Planting Sunshine

While watching the news with his father, sensitive middle schooler Theo learns of an unspecified war occurring in a faraway country, prompting the protagonist to seek answers about violence and its origins in this thoughtful verse novel by Poulin (Buying the Moon). Confused by his father’s inability to clarify why people start wars (“Um... it’s complicated”), Theo queries other adults in his life, including a teacher, to similarly mystifying results. Equally as frustrating for Theo is his friends’ bafflement about his anxiety over another country’s conflict. Upon meeting Luna, a street artist who draws doves of peace on buildings to raise awareness, Theo is inspired do what he can for those experiencing violence. With support from his father and neighbor, who “grew up in the country/ now caught in this terrible war,” Theo fundraises to help the survivors. Affecting watercolor illustrations by Enzo (Maurice and His Dictionary) amplify the work’s recurring sunflower motif; a spread of a tractor overturned amid a field of brilliant yellow flora with fighter jets soaring overhead powerfully juxtaposes the devastation of war with Theo’s peaceful community. The result is a helpful guide that accessibly considers the impact of violence and offers ways to cope and help those in need. Characters are depicted with varying skin tones. Ages 9–12. (Feb.)