Ask a bookseller: A picture book about recognizing value where others don’t

Zsamé Morgan travels across Minneapolis and St. Paul with her bookmobile, Babycake’s Book Stack. She was excited to spread the word about the picture book “Daisy” by Jessixa Bagley, which was published at the start of March. Daisy the Warthog gets bullied other animals who don’t think she lives up to the beauty of her name. Her head hangs low at others’ mean words, but looking down causes her to discover all sorts of forgotten and lost objects: treasures on the forest floor. Daisy bedecks her special fort with these treasures, and soon she finds that someone else has been adding to her collection. By being herself and exploring what she loves, Daisy makes a new, true friend.Morgan says she tries to stock her bookmobile with diverse characters and languages “so that kids can see themselves on the shelves,” but the animals in this book open up a conversation about bullying, friendship — and being yourself in a way that is organic and positive. Plus, she loves Bagley’s sweet watercolor illustrations.