Author: Margaret Kingsbury

When a wildfire is spotted near her home, Malia and her family must evacuate. Her parents tell her to quickly pack what she can, but how can she pack everything important to her? It’s impossible. When they leave she realizes that her family and pet are what’s most important. This is a great book for kids facing an evacuation.

In this simple, poetic picture book, animals react as a wildfire starts in their forest and warn other animals to flee. Meanwhile, humans also spot the flames and begin to douse them via firefighters and aircraft. The beautiful, vibrant illustrations capture the animals’ panic as they journey to safety.

When a boy moves from the city to the country, he initially misses his city life, but soon he comes to love nature and befriends a fox. One day, he spots a forest fire and the family evacuates. He worries about what will happen to the fox. After the fires have been put out, the family returns home to find their house in ruins. They rebuild, and when they do, the fox returns. By the way, Danny Popovici is a volunteer firefighter.

This lyrical picture book is a bit different than the other three. Cooke looks at the history of fire and how it’s often essential to both human life and flora and fauna. Fires are indubitably dangerous, and Cooke addresses that, too, but they’re also essential to ecosystems. The illustrations are stunning.

While Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are the most well-known leaders of the movement, it was Carrie Chapman Catt who led the Women’s Suffrage Movement when the 19th Amendment passed as a result of her campaigning and hard work. This picture book biography begins with a young Carrie asking questions, and refusing to stop asking questions even when her father mocked her. Because her father didn’t believe women should go to college, Carrie washed dishes to pay for it, and when she graduated, she joined the Women’s Suffrage Movement, led at the time by Susan B. Anthony (there were different women’s groups campaigning, but I’ll keep it simple here!). This follows Carrie all the way to Nashville, where she successfully campaigned and the 19th Amendment was passed. I love that this picture book includes Carrie’s long relationship with another woman, and doesn’t hide that Carrie was queer.

This picture book centers on that final day of voting in Nashville, and how it all came down to one legislator, Harry Burn, and more importantly to his mother, Febb Burn. Harry had intended to vote “No” on the amendment, but then he received a letter from his mother with a big, old-fashioned guilt trip about how of course Harry would vote yes, how her beloved son knows how industrious his mother is, and how much she loves him and how (subtext) she will never forgive him and guilt him for the rest of his life if he were to vote no, but of course, he must already be planning to vote yes, because he loves his mother so. Harry was a good boy and voted yes. I’m really glad this picture book exists because no one I ever talk to knows about Febb Burn! Her voice is the one that won the vote.

This is a beautifully illustrated, large nonfiction biography collection and history that I encourage anyone that enjoys learning about the movement to read. It covers the Women’s Suffrage Movement in both the United States and the United Kingdom. You probably recognize David Roberts’s illustrations from the Questioneers series, like Ada Twist, Scientist and Rosie Revere, Engineer. It includes lots of fun facts about the movement, from badges to parades and more.

Black women were absolutely vital to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. The vote would not have happened without women like Mary Church Terrell and Ida B. Wells. Yet many white women suffragists were racist, and their racist beliefs and in-fighting hindered the movement. This middle grade nonfiction is a vital examination of the role of African American women in the movement. Dionne also connects how the struggles of Black women during the Women’s Suffrage Movement apply to current efforts to restrict voting access for Black citizens.

For readers just venturing into chapter books, Rebecca Elliott’s books are always my first recommendations. She has two extensive chapter book series: Owl Diaries and Unicorn Diaries. They’re heavily illustrated, really engaging, and very easy to follow along. The Unicorn Diaries series follows a unicorn named Bo Tinseltail as he attends school at Sparklegrove School for Unicorns. Every unicorn has one magical power, and Bo’s is to grant one wish per week. In book one — Bo’s Magical New Friend — Bo wishes for a friend, but he can’t grant wishes for himself!

Crimson Twill isn’t like other witches. She doesn’t like dressing in black and cackling and being spooky. Instead, she wears bright colors and skips and giggles. Crimson lives in the country but in this first book she’s visiting Broomingdale’s in New Wart City for the very first time! She has five gold coins to spend, but no idea what she’s going to buy. As she explores the store, shenanigans ensue, and she finds out that money can’t buy the thing she wants most of all — friends. There are currently two books in this fun series with a third releasing next year.

The Princess in Black is another great chapter book series for children who are transitioning from readers to chapter books. The print is large and easy to follow, and there are lots of illustrations. Plus the stories are action-packed and super fun! There are currently 10 books in the series. In this one, the third book, a horde of adorable bunnies escape from Monster Land, but the Princess in Black is too charmed to fight them off. What harm could come from bunnies? But when the grass swiftly disappears and the bunnies begin hungrily eyeing the princess and her horse companion, she realizes there might be a problem. I just read this one last night with my daughter and we had lots of laughs!

This is another fantasy series I absolutely adore. Zoey and her mom have a special ability: they can see magical creatures! These magical creatures visit her mom when they’re injured or in trouble, and she helps them and keeps track of their treatments in a journal. Now that Zoey can see the creatures too, she’s stepping in to help. In the first book, Zoey aids a baby dragon while her mother is away, with the help of her sweet cat Sassafras, of course!

When a child wakes one morning, everything feels like too much sensory input. The alarm clock beeping is too loud, the tag on a shirt is too scratchy, and the sun is too bright. When the child and their mother go to a playground, the child has a breakdown and needs a snuggle from Mom and a soft blanket. They return home and the child practices calming techniques. Back matter includes a note to caregivers and educators from the author as well as advice for how to handle sensory overload. This is a rhythmic and simple read that autistic children and adults can relate to.

This is a fantastic back-to-school picture book about a bat that initially has trouble fitting in at their new school. Bitsy is so excited to start school, but on her first day, she can’t seem to do anything right. She’s told to sit in a chair, which makes her dizzy, and to use her arms instead of her feet, which creates a big mess. Everything about the day leaves her feeling uneasy and ill. When she gets home, her supportive parents encourage her to be herself, and to not try to fit in. Then Bitsy has a brilliant idea — she’ll lead the students in a crafting activity that will show them how their differences make them a star. She’ll also ask for accommodations at school. Back matter includes definitions related to autism and an author’s note about being autistic.

This is the only picture book I know of that depicts a Black nonverbal autistic child who uses a tablet to communicate. I would love to see more tablet usage in picture books! It’s about a normal day in the life of the young protagonist as he goes to the park with his mother and gets a treat afterward. Both mother and son use a tablet. I interviewed the author for a piece on disability in picture books for School Library Journal.

This lovely middle grade novel-in-verse is about 7th grader Selah and her struggles to mask in public. Her mother is insistent she masks, but doing so is incredibly difficult, and makes Selah feel like she’s unraveling. She pours out her frustration in her poems, which she’s scared of showing anyone. When she attends FantasyCon, she meets other autistic people who don’t mask and instead have found ways to embrace and accommodate their autism in public spaces. This gives Selah the confidence to speak up for herself.

Constantia’s experience at a new school immediately gets off to a rough start when the teacher can’t pronounce her name correctly. She wishes she had an easy name like one of the many Emmas in her classroom. She also feels set apart from the other students by the lunches her mother packs her, which usually have a whole tomato in them. But when she makes a friend to share tomatoes with, she doesn’t feel the need to be just like everyone else anymore. This picture book is based on the author’s experiences as a Cypriot attending school in London.

All the other children in the playroom Luli attends speak a different language, and because of the language barriers, they play by themselves, and it’s often quiet. Then Luli has an idea. She brings in tea and cookies to share with the classroom, and suddenly everyone wants to talk and play with one another. While this takes place in a daycare-like situation, the story can be applied to any ESL classroom situation. It’s such an adorable book.

Isabel is very nervous about starting school, especially because she doesn’t speak much English. She much prefers the many colors of Spanish, her native language. While Isabel does struggle to understand everything that’s being said that first day, she connects with a new friend through art and decides that maybe school won’t be so bad after all. This sweet picture book is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.

Eight-year-old Jessica has recently moved from the Dominican Republic to Brooklyn, New York, and she misses the DR so much, especially her grandmother and friends. She doesn’t speak English, but her teacher offers to help. It takes a while for Jessica and her mom to settle into Brooklyn and find a home, but the longer they stay, and the more they explore their new home, the more Jessica enjoys it. This is a broader picture book than the others, focusing not just on school but the struggles of finding work and an affordable home as an immigrant.

While Olive usually has lots of fun at her grandfather’s house, today she is sad because her best friend has moved away. Her grandfather suggests she write a letter to her friend. Meanwhile, a little green envelope waits patiently in a drawer, waiting to be used. The envelope has waited for a very long time and hopes that this time it will be the perfect fit for Olive’s letter. When Olive chooses the green envelope, it happily goes on a journey to connect with Olive’s friend. This is such a sweet read for kids who have friends moving away. I remember going to my grandparents’ house as a kid and taking out their pile of cards and envelopes to decorate!

This moving picture book is told through a series of letters between two neighbors. The correspondence begins when Jackson accidentally kicks a ball into Mr. Graham’s garden. Mr. Graham invites Jackson over to help with the garden, and afterward blooms a friendship between the two despite the differences in their ages. Letters follow the two as Jackson celebrates his 7th birthday and Mr. Graham enters a nursing home. As a warning, this does end with Mr. Graham’s death, though Jackson continues to write letters to him and to garden.

Alice loves everything about her street. When she overhears neighbors complaining and grumbling about the street, she writes letters to help the object of their frustrations feel better, from a letter to the snow about how excellent it is for making snow angels to a letter to a maple tree. When neighbors find and read these letters, it makes them feel better about their community. Then one day Alice wakes up in a bad mood and her street doesn’t seem as appealing anymore. When she discovers a letter another child has written to the crocuses, she not only feels better, she also makes a friend.

The Dear Beast chapter book series follows Andy’s two pets — a silly dog named Baxter and a grumpy cat named Simon — and their many shenanigans, which are shown via letter correspondence. Baxter lives at Andy’s dad’s house, while Simon lives at Andy’s mom’s house. Andy’s mom has a business trip and, for the first time, Simon will be staying with Baxter, whom Simon refers to as the Beast. Simon is less than thrilled by the idea and takes the first opportunity to slip away. Baxter is desperate to find him. There are currently four books in this really fun chapter-book series.

This spinoff of the popular A to Z Mysteries series by Ron Roy features a main character wheelchair user, Abbi Wallace, solving animal-related mysteries. It’s also written by a wheelchair user. In this first book in the series, Abbi and her friends are excited about going to the Maine State Fair and seeing the animals in the 4-H pavilion. But when they get there, the pavilion is in shambles and all the alpacas except one are missing! Who could’ve stolen the alpacas? Abbi, her dog, and her friends are on the case. I grew up in a rural area where 4-H was a pretty big deal and the highlight of our local fair, so I really enjoyed this one for multiple reasons.

Marly, who wears an eye patch for her amblyopia, is surprised to discover that she’s been named in her next-door neighbor’s will. She had no idea Mr. Summerling had died, and while she took an interest in his treasure hunting, the two didn’t chat all that often. When she goes to the will reading, she discovers two other children have been named in the will, and they’re tasked with solving a series of riddles to find the treasure left to them in the will. Marly’s best friend has recently moved away, so this might be a great chance to make new friends. I really enjoyed this one! My nephew wore an eyepatch for the same condition at this age and it would’ve been great to have a book like this then. This series currently has four books in it.

This is the first book in a new chapter book series featuring neurodivergent characters that is written by an autistic author. With the help of a teacher, Nick has started the Infinity Rainbow Club at school for neurodivergent kids like himself. When the teacher announces that they will be participating in a brick building challenge, Nick is at first excited. But he’s not too keen on working with a partner, and his partner is a new girl named Ruby. What will she be like? I love how rich in sensory detail this book is. It releases in September, with more to follow.

While this is not a chapter book, it is a great nonfiction read for the same age group, 6-10-year-olds. Burnell, who is also disabled, writes mini-biographies of 34 disabled folk from a variety of backgrounds. Some of the people featured are well-known for their disabilities: Ludwig van Beethoven, Peter Dinklage, Helen Keller, and Stephen Hawking, for example. But others might not be as well-known to kids for their disabilities, like Lady Gaga, Frida Kahlo, and Lil Wayne. It’s a fantastic collection with beautiful illustrations.

In this very silly picture book, 100 mighty dragons all named Broccoli have their numbers slowly reduced for a variety of reasons. Fifty are immediately blown away by an autumn wind, all the ones wearing sunglasses decide to move to France, and six move to Hollywood and become movie stars. Finally, there is only one dragon named Broccoli remaining. She enters a cave in the winter and exits in the spring, followed by 100 mighty dragons. You’ll have to read the book to find out what she names them!

This adorable picture book uses Spanish numbers. It follows Gato Guapo and his nine siblings as they walk through a city’s streets. But cats keep going missing! And with every missing cat, a piece of Gato Guapo’s suave outfit disappears as well. Will Gato Guapo find his siblings and his clothes?

This silly picture book is a search-and-find and a counting book. Ten mischievous cats have discovered cans of paint. Can the reader find the three striped cats? How about the six cats with yellow dots? As the book progresses, the cats get more and more colorful. If your child is more of a dog person, the companion to this book, 10 Dogs, releases in September.

This is our most-read counting book at home and is available in both hardback and board book formats. Dogs find various modes of transportation to ride together: two dogs on a trike, three dogs on a scooter, four dogs on a bike, etc. In the background, however, a cat is following using a different mode of transport: roller skates, skateboard, race car, etc. The dogs look increasingly worried as they notice the sinister-looking cat following. The ending of this one is perfection. I also like that it counts up and down.

Mina is a bit nervous about starting kindergarten in a new school where she doesn’t speak the same language as the other kids. But the kindergarten classroom and teacher are so warm and welcoming. When she comes home, she tells Mama all about school, and her dreams fill with things she learned that day. With each new day Mina makes friends and becomes more comfortable with school. Her stories and dreams become fuller and fuller with everything she’s learning and experiencing. This is a sweet, gentle story of belonging.

This is my daughter’s favorite picture book lately and we’ve read it so much I have it memorized! It is hilarious. When the kindergarteners walk in on their first day of school, all they find is a sandwich, a stack of papers, and a mug of coffee on the table. “Mr. S” is drawn on the chalkboard behind the table. The children eye one another, confused, and then the same question pops into all of their heads: could the sandwich be their teacher Mr. S??? Some children say “Why not!?” others aren’t so sure. Meanwhile, a man outside the window is having exceptionally bad luck as his car catches on fire. Readers of Arnaldo’s picture book Are You A Cheeseburger? will spy some Easter eggs in the illustrations. This is such a surprising picture book, and the children’s expressions are perfection!

Written in the second person, this picture book portrays a young boy going to kindergarten for the first day of school. His mom calls him the “King of Kindergarten” and his dad comments on how much he’s grown. The child makes friends, learns the classroom rules, shares lunch, and dances before it’s time to head back home. I feel like this one and The Queen of Kindergarten are modern classics. They’re definitely essential reading for forthcoming kindergartners.

Unlike the boy in The King of Kindergarten, Leo is feeling nervous and shy on the first day of school. The teacher sent all the students a letter asking them to think about how to show kindness in school so that the class can write a kindness pledge. But Leo hasn’t been able to think of anything. Despite his shyness, Leo is able to help others at school in small quiet ways throughout the day. At the end of the school, the teacher asks if anyone noticed kindness, and many students raise their hands and mention Leo. This is a sweet and reassuring picture book written by a kindergarten teacher.

This picture book tackles the big-picture history of how the ocean, and the creatures that live in it, came to be. Divided into three parts, it begins billions and billions of years ago when the Earth was covered in magma. Berne describes how the Earth cooled down and how life started, and how that life evolved over millions of years into what we know today. Even though it covers such broad and complicated topics, Berne keeps the prose lyrical and expressive vs. informative, which makes this really lovely to read aloud. Instead, she packs the back matter with lots of further reading. The illustrations are also lovely.

I’m typically not super interested in machines, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. In lyrical prose, Cusolito follows the history of how humans explored the ocean and the tools and machines humans have made to enable that exploration, from snorkeling gear to diving suits to submersibles and more. Each page includes more details about the tools for further reading. Maybe don’t tell your kids about the recent Titanic submersible catastrophe though, if they haven’t heard about it already…

The illustrations in this nonfiction picture book about octopi (octopuses?) are stunning! Each page spread depicts a different type of octopus. On one side of the page, Slade has written a lovely poem about the octopus. On the other side is a paragraph-long description of the octopus shown in the illustration and octopus behavior. It’s a really beautiful book.

Kids love this interactive nonfiction about things found at the sea. It’s a giant book — probably a nightmare to shelve for librarians and booksellers — but a great format for the kind of illustrations and content. Each page covers a different topic: “On the Beach,” “At the Port,” “Welcome Aboard,” and more. The book follows Plum and Robin, mother and son, as they explore the beach. Flaps uncover more details about what they find, like treasures from the tide and seahorses living among the coral. Be sure to check out the author’s other book in this series, In the Garden.