Books like Lubna and Pebble
By Wendy Meddour
For the child who has one object they can't sleep without, this is a gentle way into a hard, real subject: what it means to be far from home. Tender, quiet, hopeful even in hardship.
A lion finds an injured bird in his garden after its flock flies south without it, and quietly takes it in, tending to it through the changing seasons.
A tree loves a boy so completely that she gives him her apples, her branches, and finally her trunk, asking nothing in return as he grows old.
A picture book biography of the Persian poet Rumi, following him from a boy enchanted by birds and books to a scholar whose grief over losing his best friend Shams led him to his greatest teaching: that love is in us and everywhere.
A gentle guide to love in all its forms — a child learns to pause, put a hand on their heart, and listen for compassion even when fear, anger, or sadness storms inside.
A lonely little girl finds a star that has fallen out of the sky and becomes its friend, but when the star grows sick, she must decide whether to let it go home.
A shy mountain boy walks miles to a village school each day and is shunned as an outcast for years — until a new teacher, Mr. Isobe, finally notices what makes him remarkable.
An old woman is too busy sweeping her house to join the three kings on their journey to find the Christ child — and has searched for Him every Christmas since.
As night falls and the woods grow cold, a big bear loses his way on a crooked trail — so his friends take to the sky and ground until they find him and bring him safely home.
A tiny snail longing to see the world hitches a ride on a humpback whale's tail, and together they sail to icebergs and volcanoes — until the whale gets stranded and needs the smallest friend to save her.
A baby clown bounces off the circus train and lands in a lonely farmer's empty field, and the two unlikely companions spend a day together before the clown must find his way home.
A generous Scotsman living in a tiny house with his family of twelve invites every weary traveler passing by on a stormy night inside, insisting there's always room for one more.
A poor boy joins the procession of gift-bearers traveling to Bethlehem, and with no treasure to offer the newborn Christ Child, he plays the only gift he has: a song on his drum.
