13 stories about Ayana

13 Stories about Ayana is so charming and simple that it's disarming. Each vignette--neatly, numerically titled--contains whimsy and humor and is entirely self-contained, yet surprisingly each is subtly connected to another. Readers get to trot alongside Ayana as she goes about her days waking up backwards, buying a hamster, riding the bus with her mother to the end of the line just to see what's there, giving the hamster a bath, spending time with Harris and his family. The stories vary in length from a page or two to a single sentence, and all require lingering with the illustrations, which provide the details to establish Ayana's life in a city where gardens are shared in a community lot and al fresco meals take place on a rooftop. Astute readers will appreciate the passage of time marked by the planting and harvesting of zucchini, every part of which is ultimately cooked and eaten. A thoroughly delightful book to be read over and over.

PreS-Gr 1--Fans of 13 Stories About Harris will be delighted by Schwartz's return, with another set of short stories following the everyday adventures of a city-dwelling child. This time, Harris's friend Ayana is the star of the show. Lively vignettes form a warm and wonderful portrait of Black joy as Ayana's parents encourage discovery, responsibility, and community through activities, such as riding a bus, just to see what's at the end of the line, bringing home a pet hamster, and participating in their neighborhood block party. There is a comfortable rhythm to the narrative and a clear connection between many of the stories, rewarding readers who pay close attention. The passage of time is marked by Ayana and her family repeatedly tending their community garden where Ayana plants zucchini seeds and learns how they grow. Ayana's 13 stories reach a satisfying conclusion when her family hosts Harris's family for a lovely zucchini-based dinner party, affirming the sweet and steady friendship from the first book. VERDICT The very definition of a cozy picture book and a first purchase; with charmingly brief prose and illustrations that interact playfully with the text, Ayana's 13 stories add up to a delightful experience for readers of all ages.--Allison Tran