All from a Walnut by Ammi-Joan Paquette illustrated by Felicia Sala

This is a book about grief, change and patience. Grandpa tells Emilia a story of the walnut he carried on his journey across the ocean to find a new home. His parents told him he could only take a small bag but he also had a walnut in his pocket. The reasons his family left their homeland are not explained in the text but the illustration shows people in sepia tones carrying bags and children and disembarking a large ship. 

Image source: Felicita Sala

Years after their arrival Grandpa is able to finally plant his seed in a garden and now, years later, Grandpa is able to show his huge tree to Emilia and how to plant the new walnut seed.

"As time passed, Grandpa moved more and more slowly. He stayed in his armchair most of the day and sometimes he fell asleep tight in the middle of a story. ... the days grew very cold and very dark, Emilia held her grandfather close for as long as she could. Then she said goodbye."

This book caught my eye at a recent charity book sale because firstly my friend and I adore the work of illustrator Felicita Sala (we claim her as Australian even though she lives in Rome) and then I saw the dust jacket - I adore dust jackets. We rarely see them here in Australia. Then bonus this dust jacket has a fabulous case reveal - meaning there is a surprise image under the jacket. My copy is in mint condition. I wonder how it came to be donated to the fair - it has perhaps lingered on a home bookshelf since it was first published in 2022.

The warmhearted watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations are the true highlight of the book, offering lovingly rendered images of Sala’s native Italy and a poignant view of Grandpa’s aging and eventual passing. A gentle tale about maintaining a sense of continuity and rootedness in the face of life’s upheavals, this book is a worthy addition to any personal or library collection. Kirkus

“The relatively simple text includes many layers—in addition to being an immigration story, it is a family history tale and a story about the passing of a beloved grandparent and the carrying on of that person’s legacy. Paquette’s emotive writing is strong and clear.” –Hornbook

See art from this book here.  Here is the web page for the author Ammi-Joan Paquette.

Companion books:

My Baba's Garden

These Long-Loved things

The Memory Tree

A Map for Falasteen by Maysa Odeh illustrated by Aliaa Betawi

A haunting, powerful, and crucial tale of culture and identity. Kirkus Star review

On the second page of this book the teacher answers the student with the most chilling words:

"Miss Baker, why isn't Palestine on the map?' Miss Baker looked at the map. 'I think there's no such place,' Miss Baker said."

Falasteen's family are from Palestine and so now she needs answers. Before I continue I need to talk about the name Falasteen. 

The name "Falasteen" is an Arabic name that refers to the historical region of Palestine. It is derived from the word "Filistin," which is the Arabic name for Palestine. The name carries cultural and historical significance, representing the land and people of Palestine.

Back at home Falasteen asks her grandpa about the school map. He takes out his notepad and draws a map with city names including the name of their home.

"Here is your map, omri,' he said. 'Your teacher needs teaching. You can show her this so all of your friends can learn too."

Next stop, Falasteen asks her grandma who is making delicious spinach pies. Grandma shares the memory of leaving their home. Falasteen's mother was a tiny baby.

"The soldiers came with their tanks and guns. ... They burned the fields and the olive trees."

But grandma has kept hold of her house key. (Try to find this book - The Key from Spain). Grandma gives her precious key to Falasteen. That night Falasteen talks to her mother. 

"Sometimes people live in countries. Sometimes countries live in people. Palestine lives in you and me."

Publisher blurb: At school, Falasteen and her classmates are tasked with finding their families' home countries on a map, but no matter how hard she looks, Falasteen can't find Palestine. Can a place exist if it's not on a map? Confused, Falasteen turns to her family for answers. Her grandfather, grandmother, and Mama encourage her to see their homeland from a different perspective, and each of their stories helps her understand her people's history and her own place in the world.

This is a timely book that helps answer a question that teachers and parents are likely to be asked today. It is not an easy question to answer but here the author handles it with a refreshingly matter-of-fact approach that will reassure as well as inform. Falasteen is a very recognisable child and her curiosity is normal. The family’s response is well handled. The illustrations are child friendly and engaging bringing life to the text. This is a story firmly grounded in reality and should be welcomed in every library. For adults the author provides further information at the end of the book. Books for Keeps

Further reading:

• Kids Britannica
• Globe Trotting Kids
• UNICEF "A child-friendly guide to the Gaza crisis"

A Map for Falasteen thematically explores the universal idea of identity and belonging. This would be a rich book to use while learning about these topics, but also these larger ideas are explored through this specific context — offering an opportunity to consider how it must feel to not find your home on a map. This creates a unique opportunity to empathy and understanding in young readers that home, who we are, is more than what could be defined on a map? Palestinian artist, Aliaa Betawi’s art enhances and compliments the narrative. The deliberate colours of the illustrations — warm tones of yellow and orange for present-day scenes, and cool blues for memories of Palestine — help the young reader move between the past and the present, but also offer a visual representation of hope and loss. They also incorporate meaningful aspects of Palestinian culture highlighting Falasteen’s enduring connection to her homeland. Source Instagram 

Awards:

• Jane Addams Foundation Honor Award
• 2025 California Book Award
• The Arab American Book Award
• The Muslim Book Reviewers Judges’ Award
• Kirkus Best Book of 2024 
• Booklist Editors Choice of 2024

I spied this book in Gleebooks and grabbed it with both hands because I am in the process of preparing a short video presentation (with Dr Robin Morrow) on the topic of "The Refugee experience through Picture Books" and I knew this could be a text we might include.

Maysa Odeh is a Palestinian writer who grew up between Amman, Jordan and the United States. Her debut picture book was written during the assault on Gaza in 2021, which sparked a conversation between herself and her inner child. A Map for Falasteen answers the questions she was too shy to ask as a child of Palestinian refugees. What is a homeland? Where do you find it? How can you be sure it’s there when you can’t see it? Maysa resides in California with her daughter who asks questions all day long in Arabic and English, and sometimes even in her sleep. Read this interview with Maysa about her book. 

Aliaa Betawi is a self-taught Palestinian artist based in Alexandria, Egypt who developed her craft by observing her gifted mother. She believes that every kid deserves a childhood filled with magical, joyful memories and this is what she works to give to all kids, including herself. A Map for Falasteen was her opportunity to capture a single elusive memory in Palestine, a memory she could not enjoy as a Palestinian child in exile.

One Tree by Christopher Cheng illustrated by Bruce Whatley

"When he was a young farmer, Grandfather woke to birds singing in his trees. 

He tended his fields and talked to his plants to help them grow."

But that was long ago. Now Grandfather lives in a city apartment. It is busy and noisy and the air does not smell too good.  Grandfather is sad and quiet. 

One day his grandson sees a tiny plant growing in a crack on the footpath. He gently pulls it from the ground and takes it home because he is sure his grandfather will know how to care for this tiny fragile new life. At first Grandfather seems disinterested but then he begins to talk to the little tree. 

"Then on my birthday, Grandfather gives me another potted tree. 'Two trees are always better than one'."

Over the coming weeks they add more trees and soon their balcony is filled with trees and blossoms. And then a bird arrives. His silent Grandfather begins to talk again - telling stories of his mountains and rivers and trees and fishing. Other people notice the green on their high-up balcony and they add their own trees and over time the grey, austere building is transformed. 

Publisher blurb: One tall tree on the mountain once marked Grandfather’s farm. Now there is a busy city and Grandfather lives with us in our apartment. Once he told stories but now he stays silent. Until one day, in the city market, I find something precious . . . something that brings Grandfather’s memories alive again.

One Tree reads like a beloved fable; a story that spans generations and could easily slip into despondency yet buoys hope in the most translucent way as Cheng compares the past with the present. Green mountainsides are obscured by city grim and skyscrapers. Individualism is sucked away in a vortex of colourless anonymity and sameness, yet one tiny action motions great change allowing transformation. This story blends environmental concerns with social awareness and family relationships all under a deliciously Asian cultural umbrella. And the thing that pulls it all together? Whatley’s exquisite illustrations. Dim's Write Stuff

The topic of urban renewal and growing a green city could be a fabulous mini unit in your school library. There are so many books on this topic. Here are a few companion books:

The Secret Sky Garden

The Tin Forest

The Extraordinary Gardener

The Girl who Planted Trees

Oscar's Tower of Flowers

The Curious Garden

Rose's Garden

The Tree at Number 43

Bruce Whatley is our IBBY Australia 2026 Hans Christian Andersen award nominee. I read One Tree many years ago (it was published in 2019) and I have often suggested it as a companion book but for some reason I had not penned a proper blog post about this book.

One Tree is one of the five books illustrated by Bruce Whately that we have sent to the ten HCAA jurors.

The Reading Time reviewer said:

This book is so simply but beautifully written, and the illustrations so vibrant and effective, that once I read it, I had to turn back and read it again immediately. The story of the grandfather slowly being drawn into helping his grandson with the tree was so touching. I especially appreciated when the grandfather starts talking quietly to the tree. Bruce Whatley’s illustrations are achieved digitally, but give the appearance of linocuts. This technique, in its blend of old and new technology complements the themes of the book: the old and the new can find ways to coexist.

Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu

Elodee and Naomi are twin sisters, good friends and girls with so much in common but over the course of the next few weeks and months we watch them grow apart. The family have been living in Juniper but after a visit to Eventown they decide to move. There is a hint early on that the family need a new start, but you need to read the whole book to discover why.

Naomi is good at gymnastics and good at 'fitting in'. Elodee loves to experiment with cooking. She watches her sister and wonders why Naomi now copies the clothes and behaviours of her new friends. Why have they become so different?

Eventown is a very strange place - well as a reader you are sure to think it is strange - but it takes quite a while for Elodee to realise this. I think the turning point comes when the girls finally visit the town library. More about that in a minute. Before this scene we read that there are only three ice cream flavours which are on rotation; every garden in the town has an identical manicured yard with perfect rose bushes; there is no internet and no television; no cars; and it never rains and every day ends with a perfect sunset. In the music class at school the students only play one song - the same song - week after week and when Elodee questions this she seems to get into trouble with the teacher.

Now onto the library:

"Naomi likes books about animals and magic. I like books about people and food, so we go to the cooking section and the animal section and the fantasy section and choose titles that sound right. We have a mix of everything we love. ... We open one book each. 

I turn a page.

Then another.

Another.

Another.

They are blank.

I flip through the whole book. Every page is blank. It is a book of blank pages. A book of nothing. ... I pick up another book. Blank pages. Over a hundred of them."

Apart from all of this though, there is a deeply sinister layer to this story. Every member of the family has to go to the Welcome Centre. When Elodee has her turn, we discover this is all about telling stories - there are six stories. Your most scared moment; your most embarrassed moment; your most heartbreaking moment; your loneliest moment; your angriest moment and your most joyful moment.

BUT something goes wrong, and Elodee only tells three of her stories. AND even worse once the stories are told, the teller has no memory of them - the stories are lost forever. Why? 

Eventown is at times a heart breaking and difficult book to read. I did have to keep stopping to take a breath. I would recommend this book for mature readers aged 11+. I don't want to spoil the ending but the final reveal about why the family needed to move could worry or upset some readers. Having said that please do not skip to the end if you are reading this book - let Corey Ann Haydu take you on her compelling journey. 

Here are some text quotes to give you an idea about this story:

"I haven't thought to look around to see what else we aren't bringing, but do it now with Naomi, running from room to room to see what's left behind. Mom's not bringing her old-timey record player or all the records she's collected over the years ... She's leaving behind shelves of books and a bunch of framed photographs of the family ... She's leaving behind all our winter coats and hats and scarves, our silver sled and a painting of the sun that has been in our living room forever."

"When mum and Naomi get back from grocery shopping I get right to work, and the cooking comes easily. The instructions are clear, and following the recipe feels like a dance with the kitchen. The result is incredible. The chicken is golden brown, crispy on the outside and buttery on the inside. ... I've never made anything this delicious. ... The recipes I invented back in our old kitchen in Juniper were never like this."

"And we're hoping we can learn a little more about your life before today. Part of our welcoming you here to town is making sure you're able to start fresh here in Eventown. We want to help you say goodbye to everything that made life before hard ... "

Here are some quotes from the review by Betsy Bird for SLJ. Do click the link Besty's review is fabulous:

In Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu, you’ll find a marvelous defense of messiness, mistakes, and uncomfortable conversations. We all want to run away from our problems, but it’s like that old phrase says: Be careful what you wish for. ... Need a novel for 9-12 year olds that epitomizes the very definition of “foreshadowing”? Meet my little friend here. It knows that some of the most effective horror comes from the people we love the most. Elodee’s whole family has drunk the Eventown Kool-Aid without so much as a blink, but she doesn’t see that for a long time.

Betsy refers to this book:

Orphan Island

Publisher blurb: The world tilted for Elodee this year, and now it’s impossible for her to be the same as she was before. Not when her feelings have such a strong grip on her heart. Not when she and her twin sister, Naomi, seem to be drifting apart. So when Elodee’s mom gets a new job in Eventown, moving seems like it might just fix everything. Indeed, life in Eventown is comforting and exciting all at once. Their kitchen comes with a box of recipes for Elodee to try. Everyone takes the scenic way to school or work—past rows of rosebushes and unexpected waterfalls. On blueberry-picking field trips, every berry is perfectly ripe. Sure, there are a few odd rules, and the houses all look exactly alike, but it’s easy enough to explain—until Elodee realizes that there are only three ice cream flavors in Eventown. Ever. And they play only one song in music class. Everything may be “even” in Eventown, but is there a price to pay for perfection—and pretending?

Part mystery, part fabulism, with a dash of dystopia, this story is as layered and delicious as one of Elodee’s concoctions. At once enchanting, heart-rending, and bittersweet ... Kirkus Star review

Website for Corey Ann Haydu. I am keen to hunt out more of her books. 

Awards:

• A Kirkus Best of 2019 Selection
• A Junior Library Guild Selection
• An Amazon Best Books of the Month Selection
• A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021
• Edgar Award Nominee

Eventown reminded me of movies like The Truman Show; The Stepford wives and Pleasantville.

Companion books:

The probability of Everything

Right as Rain

The Great Storm Whale by Benji Davies

Grandma tells little Noi about her own childhood when her father made her a wooden flute. She loved playing her flute to a whale who swam near the island. The whale came past every summer until one year it didn't arrive. One night there was a wild storm - so wild the family had to abandon their small wooden home and head to higher ground. Eventually the islanders were rescued but the little wooden cottage by the sea was destroyed - everything was gone including her precious wooden flute. 

"They had to find a new island, (and) start again." 

Then one day some things started to wash up on the shore. Bits and pieces from their old island home such as cups, coffee pots, chairs and pieces of wood. Have you guessed what was found next? The ending of this story is certain to bring you joy. 

Publisher blurb: As a fearsome storm blows around Noi’s house, his grandma tells of an unforgettable friendship between a little girl and a whale, many storms ago. But as she finishes her tale of perseverance and new beginnings, Noi soon realises it’s part of their own story, too. This glorious addition to the bestselling Storm Whale series celebrates the stories and the love that are passed down through generations.

This is the fourth book in this splendid series - you should add all of them to your school library and add them to your 'to read/borrow' list if you are looking for a set of books to share with your own children.

The Storm Whale

The Storm Whale in Winter

The Great Storm Whale reminded me of The Whales' Song.

The Whales' Song

You could also look for this book:

Storm Whale