Cari Best

First sentence: Somewhere in the big, big city
across a beep-beep street
along two bumpy sidewalks
up two tall buildings
to the
third
fourth
fifth
floors,
two happy babies look out their morning windows
at the very same time.
This baby.
And that baby.
This baby has a lot of curly black hair.
It bounces when he giggles.
That baby has a floppy red hat.
It falls off
when she wiggles.

I love, love, love, love, love this one!!!! It stars two babies: THIS baby and THAT baby. It chronicles their parallel show more lives--will these two get a proper meeting???

I love the celebration of family life, the ordinary moments, the oh-so-relatable moments, the blink and they're gone moments. The story is adorable. The illustrations are adorable. Highly recommended....and so rhythmic too. Loved everything about this one. show less

A fantastic example of how to write a story about a character with a disability. Although Zulay is blind, she is well-liked at school, has many friends, and excels in things that her typical peers are not always good at, such as math and writing. While Zulay does not let her blindness stop her from following her interests, she has authentic moments when she feels shame, specifically in using her cane. I love the support and positivity of her teacher/therapist, Ms. Turner, when Zulay show more expresses her desire to run in the race on field day. A heartwarming story of perseverance and inclusion. show less

Maude loves lightning bugs. She wants to be a part of the Bug-of-the-Month club. The only problem is Louise. Maude has researched and knows just about everything about lightning bugs. Louise does not want Maude in her club. Maude delivers a speech that all of the members love, except for Louise. She decides to let Louise have it, but it does not turn out the way she expected. I would recommend this for anyone who has ever tried to fit in and finds it difficult. Children will relate to Maude show more and her struggles to be a part of the group. show less

This book is for 2-4th graders because the text is a bit longer but it is still a shorter picture book. This book is about a group of friends who are all at school together doing the same things but one of the friends is blind. In a classroom this book could be used to teach a bit about this specific disability, and allow students to understand that people with disabilities are just like them. It could also be used to empower students who are blind.