Category: The Kids Are All Right

I adore this picture book about two people who fall in love in the most unlikely of places: Minidoka, a War Relocation Center in the desert. There, Tama works in the camp’s tiny library, and each day George is waiting at the door when the library opens ready to return his book haul and select new stories to check out. Tama has never met such a bookworm! Or is George visiting the library so frequently for a different reason?

When his younger brother Jimmy stops eating once their family is moved to an internment camp, Taro spends his nights making the risky trip out of the camp to catch fish for Jimmy in hopes that he can tempt his brother to eat.

This thoroughly researched nonfiction book illuminates an underrepresented topic in American history. During the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, three photographers set out to document life in Manzanar, an internment camp in the California desert. Through their eyes, we see a variety of images that capture what life was like inside the camps.

In this heavily researched book, award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone tells the story of two groups of teenagers on opposite sides of the world connected by war who grow up into adults who pursue peace and forgiveness.

In this informative picture book, two friends take a class field trip to a butterfly sanctuary, where they learn all about the life cycle of the painted lady butterfly. Afterward, the girls are inspired to make a community garden that will attract the butterflies and help them thrive. It’s a great picture book to learn more about butterflies and to inspire kids to contribute to their communities.

This gorgeously illustrated nonfiction identifies butterflies from around the world. It’s a large, fascinating book describing commonly known butterflies and lesser-known beauties. It includes a world map, illustrations of a butterfly’s life cycle, and more. My daughter and I use it as a reference book whenever we spot a new kind of butterfly in our nearby community garden.

This is a delightful picture book about friendship and the differences between a moth and a butterfly. Two caterpillars become best friends, but when they both undergo their transformations, their differences pull them apart. Moth prefers the night, while butterfly prefers the day. Will they find a way to continue their friendship? With its vibrant illustrations and adorable friendly main character, this book is a great way to introduce compare/contrast concepts as well as insect facts to young readers.

My daughter just started reading chapter books this year, and The Critter Club is one of her favorite early chapter book series. In the latest book in the series, Marion volunteers to be part of a butterfly release at the Santa Vista Arboretum. But none of her friends can volunteer with her, and her little sister refuses to because she’s scared of bugs. Marion’s determined to help her sister overcome her fears, but in the meantime, Marion needs to overcome her own anxiety over trying to make everything perfect.

I loved Drago’s previous picture book Gustavo: The Shy Ghost, and this one is just as charming and sweet. Leila is a perfect witch — she excels at everything…except for cooking. Thankfully, she has three sisters who don’t mind sharing cooking tips, and Leila learns that she doesn’t have to be good at everything to be accepted.

Written from the perspective of a house who is looking for a family who doesn’t mind her creaky floors and squeaky hinges, this lovely picture book is about finding home with people who love you just the way you are.

I know so many fans of this book, and it’s no surprise because it has everything that a middle grade reader would want. Mystery? Check. The main character’s nomination to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs? Check. An evil magician threatening the supernatural world? Check!

If you’re into extremely creepy, bone chillingly scary books, Lindsay Currie is the author for you! When Mallory moves to Eastport, a town known as the most cursed in all of America, she begins having persistent nightmares of being watched. Then, in a terrifying encounter, she meets the woman from her dreams, and Mallory knows she must face her fears before it’s too late.

This cute English/Spanish bilingual board book features hungry monsters and delectable sweets. Each page offers a new monster a different, sweet Mexican treat, but the monsters keep turning them down! What do these picky monsters want? Pan de Muerto, of course! The back of the book offers descriptions of all the desserts mentioned in the book.

This second new board book has a cute little skull finger puppet for kids to play with. It’s a counting book featuring common items on Día de los Muertos, like three skeletons leading a parade and nine family photographs on the altar. It’s a vibrantly illustrated, interactive board book perfect for toddlers.

Mar is really excited to welcome dead family members when they visit on The Day of the Dead. With the help of her parents and Abuela, she remembers family members who have passed, what they enjoyed, and tries to incorporate those likes into the holiday preparations so that their spirits will be happy. This is a sweet picture book about honoring ancestors and celebrating their memories.

This lovely collection follows a family that decides to celebrate all the Jewish holidays within one year — the holidays they know and the ones they aren’t so familiar with. Join them as they explore new traditions and the history behind them.

This wonderful collection, edited by the great Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by a number of incredible artists, is sure to get kids excited by rhythm and rhyme. The included CD is a wonderful way to enjoy the poems and is a reminder that poetry is meant to be shared and spoken.

I love this book and have given it to many people. It is a story of inspiration and aspiration, written by the now famous Amanda Gorman who delivered this poem at the presidential inauguration of President Joseph Biden.

I adore this collection of Langston Hughes’ poetry combined with the gorgeous illustrations by Benny Andrews. There is also a wonderful forward by acclaimed author Renée Watson.

Priya loves Diwali, but this year is different. This year, Priya and her family have moved from India to the United States, and it seems like no one celebrates Diwali here. Priya misses the fireworks and festivities in the streets. However, as she makes rangoli art, her neighbors stop by and ask if they can celebrate Diwali with her. Maybe Diwali looks different in the United States, but it can still be celebrated with friends.

This vibrantly illustrated picture book follows the tune to “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.” “One, two, mehndi for you,” the opening pages say. From yummy jalebis to colorful fireworks and zooming rickshaws, this is a super fun Diwali sing-along for younger kids.

Devi’s favorite holiday is Diwali. This sweet picture book follows Devi through the day as she celebrates with her mama, papa, and nani and visits friends and family who celebrate as well. Every family has a different way of honoring the day, from plentiful samosas to chow down on to hiring a DJ and breaking out in dance. But Devi loves helping with the Diwali puja ritual most of all.

Harini is excited to share everything she knows about Diwali during circle time at school, but when she arrives at school she’s surprised to find that other kids are dressed up for Diwali too. It turns out that Harini isn’t the only student who celebrates the holiday, and as each student takes turns sharing Diwali history during circle time, Harini learns many things about the holiday. This is a great introduction to the holiday.

In 1929, when she was 19 years old, Bessie got on her motorcycle and traveled the country. She would flip a penny on a map to decide where she was going. She learned how to service her own motorcycle and faced discrimination and danger on the road. But despite the setbacks, she continued to ride and founded the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club to connect with other riders.

In this picture book biography, Thai creators Christina Soontornvat and Dow Phumiruk tell the inspiring story of Tammy Duckworth. Born in Thailand, Tammy grew up moving from place to place because of her dad’s job at the United Nations. But when her dad loses his job, they use the last of their savings to move to Hawaii. Through hard work and perseverance, she finished college and graduate school and enlisted in the army to serve her country. In Baghdad, her helicopter was hit, and her injuries were nearly fatal. After a long and painful recovery, Tammy wanted to continue serving her country and she eventually became the first Thai American woman elected to Congress.

I loved this story of Edith Head. As a young girl, she grew up in the small mining town of Searchlight, Nevada. She spent her days in the desert dressing up her toys, pets, wild animals, and even a cactus! When she grew up and moved to California for high school, Edith continued to make costumes, eventually landing jobs in Hollywood and dressing the most famous stars of her time.

In her own words, Ruby Bridges tells her story of what it was like to be the first African American student to integrate the school system in the south at the age of 6. I loved Nikkolas Smith’s stunning and moving illustrations in this new picture book that shares an incredible and important part of American history.

This vividly illustrated picture book tells the story of Jeanne Villepreux-Power, a dressmaker in Paris who found a deep connection with the ocean. When observing sea creatures, she realized that it would be so much better to bring a piece of the ocean back with her so she could study it more. She ended up building the world’s first aquarium, paving the way for scientists to study the ocean in a new way.

This adorable interactive board book is the perfect Halloween read for toddlers. I love Flavia Z. Drago’s vibrant illustrations, and this even includes a surprise guest from her previous picture book Gustavo, the Shy Ghost. It also encourages readers to make spooky sounds with each of the monsters. Be prepared to read this one 20 times in a row.

I am a sucker for cute ghost illustrations, and the ghost in this picture book is one of the more adorable ones I’ve seen. The glasses! *heart eyes* Ghost is lonely, and wants to play with friends, but no one can see Ghost, which makes it a little hard. Then Ghost meets Balloon and finds a ready and willing friend. But when a hide-and-go-seek game goes wrong, Ghost loses Balloon. Don’t worry, this one has a happy ending! You can see a couple of images from the book on my Instagram! I lucked out and brought it along to a pumpkin stand for pictures and it just so happened that the stand was ghost-themed!

This fun read-aloud features a skeleton band performing at the White House for our favorite presidential family — the Obamas. While all is fun and games outside, when the band moves inside, they find the White House haunted! Thankfully, even the ghosts on the inside know how to rock. This is delightfully rhythmic and would make a great segue into talking about the White House!

This is a non-scary middle grade about family curses and evil spirits. Freddie and his family are well known for their bad luck and clumsiness, which has earned Freddie the nickname of Faceplant Freddie. When he discovers an amulet from the Philippines, he thinks his luck has changed, but then it turns out the amulet is haunted by his bad-tempered great-granduncle Ramon, and that the evil spirits who murdered him have returned. With lots of adventure, friendship, and breakdancing (yes, breakdancing), this novel is a super fun read, and perfect for the Halloween season.

This adventure stars a British Nigerian girl who learns that her hair has psychokinetic powers. When her mom discovers Onyeka’s powers, she is shipped to the Academy of the Sun in Nigeria. But as often happens when attending a school for people with magical powers, nothing is what it seems, and it’s up to Onyeka to find out the truth.

Kohei Fujiwara knows all about the big ryū, dragons that disappeared from Japan after World War II. But Kohei has never seen one before, and when his grandfather is sick, Kohei knows he needs to find a big ryū before it’s too late.

When Kyana discovers she’s a witch, she begins to attend Park Row Magick Academy on Saturdays, which is hidden in the back of a local beauty shop. But trouble brews when the school might lose their funding, and Kyana needs to figure out how to make money, and fast. If the school disbands, they could all lose their magic forever.

In the second book of the Kingdom Beyond series, Pinki is back, only this time she is called to be the leader of the resistance. Pinki, however, definitely does not want to be a leader. Can she summon the courage to step up and fight evil? This is another thrilling series from bestselling author Sayantani DasGupta!

A young boy’s favorite place in the world is the dock near his house, where he fishes and enjoys watching nature. When a hurricane hits his town, the dock is decimated. He sets out to rebuild the dock by himself, but as neighbors notice his efforts, they lend a hand until a new dock is built. This beautifully illustrated picture book also includes backmatter about how hurricanes are formed.

After Adam, who has down syndrome, hears the mayor on TV ask everyone to pitch in on clean-up efforts around town after a major storm, Adam loads up his wheel barrel, calls for his dog, and sets out to pitch in and help. Everyone is so worried, and Adam finds many ways he can lend a hand. While this picture book doesn’t specify what kind of storm wrecks Adam’s town, the story definitely applies to the aftermath of a hurricane.

This lyrical nonfiction picture book describes the Beaufort wind scale, from a gentle wind to a tumultuous hurricane. After the hurricane, the community comes together to rebuild. Backmatter includes more information about the scale and wind speeds. It’s a lovely STEM picture book.

This award-winning middle grade novel takes place during Hurricane Katrina. Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives with Mama Ya-Ya in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward. Both have magical abilities despite being unrelated: Mama Ya-Ya can see into the future, and Lanesha can see ghosts. Days before Hurricane Katrina hits, Mama Ya-Ya predicts its arrival. Now it’s up to Lanesha to help her community.