was designated a 2007 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year; received the 2008 Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Comic Book (for the French edition), and received recognition from The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books.

The Great LEGO® Puzzle Book: 120 Creative Building Challenges, by Jacob Berg, (Sept. 2025, No Starch Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781718504226

Ages 8+

No Starch Press is my go-to publisher for LEGO books. They have such fun and inventive ideas. When I received a robotics grant from work, I loaded my shelves with No Starch LEGO Mindstorms books. They’re that good. Now, we’ve got The Great LEGO® Puzzle Book, chock full of the coolest building challenges. There are 3-D challenges; fill the hole challenges; create your own challenge type challenges, even challenges that test readers’ ability to match shadows! Every challenge has full-color photo illustrated walkthroughs with detailed descriptions of bricks needed to compete in each challenge. Tips throughout keep builders’ brains working with thought-provoking suggestions. If you have LEGO groups at your library, this is the perfect book for a group challenge activity.

If you’re putting this on your holiday shopping list, pair with – what else? – a fun LEGO set! Consider getting the “classic creative” sets that just include random bricks so your recipients can dive right into some of these challenges.

 

Posted in Middle Grade, Middle School, Non-Fiction, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story: The new Race to the Truth book

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story (Race to the Truth), by David Dorado Como, (Aug. 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $8.99, ISBN: 9780593567753

Ages 10-14

The newest book in the nonfiction Race to the Truth series couldn’t have been released at a more necessary time. The middle grade/middle school series takes an unvarnished look at marginalized communities in American history; Borderlands and the Mexican American Story examines the history of relations between Mexico and America. As with Exclusion and the Chinese American Story, the reality is different from what many readers may know to be true. Borderlands examines how Mexican culture has enriched and shaped American culture; how white colonizers sought to suppress Mexican settlers, and how systemic racism still plays a part in how Mexican immigrants and Mexican-American people are seen today. Como provides an intelligent overview of Mexican history and uses primary source information to interest readers. The Race to the Truth series has been a vital addition to nonfiction shelves and is an essential purchase for middle grade and middle school nonfiction collections.

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

A longing for home in Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Homeland : My Father Dreams of Palestine, by Hannah Moushabeck/Illustrated by Reem Madooh, (March 2023, Chronicle Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9781797202051

Ages 5-8

Three girls wait for their father to come so he can delight them with stories of his boyhood in Pakistan. Through his stories, the girls connect to their father and his homeland: a neighbor who farts so powerfully he leaves the chair; his grandmother, who dropped a basket on a rope from the window for the bread man to fill; the sounds of street vendors singing out their wares, the children playing, and the members of the community greeting one another in all languages. He remembers the last day he saw his grandfather, who brought him to a garden by the family café. Father shows his daughters the key to their family’s home – a home others likely occupy now – and a sadness takes over; the girls hope to return one day, but will dream of Palestine until that time. A story of family, hope, and longing, Homeland is one family’s bittersweet story of the Palestinian diaspora, brought beautifully to life by Madooh, whose rich digital illustrations bring daily life in Palestine to readers. Front endpapers show a rendering of black-and-white photos from Palestine; back endpapers show renderings of color photos of Moushabeck’s father and family in America. Gorgeous details throughout show a diverse culture in the streets and cafés of Jerusalem, with food, clothing, and music on each spread. An author’s note and photos provide deeper context and a glossary provides Arabic writing, pronounciation, and definitions for words that come up in the story. An excellent choice for collections, especially as we enter the final days of the All Together Now Summer Reading theme.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

The Little House of Hope is the story of America

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Little House of Hope, by Terry Catasús Jennings/Illustrated by Raúl Colón, (June 2022, Neal Porter Books/Holiday House), $18.99, ISBN: 9780823447169

Ages 4-8

A family arrives from Cuba and finds a home to call their own as they build their new lives in America. In time, La Casita – the little house – welcomes other family members and later, a family who needs a place to call home; together, they all work toward making the casita and America their new home. Terry Catasús Jennings was inspired by anger to write this story, after a realtor claimed to never rent to “Hispanics because they lived four families to a house and always destroyed the properties where the lived”. She was also inspired by the memories of growing up in her own casita. Here, the Definitely Dominguita author tells the stories of families who come here to be safe. In quietly passionate storytelling, she tells readers about the fears that spurred these people to leave their homes and come to the States, and she tells readers how these families all worked together to turn the house into a warm, loving casita: adults and children coming together to paint and clean, to mow lawns and make artwork, and how the casita inspired them. A father starts their own landscaping business. A mom starts a daycare in the casita. Another mother secures a job as a high school Spanish teacher, and a father becomes an accountant. A daughter uses her passion for collage to welcome new families to the casita, and when they’re ready to move on, sends them off with artwork to display in their home.

Pura Belpré medalist (2006) and Eric Carle Honor (2021) illustrator Raúl Colón pencil and watercolor artwork uses perspective and soft color to create beautiful moments: a family, looking up at la casita; gathered around a table, smiling; confiding in one another; a father, looking through the window and seeing a full home ready to welcome him. The Little House of Hope reminds us all that this is what America should be when we’re at our best.

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Happy Book Birthday to Rosa’s Song by Helena Ku Rhee and Pascal Campion

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Rosa’s Song, by Helena Ku Rhee/Illustrated by Pascal Campion, (June 2022, Random House Studio), $17.99, ISBN: 9780593375495

Ages 4-8

Jae, a young boy from South Korea, and his mother move into a new building in a new country. Missing his home and friends, Jae is withdrawn, but his mother urges him to get out and meet other kids in the building; Jae meets Rosa, a friendly young girl whose pet parrot, Pollito, sits on her shoulder and warbles a sweet song. Rosa and Jae become fast friends, and engage in imaginative play that evokes memories of each of their home countries; scaling sofa mountains and exploring lost Incan cities and rainforests. When Rosa and her family suddenly leave one night, she leaves her parrot to console the heartbroken Jae. Shortly after Rosa leaves, Jae meets two new children in the building, and follows Rosa’s example, becoming their friend and guide to their new home and world. Helena Ku Rhee’s childhood inspired the story, which shows the need for connection and highlights the often erratic home lives of immigrant families, who often have to move suddenly, whether because of immigration status, employment, financial stress, or family issues. Pascal Campion’s digital artwork gives vision to Helen Ku Rhee’s voice: Jae stares out a window at a brick wall while standing in a beige room with faded wallpaper; upon meeting Rosa, his world becomes more colorful. Touches of each child’s home country are represented, with Asian brush paintings decorating the walls of Jae’s home, and colorful parrots and lush green trees in the rainforest of Rosa’s memory. When Rosa leaves, Jae’s world goes gray again, and the portrait of Jae in Rosa’s vacated apartment is absolutely devastating. Endpapers show Rosa and Jae at imaginative play, with Pollito flying around them. A touching and lovely book on empathy and friendship.

Rosa’s Song has a starred review from Booklist.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Where Butterflies Fill the Sky evokes memories of home

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Where Butterflies Fill the Sky: A Story of Immigration, Family, and Finding Home, by Zahra Marwan, (March 2022, Bloomsbury USA), $18.99, ISBN: 9781547606511

Ages 4-8

Zahra is a young girl living in Kuwait, where “the desert reaches all the way to the sea and one hundred butterflies are always in the sky”. She is surrounded by love and by family; by her ancestors, who watch over her. When her father and mother tell her they are no longer welcome in the only home she has known, forcing the family to move far away to New Mexico, she feels unmoored: will her ancestors know where to find her? She misses her aunts, and misses being surrounded by people who speak her language. Slowly, though, Zahra and her family discover moments of familiarity: of music; of friendship; of belonging. Eventually, Zahra discovers that she can hold onto her home, where she has her aunts who love her and her ancestors who watch over them, and she can make this new “place of high desert” a home, with new friends and new traditions. Back matter includes the story of Zahra’s family and a word about the art. Zahra Marwan’s ink and watercolor artwork is dreamlike, to match her memories of her childhood. Colors are warm, influenced by her desert upbringing and move and her feelings of family. She tells her story in spare prose that creates images that will leave their mark on readers’ hearts. Endpapers with butterflies and balloons provide a link with the story. Invite readers to create butterflies or balloon crafts as an extension activity. Booktalk Butterflies Belong Here: A Story of One Idea, Thirty Kids, and a World of Butterflies by Deborah Hopkinson and Meilo So and talk about the use of butterfly migration in stories about immigration. Visit Zahra Marwan’s website for more about her books and her illustration.

Where Butterflies Fill the Sky has a starred review from School Library Journal and the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.
Posted in Uncategorized

I Wish You Knew… a teacher’s question turns into a movement

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I Wish You Knew, by Jackie Azúa Kramer/Illustrated by Magdalena Mora, (May 2021, Roaring Brook Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781250226303

Ages 4-7

In 2016, educator Kyle Schwartz wrote a book called I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything For Our Kids, based on a getting to know you class exercise where she asked her third graders to write something they wanted her to know about them. She received the usual, adorable responses like, “I love my family” and “I love animals”, and she also received deeper feedback that gave her insight into the children in her care: “my mom and dad are divorced”; “I live in a shelter”; “my mom might get diagnosed with cancer this year”. Kids are dealing with a lot; we need to be better at listening.

In the spirit of Ms. Schwartz’s book comes Jackie Azúa Kramer and Magdalena Mora’s  I Wish You Knew. A girl named Estrella’s father was not born here, so he has to leave; she misses him, and helps care for her brother while her mother works long hours. A teacher wants her kids to know that she cares for them. She creates a space for them, in the space where their little school wraps around a 100-year-old tree; a sharing circle, where they can tell her what they wish she knew: one student is hungry. One student’s mother is serving in the military. One student lives in a shelter. And Estrella misses her father. The group shares and finds comfort and support in one another, and Estrella waits to see her father, surrounded by the sunflowers that he helped plant. A touching story, I Wish You Knew is great for welcome back to school reading and to let your kids know that with you, there is a safe space. Mixed media illustrations in soothing pastels show a diverse group of children and a teacher of color among sunflowers and in the warm greens of the area outside school. Estrella and her father are affectionate, leaning toward one another as they sit in a giant sunflower when he tells her he must leave, but that he’ll be back. A beautiful book to engender compassion and empathy.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Watch Me is a powerful immigration story

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Watch Me: A Story of Immigration and Inspiration, by Doyin Richards/Illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Jan. 2021, Feiwel & Friends), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250266514

Ages 3-5

Author and advocacy powerhouse Doyin Richards brings his father’s story to children with Watch Me.  As a child in Sierra Leone, Joe dreamed of going to America. People told him America wouldn’t accept him with his accent and his dark skin. Joe smiled and said, “Watch me”. It was a phrase he repeated often as he arrived in America and experienced racism and people questioned his intelligence. And Joe succeeded. More of a conversation than a one-sided narrative, Doyin Richards asks readers to think about times they were told they were different, or came up against things they couldn’t control. He asks them to think about times they may have seen kids at school be treated differently, or walk by themselves in the hall at school. He encourages readers to put themselves in Joe’s position – in the position of that classmate, eating lunch in the library alone – and to maybe consider a kind word, a smile, a simple act of kindness. As Richards says, “This land is your land. This land is my land. There is enough for everyone”. There’s no place for racism here. There is enough of everything for everyone; all we need to do is share. Beautiful oil and acrylic artwork makes each spread look like a portrait-worthy painting. A perfect readaloud for children.

Watch Me has a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Doyin Richards is a TEDx speaker who has spoken on anti-racism, and his book and blog, Daddy Doin’ Work, became a book that encouraged women to help dads become more engaged, hands-on fathers.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

We only get one world. Books to help us care for it.

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Bea’s Bees, by Katherine Pryor/Illustrated by Ellie Peterson, (March 2019, Schiffer Kids), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764356995

Ages 5-8

Beatrix is a young girl who loves to listen to and watch the bees buzzing around their hive in a tree on her way home from school. They zig and zag from flower to flower, and head back to the hive, weighed down with pollen and nectar. But one day, the tree is silent, and Bea discovers that the flowers by the tree have all been cut down. She take a trip to the library and researches bees: what flowers they like to feast on, the important part bees play in our own food web, and how some bees are an endangered species. She takes action, planting seeds for mint, clover, and flowers that bees like; she encourages others to plant wildflowers, even handing out seed packets; she even does her science fair project on bees. Can Bea’s dedication bring the bees back to the tree? A moving story about the impact one person can make on helping the environment, Bea’s Bees is realistic fiction that weaves information about bees, environmental impact, and activism seamlessly into the story of a young girl. Back matter has more information about being a friend to bees, and the artist’s rendering of plants that Bea grows in her garden will encourage readers to grab their shovels and some seeds. Endpapers feature dancing, realistic bees against a white backdrop. A good pick to put aside for Earth Day. Read and display with Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann’s award-winning Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera. If you’re doing grab-and-go bags, consider handing out some seeds for flowers that will grow in your area and that bees enjoy. I looked at the NY State Parks blog and found this article; the Native NY Gardens website also has helpful information. Buggy and Buddy has adorable and affordable craft ideas and books to feature.

 

The Tiny Giant, by Barbara Ciletti/Illustrated by Cathy Morrison, (Sept. 2020, Schiffer Kids), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764360299

Ages 5-8

On the heels of Earth Day is Arbor Day (April 30th in 2021), and The Tiny Giant is great Arbor Day reading. A tiny acorn falls from a blue jay’s mouth, and settles into the ground as the seasons, and life, goes on around it. As the seasons change, the seed within the acorn swells and bursts through, with roots anchoring a tentative sapling poking up through the dirt. The sapling will grow until one day, it will provide acorns for future trees, too. The Tiny Giant plays with perspective, shifting from traditional left-right reading to top-bottom as the tree grows, letting storytime listeners see the exciting shift as the tree grows tall. One and two-sentence spreads use beautiful language to describe the sights unfolding: “…blossoms parade along the branches of the tall oak”, “Buds dress in sleeves of summer’s glory”, “…warm summer rain feed the little seed as it sends a single spare thread of life toward the sky”. The story is about a tiny acorn, but the incredible, detailed artwork shows the life that goes on around the acorn as it begins its journey into a mighty tree; seasons pass, animals wander the landscape in search of food and shelter, leaves curl and wither in the snow, and ripe blackberries burst through the pages as spring arrives. It’s a celebration of life and nature, a look at seasons, and a primary STEM story. Wonderfully done. Back matter includes artwork on North American acorns, Arbor Day Fun Facts, and how readers can grow their own oaks from acorns. Endpapers are decorated with leaves and acorns, faded and pale against a light blue background. The Arbor Day Foundation has a kids corner with digital games and printable coloring sheets.  PBS Cartoon Nature Cat has an Arbor Day episode, available with teacher materials, on the PBS website.

 

Butterflies Belong Here: A Story of One Idea, Thirty Kids, and a World of Butterflies, (Aug. 2020, Chronicle Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781452176802

Ages 6-8

A girl discovers a love of butterflies, a desire for advocacy, and defines a place for herself in her new home in the U.S. Told in first person narration, a girl reads about butterflies as she learns English, and learns that butterflies, “make a long, long journey, just like we did. They have to be strong to fly so far”; as she becomes a more proficient English reader, she learns that the monarch butterfly population is faltering because of environmental impact: milkweed, the plant they eat and lay eggs on, is being decimated by climate change and by farmers who use chemicals to keep it from growing in fields. She gains the confidence to become an activist, motivating her classmates to take action and create a monarch way station that will create a safe space for monarch butterflies. The girl’s story runs parallel to the caterpillar to butterfly life cycle: she feels herself transforming into someone confident, strong, ready to take a stand. The story moves easily between the girl’s narrative and “book excerpts” that provie the nonfiction text and maps the girl reads, letting readers feel like they’re sharing the same book with the narrator. A quiet subplot about immigration makes itself known as the girl wonders if she belongs in her new life; these doubts diminish as she gains more confidence in herself through her activism. Endpapers illustrate a beautiful kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering across the page. Back matter is written with children and adult readers in mind, including a guide to getting a monarch way station up and running, monarch facts, booklists for young environmental activists and grown-up activists and educators, and a rich list of Internet resources.

BookRiot has a nice list of butterfly books; I also recommend Caroline Arnold’s Butterflies in Room 6. and activism books like Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet by April Pulley Sayre, The Honeybee by Kirsten Hall, and Greta and the Giants: Inspired by Greta Thunberg’s Stand to Save the World by Zoë Tucker are great display ideas. The Spruce Crafts has a list of 15 butterfly crafts that hit that grab-and-go budget sweet spot.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Books about Immigration, Refugees, and Being Kind

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s been a heck of a year or four. While we’re thinking back and being thankful for what we have, let’s keep in mind those people who need even more kindness, more understanding, more care. And let’s hope that the coming year will be kinder to all of us, and bring understanding and reunion to those who have been taken from their families.

A Journey Toward Hope, by Victor Hinojosa & Coert Voorhees/Illustrated by Susan Guevara, (Aug. 2020, Six Foot Press), $19.95, ISBN: 9781644420089

Ages 6-8

Four children set out across Central America, leaving their homes and families for different reasons, to find a new life in the United States. They come together as they journey through Mexico and form a family unit of their own as they travel into the States in this hopeful story. The children in the book come from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, fleeing violence and poverty, and represent the 50,000 unaccompanied minors who present themselves to the United States border every year seeking asylum and refuge. A Journey Toward Hope weaves these four lives together and gives readers a glimpse into the fear and the peril each child faces in their quest for a better life. Muted colors are beautiful and blend together to tell this quietly powerful tale, and each child is represented by a folk art rendering of an animal that tells readers something about their character: a jaguar, a bird, a monkey, a butterfly.

Back matter includes additional information and resources created by Baylor University’s Global Hunger and Migration Project. Visit A Journey Toward Hope‘s website and the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty to learn even more.

A beautifully written book that deserves a place in collections.

 

Sugar in Milk, by Thrity Umrigar/Illustrated by Khoa Le, (Oct. 2020, Running Press Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9780762495191

Ages 4-8

A young girl arrives in a new country to live with her aunt and uncle. She’s lonely; she misses her friends and her home, and wishes she could make new friends in her new home. Her aunt takes her on a walk one day and tells her a folk tale of how, long ago, people in Persia were forced to leave their home and sought refuge in India; the local king met them and – since language was a barrier – explained, using a glass of milk, that his country had no room to accommodate the new arrivals. The Persian leader took the cup of milk and stirred in sugar; he didn’t spill a drop, thus illustrating that his people would only sweeten everyone’s lives with their presence. The king laughed and welcomed the new people to his land. The girl is inspired to reach out, and discovers that it’s easier than she imagined to make new friends: and she carries around a packet of sugar to remind herself of the tale.

The story is a myth that was part of author Thrity Umrigar’s Zoroastrian upbringing as a Parsi child in India, but will resonate with everyone who hears the tale; especially families of immigrants and refugees. The artwork is stunning; rich, deep colors look like tapestries as the girl’s aunt recounts her story. There are gorgeous touches of cultural artwork throughout the story, including richly woven rugs and artwork. The fall colors are incredible. I’d hang every page of this book up in my library if I could.

Sugar in Milk has starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Put a copy in every pair of hands you can find and discuss the need for empathy and understanding, and how a diverse community enriches the lives of everyone in the community.

 

Counting Kindness: Ten Ways to Welcome Refugee Children, by Hollis Kurman/Illustrated by Barroux, (Sept. 2020, Charlesbridge), $16.99, ISBN: 9781623542290

Ages 4-7

A sweet counting concept book that encourages kindness and awareness of refugee and immigrant children, Counting Kindness starts by telling readers that “When a place gets so scary that we have to leave home, every kindness counts”. A brown-skinned mother leaves a smoking homestead with her two children and an infant, encountering moments of kindness that include “two hands lifting us to safety; four beds keeping us safe and warm; nine hearts welcoming us to our new school”. The story illustrates, in gentle watercolors, how crucial it is to others to receive kindness and open arms. Back matter includes links to humanitarian organizations. The characters are cartoony and cute, but the message is real; words and text come together to create a heartwarming, yet heart-aching, statement that explains to younger readers as well as school-aged readers that there is a need for welcoming and empathy in our world. Count along with your kiddos as you read; consider, if you have the ability, to count cans or possessions you can donate.