Lenny's Space by Kate Banks

Lenny's Space by Kate Banks was published in 2007, and what I really like about his story is Lenny, the main character. He is a boy whose mind runs incredibly fast, and this often causes him to get into trouble with his teacher and other grown-ups at school.

He's also a kind character. He makes a new friend early on in the story, and we find out that his friend, Van, is sick. Lenny is seeing a counselor at school to help him control his impulses, and this counselor also helps him with other issues in his life.

His mother is hand model and is never without gloves, this means he never gets to touch her skin or hold her hand. His father abandoned them when he was a toddler, so he has feelings of not being enough. Lenny is incredibly smart and creative.

I liked how realistic this story is and how the characters learn and grow.

I didn't expect to like this book because the cover is not great, from the font to the artwork, it could have been a better cover, but don't judge this book by its cover. This well-written story is about helping kids to feel okay with who and how they are. It also helps a child deal with grief and abandonment issues.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.