Author: Margaret Kingsbury

This picture book biography explores the life of pianist and environmental activist Mahani Teave. As a child, Mahani learned to play piano on Rapa Nui’s only piano, and she loved it. She had to leave her beloved island to learn more about piano and to become a classical musician, but when she returned, she realized the island had a big problem: litter. The island’s beaches were awash with litter. She decided to build a music school by recycling the litter found on Rapa Nui’s beaches. This is a really fantastic and beautifully illustrated picture book.

This rhyming alphabetical picture book takes readers through a whirlwind of Asian American history and culture. From the transcontinental railroad to water festivals and hip-hop, this book covers a wide range of topics. It also mentions many important AAPI figures that would be a great jumping off point for further research, like comedian Jo Koy, children’s book author Grace Lin, violinist Sarah Chang, and astronaut Kalpana Chawla. There’s a glossary in the back with more information.

This is a phenomenal anthology of mini-biographies about a range of important figures in the AAPI community. From painter Etel Adnan to ‘ukulele musician Taimane Gardner and actor and wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the biographies cover many fascinating people. Each biography is accompanied by an illustration, and there’s a reflective guide in the back with questions, further reading, and a glossary.

This innovative and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi is longer than most picture books, and told in three parts. It opens with Isamu being asked to represent America in an exhibit, then what follows is all the ways Isamu has felt separate from his dual identities as a Japanese American, from being put in an American concentration camp during WWII, to simplifying his name to Sam. Art became his protective shell and escape, and he came to call himself a snail.

These STEM-themed poems are so much fun! Each silly poem tackles a scientific concept. In “Extra Electrons 2,” for example, dog and human exchange electrons when a nose bump leads to a static electricity zap. Other poems explore the states of matter, gravity, magnetism, and more. It’s a really fun way to explore science.

After moving across the world, a young girl misses Cairo so much. When her Auntie Fatma comes to visit, the young girl requests an Egyptian lullaby before bed to help her remember everything she loved about Cairo. Auntie Fatma’s lyrical and repetitive song recalls the swish, swoosh, swishing boats along the Nile, prayers at the mosque, and more. This is a really heartwarming read.

In this early chapter book, Bo’s teacher assigns the class a poem. Each student is to write a poem and read it to the class. But Bo doesn’t feel like he has what it takes to write a poem. With a little help from his barber shop owner Pop-Pop and Pop-Pop’s musician client Darius, Bo learns that poetry is a lot like song lyrics, and poetry can help express the things you love. All six books in the Bo at the Buzz series are a lot of fun, and very relatable.

In this lovely middle grade novel-in-verse, 12-year-old Dominican American Aniana discovers she has Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis right when she begins to really shine in swimming. She and her Papi hide her swim practices from Mami, whose childhood tragedy has made her afraid of the water. However, the family lives in Galveston, TX, where learning how to swim is pretty much a requirement. Plus, Aniana loves to swim so much. Aniana’s diagnosis threatens to end her swim career, and what will her mother do when she finds out Aniana is lying?

This is the fourth book in JaNay Brown-Wood’s Where In the Garden? picture book series, which centers diverse children exploring different garden settings in search of a fruit or vegetable. Linh is searching for blueberries for a picnic with friends on her rooftop garden. Each book opens with a description of the fruit/vegetable followed by the child comparing and contrasting the description with other things growing in the garden. For instance, while a blackberry is round in shape like a blueberry, blueberries don’t have round balls all over them. I really love this series!

This is one of my favorite picture books of the year and is just as beautiful as the author and illustrator’s previous book, I Talk Like a River. It’s an intergenerational picture book about the special relationship between a boy and his baba —grandmother — who doesn’t speak very much English. The boy loves spending time with Baba. She teaches him about gardening but also about the importance of paying attention and noticing the little things. Together the pair pick up worms on concrete after it rains and return them to the earth. When his grandmother grows ill and can no longer garden, the boy remembers everything she taught him. This stunning picture book is based on the author’s experiences.

A young girl logs what happens in the garden during all 12 months of the year. In April she re-pots seedling into bigger pots, in June she waters plants and inspects them for bugs, and in December she and her moms host a festive feast for their friends. I love how this follows the seasons and I also appreciate the casual queer rep with the girl having two moms.

This is the second book in the Marya Khan chapter books series, about a Pakistani American 3rd grader, but each book can be read as a stand-alone. Marya’s school is building a community garden, and Marya’s class is chosen to work on the garden first. Marya is so excited, especially because her mom has been asked to help plan the garden! She wants to be the class leader for the project, but so does her rival Alexa. Meanwhile, all of Marya’s plans for the garden just aren’t working out. This is an engaging series with really great, nuanced friend and family dynamics.

A brother and sister team help their family prepare for the weekly Shabbat celebrations in this sweet board book. From making cholent to picking out flowers, this duo is excited about welcoming family and friends to their home to celebrate a Shabbat meal. I especially love the diversity of families in the illustrations in this rhyming board book.

The 2021 picture book of this rhyming passover modern classic has been reissued as a board book now. It follows Pippa the mouse as she overcomes her fears of her animal neighbors to find her missing Seder plate. Afterward, when she finally finds the Seder plate, she invites them all to dinner to celebrate Passover with her.

This sweet board book shows Sephardic Jewish parents welcoming their newborn baby using the Ladino greeting “Mazal bueno!” There’s also a QR code on the back to listen to the author sing a Ladino song! Sephardic Jewish experiences are rarely represented in children’s books and this one, with its warm illustrations and lyrical prose, is really special.

This is another lovely, simple Passover-themed board book. A child prepares for Seder dinner by setting the table, eating matzah, listening to the Passover story, and more. This board book is a companion to A Family Haggadah I and A Family Haggadah II, which are for older child readers.

I believe I’ve recommended this picture book before, but it’s such an important resource. It’s about a young girl who doesn’t feel safe at school after they practice a school lockdown drill. By being supportive and calm, her grandfather helps her to see the beauty in the world once more. This is a really lovely and necessary book. One of my friends had her 3-year-old come home recently discussing a daycare lockdown drill. How have we gotten to this point.

The Kids Book About series often have books to address tough topics like this. The series has no illustrations and uses simple text and vivid typography to address kids. This one is written by a Columbine survivor. There’s really no way to normalize school shootings, but this does a good job of validating feelings of anxiety and fear and will help guide adults in having this important conversation.

This picture book doesn’t discuss school shootings; it does, however, discuss gun violence. When Miles’ cousin Keisha is shot and injured at a local park, he feels anxiety and fear. He no longer wants to go to the park, and wishes his family could move. Keisha, his family, and the community help him to turn his fear into activism by helping his community and promoting peace.

In this simple picture book, a young girl’s parents become disturbed after listening to the news. She worries and becomes increasingly anxious as they react to something that is clearly horrible. Their teacher also speaks to the class about looking for helpers, and the girl decides she wants to be a helper. But how? This is another one that encourages hope and action in the face of tragedy.

Eva wants to plant a garden in this adorable new picture book, but a rabbit eats her plants! This makes her sad, but when she follows the rabbit to nearby trees, she finds a little rabbit den with baby rabbits. It’s hard to stay mad at baby bunnies. As Eva plants a new garden, she gets another special surprise. A new baby sister! I loved this super sweet, lyrical picture book. While it doesn’t explicitly relate to Easter, the rabbits plus the fertility theme definitely made me think of Easter. The family is mixed race.

This lyrical, joyful board book is the perfect spring read for babies and toddlers. The story follows a diverse group of toddlers exploring a spring day, from blowing bubbles to mucking about in the mud to bathtime and finally bedtime. It’s a sweet board book with vibrant illustrations.

This hilarious picture book is my daughter’s favorite on the list. It follows the squirrel and bird duo from The Leaf Thief as spring arrives. One day Squirrel spies a flower between his tree and bird’s, but a little more on his side. He decides the flower is his and nearly smothers it to death. Bird let’s Squirrel know that wildflowers don’t belong to any one person (or creature), and the next day Squirrel finds the whole field full of flowers.

Opal is excited to join a birdhouse building contest. She’s going to construct the fanciest, most original birdhouse ever! But every birdhouse she makes is a flop, so she instead goes for a more traditional style. She’s sad when she loses the contest, but she gets the best reward of all when a bluebird chooses her house to make a nest in. I love books that decentralize the importance of winning and instead focus on process, like this one.

My personal favorite hospital book we’ve checked out is this very informative and accessible nonfiction by a doctor. Dr. Nwora takes readers on a tour of the hospital, from x-rays and the cafeteria, to intensive care units and giving birth. In each area, she highlights a human story, like a couple giving birth, or a child with a broken arm. It’s a really fascinating, comprehensive nonfiction.

In this leveled reader, a girl accompanies her family to the emergency room after her brother leaps off of the top bunk of their bed and breaks his arm. There, she meets many doctors and learns there are a lot of different kinds. This is a great way for kids to learn more about doctors.

I love it when a favorite series covers a current topic of interest. My daughter literally screamed in delight when we found an Owl Diaries book where Eva visits the hospital! Eva injures her wing while playing wingball, and has to go to the hospital. There, she meets another juvenile owl patient from another town and the two become fast friends. Meanwhile, the local carnival is beginning, and Eva is worried about whether or not she and the other owls in the hospital will be able to attend. This illustrated chapter book is as charming and entertaining as the rest of the series.

Like a lot of newsletter readers I imagine, I loved A Wrinkle in Time when I was a kid, at least partially because I shared a name with the protagonist, though mostly because it’s such a magical book. This picture book written by L’Engle’s granddaughter frames Madeleine L’Engle’s biography with her love of asking questions. Writing came to be the way she set about answering and exploring the answers.

This is one of the most beautiful picture book biographies I’ve ever read, from the stunning illustrations to the moving biographical poems. Watson chronicles Angelou’s life from her joyful but also traumatic childhood through her adulthood, ending when Angelou recited a poem at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. As a content warning, one poem does address Angelou’s childhood sexual assault, though it doesn’t detail specifically what happened. I had a chance to hear Angelou speak a few years before her death, and it was such an amazing experience.

As a child, Jane Austen delighted in telling funny stories to her family about the people they encountered, and that mischievous storytelling spark would later form the basis for her novels. This lovely picture book depicts Jane’s humor and where she found inspiration for her stories, and can help young writers experiment with their own storytelling style! I still have the battered copy of her complete works on my bookshelf, a gift from my mother in my early teens.

This picture book bio about Zora Neale Hurston is such a good read aloud, with prose as vivid as the illustrations. As a child, Hurston’s mother told her to jump at the sun. Williams uses that phrase as a refrain as Hurston’s joy for folklore and storytelling sends her jumping off toward college and talking to everyone to learn their stories. I studied her folklore collections in grad school, and I loved how this focused on her love of folklore.

Can a book get any more fun? Readers can sing and dance along to this delightful riff on “The Wheels on the Bus” starring several drag queens with fantastic names: Mother Lucy Goosey, Cinderfella, Rita Booke, and more. With vibrant colors and catchy lyrics, this is a book you should expect to read many times. Also check out the second book in the series — If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It.

With Wig on, the young B.B. Bedazzle is more than ready for a local drag competition. However, when B.B. arrives, she’s no longer as confident in winning. Everyone looks so fabulous! But Wig does help B.B. feel confident, and when Wig blows off in the wind, it helps audience members feel like they can embrace their wildest dreams, too. This is a really imaginative, joyful picture book.

It’s storytime at the library. When the kids aren’t looking, librarian Mr. Stephen sneaks out and, in a few minutes, Ms. Stacks appears. She’s everyone’s favorite storytime leader. She’s exciting and so good at performing the books! The kids have a blast, but they also love Mr. Stephen, who reappears after storytime, though clever readers will realize he was there the entire time.

This is the first board book in a series by Foreman and Bowers and while I enjoy all of them, I must admit this first one is still my favorite. With simple, poetic text, it celebrates Black hair as four girls with different hair types get ready. Also check out the other books in the series: Glow, Bloom, and Ours.

I’m surprised I haven’t reviewed this book yet because it was one of my favorite picture books of 2022. It’s an intergenerational, rhythmic read aloud centering Black disabled joy. Emmalene, who is blind and uses a cane, loves listening to all the songs the city sings, but her distracted Grandma Jean doesn’t want to pause and listen. In vibrant, evocative language, Emmalene describes what she hears to her grandmother on the way to church until Grandma Jean finally stops, listens, and hears the songs.

Fourth grader Miles Lewis comes from a family of skaters, so when his teacher announces the class will be taking a field trip to an ice skating rink to learn about physics, he’s excited. He knows the perfect person to ask ice skating tips from: his Nana. This is especially important after his friend R.J. bets that Miles will wipe out, and they set up a friendly challenge. However, Miles has one big worry hanging over his head: his Nana lives with Miles and his parents, but she might be moving out. This is the first book in a fantastic STEM-themed chapter book series. Check out Kelly Starling Lyons’ other children’s books too, which all center Black joy.

This middle grade novel has another week until it releases but I finished it recently and really wanted to share it. It entwines the comic book format with prose chapters and would be great for kids who are struggling a bit to transition into reading all-prose books. It’s about two brothers with very active, and very destructive, imaginations. When their parents hire a new babysitter in the form of the strict, gold-toothed Ms. Joyce, the boys immediately cast her as the villain in their pretend play. But is she really that villainous?