Illustration by Magnific
Hey there friend,
This month, we are focusing on Wonder and Creativity. With summer just around the corner, it is a wonderful time for children to explore, imagine, create, and discover the world around them. Summer invites children to notice the beauty in everyday moments, ask questions, and use their imagination. Through art, storytelling, music, building, and play, creativity gives children a way to express what they see, wonder, and feel. Books can also be a beautiful way to spark both Wonder and Creativity.
“Ojichan’s Gift” tells the story of Mayumi and her grandfather, whose shared love of gardening becomes a lasting memory. When circumstances change, Mayumi finds a creative way to honor that connection by building a miniature garden for him, showing how imagination can hold memory, love, and tradition.
In “They Say Blue,” readers are invited to observe the world through changing colors and seasons. The story encourages children to look more carefully at their surroundings and to notice how perspective can transform what we see.
“Every Color” follows a polar bear on a journey through landscapes full of color and beauty. Along the way, Bear discovers that wonder is not just about traveling somewhere new—it’s also about learning to see familiar things with fresh eyes.
As the school year comes to a close, we encourage children to carry their curiosity with them into summer. May it be a season filled with imagination, discovery, and moments of awe, big and small.
Please feel free to explore our selection of stories on courage below, and if you’d like more options, you can visit our website.
1. Ojichan’s Gift by Cheiri Uegaki
- Grade level: 1st & 2nd
- Genre: Fiction
Mayumi spends each summer in Japan caring for a stone garden with her grandfather. When he is no longer able to tend it, Mayumi finds a meaningful way to preserve their shared memories and honor their special bond.
2. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
- Grade level: 5th & 6th
- Genre: Biography
In Snowflake Bentley, Wilson Bentley’s childhood fascination with snow led him to spend his life photographing snowflakes. Through curiosity and perseverance, he revealed the unique beauty of each snowflake and shared it with the world.
The Tree Lady by Joseph Hopkins
- Grade level: 3rd & 4th
- Genre: Biography
In this inspiring story, Kate Sessions brings her love of nature to San Diego, where there were few trees. Through vision, determination, and care, she helped transform the city into the green, garden-filled place it is today.
4. Every Color by Erin Eitter Kono
- Grade level: 1st & 2nd
- Genre: Fiction
A polar bear living in the white, snowy Arctic longs to see color. When a gift from a young girl sparks his curiosity, he sets off on a journey around the world and discovers vibrant places and unexpected beauty. In time, he learns that color was all around him from the very beginning.
5. They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki
- Grade level: Pre K & K
- Genre: Picture Book
In a captivating story full of movement and transformation, Tamaki follows a young girl through a year or a day as she examines the colors in the world around her. Egg yolks are sunny orange as expected, yet water cupped in her hands isn’t blue like they say. But maybe a blue whale is blue. She doesn’t know, she hasn’t seen one.
6. The Butterfly by Harry Woodgate
- Grade level: Pre K & K
- Genre: Picture Book
Holly notices Miss Brown’s once-loved garden has become wild and overgrown while she has been struggling. Through kindness, friendship, and gardening, they gently restore both the garden and Miss Brown’s sense of well-being.
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