By Cyrisse Jaffee

Start the new year with this trio of books about the ups and downs of family life.

How to Grow a Family Tree by Bea Birdsong. Illustrations by Jasu Hu. Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2025.

Anything by Rebecca Stead. Illustrated by Gracey Zhang. Chronicle Books, 2025.

A Hatful of Dreams by Bob Graham. Candlewick Press, 2025.

Emmylou’s dilemma, in Bea Birdsong’s How to Grow a Family Tree, will resonate with many children who come from small or truncated families. Her class is working on family trees. Many of the children have stories to tell about their grandparents: Sofia makes enchiladas with her abuela; Eli’s zayde taught him how to ride a bike; Keisha has a big family with six brothers; and so on. Emmylou’s babysitter, Rosa, has twins. Lots of “silver-framed pictures” of relatives decorate Rosa’s house. But Emmylou’s family only has “two branches. Mama and me.” And when Emmylou tries to ask her mother questions, she is not forthcoming. She knows only her grandmother’s name, Louella. Her Mama won’t speak of Emmylou’s father or grandfather.

The sadness of not knowing about her family leaves Emmylou feeling lost and lonely. She wishes she could plant a new family tree—and then realizes that she is connected to a different kind of family: her friends and neighbors. “We stick together,” she tells the class, “tight, tight, tight, the way families do.”

The beautiful, full-page watercolor illustrations by Jasu Hu help bring depth and drama to the story. They perfectly capture Emmylou’s feelings, with cool blues expressing her sorrow and warm oranges and reds portraying the joys of being with her friends and neighbors. This book will help children in early elementary school reflect on the meaning of family, the differences among families, and the importance of empathy for others.

The little girl in Anything by Newbery Medal winner Rebecca Stead would understand Emmylou’s desire for family. It’s her birthday and she has chocolate cake, but “something was wrong.” She and her dad have just moved into a new apartment, but it feels empty and unfriendly. There is a sense that the two of them have left a cheerier and bigger home behind. To comfort her, the father tells her she can have three wishes for “Anything.”

Several “secret” wishes are unfulfilled—the apartment still smells like paint and the nearby playground slide remains too tall. However, her first “Anything” wish—for a rainbow—results in her father painting one on her bedroom wall. Her second “Anything” wish for pizza is satisfied, as is her third “Anything” wish. But a big, secret wish—to go back to her former home—spills out as a fourth “Anything” wish. A long piggyback ride on her father’s back around the apartment finally makes her feel more comfortable. Her father reassures her, “I will be carrying you for a long time still.”

Change is hard for everyone. One of the hardest changes to adjust to is a new living situation. Kids especially can feel lost and scared. This is a sensitive and multi-layered exploration of the experience, subtle but also evocative. In addition to being a great conversation-starter about the feelings kids may have about changes, large and small, this is also a wonderful portrayal of a father-daughter bond. The father’s patience and understanding in really listening to his daughter is touching; his creative solutions demonstrate his love and devotion.

The lovely, and often lively, pen and gouache illustrations on the oversize pages convey action, emotion, and a sense of place with just a few strokes and a strong use of color. The characters are appealing and easy to relate to. There’s lots of white space left on most of the pages, which make ideal pause points to contemplate what is happening in the story (preschoolers may need some additional explanation) and then talk about it.

The Andersons’ house in Bob Graham’s A Hatful of Dreams is the opposite of a sparse new apartment. It’s messy and noisy, bustling with warmth, activity, and fun. The last house standing on Five Mile Road, it’s a comfy home to three kids, their parents, and Grandad, who has “a pocketful of treats and a hatful of secrets.” What exactly is under his hat? “I keep my magic up there,” he says, “…a few dreams and secrets.” He then proceeds to tell some tall tales and silly stories, entertaining all with a song on his guitar. The kids laugh and tease him, all part of this multiracial, multigenerational, happy family.

But lo and behold, when Grandpa lifts his hat up there’s magic indeed—a “galaxy of stars. Planets, black holes, and clusters, and the whole Milky Way.” It spreads across the sky, lighting the way with potent moonlight. Magically, when daylight comes, the street has come alive once more, with new neighbors and new possibilities.

Illustrated in Graham’s typically joyful, colorful style, this is a book filled with hope and optimism. Can one man’s spirit really bring a derelict neighborhood back? Don’t question the premise too deeply. Instead, enjoy the fantasy, as kids delight in the small, homey details, the magical ending, and the very likeable Andersons.

Cyrisse Jaffee is a former children’s and YA librarian, children’s book editor, and a creator of educational materials for WGBH. She holds a master’s degree in Library Science from Simmons College and lives in Newton, MA.