Author: Karina Glaser

The incomparable Debbie Allen pens a semi-autobiographical picture book about Sassy, a young ballerina who worries that her too-large feet, too-long legs, and even her big mouth will keep her from her dream. She tries to impress a big director who comes to her class with big jumps and a bright leotard, but her efforts go unappreciated at first. But Sassy doesn’t give up, letting no one get in the way of her big dreams.

I love this new picture book that celebrates all bodies! From different skin tones to hair textures to body shapes, this sweet and joyful book is one way to introduce young readers to how bodies may be different but are always cool.

This beautiful picture book celebrates the shape of Asian eyes. A young girl realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother’s, and her little sister’s. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. A sweet, tender book about family and self-love.

This book stole my heart! (It also stole my 11-year-old daughter’s heart who both laughed and cried when she read it.) It’s a stunning middle grade book-in-verse about Ellie who has been bullied about her weight since she was five. Her mother and sister are constantly commenting about her size, and the only relief she finds is in the pool where she can take up all the room she wants. With the help of her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, Ellie begins to love who she is.

This honest and compelling middle grade book explores disordered eating and the pressure and confusion that comes with a changing body. Sarah loves basketball more than anything, but recently her body hasn’t felt like her own and she isn’t playing the way she used to. With confusing food messages from her mom and health teacher, Sarah tries to figure out how to be her best self on the basketball court. With the help of new and old friends, Sarah discovers that true strength comes from finding the courage to feel good about yourself.

This is another wonderful middle grade novel-in-verse! All of Me follows Ari, a boy who is going through a lot of change. His family just moved to a new place and he is trying to meet new people all while dealing with body image issues. Relentlessly bullied for his weight, Ari also struggles to talk to his parents who are so busy they don’t notice he is struggling. This tender and honest novel is a must-read.

Recently, Marla Frazee released the third and final book in a picture book series that began with The Farmer and the Clown. These wordless picture books are gorgeous and filled with heart and humor. The first book was published in 2014, so I imagine Marla has been working on these books in some way or another over the past decade. I love thinking of her sitting in her studio and tinkering with sketches of these indomitable characters. The final book in the series, The Farmer and the Circus, is just as wonderful as the first, full of humor and heartwarming moments. The complete series order is: The Farmer and the Clown, The Farmer and the Monkey, and The Farmer and the Circus.

Another fantastic wordless picture book trilogy is by Aaron Becker. His illustrations are so luminous that the illustrations appear to glow from the page. In these books, children find portals to worlds filled with kings and adventure and sinister emperors. Each book stands alone yet are connected to each other in style and story. The complete series order is: Journey, Quest, and Return.

Another trilogy I love is Grace Lin’s fantasy middle grade series that began with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. These gorgeous and lyrical books are linked together in surprising ways, crossing generations and using Chinese folklore to tell a beautiful story of family and bravery. The complete series order is: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Starry River of the Sky, and When the Sea Turned to Silver.

As you probably know, I am a huge fan of Rita Williams-Garcia, and her middle grade series about the Gaither sisters is both fun and thought-provoking. In the first book, 11-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, visit their kin during a time when the nation is rapidly changing. The complete series order is: One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven; and Gone Crazy in Alabama.

For upper middle grade readers, The March series by the late John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell is a fantastic graphic novel trilogy about John Lewis’s life during the Civil Rights movement. The books are a wonderful opportunity to see history through the eyes of someone who was there on the front lines. The series as a whole is called March, and each book is numbered.

I used this book with my daughter last summer and we learned how to carve blocks and then how to stamp on fabric and create simple patterns for sewing. I would suggest adult supervision with these projects, but they are super fun to do and a great activity to do as a family!

I love this collection of fun, open-ended writing and drawing prompts by Jarrett Lerner. For example, in the Finish This Comic section, young writers are inspired to write and illustrate a six-panel story. Following How to Draw instructions will encourage kids to find their own drawing styles. This book is filled with activities that will keep kids entertained and busy.

Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander shares his writing tips for anyone who wants to discover the power of poetry. This book is bursting with cool activities, poetry starters, inspirational quotes, and lots of space to create.

This is such a fun book filled with endless possibilities of activities to do at home, including throwing a virtual party, holding family Olympics, learning a magic trick, making a flip book, and many more. Doodles, jokes, and entertaining tips enliven the crafts, games, adventures, projects, and creative boredom-busting activities the whole family will enjoy. Most call for common crafting gear and household items, ensuring hours of fun at the tip of your fingers.

This book was created by one of Japan’s most beloved artists and contains a book with simple step-by-step instructions for drawing the cute animals, plants, and people in this book. There is also a pad of paper in this easily transportable set that is bound together with a thick elastic to keep everything together. I love this illustration style.

I adore Elise Gravel’s books and her quirky and fun illustrations (one of my favorites is If Found...Please Return to Elise Gravel). How Do You Doodle? has over 40 doodle games for you to doodle, scribble, and draw out your thoughts, emotions, and feelings. I love that Elise encourages you to draw or write whatever you want in this book — cute drawings, silly drawings, even ugly drawings – there is no judgment, only an encouragement to express yourself.

In this darling picture book, Fatima Khazi is so excited to head to the local state park for their first camping trip. She sets up a tent with her father, builds a fire with her mother, and survives an eight-legged mutant spider (a daddy longlegs with an impressive shadow) with her sister. At the end of an adventurous day, the family snuggles inside one big tent, serenaded by the sounds of the forest.

In this sweet middle grade book, 12-year-old Madison “Madi” Lewis has been given an ultimatum by her parents: she is not allowed to bring home any more animals. After all, she’s saved hairless mice, two birds, a rabbit, and a stray tom cat that ended up destroying the front porch. Her parents tell her that if she brings home any more animals, she won’t be allowed to meet Jane Goodall at an upcoming gala event. But when Madi and her two best friends, Aaron and Jack, rescue beaver kits whose mother was killed, they find themselves at the center of a local conspiracy that’s putting the beavers and their habitats in danger.

I love this picture book, which begins in the quiet early light of morning when a father and child wake up and get ready to go on a hike. As they head to the mountains, they encounter the magic of the wilderness, overcome challenges, and play a small role in the survival of the forest. By the time they return home, they feel alive — and closer than ever — as they document their hike and take their place in family history.

This graphic novel is so funny and totally relatable, sure to be a fun read to any reader who has gone or wants to go to sleep away summer camp. In the first book in this series, Olive is sure she’ll have the best time at summer camp with her friend Willow. But Olive makes quick friends with the other campers while Willow struggles to form connections and only wants to hang out with Olive – just the two of them. Will the two be able to patch things up before the final lights out?

Jason Chin is a master of nonfiction, and Redwoods is no exception. An ordinary subway trip is transformed when a young boy happens upon a book about redwood forests and finds himself transported. He travels all the way to California to climb into the Redwood canopy. As with his other titles, Jason crams this book with interesting and accurate information about these great natural wonders.

This sweet book actually started as Maira’s journal during the first few months she spent with her granddaughter. I love looking at books that began as journals – I find them a fascinating mix of both big and small moments. This book captures those moments beautifully, that precious time when a baby is just discovering the world.

I adore this book, which goes through the evening ritual of bedtime with a new baby including playtime, dinner, bath time, and finally, a pre-bedtime snuggle. The illustrations are gorgeous!

When a new baby arrives, the family begins their babymoon, which is precious time to cuddle, connect, and cocoon together in those first early days. There will be plenty of time for the world to meet the new baby later – for now, it is a special time to hold the world at bay and enjoy the newborn in the safety of home.

This unique book incorporates two stories. The first story is of the outside world as a soon-to-be big sister and her parents prepare for the arrival of a new baby in the family. The second story follows the growth of the baby through meticulously detailed, actual size illustrations.

This book is like a big hug. It contains wishes for children to be the best they can be and hopes that children will find a happy, fulfilled, and meaningful life. I really liked this affirming and positive book that proclaims the special and unique qualities of each child.

Before Vera Rubin discovered most of the universe, she loved watching the night sky and would fall asleep dreaming of the mysteries she couldn’t see. When she got older, she presented her research at a conference and the male astronomers called her ideas “outlandish”. Their comments only made her more determined to study faraway galaxies that no one was interested in. She made groundbreaking and incredibly significant discoveries that scientists have only recently been able to really appreciate—and she changed the way that we look at the universe.

Chuck Whipplethorp is bored living at his new home on Normal Street. As he unpacks some of the moving boxes, he finds his grandfather’s first bug collection. His dad even tells him that his grandpa discovered a new species of insect! All the talk of his Grandpa’s achievements makes Chuck feel sad at the ways he falls short, but with a little help from his nurturing father, Chuck finds his own source of strength and individuality through creativity.

After a storm, the lights go out and Roger is afraid. But then his aunt Rachel suggests that they take a walk so they can see the beauty of the natural world at night. Roger puts rain gear on right over his pajamas, and together he and Rachel head down the rocky path to the sea. On the way they discover many marvels–a screech owl calling to its mate, ghost crabs tunneling in the sand, and most incredibly, the luminous life that lights up the water.

This book follows that classic conversation among kids: “What will you be when you grow up?” When a young girl goes to her Abuela to ask for advice, her Abuela points to the girl’s heart and says, “Listen”. The girl closes her eyes and listens to her heart, letting her dreams take flight to all the possibilities ahead of her.

When a young girl stares out in to the night sky and notices a star shining brighter than any other, her mom tells her that the star is a supernova. The young girl feels sad for the star that is slowly losing its light, so every night she assures the star that it is not alone. As she grew up, she learned more about the supernova, doing every she could to study the star until one day she stepped aboard a space shuttle and flew far beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Like a dandelion, a young girl and her mother make a new home across an ocean, putting down roots in an adopted country. Soon they blossom in their new home, strong and beautiful among hundreds of others just like them. This beautiful story is based on Huy’s own childhood experience of moving to the US as a Cambodian refugee.

This sweet picture book tells the story of one girl’s anticipation for summer. Summer is when her lola, her grandmother from the Philippines, comes for a visit and fills the house with the aroma of mango jam, funny stories of baking mishaps, and her quiet sweet singing in Tagalog. And in turn, her granddaughter brings Lola to the beach, to view fireworks at the park, and to catch fish at their lake. The illustrations in this book are lovely – check out that gorgeous cover!

Inspired by the author’s grandfather, this beautiful book follows a young man growing up in a shtetl in Russia in the early 1990s. Nathan is always singing, and when he hears a famous opera soloist perform in a nearby town one day, he realizes that music could be his future. But he’ll need to travel far from his loved ones and poor village in order to pursue that cherished goal. With his family’s support, he eventually journeys all the way to New York City, where hard work and much excitement await him.

This beautifully illustrated, sparse story about one Vietnamese family’s search for a new home is inspired by actual events in the author’s life. Told through the eyes of a young girl, the story chronicles a family’s difficult and powerful journey to pack up what they can carry and to leave their world behind, traveling to a new and unknown place in a crowded boat. 

Each page turn in this gorgeous book is treat for the eyes. It’s rainy season in the Mekong Delta, and An, a young Vietnamese boy, sets off on his wooden boat. He rows through both beautiful and dangerous waters, finally ending up safely in at his destination. I loved this book so much!

Told in four voices, this beautiful book shows how four kids living very different lives find points of connection through a single act of kindness. I loved how nuanced each of the characters are, each with their own struggles, unique family situations, and coping mechanisms. I know this book will resonate with all kinds of readers.

This touching novel-in-verse centers around Reha, the only Indian American student in her school. At home, she is surrounded by family and their traditions as well as her parent’s strict expectations. In particular, Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked—Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”—but they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick, and Reha is determined to make her Amma well again.

When Jenna gets dumped by her boyfriend halfway through seventh grade, she is determined to move forward without boys. She is going to study and work for a coveted newspaper scholarship. But it’s hard to stay cool when so much is going wrong. Her ex is vying for the same scholarship and her best friend is too busy with her own boyfriend, so Jenna starts going to a Broadway-themed diner after school to drown her troubles in milkshakes. There she meets a mysterious boy, who might be more interesting than she first thought!

This is a story about standing up and believing in your truth. When Junie Kim sees racist graffiti at her middle school, she needs to make a decision about whether to ignore it or speak up. Then her history teacher assigns an oral history project, and Junie learns more about her grandparents and their experiences as children living through the Korean War. Through those stories, Junie finds the strength to do what she needs to do at school.

I am a huge fan of Reem Faruqi’s picture book, Lailah’s Lunchbox, so I was very excited to see this book come across my desk. Unsettled is a beautiful novel-in-verse that spans two countries: Pakistan and Georgia. When Nurah’s family moves to Peachtree City from Karachi, she stands out in every way from her brightly colored clothes and accent. But where she most wants to stand out is in the swimming pool, where she wants to win medals like her brother.

James Van Der Zee loved taking photographs, saving enough money as a young boy to buy his first camera so he could take photos of his family, classmates, and anyone who would sit still for a portrait. By the fifth grade, James was the school photographer and unofficial town photographer. Eventually he moved to New York City to work, but was told that no one would want their photo taken by a Black man. So James opened his own portrait studio in Harlem. He took photographs of legendary figures of the Harlem Renaissance and ordinary folks in the neighborhood too.

Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first Black director in Hollywood, but before he made movies and wrote books, he was told by his teacher that he would only get a job as a waiter or porter. Instead, Gordon bought a camera and taught himself how to take pictures. He ended up working for the government, documenting segregation and becoming a part of the US Farm Security Administration’s visual record of the Great Depression.

How did a group of the most beloved jazz musicians end up being photographed together for an Esquire magazine issue saluting the American jazz scene in 1958? Graphic designer Art Kane had insisted on setting up the shoot in front of a Harlem brownstone, but he wasn’t sure if he could pull it off. Would any of these jazz greats come? Roxane Orgill, in a series of beautiful poems, bring to life the musicians’ mischief and quirks, their memorable style, and the vivacious atmosphere of a Harlem block full of kids on a hot summer’s day.

One of the most iconic photos from the Great Depression was taken by Dorothea Lange. But before she traveled the country for the US Farm Security Administration, Dorothea Lange took photos of the downtrodden, from bankers in once-fine suits waiting in breadlines, to former enslaved people, to the houseless sleeping on sidewalks. Traveling across the United States, documenting with her camera and her field book those most affected by the stock market crash, she found the face of the Great Depression.

Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, is celebrated every spring. Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo have lots of preparation to do. One of their main duties is to gather flowers to make into colorful powders to toss during the festival. When at last the big day comes, they gather with their friends, family, and neighbors for a vibrant celebration of fresh starts, friendship, forgiveness, and, of course, fun!

It all started with red, yellow and blue. They lived peacefully until Red declared that reds were the best. Understandably, the other colors and miffed about this and they decided to separate, until a Yellow, a Blue, and a never-before-seen color step in to save the day!

This fantastic animal book categorizes animals in a whole different way: by color! Each page spread is filled with gorgeous illustrations and fun facts about animals. They are grouped by color and then by other fun visual characteristics like iridescence, changing color, spots, and stripes. A terrific book for any reader who loves animals!

As the Collections Interpreter for Youth and Families at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Liz Yohlin Baill is particularly well suited to write a picture book about how vibrant works of art help us discover how artists use color to help us see and think in new ways. This fun book is best for preschoolers and early elementary children!

This book is interactive, hilarious, and a sight to behold. As the reader begins, a white tree causes the narrator to pause. Trees aren’t white! This illustrator, the narrator observes, must be terrible. But things only get more bizarre from there as the narrator implores the reader to help as townspeople, a group of scientists, and the town tailor all try to determine what is going wrong. A very fun book!

For older readers who are interested in all aspects of sight, pick up this wonderful book! This science-intensive exploration of how sight essentially impacts our everyday lives is a great, informational book that includes eye anatomy and how different animals see things. A fascinating book!