Happy Sunday, kidlit friends! I can’t believe it’s May. May is a busy month for us. I celebrate my birthday and wedding anniversary, plus we have kindergarten graduation, the last day of school, and there’s Mother’s Day. With all these reasons to celebrate, I definitely plan to hit up a bookstore and buy myself some bookish gifts. 🙂 I hope everyone has a lovely May!
Teacher Appreciation Week begins tomorrow, so today I share books with awesome teachers, plus two great new releases.
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Bookish Goods
Literacy Sticker by AmandaHSLP
The literacy and reading specialists in your life will love this phonological awareness sticker. $3
New Releases
Fake Chinese Sounds by Jing Jing Tsong
This is a wonderful, slice-of-life middle grade graphic novel about a Taiwanese American 5th grader, Měi Yīng. In the first half, it’s the summer before 5th grade, and Měi Yīng’s Năi Nai has come to visit for the first time from Taiwan. Despite their language differences, the two bond, practicing Tai Chi together and cooking. The family also watches Měi Yīng excel at soccer. In the second half, Năi Nai has returned to Taiwan, and Měi Yīng experiences bullying at the start of 5th grade. She also finds friends at her Mandarin Chinese classes, which is unexpected for her since she’s previously hated the classes. Throughout both parts, Měi Yīng and her family experience lots of racist microaggressions.
You’ll Always Be My Chickadee by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Sarah Gonzales
This really sweet picture book follows a caregiver and child through nature with the recurring refrain of “You’ll always be my (chickadee, evergreen, sugar beet, forest friend, etc).” The child and caregiver garden, swim in the ocean, go on hikes together, and more. The lyrical words and soft, warm illustrations pair perfectly together. This would be a lovely gift for new parents.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Tomorrow begins Teacher Appreciation Week, so I thought I would round up some of my favorite teachers in kidlit! I hope all of you teachers have a lovely week.
Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
Who doesn’t love Miss Lila Greer, the teacher from The Questioneers series? I am so happy she now has her own picture book. It follows Miss Greer from infancy to the moment she becomes the famous classroom’s teacher. Born the youngest of five siblings and raised by a single dad, Lila Greer constantly had a case of the worries. She had trouble adjusting to school and missing her brothers and home, but thanks to an excellent teacher, she learned to love school. While her anxiety followed her, she learned techniques to calm her worries. Thanks to the wonderful teacher, she decides to become a teacher, too.
The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class: Emma Mckenna, Full Out by Kate Messner, illustrated by Kat Fajardo
I am so excited about this new chapter book series, The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class! Each book follows a different child in Mrs. Z’s third-grade class and is written by a different author. In this first book, written by Kate Messner, Emma McKenna can’t wait to start classes at a new school — Curiosity Academy. Emma loves cheerleading and celebrating special days. At her old school, a classmate bullied her, and she’s excited to start fresh in Mrs. Z’s class. However, her bully is at this new school, too! I love how Mrs. Z treats the students in class. The second book — Rohan Murthy Has a Plan by Rajani LaRocca — is also out this week, and my daughter and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book.
Eb & Flow by Kelly J. Baptist
This middle grade novel-in-verse switches perspectives between two narrators, Eb and Flow, after they get in a fight at school and are suspended for ten days. Both are struggling with anger and problems at home. There are two great teachers in this. The first is Eb’s grandmother, a retired teacher who is raising her. The second is the teacher who helps them when they return to school after their suspension. The two have to attend a class together before they rejoin the school and their regular classes. The author is a teacher, and you can really tell!
Samira’s Worst Best Summer by Nina Hamza, releases May 14th
This is a charming middle grade novel about a summer that tween Samira spends at home while her parents and older sister are in India for a wedding. Samira is home with her grandmother and younger brother. She’s hoping she can hide in her room all summer, but several things thwart those plans: her house gets toilet papered and she suspects it’s her ex-best friend, a new girl her age moves in nearby, her brother joins a band, her grandmother makes friends with all the neighbors and even a nice guy at the grocery store, and Samira plans to enter a film contest at her art teacher’s encouragement. This art teacher is so supportive; I love her!
My daughter made this adorable and cat-tastic bookmark at a school library party. The back shows a cat chasing mice.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom.bsky.social, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury