Thank You, Teacher!

In a series of collaged images and lightly rhyming stanzas, a child with light brown skin reflects on how teachers create a caring learning community. “This year, you’ve helped me feel seen,” begins the child, as two teachers share books with a class. Successive vignettes that play off one another (“Days when we felt brave.// And days with cold feet”) cover everything from field trip “adventures” to playground conflicts. The narrator acknowledges that even when students were a handful (“There were times when no one listened/ and when everyone talked”), the adults tirelessly modeled positive behaviors while making sure the kids made their way through elementary school fundamentals. Kelkar (And Yet You Shine) uses the same straight-on, wide-frame composition style for most of the jewel-tone images, imbuing each with a dimensionality that lends a sense of immediacy and a lovingly handcrafted feel. It’s an unabashedly heart-on-your-sleeve tribute to the remarkable, hardworking teachers who define transformational chapters in children’s lives. Characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. A letter from the author concludes. Ages 4–8. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)