Please welcome my friend and guest author today, Nancy Tupper Ling, with her list of Tiny But Mighty: Picture Books with a Big Heart and perhaps a Wee Message, Too! I’ve known and loved Nancy for years. I think we met at an author Book event a long time ago. I think it was Maria Gianferrari’s first book event at Newtonville Books a million years ago.

Since then, I’ve had the good fortune to bump into her often. I recruited her to join the Read Your World board, and she returned the favor by inviting me to join the Boston Authors’ Club board. A former librarian, she’s now a full-time author and bookseller at Blue Bunny Bookstore. She’s a kind, generous, and lovely person and her books all reflect that core essence. I’m excited for her newest book One Perfect Plan: The Big Bible Story in Tiny Poems. What a great way to learn about the Bible!

We are giving away 3 signed picture books, Tiny But Mighty, Farms for the Future, and All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow to one winner!

To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.

How about you? What are your favorite picture books with a big heart and a message? Thanks for sharing!

Many of us who’ve been in the world of picture books for some time have been instructed to write books “without a message,” or at least to avoid a didactic one. Still, stories for children, which may be tiny in terms of the words on the page, convey power-packed ideas that young readers can explore.

Here’s a list of ten books that invite readers into subjects like the gift of observation, adventures in nature, the death of a parent, and even the Bible. Certainly, wisdom can come in tiny but mighty packages.

Tiny But Mighty: Picture Books With a Big Heart and perhaps a wee message, too!

Just One Little Light by Kat Yeh, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault

The most excellent picture books allow readers to discover many levels of meaning within their pages. Just One Little Light is an example of this feat. The very first line says so much: “When you find yourself in the dark…. the deepest dark . . . the darkest dark . . . remind yourself you always have a light.” This thought will resonate with young and old. Reminiscent of a childhood song “This Little Light of Mine,” Yeh’s story asks what we will do with the light in our lives? How do we let it shine, even when the world seems to overwhelm us?  [picture book, age 4 and up]

In the Night Garden by Carin Berger

Another stunning Neal Porter Book has arrived, both lyrical and artistically. In this night garden, curiosity is encouraged. The young reader can lie in a garden of stars and cool grass alongside the main character, and observe its wonders that might be overlooked by those passing by. Here, a favorite quote by Mary Oliver…” To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work“ rings true. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

One Perfect Plan: The Big Bible Story in Tiny Poems by Nancy Tupper Ling, illustrated by Alina Chau

Tackling a topic as epic as the Bible is quite daunting. Ling did so through tiny poems. Each poem begins with the word “one,” showing how one action, one promise, one faith can be life-changing. Ideally, families can explore these stories in one sitting! [picture book, ages 4 and up]

This is a School by John Schu, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison

What is at the heart of a school? What gives a school vitality and creates a community? As a librarian and former ambassador of school libraries for Scholastic, Schu brings the joy of learning and interaction to this book, a giant “Welcome” to all students as they enter the doors of their new classroom. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! by Peter H. Reynolds with his son Henry Rocket Reynolds

Such whimsical characters, this father and son duo playfully challenge one another to uncover how strong their love is. Can they survive on love alone, plus a really soft pillow? Or might they need to toss in a few practical things like water, a roof, and even a toilet? In the end, it’s quite possible that love and the soft pillow will prevail. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Brave Like Mom by Monica Acker, illustrated by Paran Kim

It’s quite brave to present the topic of a parent dealing with a chronic disease, but Acker does so with great delicacy and aplomb. Here, a young girl is willing to be strong and brave as she watches her mother do the same when she’s battling the effects of her illness. For sure, being brave doesn’t mean that things in the night won’t be scary. But her desire to emulate her own mother’s strength perseveres. [picture book, ages 6 and up]

Enough Is by Jessica Whipple, illustrated by Nicole Wong

Within these pages, we discover a thought-provoking message about contentment and joy. Paired with Wong’s delightful illustrations, Enough Is explores the difference between want and need in a stirring yet simple way. “Somewhere between a little and a lot, there is Enough. It might be hard to spot, but it’s always there.” [picture book, ages 5 and up]

A Girl Can Build Anything by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Keisha Morris

By the time a young reader finishes this book, they’ll have their hammer, nails, and hard hat out and ready to build anything. This is definitely a feel-good story with a go-to-it kind of spirit. Still, projects can “crack” and “collapsel”. That’s all part of the process. It doesn’t stop STEM girls from building and designing anew. I’m sure the mechanical engineer in my family would have loved this by her bedside as a child. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Food for the Future by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng

Ever read a picture book where you’re learning as much as the child? This is that book! You’ll take a fascinating look into all kinds of sustainable farming options, from ancient methods of preserving food (like salt farms)  to newer possibilities (like rooftop gardens on landmarks) Told in rhyming couplets that are easy to remember, Wenjen’s book provides a thorough back matter section to learn more. Young readers are encouraged to think beyond the “norm,” and into the future. [picture book, age 4 and up]

A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

This is a story about grief on so many levels. Not only does the main character find a note from his father a week after his funeral, leading him on a journey through their cherished woods, but the illustrator Brian Pinkney experienced a similar odyssey after his own father, Jerry Pinkney, passed away. Brian created the illustrations for this book from the sketches his dad shared with Grimes. So too, when the young character follows the map in his father’s drawer, he rediscovers the very things in nature that brought them closer before. [picture book, age 4 and up]

3 Signed Book GIVEAWAY!: Tiny But Mighty, Farms for the Future, and All We Need is Love

We are giving away 3 signed picture books, Tiny But Mighty, Farms for the Future, and All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow to one winner! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nancy Tupper Ling is a children’s author, poet, bookseller, and librarian. Basically, she surrounds herself with books! Occasionally, she creates a few books of her own, including her latest, One Perfect Plan: The Bible’s Big Story In Tiny Poems, The Story I’ll Tell, Double Happiness, The Yin-Yang Sisters, My Sister, Alicia May, and For Every Little Thing with co-author, June Cotner. To learn more, check out her website and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, GoodReads and Pinterest. 

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My books:

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

• Junior Library Guild Gold selection
• Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
• Starred review from School Library Journal

 Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me

BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.

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