While I am still trying to clean up my older reader copies from my online list, I have found a few new ones as well. And the below tiles came out earlier in 2023, which I read via online reader copy. And both are fun books that fit today’s themes with diverse characters and a single parent.
Do you like to ice skate? Wei in Wei Skates On really likes it. In fact, so much they started as a toddler and by almost double numbers is in an important competition. But the nerves get to him, and he starts making mistakes. He realizes he’s afraid, but what can he do about that? Enter one heck of a mom and some good advice. Based on Nathan Chen’s own experiences, this is a sweet book about anxiety and the pitfalls of trying to win at the expense of having fun. The fun comes alive with the illustrations of Lorraine Nam. They are colorful, a bit “cartoon-like” but not cartoonish, and show the world of the rink in minimalistic but what is needed details. The big takeaway is that they are colorful (I know I said that earlier, but that needs to be repeated).
What is your relationship with your Pop? In Pop’s Perfect Present we have a young girl who thinks her Pop is Tops! Her Pop mops up the competition! Her Pop doesn’t stop! And to celebrate this awesome man, she must find the most perfect, awesome present ever. And the antics, of course, ensue. Corey Finkle tells us the love story of a father and daughter, and how the real prize was beside him all along. The illustrations of Lenny Wen have a Dan Santat-look to them. The colors are deep, colorful and things can be busy, but not necessarily crowded. They are cartoon-like without being cartoonish. The tone of the story reminds me of Busy Betty by Reese Witherspoon, a child who is rambunctious, to say the least, but seems to have a big heart. 
