Robot, Unicorn, Queen: Poems for You and Me

K-Gr 3–Inspired in part by her son and other children at a local school, Bramer explores childhood with its ups and downs, silly nonsense, and heartache. This series of poems runs the gamut of topics, from lice and talking toads to singing moms and feeling lonely because other kids said they didn’t want to play. Each offers rich vocabulary and depth, and at times the poems can feel a little heavy. However, children are no strangers to leaden emotions, and these honor young readers’ intellect and the insightfulness of youth. Accompanying each poem is a stunning illustration from Luxbacher that uses a mix of watercolor and collage. The images are bright and soft, evocative of playfulness, and simultaneously hazy like a warm memory. Children from marginalized backgrounds are depicted throughout, adding to the universality of themes about growing up.