Author: Margaret Kingsbury

I know I am not alone when I say how much I cherished Virginia Hamilton’s books as a kid. This lovely picture book biography of her life is written in a series of poems. It opens with her birth, moves back in time to her great-grandmother’s decision to escape from enslavement, and then explores how Virginia became a writer. She began writing her stories in a notebook at age nine, despite people telling her there was no future in writing stories. Eventually, she would publish her first novel, Zeely. The poetry format works really well in this lovely biography.

This isn’t so much of a biography but rather a glorious celebration of Langston Hughes and his work. The prose practically sings off the page, and the illustrations by the Pumphrey brothers are so very clever and energetic, often embedding words into the art, showing how Hughes’s work was such an active part of the landscape. This is such a joyful read.

This gorgeous picture book biography of James Baldwin releases at the end of this month. It’s also written in verse and opens with a young Baldwin helping care for his siblings in the small apartment he shares with his family in Harlem. He finds writing mentorships from multiple teachers throughout his life, and as an adult, he searches out and finds a writing community. These experiences and more build to Baldwin’s history as a writer and activist. The warm, realistic illustrations are so beautiful.

This enchanting picture book biography follows the four Brontë siblings as children as they’re inspired to write books based on childhood toys. It opens with a young Charlotte making a small book for her even younger sister Anne, their window peaking out over the moors. O’Leary then broadens the story to show the family, home, and village where the Brontës grew up before depicting the father bringing the toy soldiers home that so captured their imagination. Back matter includes a timeline and instructions on how to make a small book. Smith’s illustrations, as always, are so lovely.

This picture book biography of famous Black activist Ida B. Wells opens with her birth in Mississippi. It follows Ida’s life as she becomes a teacher as a teenager to care for her younger siblings after the death of their parents, starts her own newspaper and writes against lynching, and becomes a suffragist for women’s right to vote. The sweeping biography then pauses at the Women’s March of 1913. At this famous march, racist white women suffragists, like Alice Paul, told Ida and other Black suffragists that they could not march in the parade. Ida ignored them. Connecting all these stories is the theme of Ida’s bravery and courage in always choosing to do the right thing. The painted illustrations are gorgeous.

This was one of my favorite picture books of 2023. It follows a child as she and her grandmother walk to a polling location. As they walk, they gather neighbors, and as a community, they take their most important walk of the year — to the polls. I love the inclusion of disabled and elderly community members, whose right to vote is often made much more difficult by lack of accessibility. I also adore the themes of community care and activism. When my daughter accompanied me on a walk to vote last year, I actually brought this book with me, and we read it together after I voted.

This chapter book is part of The Questioneers series, though each book can be read as a standalone. The famous questioning class is having a class election on what their class pet should be, and Sofia Valdez is chosen as election commissioner to make sure the election goes off without any hitches. When the votes are counted, one vote is missing, and it’s up to Sofia to figure out why and how. I adore this series. Also, check out the picture book Sofia Valdez, Future Prez.

This middle grade graphic novel is the third book in the Click series, though each book can be read as a standalone. Olive and her friends have started 6th grade. When she learns of unfair policies that prevent her friend from going on a school field trip, she decides to take action and run for the student council. She wants to change the rules to make things more fair, but she’s running against two of her other friends. This is an empowering read about how kids can make a difference at their schools.

This middle grade nonfiction inspired this list. Each month features 4 to 6 Black figures sharing about their life and work and giving an activity for readers to do. January, for example, has four sections. In the first, “The Joy of Choreography,” artistic director Davalois Fearon explains why she loves dancing and invites the reader to dance. The next section centers florist Hazel Gardiner and so on. Each page has colorful illustrations, and, as the title suggests, is a real joy and a great book to read over the course of the year.

This collection of activities for kids ages 6 through 12 is a great one for caregivers to have on hand. It would also be fun to work through with a child! There are all sorts of activities included — cooking, science experiments, arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor play ideas, and more. Some of the activities require supplies, some don’t, but even when they do, the supplies are pretty basic.

My child isn’t quite at poetry-writing age yet, but I can’t wait to go through this book together! Actually, I might just go ahead and do these prompts on my own this year. 🙂 Coelho provides 41 poetry prompts — from one-word poems to favorite food poems — and each prompt is accompanied by illustrations from several children’s book artists, like Viola Wang. It’s another really joyful collection and would be great for classrooms or home.

This is one I’d like to do with my daughter. We try to go on one hike a week, and I love the versatility of these 35 hiking projects, from scavenger hunts to water painting. If you have a goal of getting outside and hiking more this year, this might be a great way to entice reluctant young hikers to join you.

You don’t have long to wait until this middle grade crime novel releases! I have already read this one, and it’s so much fun. It’s about a girl attending an unusual boarding school in San Francisco. At the school, she joins a group of tween undercover spies. There’s a jewelry thief on the loose, and if the team doesn’t solve the crime fast, the school may lose funding. It’s a funny and high action read with great illustrations by Dan Santat. It’s the first in a series, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest!

This middle grade novel-in-verse is high on my TBR, and I’ll probably read it in the next week or two. It’s based on Schu’s teen experiences with anorexia. Jake has a voice in his head that urges him to disappear, and the best way to do that is to avoid eating. So that’s just what Jake does, and he wears baggy clothes to hide his weight loss, which works until he visits a doctor, who admits him to a patient treatment facility. This is Schu’s debut middle grade.

I adored James Catchpole’s first picture book—What Happened to You?—and I’m so excited he’s teaming up with his wife Lucy for another picture book pushing against some of the ableist narratives that are so frequently heard in the disabled community. In this one, kids and adults alike keep telling Jo he’s “amazing” even when he’s doing absolutely ordinary things. I need multiple copies of this one to hand out to mostly adults who feel the compulsion to tell disabled people this. It’s a delightful story, and George’s illustrations are once again perfect.

Both Traci Sorrel and Michaela Goade are familiar, award-winning, well-loved Indigenous American children’s book creators. However, this is their first team-up! I’ve only read a snippet from it, and those pages were luminous and magical, about a young Cherokee girl moving away from her beloved home. This is going to be amazing in print!

Julie Flett is another one of my favorite Indigenous American children’s book creators. This picture book is about a young child who longs to learn how to skateboard. It’s written primarily in English but has some Cree words as well. Flett’s warm illustrations are as lovely as they ever are, and children will love the story.

I have bemoaned before the lack of Jewish representation in chapter books, and while there are a few examples, there aren’t many. This makes me extra excited about Kapit’s new chapter book series. Kapit is already a familiar author to me with fantastic books like Get A Grip, Vivy Cohen! and Second Chance Summer. This book looks like such a funny, heartwarming read. And the cat on the cover means it’s going to be an instant read for my daughter!

I had two Grace Lin 2023 books on my list, this one and Once Upon a Book. I thought it fair to only include one of her 2023 releases, so I went with this stunning middle-grade nonfiction! This is a gorgeously illustrated collection of folklore about food found on Chinese restaurant menus. I was absolutely riveted by the folktales and Lin’s gorgeous illustrations. I also loved the history and background she provided. This is the kind of book I want to gift everyone. It’s really special and unique.

Andrea Beatriz Arango’s second middle-grade novel in verse has cemented her as one of my all-time favorite authors. It’s a beautifully written book about a 6th-grade Puerto Rican girl, Laura Rodríguez Colón, who is going to live with her aunt after being taken away from her parents while they’re in rehab. She finds an abandoned pit bull and begins training him as a therapy dog. It’s a hopeful, moving, realistic read that’s also really accessible for readers of all levels. I really appreciated that Laura struggles with reading, too. I don’t know of many middle-grade novels that depict struggling readers.

I pretty much had heart eyes the entire time I read this fantasy mix of graphic novel and fictional diary. It’s so very heartwarming and cozy. It’s about friendship and community and the importance of stories in the small magical town of Gumbling, which is being threatened by greedy brother and sister developers who claim to be the descendants of Gumbling’s last king. They want to turn the castle, which currently houses those who can’t afford homes and provides community services for the entire village, into an amusement park. At first, Nell is more concerned about being paired with a librarian for a school project rather than the artist she was hoping for. But soon enough she can’t help but be affected by what’s happening, and meanwhile, the fairytales she’s uncovered at the library are inspiring her more than she thought. I want to move to Gumbling. Can someone make that happen, please?

Jon Klassen always appears on best-of lists, and for good reason. Not many children’s book writers can pull off writing dark stories for kids, but Klassen is a master at it. His latest is a mesmerizing retelling of a Tyrolean folktale. It’s about a young girl, Otilla, fleeing from an unknown terror through a wintry forest. She comes upon a mansion where only a skull lives, but the skull is being terrorized at night. Maybe if Otilla uses her wits, she can save both herself and her new friend, the skull. I see this being described as both a picture book and a chapter book, and both descriptions are correct. It’s just over 100 pages long, smaller than the average picture book, and has chapters. However, it’s heavily illustrated with sparse words for a chapter book. I read it in 15-20 or so minutes out loud to my daughter. I adore the monochromatic artwork. This is my favorite of Klassen’s children’s books. It’s everything I love about fairytales.

While I have seen The Skull on every best-of list, I haven’t seen this one at all, and I think that’s because of a few reasons. First, it’s translated from the Filipino and translated books rarely make best-of children’s book lists. It also centers disability, and sadly, I find picture books featuring disabled characters rarely make best-of lists. It’s such a sweet and gentle exploration of the friendship between two children and neighbors, one who is Deaf and speaks using sign language, and the other who is hearing and learns how to “dance” with her hands to communicate with her friend. It’s simply told in every way, with sparse words and spare illustrations that still perfectly capture expressions. While sign language is one of the more common disabilities portrayed in picture books, this is still a refreshingly lovely read. End pages include Filipino signs.

I have read this picture book possibly hundreds of times this year to my daughter. It really captured her imagination, and we’ve had many conversations about refugees and immigration after reading this. Told from the perspective of a little brother, Meza tells the story of his and his older sister’s masked journey as they escape monsters, which are drawn as ominous smoky figures, to reach the border to what they hope will be safety. The illustrations are phenomenal, monochromatic with pops of vibrant colors. The alebrije masks are vivid and make the illustrations and story all the more powerful. The combination of the vivid masks and very simple story is what so captured my daughter’s attention. The children initially view their journey as a game, which children can immediately identify with, but then the characters in the book, and the readers, realize at the same moment that this is no game. This is a great conversation starter and moves me to tears almost every time I read it.

It was actually harder than I thought to find a red book that I hadn’t already reviewed in the newsletter before. I thought I’d reviewed this one, but I had not! This heartwarming picture book is a follow-up to The Proudest Blue. Faizah wears a red dress that first belonged to her mother for picture day. In class, she draws a picture of a kind world while her friend draws a superhero. During recess, the two combine their ideas and pretend to be superheroes spreading kindness. When it comes time for pictures, Faizah is upset when she realizes her dress doesn’t match her sister’s. But with community help, her school pictures turn out perfect.

As opposed to red, I could think of dozens and dozens of green books. I don’t think I’ve ever officially reviewed a Charles de Lint novel, but his two Newford middle-grade novels are favorites of mine, so I thought I’d go with this! Lillian daydreams about the forest around her aunt’s house having fairies that live within it, but she’s never seen any magic. The forest does have a lot of cats. She feeds and plays with the cats, and then one day, the cats turn her into a kitten, and she finally gets the magical adventure she always wanted. The second book in the series is Seven Wild Sisters. They both have beautiful, full-color illustrations by Charles Vess.

This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of the last survivor of eight extinct species. Kerbel writes a poem for each animal, followed by a more in-depth look at their final days. There’s also an illustrated portrait of each animal. It’s a really lovely book, one of my daughter’s most-read books this year.

This gently lilting picture book is a great introduction to endangered animals for preschoolers and younger kids. It’s a bedtime picture book depicting endangered animals going to sleep. The illustrations in this one are also so lovely, depicting each animal’s habitat in soft, warm colors.

This more in-depth, interactive nonfiction has noise clips of each of the 14 endangered animals discussed. It also introduced the risk level classifications developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which really interested my daughter. Each page spread covers a different animal and includes vibrant illustrations, a map with their location, quick facts — including their risk status — more details, information about their animal voice, and a section about what people are doing to help the animal.

While the other books have covered many endangered or extinct animals, this picture book focuses specifically on the tiger. It follows Aasha the tiger, who spends her days playing in the forest with her family and animal friends. Then the forest is cut down, and Aasha can’t find any other animals. She goes on a quest to find the animals and is joined by an orangutan. It’s a simple but powerful read.

Three Kings Day is celebrated by many Spanish-speaking countries. It’s a holiday celebrating the day the three wise men first saw baby Jesus and brought him gifts, and is celebrated on January 6th, the day after the 12 days of Christmas. In this funny picture book, Marta worries about eating the literal baby Jesus in the traditional Three Kings Day dessert — la Rosca de Reyes, which hides a figurine of baby Jesus.

This is another new Three Kings’ Day picture book and is available in both English and Spanish. Lucía has recently moved to Ohio, and she so misses living in Puerto Rico. She’s worried that she and her family won’t be able to celebrate Three Kings’ Day in their new home, but her family finds a way to keep the holiday alive despite the cold.

Kwanzaa is an African American holiday celebrated from December 26 to January 1. In this gorgeous, award-winning picture book, Zoboi writes poems for each of the seven principals of Kwanzaa. It opens in Africa with people celebrating harvest until they are forcibly taken from their homes. It then follows these African descendants in America, from the Great Migration to the Civil Rights Movement to today. Back matter includes an author’s note and timeline of events presented in this picture book.

Winter solstice is celebrated on December 21st. This beautifully illustrated picture book opens with Owl asking who can help shine the light and share a gift of hope for winter solstice. Each animal helps. Deer adds nuts to branches in the hope that all the forest creatures will have enough to eat through the winter. Mouse sprinkles seeds in the hope of blossoming growth in the months to come. As each animal adds gifts, hope spreads. This could be the basis for a lovely new tradition for families.

In this beautifully illustrated alphabetical board book, Flora knows a feathered bird friend for every letter of the alphabet: K for kite, R for roadrunner, V for vulture, and more. Molly Idle’s illustrations are always stunning, and this board book also has flaps to lift. Flora is a recurring character in several of Idle’s children’s books, like Flora and the Flamingo. I’m not usually a huge fan of alphabet board books, but this one is special.

This sweet bilingual English and Spanish board book follows a recurring character as well. Alma also appears in Alma and How She Got Her Name. It’s a joyful, sensory-filled story where Alma names her body parts in English and Spanish and then relishes in sensory input with her bird friend. Candlewick released two Alma board books at the same time: this one and Alma and Her Family / Alma y su familiar, which is equally adorable.

I briefly mentioned this board book a week ago, but I wanted to give a longer review because it really is a fantastic book and one toddlers and elementary children will enjoy. It’s a rhyming, riddling, lift-the-flap delight, and it’s STEM-themed! Follow children as they’re presented with riddles about hidden objects that seem to be easy to answer. As each child names various animals that rhyme with the question, they learn that the mysterious object is actually something else, an invention inspired by that animal. For example, one child learns that what they thought was a frog leg is actually a flipper. Another learns that what they thought was a polar bear’s pawprint is actually a snowshoe. At the end, the children learn that this phenomenon — where inventors study nature to develop new technology — is called biomimicry. Back matter includes even more lift-the-flap examples of biomimicry, as well as a more detailed definition. I’ve read this one and the next one so many times to my daughter this year.

This interactive board book lets readers pretend to cook spaghetti in ten steps. They can add onions and olive oil to a pan, fill a pot with hot water, twirl spaghetti around a fork, and so much more. This is part of the Cook in a Book series, and every single one is so much fun for kids.

I adore Grace Lin’s board books in the Storytelling Math series, which follow four children as the seasons change. In this newest addition to the series, Olivia and Mei jump like animals in the snow, comparing their footprints. Mei jumps like a reindeer, and Olivia jumps like a rabbit. When they reach a tree, they try to figure out who jumped more. Another winter-themed board book in this series is The Last Marshmallow, also featuring Olivia and Mei!

In this beautiful poetic picture book, two siblings wake up and hear winter’s song beckoning them to skate on Lake Superior. As they walk to the lake through the boreal forest, they encounter wolf pawprints and listen to the caws of ravens. They lace their skates, and finally, it’s time to join the song and skate. This is such a lovely ode to nature for young skaters to read.

In this stand-alone third book in the Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series, Jo Jo and her classmates are learning about what it means to be healthy and make healthy choices. Jo Jo is intrigued. When the Ojibwe reservation shuts down after a snowstorm, Jo Jo decides to organize an Ojibwe Olympics to help everyone in the community stay healthy. This series is funny and charming.

This anthology of illustrated folktales collects 50 stories from around the world that celebrate winter. The folktales are divided into six categories: “Birds and Beasts,” “Tricks and Troubles,” “Ice and Snow,” “Quests and Journeys,” “Spirits and Magic,” and “Christmas.” This would be a great anthology to read as a family over winter.