Suitcase, written by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This is a sweet, sweet story about kindness, trust and friendship. The story begins with a strange looking animal pulling a large suitcase. He is asked by other animals about the contents of such a large suitcase. The suitcase holds a teacup, a table, a chair, a kitchen and a cabin. The other animals are skeptical about the contents and, in fact, do not believe that the suitcase holds all of these items. Because of their skepticism and distrust the animals break into the suitcase and find a broken tea cup and a photo of the other items. A photo of a home. They feel so bad about breaking into the suitcase that they surprise the strange looking animal with a real home complete with a table, chair and tea cup. The ending of the story is very sweet with the strange looking animal stating that they are going to need more tea cups. This story is perfect for discussions on trust, caring, kindness and friendship. The deeds and reactions of all of the characters, regarding the large suitcase, the contents and each other, is thought-provoking and perfect for a read-aloud. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A great book for discussions on trust, friendship, caring and tolerance. This is a story told with sparse text but very moving text.