"A nurturing voice reassures the lonely and afraid in difficult times"--

Told in two voices, a boy who wants a dog more than anything and an abandoned dog looking for a forever home find each other.

Trevor is lonely and looking for a friend. He stretches his wings the length of his boring cage and notices the tree outside stretching its branch. And on the end of that branch? Perhaps a new friend. But one that is quiet and shy. Trevor knows just how to make him feel comfortable. This is an elegantly told, truly unique tale of a canary who befriends a lemon and finds that you don't have to be two of a kind to form a meaningful and lasting friendship....

Frank the cat is happy at home with his two humans until they bring home a puppy who disturbs his entire way of life, so after running away and finding out how unwelcoming the world outside is he makes his way back to where he belongs.

"Shut up in a trunk by a taciturn old sea captain with a secret, five friends--a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl--bicker, boast, and comfort one another in the dark. Individually, they dream of song and light, freedom and flight, purpose and glory, but they all agree they are part of a larger story, bound each to each by chance, bonded by the heart's mysteries. When at last their shared fate arrives, landing them on a mantel in a blue room...

As four very different letters arrive at the playground, each makes the next feel unwelcome, but once they begin to swing together, they have a wonderful time.

A young boy passes a painting of a hand on a wall in his neighborhood and watches others placing their own hands against it. The act means something different for each of them: Ms. Iris tells him it is a link to her home country; for Devin, it connects him to his older sister, who just left for college; for Savannah, it reminds her of her grandmother who passed away. The boy thinks of those who are on the other side of the mural, of loved ones lost...

Illustrations and easy-to-read text reveal that there are strings connecting people all over the world, that become tangled sometimes but always help us be one big family.

"Upbeat rhyming verse and colorful illustrations of a diverse group of students invite readers to "be a bridge" by taking actions that foster inclusivity, respect, and connection"--

Initially, super-snazzy Christmas tree ornament, Otto, thinks he should be placed at the top of tree to be admired, but then he realizes where he really wants to be.