The morning chair — Barbara M. Joosse

Back in their small seaside village in Holland, Bram and Mama snuggle up in the morning chair, talking about the cowboys, mountains, and bears they'll find in America. But when they and Papa set sail for America in 1950, they settle in a bustling, crowded city of tall buildings, taxicabs, and people who speak a strange language. Bram feels as empty as their empty apartment-but then their furniture arrives from Holland. From the familiar Dutch chair Bram and Mama listen to their new neighbors in America, and Mama shows Bram that America is big enough for Bram and Papa and Mama and all things Dutch. A simple, reassuring story, it is complemented by striking full- color paintings.