Author: Karina Glaser

This book is a humorous take on belonging and acceptance. When Ramen sees how much more popular spaghetti is, he wants to be spaghetti too! The illustrations are very fun and the book has a sweet message about the power of being yourself.

Shinsuke Yoshitake is one of my favorite children’s book authors. He always gets to the heart of a child’s frustrations and desires! In this book, a young kid wants to be able to open anything and not have to ask for help. The book gets sillier and sillier with each page turn, and you really get an understanding of just how many things there are to open in this world!

This fun and inventive counting book is about, yes, 100 dragons all named Broccoli! Over the course of the book, they scatter to all areas of the world until just one is left. Seasons change, and the last dragon emerges…with 100 babies, all with different names and adorable portraits!

From the creator of I’m Just No Good At Rhyming, Chris Harris has a new book filled with silly poems and illustrations. This is a perfect book for those who love Shel Silverstein or silly poems in general! I love Andrea Tsurumi’s fun illustrations.

As you know, I love journals and journaling, and this cute picture book is all about Tim and his love for being outside and recording his observations in his nature journal. When his dad is too busy for Tim one day, Tim goes up to the attic and finds his dad’s journals, filled with stories of adventure and exploration.

When I first opened this book and saw that the end papers were paintings of mangoes, I knew I was going to love it. Nora spends her summers with her lola in the Philippines, and she loves helping at her grandmother’s store. When it becomes too hot for anyone to go outside, Nora wants to figure out a way to use the large mango tree outside the store to make treats for the neighborhood.

This book captures all the fears and joys of swimming for the first time. I love the facial expressions on all of the characters — they are filled with life and joy!

Oh, I relate to this city story about going to the pool so much! When my kids were younger, we were one of the many families heading to the NYC public pools on hot summer days. I love how this story depicts what it’s like to go swimming in a city pool.

When Maizy Chen and her mother move to Last Chance, Minnesota to be closer to Maizy’s grandparents, she has a lot of questions about what they’re doing there. But when a beloved family treasure goes missing, Maizy is determined to find it no matter what it takes.

For Amelia MacGuffin, life in her little seaside town in unremarkable. That is, until the dragonfly staff, an essential part of the upcoming Dragonfly Day Festival, is stolen. The theft of the dragonfly staff means that the Dragonfly Day Festival might be cancelled, and with that, tourism revenues will plummet. With her parents reliant upon tourists to keep the Pacific General Store open, Amelia must step out of her comfort zone and step into the shoes of a sleuth.

Sometimes theft isn’t an item, it’s an idea and a recipe. Mila loves her family’s food truck, The Banana Leaf. But when celebrity chefs arrive and open a restaurant nearby, with the same food and the same recipes, Mila knows she needs to do something before her family’s food truck goes out of business.

I love the Carver Chronicles series, and this one is great for young readers. When a new kid, Khufu, joins Gavin’s third grade class, no one knows what to make of him. He tells far-fetched stories, and then he shows up at school with a bike in the same model and make as Gavin’s — the day after Gavin’s bike goes missing. The class comes to only one conclusion. Khufu has stolen Gavin’s bike and painted it orange to disguise it. What’s Gavin to do?

Written in the same meter as Clement C. Moore’s The Night Before Christmas, a grandmother recounts the story of anticipation, emancipation, and jubilation just as it was told to her many years before by her own grandmother. As 8-year-old David listens to this story at the annual Juneteenth gathering in Galveston, he lets the words of his grandmother flow around him and remind him of their very powerful history.

Growing up, Opal Lee knew all about Juneteenth from the stories her grandfather told. But when she realized that most Americans didn’t know what Juneteenth was, she set off to have Juneteenth recognized as a national holiday.

I adore E.B. Lewis’s wonderful illustrations, and this story is a declaration of freedom and joy that came with African American Emancipation Day. The back matter includes notes from the author and illustrator, a timeline of important dates, and a glossary of important terms.

Mazie is excited to celebrate liberty, and her father helps her understand her history and the long struggle of African Americans living in America. This powerful book offers another perspective of this holiday and honors the long history of people fighting for equality.

In this absorbing, magical middle grade novel, 10-year-old Geetanjali knows that her mom and grandmother are famous classical singers from India. But when Geetanjali freezes up when singing in a concert, she hopes that her grandmother will help her when she comes to visit. But her grandma doesn’t come alone, and Geetanjali has no idea what to think about these new aunties. A mystery follows — one that Geetanjali needs to solve in order to discover a missing part of herself.

This is the sequel to the Newbery Honor award winning novel-in-verse Inside Out and Back Again. Just when Ha’s family is making progress on adjusting to life in America, Ha’s mom decides to move the family to Texas. Suddenly, Ha has to readjust all over again — can she find a home in Texas?

Penny is a lovable and endearing character who begins a journal because her feelings teacher, Mrs. Hines, says it might be a good idea. But instead of beginning it with, “Dear Diary,” she decides to write to her dog, Cosmo, instead. I love Penny’s honesty about her anxiety, which she diligently writes about in her journal. This is a very timely book that I think lots of young readers will connect with.

When a thunderstorm grounds all airplanes for a night, four kids find themselves together in an airport following a huge Muslim convention. While all of them are preoccupied with their own personal troubles, they quickly band together for a night of adventure that they will never forget.

Oh, I just love this book! Even though it doesn’t come out until August 1, you should definitely put it on your list. Follow the day in the life of a cat as it rolls, stretches, chases its tail, and grooms itself. I love the simple, adorable illustrations.

The Oakley the Squirrel book series is so adorable, and this is the newest one! Featuring real squirrels, these photographs show squirrels on a campsite, on the beach, and collecting logs for a campfire. I really can’t take all the cuteness!

This book speaks right to my heart! Featuring 30 types of dumplings from all around the world (complete with little faces!), this book is a fun exploration of different shapes and numbers. A wonderful addition to any board book library.

Fans of the wonderful book Hair Love, rejoice! This board book is wonderful. A is for Afro, N is for Natural, and W is for Waves. Zuri and her father journey through all the different styles and types of hair in this celebratory ABC board book.

A young girl goes to the local barbershop with her mom. She looks through all the hairstyles — parts, perms, frizzy fros, dye jobs, locs, cornrows — and finally chooses a hairstyle that she feels confident and happy in.

This very special book tells the story of culture and hair. A young girl celebrates her long hair, even as she remembers the stories from her mom, who couldn’t grow her hair out because she was told it was too wild, and her grandmother, whose hair was taken away from her.

In this treasure of a book that has won so many awards, a young boy goes to the barbershop where he is supported by the community and given a hair cut so sharp that it boosts his confidence and makes him think that anything is possible.

This book was published over 20 years ago, but it continues to resonate and give an incredible and powerful message to all kids, telling them that they should be proud of their heritage.

Steph is an 8th grader in New York City, and that means applying to high schools. Her mom doesn’t want Steph to apply to any public high schools, but Steph hears about an art school and decides to apply without her mom’s knowledge. With the help of her art teacher, she explores museums around the city and builds her portfolio — all without her mom knowing. Can she convince her mom that art school is a good idea?

Twelve-year-old Meesh is not a very good demon. She is way too empathetic and interested in the fairy realm and princesses. But when demons are threatened, Meesh has to travel to the fairy realm to get help, discovering more about herself along the way.

Lady Camembert is not the marrying type. So she makes a deal with her father that involves her becoming Count Camembert and living a quiet life out of the public eye when he passes away. But living a lonely life is not as easy as it seems, especially when Count Camembert meets Princess Brie and the count’s most closely guarded secret is suddenly at risk of being revealed. *Publisher recommends this book for ages 12+

After tragedy upends her family, Addie and her dad start a new life across the country. She ends up befriending Mateo and they join forces in an exciting project that involves a virtual reality headset. As Addie’s world expands, can she gain the strength to face her biggest fears?

Vashti always creates beautiful picture books, and this one is no exception. This story explores the feelings of a young girl who is on a journey to self-acceptance and the value of recognizing childhood for all kids regardless of size.

Presented as if written in a journal, this thoughtful story follows Will, who struggles to accept his round size in a school full of “string beans.” Even though he hides behind hoodies and baggy pants, he is bullied and made fun of in school. Can he find acceptance in his body and learn that it’s okay to be a work in progress?

This middle grade book nails the tween voice and all the confusing body changes that happen in middle school. Sarah usually finds comfort in basketball, but lately she feels sluggish and unable to play like she used to. With some confusing food messages at home that conflict with nutritional information she’s getting at school, Sarah needs to figure out for herself what she needs to flourish.

I read this middle grade book from cover to cover when it came out a couple of years ago. It’s one of my 13-year-old kid’s favorite books ever, which says a lot because my kiddo reads A LOT. Written in verse, this beautiful book is all about body image, relationships with friends, and relationships with food, all topics that are relevant to so many tweens today.

Starting a new school is always difficult, but thankfully Nico has ways to find happiness during the lonely days when he doesn’t know anyone. He watches insects and sits in the grass and befriends the birds, and soon the other kids began to take interest in him and how he seems at peace with himself and the birds.

This is one of my favorite books to read around the holidays because it tells the story of two birds that get separated, and the miracle that happens as they seek to find each other again.

This is a very useful book for budding birders! Each page talks about a different bird with color illustrations, and you can put in the corresponding number to hear the birdsong. It’s fascinating and a wonderful way to train your ear. There’s also a book for The Backyard Birdsong Guide: Western if you live in that area!

This is a fantastic book about all the questions one might have about birds. While it’s geared for adults, it’s a great book for parents and grandparents to share with their kids. There are beautiful illustrations in this book as well!