Category: The Kids Are All Right

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.

If you’re a fan of Narwhal & Jelly, this new board book might be perfect for you. In this new book, friends Narwhal and Jelly think up all the fun they can have with Narwhal’s favorite blankie.

This cute picture book follows a young bird as she takes her first flight, under the watch of other cute creatures. This is adorably illustrated and includes some fun knowledge of kingfishers, the type of bird Mel is.

This historical picture book recalls the story of the massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma where white supremacists descended on a town of African-Americans, murdering residents and destroying the neighborhood. As we approach 100 years since the massacre, this is a good way to begin conversations about it with kids.

When Gabrielle emigrates from Haiti to the United States by herself, she feels like her whole family’s future rests on her shoulders. And it’s much worse when she arrives and is bullied for being different. But then Gabrielle meets Lady Lydia, a witch who offers to make it so Gabrielle fits in perfectly in America. But once it’s done, Gabrielle realizes how much she’s given up in her quest to fit in and must find a way to reverse the spell.

This novel-in-verse is an emotional exploration of the immigrant experience. Reha feels out of place in her school where she stands out because she’s Indian. And she’s frustrated at home, where her parents insist on raising her with Indian values and traditions. Reha’s struggle to figure out how to be American and Indian is made even more complicated when her mother is diagnosed with cancer.

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!

In this cute picture book about consent, Doug likes many things but not hugs. This is a nice twist on the golden rule of treating everyone as they’d like to be treated, instead asking that everyone simply ask everyone how they’d like to be treated and following accordingly.

This sweet picture book about friendship and empathy follows two friends, Coco and Marlo. The two spend most of their time together, alongside Marlo’s dog. But one day Marlo doesn’t want to play and appears to be especially unhappy, but won’t tell Coco what’s wrong.

This witty picture book features an adorable avocado having an identity crisis. Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable or something else altogether? To find the answer, Avocado heads to the grocery store to see where they fit in best.

This fun graphic novel follows Yasmina, a vegetarian chef working to take care of her family. When a big potato company starts producing an addictive potato that makes the people who eat them aggressively into potatoes, it’s up to Yasmina to save the day.

In this creepy supernatural mystery, siblings Cooper and Jess tackle a mystery involving an old English railroad and their neighbor Elena. Meanwhile, Cooper must make sense of his own feelings after their parents’ divorce and his father leaves the family to start a new one.

This memoir from author Waka T. Brown revisits her childhood. When she was twelve years old, her parents, worried she was losing touch with her Japanese heritage, sent her to Japan to live with the grandmother she doesn’t know very well. This is an emotional and inspiring journey of a girl learning more about herself and her culture.

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.

This charming story takes readers on a wintry walk along the sea. Written only in s-words, this follows a girl and her parent on a cute walk where they encounter numerous wonders.

This inspiring picture book follows a young girl who seeks women on television being deemed “too ambitious”. She’s then catapulted on a journey through history to inspire girls to reclaim language that’s designed to keep them down.

This exciting figure skating novel follows Maxine, a 12-year-old who aspires to compete in the Olympics one day. Before she can get there, she has to make it through sixth grade (where Maxine’s best friend is getting further away from her and closer to a boy who bullies Maxine) and the Regionals competition. And to make matters even worse, there’s a new skater in town, and they’re really good.

This highly-anticipated middle grade series starter follows Amari, a 13-year-old girl who learns she’s a magician. Searching for her missing brother Quinton, Amari is introduced to a secret, supernatural world, the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, and a magical training camp.

When a real estate developer makes an offer on Wes Henderson’s neighborhood, the whole community (including his friends) begin fighting over it. With the possibility of having to move looming overhead, Wes looks for a way to save his community.

This inspiring nonfiction book goes into detail about protests of the past, many of them with children and youth movements at the forefront. There are well-known protests, such as the 2017 Women’s March, alongside lesser known movements throughout history.

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.