Author: Margaret Kingsbury

My daughter loves the Rover and Speck early reader graphic novel series. They’re about two friendly rovers exploring space together. In this second book, the friends visit an unexplored, watery planet where they make friends with some aliens and are chased by a water monster. While the story is fictional, science facts are scattered throughout. Make sure to also read the first book, Rover and Speck: This Planet Rocks, though they can be read in any order.

Space scientist Dr. Aderin-Pocock answers common questions from kids about space in this engaging and vibrantly illustrated nonfiction. She addresses a ton of questions, like whether or not there are rainbows on other planets, how the universe will end (or will it?), if there’s ever been life on Mars, and more. This is the kind of nonfiction space kids will pour over. It’s over 100 pages, so probably best for kids 7+.

This super fun board book is part of the Block Book set. The pages have peak-throughs, flaps, and foldout pages and are great for exploring. This isn’t your average board book of 10-12 pages; it has 80 pages total. Despite its length, it’s still ideal and very accessible for toddlers and preschoolers. The text is kept simple as the pages explore space travel, the planets, astronauts, and more.

This beautifully illustrated middle grade nonfiction by a senior science writer for NASA explores the night sky. Readers can learn about the phases of the moon, the history behind Orion’s Belt, how to spot Venus, and more. Each section includes how to spot each celestial topic in the sky, its history, some facts, and more. It’s a lovely book that would make a great gift.

Stella has a problem. Her class is having a Mother’s Day celebration, but she has two dads. Who can she invite? This is a lovely, sweet picture book. A librarian in Hamilton County had planned to use it in a Mother’s Day lesson about diverse families, but the lesson was canceled when Moms for Liberty got involved.

The other picture book Moms for Liberty complained about that the librarian had planned to use was this one, about a grumpy bear that adopts some goslings. It’s a hilarious book and the first in a series. It’s frequently read in schools. It’s hard to imagine what could possibly be offensive about either book, though I imagine if this one had not been paired with Stella, it would’ve slipped through.

I remember reading this one in elementary school. This Caldecott Award-winning picture book was taken off the shelves in Williamson County, though it has since been recommended for return. This is right next door to where I live in Nashville. If you’re unfamiliar with the book, it’s a retelling of a West African folktale. The complaint against it was that it was too violent and scary. That review is likely to get more children to read it rather than less.

This is another award-winning children’s book. It’s about Mia, a middle schooler and Chinese immigrant who lives in a motel where her parents work. She helps manage the front desk and dreams of becoming a writer. There are five books in this fantastic series. I love this reel Yang posted with her daughter discussing her mom’s books being banned.

This adorable picture book stars two twin Dokkaebi—Korean mythical tricksters—named Doki and Kebi. Doki and Kebi are exact opposites. Doki is sweet and helpful, while Kebi is mischievous and loves to scare people. However, when humans tear down their centuries-old home, they move to New York City. Can they find the perfect haunted house to make into their home? They do, and just in time for Halloween.

Every night a new monster from Peruvian folklore tries to scare Benita, but she’s too busy reading to be scared, and she wishes they would just be quiet. Curious, the monsters join her to read. This is a hilarious and very relatable picture book. Back matter includes more about the creatures in the book as well as author and illustrator notes about their connection to Peruvian folklore.

This hand-sized, wordless picture book follows a pumpkin-headed child as they chase after a black cat who has stolen their mouse lovey. No matter how spooky things get, they’re not going to give up. Told in a series of panels, this is a sweetly spooky Halloween read.

This hilarious board book depicts a hotdog named Weenie dressing up for Halloween. What should Weenie be? A mummy? A hamburger? An earthworm? Really, all costumes are quite fetching on Weenie. The vibrant illustrations are definitely going to get big laughs.

In this stunning mythic picture book, a young Hawaiian girl learns the traditions and stories behind Hula, the Hawaiian folkloric dance. The more she learns, the closer she comes to understanding the true meaning of aloha. The illustrations in this are gorgeous. You can see a few inside pages on my Instagram review of it. The author sells the book through Kickstarter, and she’s donating 100% of September sales to ‘Āina Momona to help provide direct support to those affected by the Maui wildfires.

This is also a picture book based on Indigenous Hawaiian myths. It’s about how the Mahu — people with both male and female spirits — brought the healing arts and science to Hawaii in the 15th century. The Hawaiians honored their legacy with a monument of four boulders. When white colonists move onto the island, the legend behind the boulders is forgotten, but not forever.

In this vibrant picture book, a shy girl, Punky, finds her courage with some advice from her grandmother as well as her grandmother’s supposedly magic sunglasses that help her share her aloha. With sunglasses on, she manages to make friends and help her community. It’s an adorable read!

This is such an entertaining contemporary middle grade fantasy centering Hawaiian folklore. Twelve-year-old Anna/Leilani spends her summers with her grandmother, Tutu, in a small village near a volcano. Tutu teaches Anna Hawaiian folklore and language in the hopes that Anna will remember and carry her Hawaiian heritage proudly, but after a falling out with her best friend in Colorado, Anna believes that by embracing her Hawaiian heritage, she’s separating herself from her friend. At first, she tries to reject Tutu’s teachings, but when she picks the wrong flower in a fury, she triggers the goddess Pela’s rage.

This picture book is the continuation of a nature-themed series by the author and illustrator. It opens with a grandmother and grandchild in a boat watching Canadian geese fly overhead. The story then follows the family of what appears to be a mother, son, and two grandmothers as they explore the changes fall brings outside, from watching beavers build to hiking among yellow larches. I think this is the first time I’ve seen two queer grandmothers in a picture book? Feel free to let me know if you know of others!

I mean, does a cover get more adorable? This simple, rhyming picture book explores lots of classic fall scenes: pumpkin patches, trick-or-treating, pumpkin pie, and more. The orange and yellow-hued illustrations perfectly encapsulate fall feelings. It’s a playful, joyful read-aloud.

This picture book is my daughter’s favorite fall read. It’s about three leaves with a lot of personality-changing colors and falling as the season progresses. Birch is happy to see what comes next, Oak is worried, and Maple is excited and wants to be first at everything. However, she’s the last to change color and the last to fall. This is a fun one for kids and also a great read before doing any fall leaf crafts.

I adore JaNay Brown-Wood’s Where in the Garden? picture book series, which are compare/contrast stories that depict diverse children in gardens searching for a fruit or vegetable. In this one, the first book in the series, though every book is a stand-alone, Amara is looking for pumpkins on the farm. She’s got to find pumpkins before a potluck she’s hosting! Will the reader help her find them?

The Little Languages board book series introduces first concepts to toddlers. There are four board books total in the series, and they come with an audio QR code for pronunciation. The illustrations are really adorable and colorful. Each page spread has a sentence in English on the left and the same sentence in Spanish on the right.

There are three books total in this sweet board book series that teaches kids how to dance along with first concepts. In this one, kids can learn steps to the cumbia along with manners. The other two books in the series are ¡1, 2, 3 Merengue!, which teaches about instruments and sounds, and ¡1, 2, 3 Salsa!, which teaches counting. They’re really delightful and I love that they’re interactive.

This is part of the Feelings & Firsts board book series. In this one, a toddler learns about potty training. Other board books in the series cover topics like playing independently and trying new foods. They’re available in English only and in English and Spanish. There are currently four books in the series.

I was so excited to learn that Alma from Alma and How She Got Her Name was going to get her own board books! In this one, Alma interacts with family members. Each page has a simple sentence in both English and Spanish accompanied by a sweet illustration depicting the sentence. This is also part of a series, though currently only two books have been published in the series. The other book is Alma, Head to Toe /Alma, de pies a cabeza.

This picture book biography explores the life of Argentinian folk singer Mercedes Sosa. Her singing journey began in school, when she was asked to sing the national anthem, and later to compete in a radio show contest. After she won the contest, she kept singing and singing and singing. When the Argentinian government banned her songs and arrested her during a show, she was forced to flee to Europe. This is a beautifully illustrated picture book biography and a great way to introduce children to Sosa’s music.

This is the first book in Eerdmans Books’ new Stories from Latin America Series. In a small town in Honduras, Luis, who loves stories, excitedly waits for a bookmobile’s arrival. Every Monday the bookmobile comes, spreading stories and joy. This vibrantly illustrated picture book is based on a true story. The Asociación Compartir, part of JustWorld International, sponsors a bookmobile that travels around Honduras sharing books. This releases next Tuesday.

This beautiful picture book celebrates the love between a father and daughter. Every evening when Papa gets home from work, he braids his daughter Xiomara’s hair (trenzas in Spanish). When he gets home late one evening and is unable to braid her hair, Xiomara despairs. It’s too hard to do herself! The next evening, Papa tells her the story of learning how to braid from his sisters.

Sami loves Spanglish, but his abuela is skeptical. Blending Spanish and English words comes naturally for Sami, and he’s frustrated when friends and his school aren’t accepting of Spanglish. But with support from his family, he realizes it’s okay to speak in unique ways. This is a joyful picture book.

Most picture books depict boys with dyslexia, so I was very happy to see this one releasing today, about a little girl with dyslexia trying to write a story for her grandmother’s birthday. It’s a sweet story, and the back matter includes ideas to help kids with dyslexia. For another picture book about dyslexia featuring a girl main character, check out Brilliant Bea.

Abdul loves stories but struggles to write down his own. He thinks, because his writing is so messy and because he never sees kids like himself in stories, that he shouldn’t be a writer. Then a real writer visits his classroom, Mr. Muhammad, and shows the class that everyone makes mistakes, and that good stories come from good editing. Encouraged, Abdul realizes that anyone can be a storyteller, including himself. While this picture book doesn’t specify that Abdul has dyslexia, it is adjacent.

This beautifully illustrated picture book is one of my favorites. It’s based on the author’s childhood experiences. Hudson loves drawing and stories, but he reads very slowly, and he gets frustrated and embarrassed by how long it takes him to read. When he learns about other people who read slowly, he gives himself permission to read slowly and continue to relish the books he loves.

Like Hudson, Aaron loves stories and art, but words jumble up whenever he tries to read or write, and he struggles to make sense of them. When Ms. Greer assigns the class a storytelling project, Aaron despairs. But with a little ingenuity, he finds a unique way to tell a story. Like the rest of The Questioneers series, this is written in rhyming verse. It’s such a fun read aloud.

Violet loves her brand-new box of crayons. Each crayon tip is so perfect and each color so bright! She’s excited to use the crayons and imagines many colorful scenes she could create. However, if she uses the crayons, they will no longer be perfect! She can’t seem to make herself use them. Then one day her younger sister takes the crayons and draws her sister a picture. Instead of being happy, Violet is very upset about her sister using her crayons. I had almost this exact scenario play out with one of my sisters and a sewing kit she had. It did not work out so well; it was the first time I was grounded, lol.

Speaking of sibling conflict, sometimes Lulu and Zoey get along, and just as often they don’t. Fights break out about sharing and having alone time, and sometimes these fights even turn physical. But they also often have a lot of fun together, and their creativity can shine together, too. This rhyming picture book provides a slice-of-life glimpse into the life of these two sisters.

Sisters Siasi and Siloah love spending time with their ningiuq, the Inuktitut word for grandmother. They especially love picking berries with her. At the end of every summer, the trio heads out to pick berries, and berry picking continues as the season changes. When the berries are picked, they make delicious treats. This is a sweet intergenerational picture book that releases on Tuesday.

Ling and Ting are my favorite sisters from children’s lit. There are four Ling & Ting readers, and while they can be read in any order, Not Exactly the Same is the best place to start. Though they’re twins, Ling and Ting are not exactly the same, as the six interconnected stories in this will show. Despite their differences, they love being together, and they love being almost the same. These readers are modern classics. If you haven’t read them yet, definitely check them out!

While there isn’t much gender diversity in children’s books about school pictures, this one is different, and very LGBTQ+ friendly. Molly’s mom frames and hangs all school pictures in a place of honor, and Molly wants this year’s picture to be perfect. But Molly’s mom wants her to wear a frilly dress, and Molly definitely doesn’t want to wear a dress. She can’t convince her mom to let her pick out her own outfit, so she sneaks to school with her brother’s old tuxedo in her backpack, the perfect outfit for Molly’s dream picture.

Amira is so excited to celebrate Eid with her entire family, and she’ll be missing school for the holiday. However, she then remembers that she’ll also be missing picture day. Her mother tries to reassure her that she’ll get plenty of pictures at the Eid celebration, but it’s not the same. Amira wants pictures with her class! Thankfully, she’s able to attend just for pictures. This is a good reminder for teachers and school departments to remember all student holidays and not plan big events when minority students might be absent.

The Geraldine Pu books are slim, early reader graphic novels that are great for beginning readers. This is the second book in the series, and currently three have been published. Each can be read as a stand alone. In this one, Geraldine really wants to wear her favorite cat hat for school pictures because she dislikes her own hair. It would be so much better to cover it up with her hat, but there’s a no hat rule. Can Geraldine learn to like her hair?

It’s middle school, and Viv wants to be more like the most popular girl in school, who has a ton of social media followers and is constantly making viral videos. For school pictures, Viv decides to cut her hair and style it like her favorite media personality, and has one of her friends film it for social media. The video goes viral and everyone wants Viv to give them their big happy moments. Meanwhile, she’s alienating her friends in her quest to be popular. This is an entertaining middle grade graphic novel.