Two new picture books provide heartwarming takes on adoption, new homes, and new beginnings. Though different in style and presentation, both offer reassurance that love and the human spirit can thrive even under the most trying circumstances.

Written by Calgary author Cheryl Foggo and illustrated by Montreal’s Qin Leng, Dear Baobab tells the story of seven-year-old Maiko, who lives in Canada with his aunt and uncle, having recently left Tanzania following the death of his parents. Remembering the enormous baobab tree from the village of his birth, Maiko develops a bond with a small spruce tree growing next to the front steps of his new house. Just as Maiko had to start a new life elsewhere, the tree cannot continue living where it first took root, and must be moved.

Dear Baobab is a charming read that, without being too syrupy-sweet, offers encouragement to anyone who has ever felt they’re in the wrong place. Maiko is a gentle boy who cares for those around him and treats the natural world with a solemn sacredness we all would do well to emulate. The conversations between Maiko and the tree are particularly superb, capturing the charm and innocence expected of any seven-year-old, but containing the ache of someone who longs for the past.

The spare narrative leaves room for readers to craft their own opinions, making the book a good tool for starting conversations. From the majestic baobab tree in Maiko’s Tanzanian village to his classroom in Canada to his first experience with snow, the book’s illustrations offer a window onto Maiko’s different worlds.

In Nini, the first solo picture book by Quebec illustrator François Thisdale, the story of a family coming together is told with lyrical elegance. An infant awaits adoption in an orphanage in China, longing for the love she once experienced inside the womb. Far away in Canada, a man and woman wait for a child to love. When the three unite, a family is born.

As is typical of Thisdale’s work, breathtaking, multi-layered visuals form a magnificent, detail-rich backdrop to the narrative and contribute heavily to its emotional impact. Beautiful, soft close-ups of the baby’s face as she ages are nestled into dreamy scenes of lotus flowers, golden fields, and winter skies. The pages are dense with images of maps, numbers, stamps, and symbols. There is wonderful interplay between text and image.

The miles travelled by young Nini are greater in number than many of us will travel in our entire lives. Yet she never loses her desire for love, eventually finding it with her new family. Highly recommended.