Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia WenJen and Violeta Encarnacion. - ADVISABLE

Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia WenJen and Violeta Encarnacion. PICTURE BOOK. Red Comet Press, 2026. $20. 9781636551920

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL; MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

The stories of two little girls separated by decades, both of whom are incarcerated by barbed wire.

WenJen and Encarnacion share the story of Fort Sill, Oklahoma - site of Japanese imprisonment during WWII and immigrant child imprisonment in 2014 - using reverso poetry and a stark color palette. In communities affected by recent detainments, the book could be helpful for children still processing.  I see the most value in secondary schools as a way to foster conversation about immigration - especially as the backmatter talks about the Japanese experience and the lies told by the US government. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

I, Rock: a Geology Tale by Katie Slivensky and Steph Stilwell - ADVISABLE

I, Rock: a Geology Tale by Katie Slivensky and Steph Stilwell. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane (Simon), 2025. $20. 9781665940368

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Rock teaches us not just about the different kinds of rocks and crystals, but also takes us through his own millenial long journey - through earth’s mantle to the crust and through different phases of its existence. 

90% of Slivensky’s book is excellent - it is 100% interesting to look at and very clear and engaging. My Earth Science teachers (7th grade) did have a couple of little problems - early on (1.8 billion years) it shows the continents and the plates as we know them today. Several pages later (325 million years) it shows a supercontinent, which we assume is Pangea; we feel it would have been clearer if those two things were reversed. The other detail was the page showing, as it said, erosion - the little rock rolling down the hill. The teachers had a great debate about whether the definition is actual for weathering, not erosion - but the rock bouncing is showing erosion. That’s my teachers’ two cents. Otherwise, they still want to the book so that they can use it in their teaching.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Rock by Rock by Jennifer Bradbury and Sam Broughton - ADVISABLE

 Rock by Rock: The Fantastical Garden of Nek Chand by Jennifer Bradbury, illustrated by Sam Broughton. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Atheneum (Simon), 2021. $18. 9781481481823 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Nek Chand was displaced when India and Pakistan were divided. He relocated to Chandigarh, got a job, and got married. But he still missed his jungles. After work he disappears into the jungles around his city, brings rocks, cement, and discarded bits with him, eventually creating a wonder of tunnels, figures, animals, walls. When the city discovers his garden, some want to tear it down. But many people take a stand to support him. Even though Chand is gone, his wonders still remain for the whole world to enjoy. 

If you want to read more about Nek Chand, you can read the novel Bradbury wrote and another picture book by Barb Rosenstock. It will fuel dreams of trips to India to see the wonders for yourself. Broughton’s illustrations enhance the magic. For classroom support, there a lot of photos of Chand’s work available online – it is a major tourist site. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS