Earth Day, April 22, 2024 Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World Mia Wenjen, Author Robert Sae-Heng, Illustrator Barefoot Books, Nonfiction, 2023 Suitable for ages: 5-8 Themes: Agriculture, Sustainable farms, Food justice,  Feeding the world, Future Opening: “Can we feed the world without pollution? Sustainable farms are one solution. We can go back to old ways or try something new. Let’s take care of our Earth — for me and for you.” With the growing concerns about food insecurity and climate change, Mia Wenjen’s rhyming picture book will inspire lively discussions among ..read more

Hoops Matt Tavares, Author/Illustrator Candlewick Press, Graphic novel, 2023 Pages: 224 Lupine Award Winner Suitable for ages: 8-12 Themes: Girls, Basketball, Equality Perseverance, Community Book Jacket Synopsis: It’s 1976 and on Friday nights in Wilkins, Indiana, it seems like everyone in town shows up to cheer on the boys’ baskettball team. Cars fill the parking lot and fans pack the gymnasium for every home game. Most people don’t know it, but Wilkins actually has more than one basketball team. An what the newly formed girls’ team lacks in resources they more than make up with grit and ba ..read more

Cloud Babies: Sometimes All We Need to Do Is Look Up Eoin Colfer, Author Chris Judge, Illustrator Candlewick, Fiction, Apr. 11, 2023 Suitable for ages: 5-9 Themes:  Childhood Illness, Clouds, Imagination, Family Opening:  ” Erin’s very first word was cat. “Did you say ‘cat’ honey?” said Dad. “I don’t see a cat.”  But then Dad looked up and  he saw it, too — a cat! “Your very own cloud baby,” said Dad. Publisher’s Synopsis: Six-year-old Erin’s favorite game is spotting animals in the clouds with her mom and dad—everything from fluffy foxes and polar bears to little rabbits ..read more

Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story Jayme Sandberg, Author Kathleen Gadeken, Illustrator It’s All Stories LLC, Nonfiction, Jul. 14, 2023 Suitable for ages: 5-8 Themes: Solar eclipse, Astronomy, Friendship, Emotions Synopsis: Sun is seriously out of sorts about the upcoming total solar eclipse. Will Earthlings go blind watching it? What will they think when Sun’s dependable light suddenly vanishes in the middle of the day? How could Moon betray their stellar friendship? When totality finally arrives and Moon completely hides our brightest star from millions of Earthlings ..read more

Let’s Go Puddling! Emma Perry, Author Claire Alexander, Illustrator Candlewick Press, Fictions, Apr. 25, 2023 Suitable for ages: 2 – 5 Themes: Rain, Puddles, Play, Nature Opening: “Clouds gather, / skies darken, / rain falls, / puddles appear. / ” Let’s go!” Publisher’s Synopsis: Yippee! Here comes the rain! Three families meet up in front of their high-rise apartment building, all with the same idea. The children can’t wait to stimp-stamp-stomp through the muddy puddles until their boots overflow—then snuggle with the grown-ups on the couch as their soggy socks dry. Emma Perry’s buoyant ..read more

What Does Hate Look Like? Sameea Jimenez and Corinne Promislow, Authors Larry Swartz, Illustrator Second Story Press, Nonfiction, Mar. 7, 2023 Suitable for ages: 9 – 12 Themes: Hate speech, Social aspects, Prejudice, Violence,  Discrimination, Students, Taking action Publisher’s Synopsis: We use the word hate all the time―“I hate vegetables” or “I hated that movie!”―but what about the hate that actually hurts someone? There are words, symbols, ideas, beliefs, and actions that cause pain―to us, our friends, family, neighbours, and school mates. What if you’ve caused that kind of pain your ..read more

Book Buddies: Dazzle Makes a Wish Cynythia Lord, Author Stephanie Graegin, Illustrator Candlewick, Fiction, Mar. 21, 2023 Suitable for ages: 6-9 Themes: Library, Borrowing books, Repurposing toys, Friendship, Wish Book Jacket Synopsis: Dazzle is a toy unicorn whose tag says unicorns have the power to grant wishes. Dazzle wishes he had a child and a home of his own, but instead he gets sold at a yard sale and becomes one of the Book Buddies. Maya has just moved and hopes Dazzle can grant her wish for a new friend. When a playdate doesn’t go as she hoped, Maya worries she hasn’t made a friend a ..read more

Mamie Phipps Clark: Champion for Children Lynnette Mawhinney, Author Neil Evans, Illustrator Magination Press, Biography, Feb. 6, 2024 Pages: 144 Suitable for ages: 10-13 Themes: Mamie Phipps Clark, African American psychologist, Women, Segregation, Education Publisher’s Synopsis: This inspiring graphic novel tells the story of groundbreaking psychologist and civil rights activist Mamie Phipps Clark, PhD and her research in the racial identity and development of self in Black children, the work that ultimately played a vital role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Educatio ..read more

Garvey in the Dark Nikki Grimes, Author Wordsong, Novel in Verse, Oct. 25, 2022 Suitable for ages: 8-12 Themes: Pandemic, Uncertainty, Fear, Isolation,  Poetry, Family, Friends Publisher’s Synopsis: Capturing the shock and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of Garvey, a beloved character, Nikki Grimes’s newest novel in verse shows readers how to find hope in difficult times. Garvey’s finally happy—he’s feeling close to his father through their shared love of music, bullies are no longer tormenting him, and his best friends Manny and Joe are by his side. But when the schools ..read more

The Lucky Ones Linda Williams Jackson, Author Candlewick Press, Historical iction, 2022 Suitable for ages: 8-12 Pages: 320 Themes:  Hunger, Poverty, Racism, Segregation,  Community, Social justice Publisher’s Synopsis: It’s 1967, and eleven-year-old Ellis Earl Brown has big dreams. He’s going to grow up to be a teacher or a lawyer—or maybe both—and live in a big brick house in town. There’ll always be enough food in the icebox, and his mama won’t have to run herself ragged looking for work as a maid in order to support Ellis Earl and his eight siblings and niece, Vera. So Ellis Earl ..read more