Hair Love
Matthew A. Cherr, illustrated by Vashti Harrison

Hair Love is the story of Zuri, a girl who is planning for a special day and wants to do something amazing with her hair. Usually Zuri's Daddy helps her with her hair, but he's tired so she decides to give it a try on her own. Let's just say it doesn't go well. Luckily, Daddy wakes up and lends a hand. Though her hair has a "mind of its own," they come up with a special hairstyle for her big day. Hair Love strikes me as a timely story for a couple of reasons. First of all, with salon closures due to Co-vid 19, most of us can relate to Zuri as we deal with our own hair. Secondly, what better time to share this story about a special relationship between a father and daughter than the month of June with Father's Day coming up. The cute and colorful illustrations add to the fun.

The Lost Forest
Phyllis Root, illustrated by Betsy Bowen

In the fall of 1882, a three-man survey crew was hired to measure three townships in northern Minnesota. No one knows why, but the crew made a mistake. The head surveyor described an area lake but said that there was no timber in the area. When people wanting to buy land looked at the map, they saw a lake instead of a forest and decided to look elsewhere. It took seventy-six years before the "lost forest" was discovered. Meanwhile, most of the pines in the forest grew taller. The forest became home to plants, animals, birds, and insects. Phyllis Root tells the story of the Lost Forest in a way that is informative and easy to understand. Betsy Bowen's illustrations add to the book’s appeal.

Make Way for Ducklings
Robert McCloskey

There are images on the internet these days of animals strolling through cities because the humans are hunkering down indoors. They made me think of this classic, charming story. In it, the Boston police make everyone pause to let a mother and father mallard duck lead their family home, an island in the lagoon in the public garden. The beautiful illustrations are also by McCloskey, who was declared a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. The book has been continuously in print since it was published in 1941.

Blueberries for Sal
Robert McCloskey

Speaking of great books by Robert McCloskey, Blueberries for Sal is delightful. Sal’s mother takes her daughter to a blueberry patch to pick berries. On the other side of the hill, a bear takes her cub to eat berries. Neither mother is paying close attention to her child, and they somehow get mixed up and start following the wrong mother. There’s a happy ending of course, and it ends with an illustration of Sal and her mother canning the berries: pure nostalgia.