By Susan Faust From Russia with anxiety

Be Prepared

How does a Russian-born girl fit into American life? Fitfully, in this bittersweet graphic memoir about loneliness and belonging. Busy pages, filled with comic-book cells, capture humor and pathos as 9-year-old Vera, still flat as a board, first tries to befriend the rich girls at school and then at a Russian scouting camp that teaches young immigrants about “the culture their families left behind.” Songs, foods, the Orthodox Church, language and history figure in. One history lesson especially resonates: “Russians are bred for suffering.” Vera is suffering with mean-girl tentmates and no running water, electricity or friends. Needed: A soul mate. The black, white and khaki palette is woodsy, with energy and emotion in dynamic drawings. Vera’s bug-eyed glasses see and say it all. So, from her experience emerges a transferable truth about the transformative power of friendship.

Vernon Is on His Way

Quintessentially droll. That’s how to describe this threechapter picture book, amusing in its wry restraint. First encountered in “A Home for Bird,” Vernon (a frog), Skunk and Porcupine return for delightful non-adventures. (Bird is absent.) In “Waiting,” Vernon just waits and waits for something. Finally: Snail arrives to give him a ride! In “Fishing,” the trio glories in a nice day and the prospect of fishing, whatever that entails. Finally, in “Gardening,” Vernon misses his old friend Bird, and the others step up with comfort. Distinctly spare on spacious white, the opening pages establish an unhurried pace, while gouache and chalk drawings build up plenty of detail to pique curiosity: a butterfly, flowers, fishing buoy, kite, old boot, old can and the changing clouds. Kindness, memories and gratitude permeate this sweet tale, perfect for little listeners and emergent readers alike.

Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams

Straight out of Compton. That’s where two tennis phenoms got their start, and it wasn’t a straight shot. This inspiring picture biography covers the sisters’ trajectory from child play to world champs — sweeping broken glass from their first courts, cross-training that included ballet (grace!), tournaments beyond their hood, and the professional circuit, first in doubles and then as singles and rivals. Serena and Venus ultimately rank one and two at the 2002 French Open. (The afterword gives updates.) Well-documented is their father’s ambition and their many difficulties: no professional coaches, little money for travel, local gang violence, health issues and being different: “Long-legged, brown-skinned, beaded cornrowed sisters stood out in a sea of white tennis attire, white fans, and white opponents.” Bold mixed-media art lovingly captures both action and emotion, portraits and crowd scenes, individual determination and sisterly devotion.

Drawn Together

Music is the universal language, but not the only one, according to this upbeat picture book about communication, connection and common ground. The problem: A mother drops her son off at Grandpa’s house. The elderly man speaks only Thai and his grandson, only English. They don’t like the same foods or TV shows. Can the cultural chasm be bridged? The solution: With the boy’s markers and Grandpa’s sketchbook, the two begin to draw. “All the things we could never say come pouring out,” reports the boy. Here a Caldecott Medalist gives both young and old distinctive style, the brightly colored superhero and finely detailed traditional warrior, of course, stand-ins. Light on text, the plot is carried forward in warm digital art that speaks to the challenges within immigrant families and the power of story to bring generations together.

Amal Unbound

Modern slavery is central in this affecting novel about a Punjabi girl, fallen into indentured servitude. Amal defies the local rich guy, owed money by her father, and finds herself working to repay debt. Her dream of becoming a teacher is fading fast. A Pakistani American author skillfully incorporates village norms — the cultural preference for boy babies, the economic struggle to get by, and the traditional pressures on girls to help at home and then marry. No schooling, but dowry required. Amal develops as a strong character within her own family and the Khans’ walled estate, where she encounters gossip and jealousy, some sympathy but harsh demands, and ultimately mass corruption. Her ability to read helps upend the status quo. With an ending happier than for many real-life girls, this thoughtprovoking tale artfully exposes issues of class, gender and social injustice.

Look

Kids will swoon over this clever game of a picture book. The one rule: Only words that contain the letter pair “oo” are used. Oh, and those “o’s” are used both verbally and visually. From “cock-a-doodle-doo” to “moon,” a brother and sister move through a day, featuring a trip to the zoo. Thirty single words make for a concise, cohesive narrative. Look for kangaroo, bamboo, shampoo, bloom and balloon, such words also finding their way into whimsical illustrations. Those double “o’s” do double duty — not only for phonetic purpose but also artistic. Two sunny-side-up eggs go in the middle of “food.” Car tires go in the middle of “zoom.” It all seems so effortless, and that’s because it is all so well done — the concept, word choice and art virtually seamless. Unstated invitation: Write your own story with your own rule. Cool!

Susan Faust is a member of the Association for Library Service to Children, most recently serving on the 2018 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award selection committee. She was a librarian at Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco for 33 years. Email: books@sfchronicle.com