A young boy passes a painting of a hand on a wall in his neighbourhood and watches others placing their own hands against it. The act means something different for each of them: Ms Iris tells him it is a link to her home country; for Devin, it connects him to his older sister, who just left for college; for Savannah, it reminds her of her grandmother who passed away. The boy thinks of those who are on the other side of the mural, of loved ones lost or lonely or far away, and of his own mother, who is currently incarcerated. While he waits for her to come home, the hand is there to connect them to each other and remind them that they are not alone. Monumental, moving and hopeful, Place Hand Here is a masterful work that honours the way art and love are bridges between us.

Dad wakes early every morning before the sun, heading off to work at the bakery. He kneads, rolls and bakes, and as the sun rises and the world starts its day, Dad heads home to his young daughter. Together they play, read, garden and-most importantly-they bake. This lovely, resonant picture book was inspired by muralist Katie Yamasaki's work with formerly incarcerated people. With subtle, uncluttered storytelling amplified by her monumental and heartfelt paintings, she has created a powerful story of love, of family and of reclaiming a life with joy.

11th Street: it wasn't pretty, but it was home. Naomi spends her afternoons scooting down the streets and drawing with chalk on the pavement with her best friend Ada, getting a slice of pizza and visiting her neighbour Mr Ray at his car shop and dreaming of fantastic worlds within her own. But her beloved neighbourhood is changing. Trees are chopped down, flashy new buildings spring up and one by one Naomi's neighbours are forced to move away. Faced with the rapid transformation of her once-familiar city, Naomi turns to painting murals to preserve her favourite 11th Street memories. When something we love goes away we paint it on the wall so it's always with us, Mr Ray tells her and Naomi discovers that no matter how her world changes, as long as she has places and people to love, she will always have a home.

The world is full of so many different things: animals, plants, foods, languages, people. But it might not have been that way if it weren't for God's big plan . . . This vibrant picture book illuminates a new understanding of the story of Babel in Genesis, revealing God's plan for wonderful diversity throughout the world. God's Big Plan includes a note for parents and educators. God's Big Plan is a Junior Library Guild Selection.