Author: Karina Glaser

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is one of America’s most iconic buildings, but how much do you know about what goes on inside? Who helps keep this historic house running? This informative book covers everything from its Residence workers, first ladies, presidential pets, and even a couple of ghosts (!!!). The book also includes photos and fun facts.

When Kamala was growing up in Oakland, California, her family marched for justice. And when Kamala went to school, she fought for the use of a soccer field in middle school. And after she graduated law school, she fought for the people in her home state of California in Congress. Now, Kamala uses her voice as the first woman to hold the office of Vice President of the United States. This stunning book tells Kamala’s story.

This truly charming book follows the lives of Champ and Major, the first dogs of the United States of America. While Champ is used to the White House from his time there when his dad was the Vice President, Major was adopted afterwards and Champ has a lot to teach him! Watch how Major prepares Champ for his role as First Dog!

Former First Lady Michelle Obama wanted to grow the largest kitchen garden ever at the White House, but there was one problem. She had never gardened before. But every big project takes a village, so she enlisted help from local students, the White House staff, and even her husband, President Barack Obama. Her mission to inspire young people to adopt healthy eating habits continues now with her new Netflix show, Waffles + Mochi!

Joe Biden grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the oldest of four children. He struggled with a stutter growing up, so he read aloud every day to overcome it. When he moved to Wilmington, Delaware, he become one of the youngest state senators to ever be elected at age 29 and later become Vice President under President Barack Obama. Now, he is the current President of the United States!

This beautiful book is Barack Obama’s tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans who have inspired and shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O’Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington, Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America’s children. Loren Long’s gorgeous illustrations bring the book to life!

I love Brendan Wenzel’s striking art, which I think will draw the attention of the youngest readers. This board book edition contains the same gorgeous illustrations as the original picture book, introducing readers to the striped tiger and the spotted leopard and the lovely patterns found on tortoise shells and pangolin backs.

This great board book has a lovely graphic illustration quality, showing Black hairstyles including a ‘fro-hawk, mini-twists, crisp cornrows, cool curls, waves, and afros. With every page, the words proclaim, “I am born to be awesome!” Can you think of a better sentence to be reading to a brand new human?

This rainbow-filled board book has a wonderful message on every page. Ten relatable emotions are each followed by a centering exercise and a positive affirmation to be recited, as a practice in mindfulness. Young readers are encouraged to find their inner strength by recognizing and addressing their emotions, instilling a sense of power and self-confidence.

When I was young, I loved examining each page of Richard Scarry’s wonderful books. There is so much to take in, and I love Scarry’s humorous drawings and how he conveys a sense of motion and movement. Little ones are sure to love this durable board book version of his busy people series.

This inventive board book gives young readers much to touch and explore with kid-safe puzzle-like play pieces and bold shapes and colors.

Okay, first off can we just recognize that the incredible Christina Soontornvat got not just one Newbery Honor, but TWO! You probably got very tired of me talking last year about how much I loved A Wish in the Dark and All Thirteen. You know when you get that feeling when you open a book and read the first paragraph and know that you’re going to love it? That’s exactly how I felt about those two books, and I could not be happier for Christina! (Disclaimer: We are friends and yes, she is the nicest person!)

I loved this book way back in 2019, months before it was published. I knew it was special from the very beginning. Michaela Goade’s luminescent illustrations are a sight to behold. I could not be more thrilled that she won the Caldecott!

This gorgeous book was released in January 2020, so readers had an entire year to fall in love with it! It was awarded the Newbery Medal and is a gorgeous story based on Korean folklore. A young girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother, and along the way she learns more about her family history and her own strength. Hooray, Tae!

Jacqueline Woodson does it again with a middle grade novel in verse about a young boy and his father, a professional football player who is suffering from the many concussions he sustained over the course of his career. I read this book in one sitting, and I cannot recommend it enough. This book was awarded the Coretta Scott King Author Award!

I am so thrilled that the ¡Vamos! books are going to be a big long series because they are so fun and full of incredible illustrations and colors. Let’s Go Eat is the second book in the series, with more to come! Peppered with easy-to-remember Latin-American Spanish vocabulary, this glorious celebration of food is sure to leave every reader hungry for lunch!

The first thing I thought about when I opened this book was that the city illustrations reminded me so much of Bernard Waber, the author/illustrator of Lyle, Lyle Crocodile. In Lala’s Words, Lala keeps running off to her special place where she compliments and encourages the plants growing in a neglected plot in the middle of a city block. The plants thrive on her words and in return give a gift to the neighborhood.

I was enchanted by The Old Truck, the debut picture book from this talented brother duo that released last year. As a result, I am very excited about this new collaboration, which follows a young boy and his grandmother who set sail on their fishing boat each day. Time goes by, and the boy grows up and has to venture farther to sea as the waters around his island grow more polluted. Can he help clean up the waters to provide a more beautiful home for his new family?

This sweet book follows four siblings who are trying to cross the river to pick blueberries for a pie. Unfortunately, the only bridge is blocked by the neighborhood bully, Santiago, who demands snacks. Each sibling crosses the bridge by promising that the next sibling has better snacks, until Ruby refuses to be bullied. Instead, she comes up with her own solution. I loved the vibrant illustrations in this book which is sure to be a read aloud hit.

This sweet picture book celebrates the shape of Asian eyes. When a young Asian girl notices that the shape of her eyes are different from her friend’s eyes, she reflects on how her eyes are similar to her Mama’s and Amah’s and Mei-Mei’s. Her eyes “crinkle into crescent moons and sparkle like the stars”.

Five kids live in a ramble shamble house, working hard to take care of the garden and the chickens. When they come across a picture of a “proper house”, they wonder if their home is good enough. Charming illustrations by Caldecott Honor Winner Lauren Castillo perfectly capture Christina Soontornvat’s heartwarming story set high up in the mountains.

I loved Merci Suárez Changes Gears (the winner of the Newbery Award!) and I loved Merci Suárez Can’t Dance. In this companion novel, Merci faces seventh grade, dealing with new teachers, new responsibilities, and battling with classmate Edna Santos who is in charge of the annual Heart Ball. More than anything, Merci wants to talk to her grandfather Lolo about what’s happening, but his Alzheimer’s is getting worse every day. This is a heartwarming book about a beautiful family and a young girl trying to make sense of middle grade. (Check out Meg Medina in her Author Fan Face-Off challenge!)

I was completely charmed by this middle grade book by Matt Wallace, a former professional wrestler and self-defense instructor. This book is the story of a young girl, MJ, who is abandoned by her father and turns to the world of professional wrestling for comfort. When MJ learns that her neighbor runs a wrestling school, she has a new focus. She wants to join the school, train hard, and become a wrestler. But her dreams are threatened when her coach’s rival wants to close the wrestling school.

In characteristic Alan Gratz fashion, this high-paced historical novel has two points of view and is set in vastly different parts of the world. In New York City, Brandon is visiting his father at work on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Meanwhile, two years earlier, Reshmina is growing up in Afghanistan in the shadow of war. This compelling and page turning novel is another incredible book from a master of historical fiction.

First of all, this cover! 😍 This book follows 12-year-old Meera in 1857 India where her future has been planned since she was a young child when her parents married her to a boy from a neighboring village. Right before she turns 13, she prepares to leave her family to live with her husband in accordance with her religion. But when Indian soldiers mutiny against their British commanders, her husband is killed in the ensuing riots. The dictates of her religion require Meera to end her life by throwing herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. She runs away and finds refuge as a servant in the house of a high-ranking British East India Company captain, giving her an opportunity to serve her country in an unimaginable way.

I loved One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance, a companion book that came out a few years ago. Legacy follows the same format with original works by poets followed by Nikki Grimes’ use of “The Golden Shovel” poetic method to create wholly original poems based on the works of these groundbreaking women-and to introduce readers to their work. The artwork is truly stunning in this book, created by dozens of incredibly talented illustrators such as Vashti Harrison, Ekua Holmes, and Cozbi A. Cabrera.

When Kanzi moves from Egypt to America, all she wants to do is fit in. But when mom arrives at her school with her forgotten lunch, her classmates notice how different her mom dresses and talks. The teasing begins, and Kanzi returns home and wraps herself in the quilt her grandmother gave her and writes a poem about the quilt in Arabic. Her teachers sees the poem and begins a class project the next day that involves creating a paper quilt of student names in Arabic. This is a sweet, beautiful book about belonging, acceptance, and sharing our different cultures.

This incredible book tells the story of Clara, a slave and seamstress on Home Plantation, who overhears plans about the Underground Railroad. Wanting to help those dreaming of freedom, she uses her quilt making skills along with scraps of fabric she finds from working in the Big House to create a map for the Underground Railroad.

For nearly 200 years, African American women living in the rural community of Gee’s Bend have been making quilts. Using fabric from old overalls, aprons, bleached cornmeal sacks, and other scraps, they have created magnificent pieces of art. Their quilting tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, and the stunning quilts have ended up displayed at renowned museums. This book includes full color photographs of some of the quilts as well as interviews with the Gee’s Bend community.

This is another picture book about Gee’s Bend, only this one is gorgeously illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera (one of my favorite illustrators!). Author Patricia McKissack visited Gee’s Bend, Alabama, to collect stories about these quilts, and wrote poems to celebrate the familial, cultural, spiritual, and historical strands of life in this community.

Author Lizzy Rockwell is the founder and director of the cooperative community quilting group Peace by Piece: The Norwalk Community Quilt Project. In this picture book, she speaks to some of her experiences doing a multi-generational quilting project, from gathering people together, selecting colorful pieces of fabric for each square, and creating a handprint border. This is a lovely story of community coming together to make art!

This gorgeous picture book is a story of empowerment and affirmations written by actress and activist Grace Byers. As a biracial CODA (Child Of Deaf Adults), Grace was bullied throughout her childhood. This led her to write her first picture book to empower young girls to believing in themselves and being kind to others. I love the illustrations in this book!

From the duo that brought us Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, I Am Every Good Thing is about a confident Black narrator who is proud of himself and loves who he is. He deals with frustrations by never giving up and is adventurous, funny, and has big dreams. A must have book for every child (and adult!).

This book makes me cry every time I read it. The story is all about reminding readers to honor themselves and their emotions, empowering girls to be strong, courageous, and bold. And if this book doesn’t make you cry, read this article written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, You May Want to Marry My Husband, published in the New York Times on March 5, 2017.

I am a fan of every picture book that Bryan Collier illustrates, and All Because You Matter is no exception. The powerful words affirm to children everywhere that they matter in every stage of life, from their birth to first steps to growing up and becoming a teenager. Even in the midst of current events and the tragedies in our history, this book tells us that we matter in this moment.

In this lush book, a couple celebrates the arrival fo their baby. Before the world meets the new one, the family is on their babymoon, oohing and aahing over the newborn’s features and learning new things about this baby as they become a family. This is a lovely book to share with young readers to remind them of the joy at their arrival into the world.