Illustrated by Kitt Thomas
5 stars
Such a sweet story. It explores themes of a love of books and reading, making new friends, celebrating differences, and not being afraid to try new things, even if you aren’t good at them right away.
When Stacey meets Julie, they dream of reading every story in the library and telling their own stories. Together, they form a reading club, welcoming their classmates and other students to join.
I loved the positive representation of libraries and especially the supportive librarian who encourages his students to “Touch everything. Reading anything. Find your new favorite book. And be kind.” Great emphasis on exploration, curiosity, and fostering a love of reading and developing empathy. My heart melted when he presented the students with books about the countries their families come from and in the languages they spoke at home. It was so beautiful how they all wanted to learn about and from one another.
The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. They bring each of the books to life in way the wonderfully captures the magic of reading. Great diversity in the artwork as well. The illustrations include hijabi characters, a character with vitiligo, a character using a wheelchair, and a variety of skin colors, clothing choices, and hair styles. The children come from different countries, have different skin colors, and speak different languages, but they all bond over the joy of reading.
At the end of the book is a List of Stacey’s Remarkable Books with recommendations of fantastic picture books from authors of color. There is also an author’s note about the real-life Stacey and Julie.
An absolutely beautiful book with a heartwarming story.