Book picks similar to
The Gift by Michael Speechley


picture-books
picture-book
children-s
australian-authors

A Sled for Gabo


Emma Otheguy - 2021
    Gabo wishes he could join them, but his hat is too small, and he doesn’t have boots or a sled.But he does have warm and welcoming neighbors in his new town who help him solve the problem!

The Storm Whale


Benji Davies - 2011
    One night, a great storm washes a small whale onto the beach. The boy discovers the whale is a good listener. The father discovers the boy is lonely. Together, they return the whale to the sea. And from that day on, the boy learns that the father can be a good listener too, in Benji Davies's heartwarming tale, The Storm Whale.

The Do-Over Day: a children's book about surviving the worst day ever


Julia Inserro - 2019
    But some days are the worst! Sometimes everything just goes wrong: your little sister presses the elevator button first your favorite socks are missing you're not allowed to wear your mermaid costume to the dentist you can't wear your snorkel in the bathtub But how great would it be if we could learn how to have a good do-over day? Think of all the moaning and groaning and fussing and grumping we could avoid.The Do-Over Day is a great book for kids ages 3-9 and can teach us all how to handle the occasional worst day ever. It even comes with practice cards, so you can begin to have better do-over days, too.

The Big Umbrella


Amy June Bates - 2018
    It is big. It is so big that when it starts to rain there is room for everyone underneath. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. It doesn’t matter how many legs you have.Don’t worry that there won’t be enough room under the umbrella. Because there will always be room.

City Dog, Country Frog


Mo Willems - 2010
    “You’ll do,” Frog says, and together they play Country Frog games. In summer, they meet again and play City Dog games. Through the seasons, whenever City Dog visits the country he runs straight for Country Frog’s rock. In winter, things change for City Dog and Country Frog. Come spring, friendship blooms again, a little different this time.Mo Willems’ spare, poignant text and Jon J. Muth’s expressive watercolors team up to tell a story that will resonate with readers of all ages.

Hug Machine


Scott Campbell - 2014
    Everyone deserves a hug—and this book!

Kindness Makes Us Strong


Sophie Beer - 2019
    Whether we share a toy or include someone in a game, all acts of kindness – no matter how big or small – make the world a better place.Kindness is doing what you can, where you are, with what you have, and in Kindness Makes Us Strong, Sophie Beer introduces us to a bunch of cute kids doing just that.

Strictly No Elephants


Lisa Mantchev - 2015
    There will be cats and dogs and fish, but strictly no elephants are allowed. The Pet Club doesn’t understand that pets come in all shapes and sizes, just like friends. Now it is time for a boy and his tiny pet elephant to show them what it means to be a true friend.Imaginative and lyrical, this sweet story captures the magic of friendship and the joy of having a pet.

A Map Into the World


Kao Kalia Yang - 2019
    "Paj Ntaub, a young Hmong American girl, spends a busy year with her family in their new home and seeks a way to share the beauty of the world with a grieving neighbor"--

Finding Kindness


Deborah Underwood - 2019
    A rhyming story of community, compassion, and generosity of spirit!Kindness is sometimes a cup and a card, or a ladder, a truck, and a tree. A scritch and a cuddle. A rake and a yard.

Lubna and Pebble


Wendy Meddour - 2019
    Pebble always listens to her stories. Pebble always smiles when she feels scared. But when a lost little boy arrives in the World of Tents, Lubna realizes that he needs Pebble even more than she does.This emotionally stirring and stunningly illustrated picture book explores one girl's powerful act of friendship in the midst of an unknown situation.

Yard Sale


Eve Bunting - 2015
    They can’t stay in this house, so they’re moving to an apartment in the city. The new place is "small but nice," Mom says, and most of their things won’t fit, so today they are having a yard sale. But it’s kind of hard to watch people buy your stuff, even if you understand why it has to happen. With sensitivity and grace, Eve Bunting and Lauren Castillo portray an event at once familiar and difficult, making clear that a home isn’t about what you have, but whom you hold close.

The Digger and the Flower


Joseph Kuefler - 2018
    They scoop and hoist and push.But when Digger discovers something growing in the rubble, he sets in motion a series of events that will change him, and the city, forever.

Neither


Airlie Anderson - 2018
    In the Land of This and That, there are only two kinds: blue bunnies and yellow birds. But one day a funny green egg hatches, and a little creature that's not quite a bird and not quite a bunny pops out. It's neither! Neither tries hard to fit in, but its bird legs aren't good for jumping like the other bunnies, and its fluffy tail isn't good for flapping like the other birds. It sets out to find a new home and discovers a very different place, one with endless colors and shapes and creatures of all kinds. But when a blue bunny and a yellow bird with some hidden differences of their own arrive, it's up to Neither to decide if they are welcome in the Land of All. This colorful, simple, and touching story promotes diversity and offers a valuable lesson to the youngest of audiences: it is our differences that unite us.

What Is Given from the Heart


Patricia C. McKissack - 2019
    "Misery loves company," Mama says to James Otis. It's been a rough couple of months for them, but Mama says as long as they have their health and strength, they're blessed. One Sunday before Valentine's Day, Reverend Dennis makes an announcement during the service-- the Temples have lost everything in a fire, and the church is collecting anything that might be useful to them. James thinks hard about what he can add to the Temple's "love box," but what does he have worth giving?