Angie Lucas

Rafael is finally old enough to visit the supermarket without having to ride in the shopping cart. He promises Mama he will stay by her side, and for a while, he does . . . especially when tasting samples from the Cookie Man. But after a bouncing berry lures him away, Rafa wanders into a sea of unfamiliar legs. Will he ever find his way back to Mama? Rafa and the Wrong Legs is a sweet, clever, and wise story that every parent and curious child will recognize as their own. A special Q&A at the end contains expert advice about what to do should your own little Rafa ramble off in a public place.

My Big Embarrassing Elephant is a clever and funny picture book about how one girl goes about hiding a very literal elephant in the room, only to discover she may not need to disguise it at all. Maya and her family have a problem. They try ignoring it, dancing around it, even sweeping it under the rug. Yet the elephant in the room remains. And Maya is at her wit's end figuring out how to hide it from everyone. Then a new friend moves in next door, and Maya begins wondering if there might be a better way to deal with the whole situation?Angie Lucas's clever story about friendship in the face of overwhelming problems is given hilarious life by Sesame Street character designer Pierre Collet-Derby. A fun read-aloud for story time, bedtime, and anytime.This empathetic and kid-friendly story is perfect for teaching lessons about how to deal with embarrassment.Readers who like other compassionate books about social emotional learning, like The Rabbit Listened, by Cori Doerrfeld, The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig or Who Wet My Pants by Bob Shea will love My Big Embarrassing Elephant.

When a young boy loses his mother, an invisible dragon swoops in and perches on top of his head. A most unwelcome guest, the dragon follows him to school, sleeps on his chest at night (making it hard for him to breathe), and even crashes his birthday party. As the boy comes to terms with his mother’s death, however, his relationship with the dragon changes in surprising ways. My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon is a story for children dealing with loss, particularly the death of a parent. Although grief is a heavy topic, Angie Lucas and Birgitta Sif handle it deftly for children, using the metaphor of the dragon, a light tone, and touches of humor. The book shows that healing takes time and that it’s OK to experience a wide range of emotions as you process a really big loss.