PreS-Gr 1 Opening on a yard full of items for sale, this picture book tackles the difficult discussion of transitioning to a smaller home or apartment. Callie, whose family is having the sale, watches as people slowly pick their way and prod through her family's items and memories. A particular heart-wrenching moment comes as a woman offers five dollars instead of 10 for a headboard because it is covered in crayon marks. Callie reflects, "I wish I hadn't put the crayon marks on there. They were to show how many times I had read Goodnight Moon ." Several other small heartbreaks occur for Callie. Her bicycle is sold, she must explain to her best friend why she's leaving ("I don't know. It's something to do with money"), and she has to endure a well-intentioned woman asking, "Are you for sale?" While the topic is an extremely tough one, Bunting tackles it with her usual grace and poise. The clear and concise writing is a wonderful choice for the subject matter. The soft ink and watercolor illustrations with thick black lines portray the text excellently and without unnecessary additions. While the topic of moving is covered in a multitude of picture books, this one looks at it from a difficult perspective that most authors choose to avoid or gloss over. A vital purchase for collections everywhere. Brooke Newberry, La Crosse Public Library, WI

A young girl is bewildered by the activity in her front yard. Most of her family's belongings are being sold, and they will soon be moving from their house into a "small but nice" apartment in the city. Angered and upset when a man begins to take her bicycle, Callie listens as her father gently reminds her that there's no room in their new home to store a bike and no safe place to ride it on the busy street to which they're moving. The youngster vaguely understands that leaving her familiar surroundings has "something to do with money," but she finds it difficult to fully comprehend and to watch strangers buying their household items. Sturdy ink-and-watercolor illustrations reveal the neat tree-lined street the family is leaving and the dismay Callie displays at the upheaval in her world. At the end of the day, the girl is comforted knowing that, even though their home will be different, her close-knit family will remain the same. The story's focus on having to move due to reduced circumstances is a welcome addition to books about contemporary problems.

In this heartfelt story, Callie and her parents must move from their house into an apartment. Callie is bereft at their yard sale but ends up embracing the idea that the important things in life aren't things and that as long as they have one another, they'll be okay. Castillo's ink and watercolor illustrations employ soft line, warm colors, and close-ups of tender moments.