All Because You Matter
(All Because You Matter #1)

K-Gr 3—A touching and uplifting story about a child of color being told by his parents how he matters. A Black couple who are expecting a child begin to speak to the baby while still in the womb about how his life matters. As the child grows, poetic text reveals that "stars sprayed across the sky" and that he comes from descendants of kings and queens. As he becomes a toddler and his mother reads to him, he sees in the pages of the story characters and images of children like him. Beautiful collages carry the messages of "you matter," not to give up despite adversity, and that "beauty and strength is within you." A powerful tale in a broken world, this will give children hope and parents comfort. VERDICT Like Kristina Evans's What's Special About Me, Mama? this also depicts a mother speaking to a child of color about his worth; a very timely story and a wonderful addition to school and public libraries.—Annmarie Braithwaite, New York P.L., New York City

Caldecott Honoree Collier's (Trombone Shorty) tender, close-up watercolor portraits of a growing Black boy give visual power to this celebration of young Black lives. In an author's note, Charles (Freedom Soup) writes about "The Big Talk"--words that every Black parent must speak to their child about discrimination and violence. Lyrical verse that aims to offer "a starting point for conversations about the racial climate in our country" underlines an important message: "you, dear child, matter." Beginning with his birth and a spread of the boy toddling into his mother's arms, text invokes his history and familial legacy: "you were dreamed of,/ like a knapsack/ full of wishes/ carried on the backs/ of your ancestors/ as they created/ empires,/ pyramids,/ legacies." As a schoolchild in a green T-shirt, he faces hurdles: academic efforts go unrewarded, classmates jeer, "another name is called:/ Trayvon,/ Tamir,/ Philando." Alongside these realities, Charles delivers a ringing affirmation of his life's meaning--"Did you know that... strength, power, and/ beauty lie within you?"--as Collier shows the boy straight on, surrounded by collaged images of his ancestry. Universal declarations are often illustrated with images of many children; this book's focus on a single child brings his experience and life--and the ways they matter--right up close. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)