Leo Espinosa

Do you know someone who says 'NO!' to almost everything? Meet Oliver McSnow, a kid who knows that word better than any other! For Oliver, it's 'NO!' to baths, 'NO!' to brushing teeth, and a big, booming 'NO!' to bedtime. His 'NO' grows bigger and bigger, making his world feel a little bit stuck and out of control.

The heat is rising, the school doors are closed, and someone just opened the fire hydrants. It is officially summer in the city, and the streets are yours to explore. Stepping out into a vibrant Brooklyn neighborhood, you are immediately swept up in the absolute freedom of a long summer day. From the moment the sun comes up until your mother calls you home for dinner, the entire block is your ultimate playground. You will join a lively group of kids jumping double Dutch, playing intense games of hide and seek, building incredible forts, and racing to catch the ice cream truck before it turns the corner. With rhythmic words and a joyful spirit, this story perfectly captures the magic of those endless summer days where anything feels possible. Experience the pure joy of running free with your friends, knowing that when tomorrow comes, you get to wake up and do it all over again because this neighborhood belongs to you.

Lola recalls the place where she was born for a school assignment. (Ages 5 to 8)

--- Added from Google Books ---

From New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Díaz comes a debut picture book about the magic of memory and the infinite power of the imagination. A 2019 Pura Belpré Honor Book for Illustration Every kid in Lola's school was from somewhere else. Hers was a school of faraway places. So when Lola's teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can't remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola's imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island. As she draws closer to the heart of her family's story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela's words: “Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you.” Gloriously illustrated and lyrically written, Islandborn is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and our imagination's boundless ability to connect us—to our families, to our past and to ourselves.