Author: Margaret Kingsbury

There are two new Día de Los Muertos picture books out this year centering the death of a beloved dog. Perro and Benito have grown up together, but then one day, Perro is sick, and Benito’s father takes him to the vet. Perro does not return with Papá. Papá and Mamá encourage Benito to help them create an ofrenda for Perro. At first, Benito resists, too sad to contribute. When Abuela sends him a dog alebrije, however, he adds it to the altar. This is such a sweet picture book with many Día de Los Muertos traditions.

The second picture book about a dog’s death is gorgeously illustrated and meditative. A young girl gathers her deceased pet dog’s favorite things. As she does so, she remembers all their good times together and honors the life they had together. Her family helps gather pictures to add to their ofrenda. Back matter includes the author and illustrator’s personal connections to dogs in their lives, as well as a description of how to build an ofrenda.

This simple and hilarious picture book depicts two skeletons from Skeletown and their fun antics. There are only two words in the entire book: “Sí” and “No.” The bold black, white, and fluorescent orange illustrations depict scenes that are Sí and No, like buying a balloon (Sí) or being catapulted into the air by dozens of balloons (No). It’s a funny picture book for young readers.

Follow a young girl as she introduces Día de Muertos traditions in this adorable, interactive board book with flaps to lift. From ofrendas filled with candles, alebrijes, and skulls to delicious pan de muerto, the girl and her family prepare for a perfect Día de Muertos celebration. This is a great book to introduce toddlers to the holiday,

This nonfiction picture book uses graphic design to discuss immigration, with sections focusing on refugees and the many reasons people leave their home countries, including war. Chapters discuss borders, documentation, colonization, poverty, persecution, and more. The author/illustrator has also recently published a companion book, What is War? This book is probably best for older elementary-aged children and up.

This beautiful picture book is based on the author’s refugee experiences fleeing the partition of India in 1947. Azra knows she and her family are being forced to leave, and she plans to take her beloved doll with her. But when violence breaks out, she and her family flee earlier than expected, and she accidentally leaves the doll. When the family moves into a new home, she finds another doll that’s been left behind. The lovely illustrations depict the clamor as thousands attempt to flee via train, the despair and exhaustion on people’s faces, and also the love between Azra and her younger brother. Back matter includes a map of the partition in India, a glossary, more about life before and after the partition, and the author’s story.

I reviewed this picture book earlier in the year, but it’s worth adding to this list as it tells the story of Palestinian refugees in 1967. The simple story makes it easily relatable to children. Oraib was born in a refugee camp in Nablus, Palestine. She particularly loves the olive trees that grow around the camp, and she helps her mother harvest the olives and make many products from the olive trees. When war erupts, the family has to flee the camp before harvesting the olives. Before she leaves with her family, Oraib plants an olive pit, hoping to return one day and see the tree it grows into. This picture book is based on the author’s grandmother. I also recommend reading Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck.

This picture book is told from the perspective of the 669 Prague Jewish children saved on the Czech Kindertransport by the British man Nicholas Winton right before WWII began. The children love their home and families and don’t understand what’s happening when their parents secure them train passports to leave Prague for England. They gather in the trains with other refugees, without their parents, worried about what is to come. When they arrive in England, they’re adopted into new families, though they never forget their parents. When the war is over they return to Prague to find their parents, but most never do. Their parents are gone. Fifty years later, they discover the identity of the man who secured their passage on the Kindertransport and saved their lives. Back matter includes a timeline of the Kindertransport movement and more about Nicholas Winton. The illustrations are beautiful and moving.

Skeleanor the skeleton loves music and dreams of joining a human band in a nearby village led by Ms. Ratsimiziva. She tries every instrument she can find, not realizing they’re all broken. She decides to perform in the town, but when she does, she scares everyone! Will she ever be able to join the band? This is a sweet graphic novel.

The eighth Narwhal and Jelly graphic novel is a hilarious Halloween tale. Narwhal loves Halloween and has so many ideas for what to dress up as. Maybe too many ideas? Jelly, on the other hand, has no ideas and finds Halloween to be too scary. When other sea creatures flee from a monster they claim has eaten Narwhal, Jelly summons his courage to save his best friend and, in the process, finds the perfect Halloween costume. I think my daughter and I have read this 5+ times this week alone.

Remy Lai is such a broad-ranging writer and illustrator. My daughter and I love her Surviving the Wild graphic novel series, but this one is quite a bit different. Based on Chinese mythology, it’s about two 12-year-olds whose lives unknowingly entwined when a desperate parent made a bargain with the keepers of death when they were infants. July Chen has always been able to see ghosts, but has learned to ignore them. But she can’t ignore William, who is stuck between the world of the living and the world of the dead. She decides to help him, and in so doing, she discovers the truth behind her yin-yang eyes. It’s a charming adventure with a little bit of spookiness.

I loved this queer and witchy middle-grade graphic novel! When Snap’s dog goes missing, she decides to investigate the town witch’s home. Instead of finding a scary witch, Snap finds Jacks in Crocs and a tee, working on taxidermy, which is admittedly creepy. The two become unlikely friends. This heartwarming graphic novel has a lot of nuance and depth.

My daughter loves the Rover and Speck early reader graphic novel series. They’re about two friendly rovers exploring space together. In this second book, the friends visit an unexplored, watery planet where they make friends with some aliens and are chased by a water monster. While the story is fictional, science facts are scattered throughout. Make sure to also read the first book, Rover and Speck: This Planet Rocks, though they can be read in any order.

Space scientist Dr. Aderin-Pocock answers common questions from kids about space in this engaging and vibrantly illustrated nonfiction. She addresses a ton of questions, like whether or not there are rainbows on other planets, how the universe will end (or will it?), if there’s ever been life on Mars, and more. This is the kind of nonfiction space kids will pour over. It’s over 100 pages, so probably best for kids 7+.

This super fun board book is part of the Block Book set. The pages have peak-throughs, flaps, and foldout pages and are great for exploring. This isn’t your average board book of 10-12 pages; it has 80 pages total. Despite its length, it’s still ideal and very accessible for toddlers and preschoolers. The text is kept simple as the pages explore space travel, the planets, astronauts, and more.

This beautifully illustrated middle grade nonfiction by a senior science writer for NASA explores the night sky. Readers can learn about the phases of the moon, the history behind Orion’s Belt, how to spot Venus, and more. Each section includes how to spot each celestial topic in the sky, its history, some facts, and more. It’s a lovely book that would make a great gift.

Stella has a problem. Her class is having a Mother’s Day celebration, but she has two dads. Who can she invite? This is a lovely, sweet picture book. A librarian in Hamilton County had planned to use it in a Mother’s Day lesson about diverse families, but the lesson was canceled when Moms for Liberty got involved.

The other picture book Moms for Liberty complained about that the librarian had planned to use was this one, about a grumpy bear that adopts some goslings. It’s a hilarious book and the first in a series. It’s frequently read in schools. It’s hard to imagine what could possibly be offensive about either book, though I imagine if this one had not been paired with Stella, it would’ve slipped through.

I remember reading this one in elementary school. This Caldecott Award-winning picture book was taken off the shelves in Williamson County, though it has since been recommended for return. This is right next door to where I live in Nashville. If you’re unfamiliar with the book, it’s a retelling of a West African folktale. The complaint against it was that it was too violent and scary. That review is likely to get more children to read it rather than less.

This is another award-winning children’s book. It’s about Mia, a middle schooler and Chinese immigrant who lives in a motel where her parents work. She helps manage the front desk and dreams of becoming a writer. There are five books in this fantastic series. I love this reel Yang posted with her daughter discussing her mom’s books being banned.

This adorable picture book stars two twin Dokkaebi—Korean mythical tricksters—named Doki and Kebi. Doki and Kebi are exact opposites. Doki is sweet and helpful, while Kebi is mischievous and loves to scare people. However, when humans tear down their centuries-old home, they move to New York City. Can they find the perfect haunted house to make into their home? They do, and just in time for Halloween.

Every night a new monster from Peruvian folklore tries to scare Benita, but she’s too busy reading to be scared, and she wishes they would just be quiet. Curious, the monsters join her to read. This is a hilarious and very relatable picture book. Back matter includes more about the creatures in the book as well as author and illustrator notes about their connection to Peruvian folklore.

This hand-sized, wordless picture book follows a pumpkin-headed child as they chase after a black cat who has stolen their mouse lovey. No matter how spooky things get, they’re not going to give up. Told in a series of panels, this is a sweetly spooky Halloween read.

This hilarious board book depicts a hotdog named Weenie dressing up for Halloween. What should Weenie be? A mummy? A hamburger? An earthworm? Really, all costumes are quite fetching on Weenie. The vibrant illustrations are definitely going to get big laughs.

In this stunning mythic picture book, a young Hawaiian girl learns the traditions and stories behind Hula, the Hawaiian folkloric dance. The more she learns, the closer she comes to understanding the true meaning of aloha. The illustrations in this are gorgeous. You can see a few inside pages on my Instagram review of it. The author sells the book through Kickstarter, and she’s donating 100% of September sales to ‘Āina Momona to help provide direct support to those affected by the Maui wildfires.

This is also a picture book based on Indigenous Hawaiian myths. It’s about how the Mahu — people with both male and female spirits — brought the healing arts and science to Hawaii in the 15th century. The Hawaiians honored their legacy with a monument of four boulders. When white colonists move onto the island, the legend behind the boulders is forgotten, but not forever.

In this vibrant picture book, a shy girl, Punky, finds her courage with some advice from her grandmother as well as her grandmother’s supposedly magic sunglasses that help her share her aloha. With sunglasses on, she manages to make friends and help her community. It’s an adorable read!

This is such an entertaining contemporary middle grade fantasy centering Hawaiian folklore. Twelve-year-old Anna/Leilani spends her summers with her grandmother, Tutu, in a small village near a volcano. Tutu teaches Anna Hawaiian folklore and language in the hopes that Anna will remember and carry her Hawaiian heritage proudly, but after a falling out with her best friend in Colorado, Anna believes that by embracing her Hawaiian heritage, she’s separating herself from her friend. At first, she tries to reject Tutu’s teachings, but when she picks the wrong flower in a fury, she triggers the goddess Pela’s rage.

This picture book is the continuation of a nature-themed series by the author and illustrator. It opens with a grandmother and grandchild in a boat watching Canadian geese fly overhead. The story then follows the family of what appears to be a mother, son, and two grandmothers as they explore the changes fall brings outside, from watching beavers build to hiking among yellow larches. I think this is the first time I’ve seen two queer grandmothers in a picture book? Feel free to let me know if you know of others!

I mean, does a cover get more adorable? This simple, rhyming picture book explores lots of classic fall scenes: pumpkin patches, trick-or-treating, pumpkin pie, and more. The orange and yellow-hued illustrations perfectly encapsulate fall feelings. It’s a playful, joyful read-aloud.

This picture book is my daughter’s favorite fall read. It’s about three leaves with a lot of personality-changing colors and falling as the season progresses. Birch is happy to see what comes next, Oak is worried, and Maple is excited and wants to be first at everything. However, she’s the last to change color and the last to fall. This is a fun one for kids and also a great read before doing any fall leaf crafts.

I adore JaNay Brown-Wood’s Where in the Garden? picture book series, which are compare/contrast stories that depict diverse children in gardens searching for a fruit or vegetable. In this one, the first book in the series, though every book is a stand-alone, Amara is looking for pumpkins on the farm. She’s got to find pumpkins before a potluck she’s hosting! Will the reader help her find them?

The Little Languages board book series introduces first concepts to toddlers. There are four board books total in the series, and they come with an audio QR code for pronunciation. The illustrations are really adorable and colorful. Each page spread has a sentence in English on the left and the same sentence in Spanish on the right.

There are three books total in this sweet board book series that teaches kids how to dance along with first concepts. In this one, kids can learn steps to the cumbia along with manners. The other two books in the series are ¡1, 2, 3 Merengue!, which teaches about instruments and sounds, and ¡1, 2, 3 Salsa!, which teaches counting. They’re really delightful and I love that they’re interactive.

This is part of the Feelings & Firsts board book series. In this one, a toddler learns about potty training. Other board books in the series cover topics like playing independently and trying new foods. They’re available in English only and in English and Spanish. There are currently four books in the series.

I was so excited to learn that Alma from Alma and How She Got Her Name was going to get her own board books! In this one, Alma interacts with family members. Each page has a simple sentence in both English and Spanish accompanied by a sweet illustration depicting the sentence. This is also part of a series, though currently only two books have been published in the series. The other book is Alma, Head to Toe /Alma, de pies a cabeza.

This picture book biography explores the life of Argentinian folk singer Mercedes Sosa. Her singing journey began in school, when she was asked to sing the national anthem, and later to compete in a radio show contest. After she won the contest, she kept singing and singing and singing. When the Argentinian government banned her songs and arrested her during a show, she was forced to flee to Europe. This is a beautifully illustrated picture book biography and a great way to introduce children to Sosa’s music.

This is the first book in Eerdmans Books’ new Stories from Latin America Series. In a small town in Honduras, Luis, who loves stories, excitedly waits for a bookmobile’s arrival. Every Monday the bookmobile comes, spreading stories and joy. This vibrantly illustrated picture book is based on a true story. The Asociación Compartir, part of JustWorld International, sponsors a bookmobile that travels around Honduras sharing books. This releases next Tuesday.

This beautiful picture book celebrates the love between a father and daughter. Every evening when Papa gets home from work, he braids his daughter Xiomara’s hair (trenzas in Spanish). When he gets home late one evening and is unable to braid her hair, Xiomara despairs. It’s too hard to do herself! The next evening, Papa tells her the story of learning how to braid from his sisters.

Sami loves Spanglish, but his abuela is skeptical. Blending Spanish and English words comes naturally for Sami, and he’s frustrated when friends and his school aren’t accepting of Spanglish. But with support from his family, he realizes it’s okay to speak in unique ways. This is a joyful picture book.