The Things We Hold

A tender picture book about a young girl navigating housing insecurity--a beautiful reminder to always lead with kindness and empathy.

At first glance, you wouldn't guess that Lilly holds a lot inside. Like her embarrassment when she gets teased for wearing the same clothes to school every day. And her disappointment when her teacher hands out permission slips for a field trip with a fee, which Lilly knows her mama can't afford. And the heaviest secret she holds is that she and her family don't have a home and sometimes sleep in their car.

Winner of Lee & Low's New Voices Award, debut author Vanessa Lewis-Porter brings her experience as an educator to share the challenges some of her students faced in school. Coupled with emotive illustrations by award-winning artist Cornelius Van Wright, The Things We Hold is a gentle reminder to always lead with kindness and empathy because you never know what a person is holding inside.

Vanessa Lewis-Porter is a former educator and reading intervention coordinator in Los Angeles. Working as a teacher, she witnessed the struggles and hardships that many of her students faced every day. Their resilience and strength inspired her to write The Things We Hold, which was honored with Lee & Low's New Voices Award. When she's not writing, Vanessa loves to read, travel, and watch professional basketball. She lives with her husband and son in sunny California.

Cornelius Van Wright is an award-winning children's book illustrator, an author, and an art instructor. He has illustrated numerous picture books, many of which he co-illustrated with his wife, Ying-Hwa Hu. His work has appeared on Reading Rainbow and Storytime and has been exhibited in the Society of Illustrators. Cornelius's author-illustrated picture books have garnered praise from The Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and many others. Cornelius lives with his wife in New York City. You can see more of his art at corneliusvanwright.com.