What Gives Mandy Settembre Hope

More hope. From the kidlit community, to you.  

No matter where you are. No matter what’s going on around you. No matter what is pulling your attention or competing for space in your mind. May these next few minutes offer you rest, peace, and hope.

Hope - April 18, 2026

Mandy Settembre, author of Ours: A Story of Loss and Healing (Lee & Low Books), illustrated by Fran Matsumoto, shares what is giving her hope today: having a list.

Listen along:

About the Book: Ours: A Story of Loss and Healing by Mandy Settembre; Illustrated by Fran Matsumoto. Published by Lee & Low Books.

A tender story with exquisite illustrations, Ours will resonate with families who have endured unexpected pregnancy loss and are beginning to heal together.

In late summer, a young boy's parents share the happy news that he's going to be a big brother. As Mama's belly grows and Papa builds a crib, the boy wonders what it will be like to share his favorite toys with his new sibling. Then one cold winter day, Mama and Papa return from the hospital with some devastating news--the baby is not coming anymore. This sudden loss leaves the boy and his parents feeling empty inside.

As spring begins, the grieving family starts a garden together to help their hearts heal. By seeing how some seeds take root and flourish and how some seeds never come to be, the boy grows in his understanding of his family's experience and their resilient love.

Ours is a heartfelt story for families who have experienced unexpected loss and are healing and processing their grief together.

More:

Visit Mandy Settembre online at www.mandywarhol.com 

Learn more about Boyds Mills and their upcoming programs by visiting boydsmills.org. 

Learn more about Lee & Low Books and their upcoming releases by visiting www.leeandlow.com. 

Transcript:

Mandy: " One of the things that gives me hope is having a list.

For me, making a good list is an exercise in believing in tomorrow. A good list forces me to look into the future, sometimes the distant future, and ask myself to consider the steps I'll need to get there.

A good list includes the little tasks that make up my day, feed the cat, call my sister, make some art, pay some bills. I can check these off and feel like I'm moving forward in the world, even when I feel a little stuck.

A good list includes big specific goals I can chip away at with smaller lists. Start a company, write a book, plan a reunion, take a trip, run a race, raise good people.

When I start to look at the problems of the world and feel overwhelmed, I return to my list. I add some things to check off, make dinner for a neighbor, volunteer at a school event, take out the compost, play piano, send a letter.

I look back on my older lists and I marvel at the things I was able to do just because I wrote them down and believed they could happen.

Turns out, hope's not a feeling. It's a daily practice, a model for how to get up every day and keep going on even when we feel like we can't. Little by little. Step by step. Check by check. List by list."