Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Illustrated by Byron Barton. 32 p., Macmillan, 1980.

A child who is moving from New York City to "out West" expresses his stereotypes and worries about the West. On the way, he meets a western child who expresses stereotypes and worries about moving East. The child eventually finds out that a lot of the stereotypes are not true, and that the West, although unlike New York in many ways, is quite livable. This story is a good choice for children who have unrealistic worries about their new home and have trouble letting go of them.

Ages 4-7
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: multicultural

When Joel Comes Home by Susi Gregg Fowler

Illustrated by Jim Fowler. 24 p., Greenwillow, 1993.

A girl's parents' best friends, Jean and George, are adopting a baby, and she anticipates all the details of his arrival as she and her parents join with other friends to greet them at the airport. Although things don't go quite the way she'd planned, there's a large crowd of friends at the airport to welcome the family, and their joy and excitement are palpable. As George has promised, the girl is the first to hold the baby, and this is the special moment she'd known it would be. This story offers a sense of identification to children who are welcoming a baby in similar circumstances, as well as a reminder that the connection between people is more important, and more real, than an imagined world where everything goes perfectly.

Ages 4-8
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: multicultural

The Best Thing by Laura E. Williams

18 p., Bebop Books, 2003.

A six-year-old girl who was adopted from China at the age of five months by a European American couple introduces readers to her house, parents, brothers, grandma, Aunt Laura (the author), cat, and kindergarten class. She and Aunt Laura, who was adopted from Korea, agree that adoption was the best thing that's ever happened to them. No other details are given about feelings about adoption or the adoption process. Adoption is presented in a positive, natural way.

Ages 1-3
Main character's cultural background: Asian American
Cultural context: multicultural:

Emma by Wendy Kesselman

Illustrated by Barbara Cooney. 32 p., Doubleday, 1980.

Emma, a 72-year-old woman, is often lonely. When she is given a painting of the village where she grew up, she is inspired to paint her own picture, which is truer to her memories. She enjoys this so much that she paints every day. Surrounded by her own paintings of the people and places she loves, she is no longer lonely. This story is a good example of coping with loss by using creative imagination.

Ages 3-8
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: multicultural

The Memory Box by Kirsten McLaughlin

Illustrated by Adrienne Rudolph. 32 p., Centering Corporation, 2001.

A boy wakes up to find his mother crying about the death, that night, of his grandfather. He expresses feelings of loss, abandonment, and anger, and thinks of the things they'll never do together again. His Mommy accepts, and encourages him to talk over, his feelings, and encourages him to keep his memories. As a way to do this, the child makes a memory box, filling it with Grandpa's reading glasses (which remind him of Grandpa's bedtime stories), seeds (which remind him of Grandpa's garden), and other things that remind him of his relationship with Grandpa. Importantly, he shares the box with Mommy. He plants seeds every spring, just as he used to with Grandpa. He expresses the ongoing sadness and joy that the memory box evokes for him. This story shows children a specific way to cope with their feelings of loss, and offers empathy and acceptance.

Ages 4-8
Main character's cultural background: ambiguous
Cultural context: ambiguous