Category: The Kids Are All Right

This adorable board book follows a day in the life of a white cat. Each page has one action sentence—”The cat slurps a drink of water”—followed by the action repeated three times—”slurp, slurp, slurp.” Pages are mostly black and white with pops of vibrant color. My daughter particularly likes the page where the cat poops.

This adorable picture book based on a true story would also make a great winter read. A family has decided to adopt their first kitten, and everyone has different ideas about what to name the kitten. Surprisingly, they agree on Nigel, but when the youngest member of the family and the mom arrive at the shelter, they find it’s shut down. The next day, the mom goes to another shelter alone, but instead of bringing home a kitten, she brings home a cat, and she’s named him something completely different. This is such a sweet story.

Ethan walks to school with his older brother, and one day, he sees stray kittens and ends up naming them. He worries about them when the weather turns cold. He and his brother take the kittens to a local vet clinic where they’re spayed and neutered. Ethan and his brother are also given boxes with straw to help the kittens stay warm. Ethan ends up bringing one of the kittens home. There are a lot of stray cats where my mom lives, and she converted a shed into a heated barn for them during the winter (and she also captures them to be spayed and neutered). It’s great to see practical stories about how to help the feral cat population like this.

Now for a completely different kind of picture book. A boy chronicles all the amazing ballet moves his cat performs—glissades on slippery floors, pas de deux with the new puppy, en pointe while staring out the window. His friends also have cats capable of amazing feats, like stealing stuffed animals, riding vacuum cleaners, and sliding down banisters. Worried that his friends don’t believe that his cat does ballet, the boy invites his friends and their cats to a party at his house. What follows is a most improbable ballet performance.

In this beautifully illustrated and informative book, readers are treated to a broad view of a vast and diverse country. It highlights certain geographical areas as well as places of interest, like the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Udaipur’s Lake Palace, and the Chandigarh Rock Garden.

This historical fiction novel follows Anjali and her family in the 1940s after Gandhi asked each family to give one family member to the freedom movement. Her mother joins, and the family all makes sacrifices to stand up to the British government. It is a beautiful and eye-opening book that reveals the cost of colonization and the will of the people to regain control of their land and culture.

This beautifully illustrated book by one of my favorite artists is a celebration of Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors. Two siblings collect flowers to make into colorful powders as they look to celebrate fresh starts, friendship, and forgiveness.

I love this sweet book that explores the many meanings of the word “namaste.” A young girl finds that the richness of the word extends out into her city, through greetings but also through loving the world and sharing kindnesses.

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 beautiful picture book follows a family who celebrates two New Years: Rosh Hashanah in the fall and Lunar New Year in the spring. The book is so beautifully written. My favorite spread has these two sentences: “They represent different peoples with different histories, cultures, and traditions. But in many ways, they are also alike.” The book continues to share the many similarities between the two New Year celebrations, including the different foods they eat.

I spent a couple of weeks in India back in early 2000, and I remember vividly the chai tea that I purchased daily from train platforms and street vendors. Reading this book brought me back to that delicious, fragrant tea. In this story, a young boy loves to do things fast, fast, fast! And his grandfather tends to do things slow, slow, slow — including making masala chai. Can Aarav learn to slow down so he can make tea as delicious as his grandfather does?

In this mouthwatering book, Grace Lin creates an epic collection of stories behind fabulous Chinese dishes! Earlier this year, I joined Grace for a meal at Peking Duck House with some fellow authors and our editor, and she entertained us with all the stories behind what we were eating. This illustrated full-color book is a real treat!

Bilal can’t wait to introduce his friends to his favorite food: daal! But as he helps prepare the food, he begins to question whether his friends will like it as much as he does…

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.

This carefully researched picture book highlights the work of the highly trained first responders who manage the health of our forests and fight fires during the ever-increasing length of fire season.

When forest fires plagued Australia in 2019 and 2020, over three billion animals were threatened. Wombats (who we must agree are the CUTEST) shared their deep burrows with other animals while the fires raged. This picture book shows how a wombat saves a skink, an echidna, and a wallaby and her baby.

This middle grade novel follows Maudie and her dad, who have to move after fires force them to relocate to a beach town. I always love Sally’s books (have you read The Someday Birds?), and I admire her ability to weave relatable middle school emotions into her stories.

In this stirring middle grade book, Addy is traumatized by a fire that killed her parents. After years of being raised by her grandmother, she is sent off to a summer camp in the wilderness. When the campers find themself in the midst of a forest fire, they have to work together to survive.

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.

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new city is look at the murals that adorn the sides of buildings. Many murals are a result of an activist looking to share about a cause that is dear to them, and that is what this picture book is all about. A young boy combines his art with activism in this beautifully illustrated book.

Ruth Asawa’s legacy is everywhere. The USPS recently issued gorgeous stamps featuring her intricate wire sculptures. The Whitney Museum of American Art has an exhibit of her drawings. Ruth Asawa grew up in California, but her family was forced to leave their home in 1942 as part of the U.S. government’s World War II isolation policies toward Japanese Americans. She found support among the other artists during her internment and went on to have a large family of her own and continued to create stunning sculptures throughout her life.

In 1899, a baby boy was born on a farm in Idaho. His parents named him James Castle. He was deaf, mute, autistic, and probably dyslexic. Caldecott Medalist Allen Say reimagines James’s boyhood in this stunning picture book, revealing all the challenges he overcame as he pursued his art. Ultimately, James Castle had his artwork displayed in major museums around the world.

Judith Scott was born with Down syndrome, and her childhood was marked by creating stunning art. She was ultimately institutionalized until her sister became an adult and fought to have Judith live with her. Even though Judith was deaf and never learned to speak, she went on to become an artist of renown, with her work displayed in museums and galleries around the world.

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.