Book picks similar to
I Am Golden by Eva Chen


picture-books
picture-book
childrens
family

The Matchbox Diary


Paul Fleischman - 2013
    Then I’ll tell you its story." When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. What she finds inside surprises her: a collection of matchboxes making up her great-grandfather’s diary, harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory. Together they tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write — the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn’t enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game.

Imani's Moon


JaNay Brown-Wood - 2014
    When she decides she wants to touch the moon, she works hard to reach her goal, even in the face of teasing from the naysayers around her.

The Way Home Looks Now


Wendy Wan-Long Shang - 2015
    But when a devastating tragedy strikes, the family flies apart and Peter's mom becomes paralyzed by grief, drifting further and further from her family. Hoping to lift his mother's spirits, Peter decides to try out for Little League. But his plans become suddenly complicated when his strict and serious father volunteers to coach the team. His dad's unconventional teaching methods rub some of Peter's teammates the wrong way, and Peter starts to wonder if playing baseball again was the right idea -- and if it can even help his family feel less broken. Can the game they all love eventually bring them back together, safe at home?Acclaimed author Wendy Wan-Long Shang brings her signature warmth, gentle humor, and wisdom to this poignant story of healing and loss, family, and the great American pastime, baseball.

A Couch for Llama


Leah Gilbert - 2018
    Llama is confused at first--this new thing doesn't talk, taste good, or budge one bit. How does Llama learn to love the new couch?And how will the Lagos resolve this most unusual dilemma?

Grandpa's Stories


Joseph Coelho - 2018
    She remembers the fields and parks they explored in the springtime and the old toys they fixed up in the summer. She remembers the handmade gifts they exchanged in the fall and the stories Grandpa told by the fi re each winter. But this year, the girl must say good-bye to Grandpa. In the face of her grief, she is determined to find a way to honor him. She decides to record her Grandpa stories in the notebook he made for her and carry Grandpa with her as she grows. An honest and relatable depiction of loss, Grandpa’s Stories celebrates life and the ways in which love lives on.

Lost and Found Cat : The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey


Doug Kuntz - 2017
    So they carry him with them from Iraq to Greece, keeping their secret passenger hidden away.But during the crowded boat crossing to Greece, his carrier breaks and the frightened cat runs from the chaos. In one moment, he is gone. After an unsuccessful search, his family has to continue their journey, leaving brokenhearted.A few days later, aid workers in Greece find the lost cat. Knowing how much his family has sacrificed already, they are desperate to reunite them with the cat they love so much. A worldwide community comes together to spread the word on the Internet and in the news media, and after several months the impossible happens—Kunkush’s family is found, and they finally get their happy ending in their new home.This remarkable true story is told by the real people involved, with the full cooperation of Kunkush’s family.

The Lotus Seed


Sherry Garland - 1993
    “Exquisite artwork fuses with a compelling narrative--a concise endnote places the story effectively within a historical context--to produce a moving and polished offering.”--Publishers Weekly

You Are a Beautiful Beginning


Nina Laden - 2020
    Inspired by this timeless adage, You Are a Beautiful Beginning combines lyrical storytelling and lovely art, blossoming into a celebration of self-love, friendship, and community. With beautiful simplicity and hidden depth, this meditative and magical picture book encourages readers old and young to discover their own endless potential. Kelsey Garrity-Riley's inviting, gently magical art pairs beautifully with a lyrical, deceptively simple text by Nina Laden to create a picture book that is equal parts inspirational story and peaceful lullaby.It is not wishing to be different. It is learning to love being you. It is not the end of your story. It is a beautiful beginning, too.This is another uplifting and original book from bestseller Nina Laden, the creator of Peek-A-Who and the author of If I Had a Little Dream and Yellow Kayak.

I'm an Immigrant Too!


Mem Fox - 2018
    Young readers everywhere will see themselves—and their friends and neighbors—in this powerful and moving picture book.

I Am Not a Number


Jenny Kay Dupuis - 2016
    She tries to remember who she is and where she came from, despite the efforts of the nuns who are in charge at the school and who tell her that she is not to use her own name but instead use the number they have assigned to her. When she goes home for summer holidays, Irene's parents decide never to send her and her brothers away again. But where will they hide? And what will happen when her parents disobey the law? Based on the life of co-author Jenny Kay Dupuis’ grandmother, I Am Not a Number is a hugely necessary book that brings a terrible part of Canada’s history to light in a way that children can learn from and relate to.

The Empty Pot


Demi - 1990
    An IRA-CBC Children's Choice.An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists."When Ping admits that he is the only child in China unable to grow a flower from the seeds distributed by the Emperor, he is rewarded for his honesty.

La Princesa and the Pea


Susan Middleton Elya - 2017
    . .Readers will be enchanted by this Latino twist on the classic story, and captivated by the vibrant art inspired by the culture of Peru.

Baseball Saved Us


Ken Mochizuki - 1993
    Fighting the heat and dust of the desert, Shorty and his father decide to build a baseball diamond and form a league in order to boost the spirits of the internees. Shorty quickly learns that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect as well.Baseball Saved Us is the ultimate rite of passage story. It will appeal again and again to readers who enjoy cheering for the underdog.

Migrant


Maxine Trottier - 2011
    Sometimes she feels like a bird, flying north in the spring and south in the fall. Sometimes she feels like a jack rabbit living in an abandoned burrow, as her family moves into an empty house near the fields. But most of all she wonders what it would be like to stay in one place.The Low German-speaking Mennonites from Mexico are a unique group of migrants who moved from Canada to Mexico in the 1920s and became an important part of the farming community there. But it has become increasingly difficult for them to earn a livelihood, and so they come back to Canada each year as migrant workers in order to survive. And while they currently have the right to work in Canada, that right may be challenged. Working conditions are difficult for all migrant workers, most of whom have to leave families far behind. And yet countries like Canada and the United States benefit greatly from their labor.Beautifully written by Maxine Trottier and imaginatively illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, this book describes what it is like to be a child in a migrant family.

The Library Book


Tom Chapin - 2017
    What is there to do today? Go to the library, of course! Who will we meet there? Let's find out!