Dear Street

March 15, 2023
A love letter to the quotidian. Young Alice adores her neighborhood. When she sees a neighbor in a bad mood due to a road closure, she writes a letter to the street praising it for its "tall maple trees and marigolds that look like pom-poms" and leaves it for someone to find. Her new tradition continues throughout the seasons. In the summer, she overhears people complaining about the park being too crowded and noisy, so she writes the park a letter. In autumn, she writes to the maple tree and in winter to the snow, each time brightening the moods of those who happen upon her letters. When spring arrives, Alice is the one having a grumpy day, but she finds her spirits lifted by a letter to the crocuses left by someone else. Zier-Vogel's prose is straightforward and uplifting, and Bonne-M�ller's bright illustrations, created with acrylic, pencil, and crayon, rely on a well-paced variety of spot art and spreads, depict a charming, idyllic neighborhood. While the story is somewhat quiet, the author's note will inspire mindfulness and appreciation--Zier-Vogel describes the Love Lettering Project, which she created in 2004 and which invites people to hide love letters to places in their community for others to find. Alice has peach-colored skin and straight brown hair; her neighborhood is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Gentle encouragement to cultivate mindfulness that leads by example. (Picture book. 3-8)

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July 24, 2023
A girl’s inventive method of celebrating her neighborhood has a domino effect in Zier-Vogel’s affectionate picture book debut. Leaning over the flower box outside an upper-story window, pigtailed Alice, portrayed with pink skin, observes the cheerful homes on her street—and one sour-faced neighbor grumbling over repair-related construction delays. The reaction inspires her to write a letter addressed “Dear Street,” praising “your tall maple trees and your marigolds that look like pom-poms,” which she tucks into the roadworks sign for another neighbor to find. This act launches a campaign of seasonal missives that others discover to their delight. Bonne-Müller’s crisply worked acrylic, pencil, and crayon artwork invites lingering explorations of the tree-lined street and neighborhood residents, who are portrayed with varying skin tones and rosy cheeks. An author’s note details the book’s inspiration. Ages 3–7.