All Kinds of Special

by Tammi Sauer (Author) Fernando Martin (Illustrator)

All Kinds of Special
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

For fans of Home Is Where the Birds Sing and Me & Mama, this tenderhearted picture book follows a little girl's journey to make her new house a home, one mango at a time.

Mia and her mama used to live in an apartment with just a few windows that was part of a big building with lots of other people. Now, they've moved to a house that has eleven windows, a yard, and a mango tree. Mia misses her old home, but the special mango tree captures her curiosity and sets her on a sweet voyage of discovery. As more and more mangos appear on the tree, bringing the neighborhood together, Mia sees how treasuring and sharing the good that comes into your life can lead to new connections and community.

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Hardcover
$18.99

Publishers Weekly

After moving from an apartment, narrator Mia's new home is "A house! Five rooms. Eleven windows. And a whole lot of promise," Sauer writes. Because "a house has been Mama's dream for so long," living there has grown into Mia's dream too. And since it comes with a yard and a mango tree, the child anticipates picking that first ripe fruit--an act that results in sharing the mangos with neighbors, portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. In Martin's bright-hued illustrations, planes of tropical colors mimic textured gouache as light-brown-skinned Mia wears a Band-Aid on their chin, and darker-skinned Mama sports red spectacles. The child's delight at the new home--and creative way of making sure "all kinds of special" distinguish the family's new life there--is the theme of this neighborly picture book about a first house and how its bounty creates a new community. Age 4-8. (May)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"The light and optimistic story and the vibrant artwork complement each other smoothly.... The book will have readers considering what it means to forge new connections. A sweet and refreshing reminder that community is all around us."—Kirkus Reviews "2/15/23"
Tammi Sauer
Tammi Sauer is the author of the bestselling Chicken Dance, Bawk & Roll, and The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oklahoma (all Sterling). Shes an active blogger (tammisauer.com) and is highly involved in the childrens writer community. Tammi has worked as a teacher and library media specialist and now lives in Edmond, OK, with her husband and their two children. Mike Reed teaches illustration at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, MN, and his many childrens books include Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms (Puffin Books), A Tale of Two Dogs (Marshall Cavendish), and A Chill in the Air (Simon and Schuster). He is also a regular contributor to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Mike lives in Minneapolis, MN.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781534496033
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date
May 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV039070 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Homelessness & Poverty
JUV013090 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Alternative Family
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Neighborliness
Trees
Sharing
Mango

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