Moving house is such a difficult transition for adults and kids, so when I found two recent picture books about moving, I just had to pair them!
Ella Who?
Author: Linda Ashman
Illustrator: Sara Sanchez
Publisher/Date: Sterling Children’s Books/2017
Ages: 4-8
Themes: moving, making friends
Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Mom . . . there’s an elephant in the living room.
It’s moving day—and look who slipped in the door: an elephant! But when a little girl tries to tell her family about their unusual guest, the distracted grown-ups just say, “Ella WHO?” Even as children giggle at the girl’s adventures with the smallish pachyderm, and at the fun, recurring refrain, they’ll relate to the poignant theme about making—and sometimes letting go of—new friends.
Read a review at Gathering Books.
Wallpaper
Author & Illustrator: Thao Lam
Publisher/Date: Owlkids Books, a division of Bayard, Canada/2018
Ages: 3-7
Themes: moving, making friends, fantasy, courage
Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
New from the creator of Skunk on a String comes Wallpaper, a wordless picture book in Thao Lam’s signature paper collage style. It tells the story of a young girl whose family moves into a new house. Outside, she can hear other kids playing, but she’s too shy to say hello. So she picks at the old wallpaper in her room―revealing an entryway to a fantastic imaginary adventure world behind the walls.
Read my review.
I paired these books because they both feature main characters who are in the process of moving into a new home. In Ella Who? the unnamed main character finds a baby elephant among the boxes and potted plants, but her family is unable to see this new friend. In the wordless Wallpaper, the unnamed main character uncovers worlds hiding beneath the wallpaper in her new bedroom. Both books address the desire of children who have recently moved to find friendship in their new neighborhoods with fantasy and fun.
Wander, Ponder, Write 