The librarians at the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, part of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have included 257 books for young readers on the CCBC Choices list for 2021, and I’m so proud to report that one of my books is among them.

(Have a look at the CCBC’s 11-page list of titles only, or at its 55-page list including the librarians’ notes about each title.)

In the Historical People, Places, and Events category, CCBC included my nonfiction picture book All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing After the Oklahoma City Bombing (illustrated by Nicole Xu, published by Carolrhoda Books/Lerner Publishing).

After the trials and traumas of this past year, I deeply appreciate — and sure can’t argue — with the CCBC’s assessment of All of a Sudden and Forever:

Perhaps most importantly, “when other terrible things happen,” the act of comforting and supporting one another in the face of tragedy will continue. Survivors of one traumatic event will comfort those affected by another. Although based on a specific event, this sincere narrative of communal healing has broad applicability and the potential to resonate with survivors of various types of trauma.