Author: Karina Glaser

When Tia Fortuna has to move from her little pink casita at the Seaway, Estrella visits one last time and listens to Tia Fortuna’s memories from living there for decades. They say goodbye to the house and head to La Casa de los Viejitos where Tia Fortuna meets new people and sets up her new home where new memories will be born.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover. Isn’t it amazing? I love a cover with a cool house on it! In this middle grade story, Asha’s dream house is Donnybrooke, a mansion that sits on the highest hill in Coreville. When her best friend Sam is accepted into a new school and starts spending all his time with Prestyn (who actually lives at Donnybrooke), Asha feels lost. This story is told in the points of view of Asha, Sam, and Donnybrooke itself!

Merra, Locky, Roozle, Finn, and little Jory love their ramble shamble house. They spend their days taking care of the chickens, making mud pies, and tending the garden. But when they come across a picture of a “proper” house in a book, they wonder if their little house is so great after all. They set out to make their house just like the one in the book until they discover that maybe their ramble shamble house is the perfect place for them just as it is.

Rabbi Ruben takes a look around the synagogue and realizes it could use some sprucing up. So he sets out to fix the creaky floorboards, the drafty windows, and the leaking faucet. But when his efforts don’t quite succeed, the congregation pitches in to make the synagogue feel like home.

I just love this picture book about a young girl and her grandfather who lives in Newfoundland. When the young girl visits, she has to take a ferry to his home where they explore the docks and green hills specked with puffins and read at night by the lantern light. I love the Canadian landscape, so I was a huge fan of this picture book!

This gorgeous, wordless picture book follows a marmot who sees part of his home destroyed by wildfires. He (adorably) sets out to replant the forest, taking care of his baby trees and enduring windstorms and winter. This marmot is probably the most adorable creature I’ve seen!

This intergenerational picture book begins with a grandfather’s story of leaving his home country as a young child with just one small bag and one nut. When he arrived in the new country, he planted it in a pot and watched it grow. When he bought a house, he moved it to the backyard and watched it grow. And from that tree came more walnuts, which his granddaughter collected… I loved this story so much!

This informative non-fiction book for middle grade readers tells the human story of the climate change conversation from the recent past into the present day. It wrestles with the long shadow of our failures, what might be ahead for today’s generation, and crucial questions of how we understand the world we live in—and how we can work together to change the outlook for the better. 

I really enjoyed this non-fiction picture book about Frederick Law Olmstead. I am familiar with him because he designed a lot of NYC’s parks, including the park I got married in (Fort Tryon Park!). It was wonderful to learn more about his life and the vast number of projects he undertook all throughout America.

This picture book is set right in my neighborhood! Years ago, Tony Hillery invited a group of students from an underfunded school to transform a vacant lot into a beautiful and abundant farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration. The author’s portion of proceeds from the sale of this book directly benefits the non-profit organization Harlem Grown.

If you’re planning summer camping trips, I highly recommend 50 States 500 Campgrounds, published by National Geographic. Filled with great information and photos, this is a must have book if you’re researching where to go and where to stay.

Goat and Frog are friends; Goat likes to lead, and Frog likes to follow. But Goat starts jumping on it, along it, above it, inside it, beside it, around it, and under it. It’s a lot, and Frog doesn’t know if he can keep up. Can their friendship survive this?

Meet an unlikely group of heroes: Toots the Bean, Chip Ninja, Tammy the Tomato, and Leonard, a wedge of cheddar cheese. But as strange as these heroes might be, they’re the only ones who can save kids all over the world (even the annoying ones). When they get a call that a kid in Ms. Sternbladder’s class missed breakfast and isn’t allowed to have snacks, they know he needs to eat something or he can’t do all the things he needs to do that day! Can the Hunger Heroes save the day?

This sweet friendship book by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell reminds me of books I loved reading with my kids when they were younger: Frog and Toad, The Fire Cat, and Little Bear. In this new story, Cornbread loves planning and Poppy does not. When winter approaches, Cornbread is completely prepared but Poppy is not! What will Poppy do?

Yasmin and her multi-generational Pakistani American family are endlessly entertaining in this early chapter book series. I love Yasmin and her energy and all the ways she creatively solves problems. There are plenty of books in this series, which is great for newly independent readers!

I love LeUyen Pham’s illustrations, and this new book for burgeoning readers is no exception. In this book, a bunch of dinosaurs have an itch: Triceratops, Pterodactyl, Brontosaurus, AND T-Rex! But DINOSAURS DO NOT SCRATCH. Right?

One, Two, Kat, and Four are really good at doing lots of things… but one thing they are not good at is naming clubs! Will they be able to find the perfect name before it’s too late?

As a former gymnast, I have followed Simone’s career for years and have been amazed by her accomplishments and integrity. She has brought so much to the sport and is truly the G.O.A.T.! This wonderful picture book biography tells the story of this incredible woman.

In her own words, the Nobel Peace Prize winner tells a story inspired by her own childhood. As a child in Pakistan, Malala wished for a magic pencil that would grant all the wishes she desired. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true.

This book tells that incredible story of Zaha Hadid, a British Iraqi architect whose stunning buildings and fluid lines made her a pioneer in her field. I first found out about her when a new building was going up in New York City. It was the most beautiful building I had ever seen, and I wanted to know more about the architect behind it. Zaha faced discrimination as she pursued architecture, but through it all she persisted and ended up creating some of the most stunning buildings in the world.

I have been so in awe of Greta Thunberg and her devotion to spreading knowledge about climate change. When she was fifteen she learned of global climate change from her teacher, and it impacted her so much that she went on strike, skipping school every Friday to sit outside of the Swedish Parliament building with a sign that read “School Strike for Climate.” At first, Greta was the only one. But gradually, more and more students joined her, until her lone protest had sparked a worldwide student movement for action on climate change.

I have nothing but admiration for Sonia Sotomayor who grew up in New York City and faced many odds on her path to becoming a Supreme Court Justice. In this honest picture book, Justice Sotomayor shares about her childhood and the health issues she encountered. I also love how she continues to write picture books that are focused on empathy and compassion. Check out Just Ask! and Just Help!

Okay, let’s first acknowledge the genius that is Jason Chin. He is the most recent Newbery Medalist for his work in Watercress (written by Andrea Wang). Watercress was one of my absolute favorite picture books published in 2021. In Grand Canyon, Jason writes an incredible picture book with an engaging story, intriguing facts, and incredible illustrations. I mean, check out that gorgeous cover!

I love Raul the Third’s illustrations. I love examining every inch of his drawings of a border town. This book is bilingual in a new way, teaching readers simple words in Spanish as they experience the bustling life of Little Lobo and his dog Bernabe as they deliver supplies to a variety of vendors, selling everything from sweets to sombreros, portraits to piñatas, carved masks to comic books!

I adore Kate Messner’s Over and Under picture book series. (I always think about her first one, Over and Under the Snow, whenever I take a walk in the winter.) This beautiful book examines life in the canyon which takes young readers on a thrilling tour of a desert canyon ecosystem.

Dusti’s love for the desert is apparent in all of her middle grade books, but I especially love this survival story of a girl and her father who escape to the canyon to find some peace after an unspeakable tragedy. But when her father is swept away by a flash flood, Nora faces dehydration, venomous scorpions, and deadly snakes. Can she survive the desert and find her dad?

This beautiful book is a reflection of the many ways a father’s love is demonstrated through words and actions. The gorgeous watercolor illustrations show the tenderness and strength of fathers all over the world who are guiding, teaching, caring, and loving their kids in so many ways.

This sweet love story unfolds in the most difficult of circumstances: a War Relocation Center in the desert after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in World War II. Tama works in the camp’s tiny library, and it is there where she takes refuge in stories and beautiful pictures. George waits each morning outside the door with an armful of books to return – can anyone read that many books? Or does George spend so much time in the library for an entirely different reason?

This is the book we all want, especially after two years of pandemic life. This stunning picture book is all about welcoming people into our homes and our spaces, and it features the word “welcome” in fourteen different languages. There is a stunning spread that opens up to a feasting table at the end of the book that took my breath away!

This book is a celebration of Black and brown babies! The award winning author illustrator duo has created another book that is filled with vibrant illustrations and hugs and affirmations. This is a book about JOY!

I am a huge fan of Renata Liwska’s charming and playful illustrations, and this book is filled with so much sweetness. When Lion shows his distaste for love, it’s up to Mouse to show him all the things he does love – especially their friendship! This is one adorable book!

I talk about Jason Chin A LOT in this newsletter – I just love his illustrations – and this picture book is one that I’ve recommended dozens of times this year. Watercress was awarded the Newbery Honor as well as the Caldecott Medal. This book is set in Ohio, and in the start of the book we see a family driving along a road. The car stops and the family gets out to gather watercress at the side of the road, and the young girl is embarrassed that her family is foraging. But the experience leads to her parents sharing their own stories of gathering watercress in their home country, which helps create new family memories of watercress and feeling grateful for what they have.

This intricately woven book follows a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But when a comet destroys earth, only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. This book will make you think and wonder and rediscover what it means to be human.

This beautifully illustrated and informative book provides a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa’s Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community.

This vividly illustrated picture book joins the ¡Vamos! world with familiar characters like Little Lobo, his dog Bernabé, and their pals El Toro and La Oink Oink. Little Lobo just got a new truck, and they are using it to carry party supplies over the bridge. But the line is long and there is a lot of traffic. They set up a party to pass the time where people from two countries meet each other and celebrate new friendships.

Ashley’s autobiography is stunning, filled with never-before-seen artwork and handwritten letters and diary entries from his time serving in World War II. It is one of the most powerful and honest and illuminating autobiographies I have ever read, and I encourage you all to pick up a copy and spend time in his story.

This is probably one of my favorite books because it captures the essence of this remarkable man. From his walks on the beach by his home on Little Cranberry Island, Ashley would gather weathered bones and stones shaped like hearts and empty bottles and fishing net. He would bring them back to his home and make the most magnificent puppets out of them, some nearly two feet tall. In the book, he gives them names and stories.

This luminous book, which won a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award, has its roots in original slave auction and plantation estate documents. Ashley Bryan contrasts the monetary value of each person and imagines and interprets each person’s life on the plantation, as well as the life their owner knew nothing about—their dreams and pride in knowing that they were worth far more than an overseer or madam ever would guess.