Dear Street
A girl shares her love for her neighborhood, and finds that love multiplies, in this child-friendly story that encourages mindfulness and gratitude.
Alice loves her street. She loves its tall maple trees and marigolds and its apartment buildings with their colorful balconies. But not everyone feels the same. “Grumble, grumble, more construction, grumble, late, grumble,” she overhears. So Alice decides to write her street a love letter, which she leaves for someone to find. Through the seasons, as Alice encounters people grumbling about other things, she writes those things love letters, too, and leaves them to be found. She writes to her local park, a maple tree and even the snow. Then, one day, when Alice finds herself grumbling, she discovers a letter someone else has written to the spring crocuses. And Alice feels the joy she has been spreading to others come back to her!
Lindsay Zier-Vogel has created a delightful, uplifting story that celebrates how small acts by a single person can make a difference in a community. It inspires readers to pay attention and appreciate what they encounter every day. Caroline Bonne-Müller’s busy color-drenched illustrations beautifully evoke the abundance surrounding everyone (grumbling or not!) every day.
This story was inspired by the international Love Lettering Project created by the author, in which participants write love letters to their communities and hide them for strangers to find. An explanation of the project at the end of the story encourages readers to write their own letters. This heartwarming picture book aligns with social studies lessons on cultures and communities, and character education lessons on caring, empathy and initiative.
Grades: Pre-School to 2 / Ages: 3 to 7
Dear Street is a Junior Library Guild book (more here).

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Pub date: May 2, 2023
Dear Street is available wherever books are sold.
At your local indie bookstore and at:
Indiebound
Type Books
Good Reads
Bookshop.org
Indigo
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A love letter to the quotidian...Zier-Vogel’s prose is straightforward and uplifting, and Bonne-Müller’s bright illustrations, created with acrylic, pencil, and crayon, rely on a well-paced variety of spot art and spreads, depict a charming, idyllic neighborhood...Gentle encouragement to cultivate mindfulness that leads by example.”
Dear Street is an absolutely lovely picture book celebration of communities, letter writing and the connections they foster.”
- Linda Ludke, London Public Library, and Canadian Children's Book Centre
Lindsay Zier-Vogel has created a delightful, uplifting story that celebrates how small acts by a single person can make a difference in a community. It inspires readers to pay attention and appreciate what they encounter every day.”
— Junior Library Guild
A girl’s inventive method of celebrating her neighborhood has a domino effect in Zier-Vogel’s affectionate picture book debut.”
ADDITIONAL PRESS
Dear Street is a charming and pleasant story of a young girl who writes letters to her street and the people who live on it. Cheerful illustrations round out this story of community and spreading positivity.
— Canadian Review of Materials
A lovely reminder about the little things in our communities that make them special, Dear Street...is a love letter to communities.
— Storytime with Stephanie
Featured in:
- Junior Library Guild pick (more information here)
- CTV's Your Morning: Books to Engage Young Readers This Summer (more here)
- CBC Books' 12 Canadian books for younger readers this summer
- University of Toronto's 2023 alumni summer reading list
- The Tyee's 2023 Summer Reading List
- 49th Shelf's Most Anticipated Books for Young Readers
BookRiot Recommended Books: August 2023
The Canadian Children's Book Centre Expert Pick: July 2023
#1 Amazon Bestsellers in the City Books category: May 2023
#1 on the Amazon Hot New Releases in City Books, Where We Live, and City Life categories: May 2023