Welcome to Litsy!

This picture book, published in 2025, uses soft lines, warm colors, and gentle textures to reflect the story's emotional depth and nostalgia. The illustrator's use of space and the feeling of love that radiates around her is very impactful.

I think this book could be great for any elementary Classrooms. I think it could be relatable for a lot of students especially during big transitions in their lives.

“In every bite, she tasted a place she couldn't return to - but never truly left.“

This Caldecott award winning book captures the feelings of a little girl going to her first week of school in the USA. This book highlights the challenges she faces with the language barrier, and how the food in her lunch box has reminded her of the comfort of home. I would use this book to talk about the emotions we may feel in a new place, and create conversations about how we can help each other feel more comfortable in our new classroom.

This picture book is a Caldecott Honor featuring a little girl immigrating to the USA from Hon Kong. The illustrator uses color to captivate the emotion of the book, you can see how the vibrancy of the book is greater at the end when Jun begins to enjoy her time at school with new friends. The illustrator uses shapes to captivate the love and comfort Jun feels from the food in her lunchbox when everything else around her feel unfamiliar.

“Thank...you, Rose, Juan, and Dan...iel!“

This book could help inspire a discussion about identity and culture. We can discuss how June's food and home in Hong Kong make her proud. This could then lead to discussing what makes the students proud.

“Thank…you, Rose, Juan, Dani…el!”

Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo is a picture book published in 2024. It was the Caldecott Honor Book for 2025. The illustrations in the story help create lots of meaning. When June opens her lunchbox, the illustrator decides to use warm colors to emphasize a feeling of comfort while the background (where June feels out of place) is cool. Also, the illustrator added great detail to June's face to clearly convey the emotions she is feeling.