self-love, feelings galore, and pool floaties

Who I Am by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds (Picture Book)

A beautiful, self-affirming book that encourages us to stand up to the sometimes unkind voice in our heads. It's slightly wordy, but written as straightforward as possible with little fluff to clutter up the important message. The cover radiates such warmth and self-love, you won't be able to resist peeking at all the illustrations before you even read the book.

Sometimes I Cry by Jess Townes and illustrated by Daniel Miyares (Picture Book)

Wow, what an outstanding way to talk about feelings and acceptance of feelings. The illustrations are soulful, earnest, and tender. The details of the child's life are rich and complex, and the tears don't always solely belong to him but are sometimes shared with his loved ones. And the language is simple and poetic: "Sometimes my feelings fill me up like a water balloon that stretches and stretches and stretches until I think I might burst but when I let my tears out my feelings fit perfectly inside my body all my feelings together and I know it's okay that sometimes I cry."

Pool Party by Amy Duchêne and illustrated by Elisa Parhad (Picture Book)

It's November in Kansas, so naturally I find the perfect summer storytime book! The rhyming text is a blast to read and there's just the right amount of it. You can feel the sunshine and smell the chorine radiating from the exuberant and beautiful illustrations. And there are pool floaties galore! This book invites so many fun conversations - what makes the best floatie? What's your favorite floatie in this book? What's your favorite pool activity?