(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ken Min. Sammy's epic bad day is followed by loneliness when, preoccupied by autistic brother Benji's moods, his family barely notices. But Benji does notice, and he reaches out to his big brother in his own special way. The spare text and sweeping acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations capture the emotions of both an autistic child and his sometimes-overlooked sibling. A spot-on and heartwarming snapshot of sibling connection.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin. Charlie's widower father returns from Afghanistan with a brain injury and is sent to a specialist in Virginia, while Charlie and siblings travel with mysterious new family friend Ludmila from California. Traveling is hard for Charlie, who seems to have OCD and autism, but at least he can watch for birds on his and Dad's "Someday" list. Pla captures a three-dimensional family through Charlie's unique voice.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer