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Display: Express Yourself

The Concrete Garden
By Bob Graham
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book.

After a long, cold winter, doors finally open, and children spill out like candies from a box. Amanda is the last one out of the apartment building, with a carton of chalk in her hands. On every inch of the pavement outside, the children draw pictures of flowers and trees, mushrooms and snails, and a few very unexpected things. It's a concrete garden. Their creativity, unfettered in the open air, brings something beautiful, something hopeful, to the residents there, and to many more across the globe. -- Publisher.

The Art Lesson
By Tomie DePaola
New York: Putnam, 1989. Picture Book.

Having learned to be creative in drawing pictures at home, young Tommy is dismayed when he goes to school and finds the art lesson there much more regimented. --Editor

Written by Matthew Burgess
Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2021. Picture Book.

A new boy nicknamed Bird Boy by teasing classmates enjoys imaginative flights as various birds, gaining self-confidence and new friends. --Editor

By Andrea Pippins
New York: Random House Studio, 2024. Picture Book.

A young girl unleashes her inner spark and expresses her creativity and uniqueness during Carnival's lively atmosphere. This jubilant picture book filled with powerful affirmations celebrates the beautiful magic that makes each of us special. --Editor

By Divya Srinivasan
New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021. Picture Book.

A young narrator describes herself as many things at the same time - a girl, a granddaughter, Indian, American, both selfish and generous, mean and kind - and these seeming contradictions are precisely what makes her a unique individual. --Editor

How Do You Dance?
By Thyra Heder
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2019. Picture Book.

There are so many ways to dance! You can jiggle or wiggle or stomp. You can bop or bounce or go completely nuts. You can dance at the market or the bus stop, with your fingers or your face. In How Do You Dance?, author-illustrator Thyra Heder explores dance in all of its creativity, humor, and--most of all--joy. -- Publisher 

Written and Illustrated by Chris Gorman
New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018. Picture Book.

A boy who enjoys being different due to his love of punk-rock music, the way he dresses, and more, discovers other one-of-a-kind people who take away his loneliness. --Editor

Written by Jonathan Van Ness
Illustrated by Kamala Nair
New York: Flamingo Books, 2024. Picture Book.

A celebration of individuality, self love, and everything that makes us exceptional. --Editor

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