Intrigued by the front cover, I picked up Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo from the children’s “new books” shelf not expecting to fall in love with this story, to be recommending it to colleagues, and to feel the need to write a book review for Chapter Chats! But, here we are…
Inspired by her own experience of moving from China to the United States as a child, Mo narrates the journey of Jun beginning school in a new country. Through expressive illustrations, bold uses of color, and just a handful of text you are taken on an emotional roller coaster as you witness her first week.
I truly felt Jun’s excitement at the bus stop on her first day, and her disappointment, confusion, and frustration as she tries to navigate the school and the English language. Then, I loved the profound comfort, joy, and love she finds in her delicious homemade lunches, and finally, the acceptance, friendship, and belonging as the story concludes.
With universal themes about belonging, embracing differences, friendship, and the power of food, Home in a Lunchbox is a feel-good, must read for people of all ages.
Home in a Lunchbox, a 2025 Caldecott Honor Winner, is available from HCLS in print and as an e-book on Libby.
Megan B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at HCLS Miller Branch. She is constantly curious and loves to learn new things.
It’s time to celebrate libraries! We think every week is Library Week, but this annual event focuses attention on how libraries support and enrich our lives. Meg Medina observes:
“From book groups to lending sports equipment to providing a safe after-school hangout space and so much more, libraries support us wherever we find ourselves on the roadmap through life’s journey.” In fact, libraries are there at life’s starting line, offering parents and caregivers of newborns, infants, and toddlers the opportunity to talk, sing, read, and play together in a positive environment. Early trips to the library may be a social lifeline for new parents as well as a fertile ground for growing confident, enthusiastic readers – it’s the very first chapter in a child’s educational experience!
“!Cuéntame!: Let’s talk books!” continues Medina, who is the Honorary Chairperson of National Library Week and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and it’s the perfect way to celebrate National Library Week 2024.
Let’s talk about Medina’s award-winning books for kids. Merci Suárez Changes Gears, winner of the Newbery Award in 2019, opens a window into the lively world of a Cuban American family and the confusion of starting middle school. We can all can relate to the uncertainty and change that comes with middle school, but Merci Suárez experiences more than the usual bumps. As a scholarship student at Seaward Pines Academy, Merci finds herself on the outside. Her life at Las Casitas, the three little pink houses that sit side by side and hold her extended family together in a maelstrom of love and drama, is clearly different from that of her classmates. Her family shapes her life every day, whether she is playing soccer with her Papi’s team, hanging out with her grandparents, Lolo and Abuela, or babysitting her wild twin cousins. All that togetherness! It’s a blessing and curse for a sixth grader trying to figure out how she fits in. On top of that, her beloved Lolo is behaving in strange and worrisome ways, and nobody wants to talk about it with Merci.
In this book and the two books that follow it – Merci Suárez Can’t Dance and Merci Suárez Plays it Cool – Meg Medina opens a conversation about a universal theme – dealing with change – but immerses us in a specific setting that reflects her own experience as a Cuban American. With Spanish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the story and wonderful descriptions of foods, celebrations, and rituals familiar to this community, we see common problems from a new perspective, one that is infused with Florida heat and Cuban spice. Merci advances a grade with each book in the trilogy and learns to navigate the whole range of middle school challenges, from cliques to crushes, while adjusting to changes at home, too, as her brother goes to college and her grandfather’s health declines.
Not into middle school drama? Medina portrays strong Latina girls in tough situations with honesty, humor, and heart for other age groups as well. In the sweet picture book Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away, her young heroine faces the loss of her best friend and neighbor, but the bond of friendship proves more powerful than distance. In the award-winning YA novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, Medina takes on high school bullying as experienced by Piddy Sanchez, a girl stressed by school and family issues.
Pick any of Medina’s books and you come away with a lot to talk about. The characters are real and their struggles and relationships are totally relatable. It’s everyday family life. At the same time, reading these stories told through a rich, cultural lens broadened my own experience and showed me something new in the everyday.
“!Cuéntame!” Let’s have a conversation! Isn’t that what the Freedom to Read is all about?
Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away is available in print in English and Spanish and in e-book and e-audiobook formats, as well as in an animated adaptation on DVD.
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is available in print.
Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch who loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.
Sunday, Mar 3 2:30 – 3:30 pm HCLS Miller Branch Families. 60 min. Registration required.
Rabbi Leah Rachel Berkowitz shares her fun Purim story about Queen Vashti’s Comfy Pants. Purim is a Jewish celebration and includes retelling the story with plays and skits, wearing costumes, and eating and drinking – especially Hamentashen, triangular cookies said to represent the hat, ears, or pockets of Haman, the main villain of the story.
This story humorously imagines what it might have been like for a queen to stand up for herself against a string of high-handed demands. In doing so, children learn the value of understanding the worth of their own needs and desires.
Berkowitz is a graduate of Brandeis University, spiritual leader of Congregation Kol Ami in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and faculty member of the Creative Writing Program at URJ Six Points Creative Arts Academy.
Receive a copy, with advanced registration, while supplies last. Additional titles available for purchase and signing. In partnership with the Jewish Federation of Howard County and PJ Library in Howard County.
Winter is here! Are you ready to snuggle up with a seasonal book to share with your child? You can find a few of my favorites for various ages below, and feel free to call or visit any HCLS branch to ask for personalized recommendations. Whatever you choose, we wish you a safe, warm, and joyous winter season.
An unnamed narrator walks through a diverse city, counting objects they see along the way, from one to ten. The items seen show that residents are celebrating a range of holidays spanning the winter season.
Cartoonish woodland creatures celebrate many parts of a snow day. Getting ready to go outside, enjoying fun snow activities with friends, and cozying back up at the end of the day are all included.
Beautiful, detailed photographs showing nature and animals in real snow and ice accompany rhyming text in this appealing volume. Enjoy the opportunity to take a closer look at what might be a familiar experience, while using some terms that you may not usually choose to talk about snow. Bonus snow facts at the end can help answer questions for curious readers!
Lina wakes up to a world transformed by an overnight blizzard blanketing everything in snow. But that won’t stop her from going to help her grandma, Sitti, who has trouble seeing, make grape leaves. On the way Lina notices different sounds associated with the snow. After they make the stuffed grape leaves, she shares them with Sitti, and they find one final way to hear snow together.
Cornbread and Poppy are best friends, but they are very different. While Cornbread prepared for winter well in advance, Poppy was too busy enjoying other activities. Now winter is here, and Poppy is not ready! Cornbread would never let her go hungry, but he doesn’t have enough for both of them. The two set off on a surprising adventure to find food to last Poppy through the winter. Enjoy colorful illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell in this beginning chapter book, a great choice for a family read-aloud as well.
Maisie Cannon is having a hard time. She has been taking ballet since the age of four, and her studio has been her sanctuary and second home. Now twelve, Maisie is months into hard work at physical therapy after an injury, trying to resume her training and catch up with her friends. As Maisie’s family, of mixed Native American backgrounds, prepares for a midwinter trip to connect with their heritages, Maisie struggles with feelings of frustration and disconnection. Although it lacks a simplified happy-ever-after, Maisie is supported by her family and working to find a path through her struggles at the story’s end.
Eliana is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Elkridge Branch and co-chair of the HCLS Equity Committee.She loves reading, even if she’s slow at it, and especially enjoys helping people find books that make them light up. She also loves being outside and spending time with friends and family (when it’s safe).
Does your family have monsters on the mind? If you’re looking for inspiration for wacky Halloween costumes or just want to enjoy some cute, silly monster stories, look no further. Here are a few of my favorite monstrously fun picture books.
Be prepared for your little one to beg you to read this over and over again. Each page presents a question of how monsters get ready for bed with multiple answer options. Your little one may be surprised, even if you are not, by what monsters use in familiar bedtime routines.
Poor Winifred Schnitzel has some trouble with monsters. They keep pestering her at bedtime, keeping her awake, and nothing she tries works to trap them or scare them away! Until one night, Winifred is so exhausted that she’s half-asleep and tries something completely different. Check out this fun, rhyming book to see what you might be able to do to get rid of any monsters bothering you!
Part of a series of interactive titles, this book comes with its own monster. Oh no! What do we need to do to get rid of it? Follow the directions on each page together and see if you can get this (actually very cute and friendly-looking) monster out of your book.
Todd Parr is a favorite author and illustrator with a very distinctive style and many, many books under his belt. I was excited to see this new one hit the shelves, especially in time for spooky season. A range of different monster-y creatures bring their own twists on macaroni and cheese to The Monster Mac & Cheese Party – no humans allowed! But if the book makes you hungry for some people-friendly macaroni and cheese, check out the recipes at the back to try making your own.
Even though Love Monster followed all his usual bedtime routines, he can’t fall asleep. Then, he hears some spooky sounds coming into his house and finds himself even MORE awake! What could that scary something be? What will Love Monster do?
Another new title that’s a perfect fit for our monstrous menu, this book calls to mind Where the Wild Things Are but with a child who encourages calm rather than clamor. As a mother offers to read to her child, he asks her about who takes care of the monsters! Then, the two walk together to a spot where they summon creatures of all kinds to come and listen to a bedtime story. Mother is supportive and proud, then the two head home for the human child’s turn to be read to. A very sweet perspective on monsters, perfect for your big-hearted little one.
Eliana is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Elkridge Branch and co-chair of the HCLS Equity Committee.She loves reading, even if she’s slow at it, and especially enjoys helping people find books that make them light up. She also loves being outside and spending time with friends and family (when it’s safe).
Erica C. is in her dream role as the Enchanted Garden Instructor at the Miller Library. When she’s not tending to the garden, you can find her cycling along the C & O Canal, experimenting with new recipes from around the world, or curled up with her coffee and a good read.
Sugar in Milkby Thrity Umrigar, illustrated by Khoa Le, immediately touched my heart because the title reminded me of my dad. My father was a Filipino immigrant who left everything behind and made a life on the U.S. territory of Guam. We lived that first/second generation immigrant life in the Marianas. IYKYK. Dad had quite the sweet tooth. He would always put a spoonful of sugar into a mug of milk and drink it. Needless to say, it took me a while to stomach plain milk without a little bit of sugar.
In this story, a young girl immigrates stateside to live with her Auntie and Uncle. She feels lonely and misses her family and friends back home and just doesn’t feel like she belongs. Her Auntie takes her for a walk one day and tells her a story about a man who leads a group of people forced from their homes in the ancient land of Persia.
They build boats, cross the sea, and end up at the shores of India, seeking refuge from the king. Unfortunately, the king doesn’t think he can help. He reasons that he doesn’t know anything about these folks. They look different and speak a language he can’t understand, and he believes his kingdom is already crowded. The king goes to the seashore to make the refugees leave. And because they do not speak the same language, the king attempts to communicate that there is no room in his kingdom by filling a cup to the brim with milk. The leader of the Persians responds by carefully stirring in a spoonful of sugar from his sack. This illustrates a promise that their people would live peacefully together and would “sweeten” the lives of those in the kingdom. The king is delighted by this spoonful of sugar and welcomes them into his kingdom with a hug.
The young girl reflects on this story as she walks home with her Auntie. She smiles and says hello to passersby and receives kindness in turn. She feels better about being in America and decides to keep a sugar packet in her pocket thereafter to remind herself “to make things sweeter wherever she wandered.”
There’s so much to appreciate about this story within a story. Umrigar’s retelling of the folklore of the Parsis (Zoroastrians) and her own immigration experience weaves through this beautifully illustrated children’s picture book. The end pages are particularly gorgeous with ornate cups filled with milk and flowers. Among my favorite illustrations is the hug between the leaders with a backdrop of peacocks. Their shared symbolic importance in Persian art and Hinduism culminates so respectfully. The birds are carried forward in the following pages, filling the sky where the young girl and her Auntie share a moment in the park by the water. The borders of the pages change throughout the story, emulating the feelings and changes happening therein. As the daughter of an immigrant, it’s easy for me to see the importance of stories like Sugar in Milk. It’s my hope that you do, too. This book is brimming with promises and perseverance. It’s a simple, sweet read for all ages with a universal message we all should be so lucky to receive: “You belong.”
JP has worked for HCLS since 2006. She enjoys gallivanting, Jollibee, and all the halo-halo she can eat.
CHAPTER CHATS 