With so many children's books in the world, how do we determine which ones are the best? Here are some of the top qualities of the books I hand to my students.

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• A storyline that follows a quick yet leisurely pace, keeping the reader's attention

• Characters that challenge the reader and encourage us to reflect on what it means to be our best self

• Beautiful illustrations or cover art that also leave something to the imagination

• Stories that offer an image of a home, place in time, or circumstance that is different than our own

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