Susan Faust Road to independence

The Bridge Home

By Padma Venkatraman

(Nancy Paulsen Books; 196 pages; $16.99; ages 10-up)

To escape an abusive father, two sisters run away to the streets of Chennai. Thus begins this unflinching and affecting novel about a layer of Indian childhood shaped by the harsh realities of caste, gender and poverty. The caring 11-year-old Viji and her intellectually challenged sister, Rukku, must figure out how to survive. They sleep under a crumbling bridge, beg for work and bits of food, glean from “Himalayas of rubbish” for money and make friends with two homeless boys, street-smart and kind. Add a stray dog to make their “family.” Small triumphs and enormous trials are recorded in the form of a cathartic letter written by Viji to Rukku, their growing independence having been thwarted when almost inevitable tragedy strikes. Love and loss, desperation and dreams collide in this beautifully rendered tale, both harrowing and heartening.

Knights vs. Dinosaurs

By Matt Phelan

(Greenwillow; 160 pages; $16.99; ages 8-12)

Four knights and a squire take on assorted dinosaurs in a farcical time travel, heavily illustrated with action-packed ink drawings and comics. Attention hard-sell readers. The setup is simple: King Arthur’s Camelot is peaceful, leaving his knights to spar among themselves and boast about imaginary exploits. Enter Sir Elec, claiming to have killed 40 dragons, and that whopper prompts Merlin to send him on a Terrible Lizard chase. Thus, the crazy quest begins. A mysterious book, fearsome battles, close calls, retreats, bags of weapons, bumbling and secret identities figure into the mix. (Two guys aren’t guys.) Check out the dinosaur guide, too. Satire amps up the fun, especially concerning courtly language and manners. Embedded in this romp are three timely life lessons: Good deeds have no need of exaggeration; teamwork makes the impossible possible; and “be whoever you wish to be.”

The Rough Patch

By Brian Lies

(Greenwillow; 40 pages; $17.99; ages 4-8)

Loss qualifies as a rough patch in this elegant, empathic picture book about Farmer Evan, a fox, and his BFF, a dog. Lush multimedia paintings show how they do everything together — play games, lick ice cream, share music and work a glorious garden. Then, sadly, the “unthinkable” happens. On a stunning white spread, Fox leans over his stilled friend. Heartbreak is palpable. Weight is not so much on what death means as on how grief unfolds, stage by stage, Elizabeth Kübler Ross style. The expressive Fox shuts himself away, hacks his garden to bits, and prunes recurring plants into scary shapes. It’s a prickly pumpkin vine that finally drives a reset. For kids and their grown-ups alike, whether dealing with loss or not, this reassuring Caldecott Honor book opens conversation and validates powerful feelings — anger and depression, acceptance and renewal. Martin & Anne: The Kindred Spirits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank

By Nancy Churnin; illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg (Creston; 32 pages; $17.99; ages 8-14)

What connects these 20th century icons? This thought-provoking book squarely connects racism and anti-Semitism and the many dots of shared experience. Born in 1929, both face government-sanctioned oppression, King as an African American in the South and Anne being Jewish in Nazi Germany and then occupied Holland. Flat, pensive art shows how they are banned from public schools and accommodations but also how they counter oppression with hope — in King’s marches and speeches and in Anne’s “Dear Kitty” diary. (Even more could have been said about their famed words that serve such grand purpose.) The victimization of Jim Crow and genocide is not overlooked or overplayed. With foresight, the emphasis is on recognizing and resisting the threat of bigotry in all its forms and in nurturing the bonds of our common humanity.

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot’s World War II Story

By Marc Tyler Nobleman; illustrated by Melissa Iwai (Clarion; 40 pages; $17.99; ages 6-9)

Despite standard propaganda, Japan actually did bomb the United States mainland early in the war. That true but largely unknown event is the remarkable subject for a quietly illustrated, ironically named history. (Reference: the film “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”) Nine months after Pearl Harbor, a Japanese airman from a stealthy, offshore sub bombs a forest in Oregon. The goal: to cause a catastrophic forest fire. Too damp. He tries again. Same result. Fortunate indeed, especially for a surprising reason. Twenty years later, looking to boost tourism, the nearby town of Brookings tracks down that airman and invites him to visit. The reluctant Nobuo Fujita accepts, his war pride now shriveled to guilt. He wants to apologize and make amends. Henceforth, until his death in 1997, Fujito promotes cultural exchanges to pursue the reconciliation so beautifully recalled in this illustrative account.

Titanosaur: Discovering the World’s Largest Dinosaur

By José Luis Carballido and Diego Pol; illustrated by Florencia Gigena

(Orchard; 40 pages; $18.99; ages 6-9)

In an age of superlatives, check out the newest “largest” dinosaur ever. This thrilling science book recounts the story of how a gaucho finds an oversized “something” in the desert and contacts experts at the nearby MEF Museum of Patagonia. Turns out to be a femur. Lead paleontologists and authors Carballido and Pol go on to supervise an urgent dig to unearth hundreds of bones before winter sets in. The reconstructed skeleton suggests a creature weighing 70 tons and stretching 122 feet, aptly named Titanosaur! Throughout, information-rich sidebars explain terms like “replica” and “research.” Grand watercolors, color photos and a dramatic fold-out augment lively storytelling, but missing is easy reference to exact time and place. Still, dinosaur fans will surely be drawn to a story of fresh discovery and inspired by the way science works to expand knowledge and understanding.

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