Category: The Kids Are All Right

This hilarious and relatable picture book is based on a true story. A family is looking forward to swimming in a pool on vacation, but when father, daughter, and son make it to the bottom of 168 stairs and into the pool, Marc, the son, declares he needs to poop. So back up the stairs they go, then back down when Marc says he no longer needs to poop, then back up when he claims he once again needs to poop. This back-and-forth culminates in one messy accident at the pool. But instead of this being a moment of shame, other pool-goers relate their own poopy accidents, helping Marc feel better and realize that everyone has poopy accidents sometimes.

Wilder and Steele first teamed up on the butt-themed picture book Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt?. In this equally absurd and silly picture book, a child decides to make custom undies for all kinds of creatures and objects after receiving a set of underwear from his mom. He crafts undies for the piggy bank, for a clownfish, for a boomerang, a zombie, and more. Really, doesn’t everyone, and everything, need some unique underwear?

Before leaving for a school field trip to the zoo, Clayton Parker’s teacher tells everyone to go to the restroom. Does Clayton go? No. Before the bus has gone very far, Clayton feels that need to pee. Dr. Bladder gives some information about what’s going on in Clayton’s body. By the time Clayton gets to the zoo, he meets one obstacle after another in his search for relief. This rhythmic and funny read aloud is perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners.

Bob Shea’s books always get big laughs, and this one is no exception. When Scout leader Reuben the bear brings donuts to share with his troop, his friends point out the big wet pee stain on his pants. Instead of admitting he had peed his pants and changing, he decides to blame everyone else. Clearly, someone else has peed his pants. Withholding the donuts, he interrogates all his friends, who calmly reassure him that accidents happen. This is another picture book that combines potty humor with reassuring themes of body acceptance and empathy.

Written in the same meter as Clement C. Moore’s The Night Before Christmas, a grandmother recounts the story of anticipation, emancipation, and jubilation just as it was told to her many years before by her own grandmother. As 8-year-old David listens to this story at the annual Juneteenth gathering in Galveston, he lets the words of his grandmother flow around him and remind him of their very powerful history.

Growing up, Opal Lee knew all about Juneteenth from the stories her grandfather told. But when she realized that most Americans didn’t know what Juneteenth was, she set off to have Juneteenth recognized as a national holiday.

I adore E.B. Lewis’s wonderful illustrations, and this story is a declaration of freedom and joy that came with African American Emancipation Day. The back matter includes notes from the author and illustrator, a timeline of important dates, and a glossary of important terms.

Mazie is excited to celebrate liberty, and her father helps her understand her history and the long struggle of African Americans living in America. This powerful book offers another perspective of this holiday and honors the long history of people fighting for equality.

This picture book biography explores the life of Jewish composer Debbie Friedman, who wrote fun, inclusive songs that immediately became popular with the younger folk in the Jewish community. She was a self-taught musician who longed to make accessible music. Make sure to pair this colorfully illustrated biography with some of Debbie’s music!

In this cute, rhythmic picture book, two sisters, Hester and Ester, compete to make the best babka for their new neighbor, Sylvestor. The two sisters live in houses side by side and are similar in so many ways, but each has their own take on babka. Sylvester is more than happy to serve as a judge. This one is a lot of fun to read aloud.

In this sweet, intergenerational picture book, a young girl tries to help her grandmother feel better after her grandfather’s death by learning Yiddish words. It takes time before Bubbe smiles again, but by spending time together, discussing their memories of Zayde, and honoring the things he taught them, the two are able to fill their days with smiles again. This is a great book about grief and losing a grandparent.

In this absorbing, magical middle grade novel, 10-year-old Geetanjali knows that her mom and grandmother are famous classical singers from India. But when Geetanjali freezes up when singing in a concert, she hopes that her grandmother will help her when she comes to visit. But her grandma doesn’t come alone, and Geetanjali has no idea what to think about these new aunties. A mystery follows — one that Geetanjali needs to solve in order to discover a missing part of herself.

This is the sequel to the Newbery Honor award winning novel-in-verse Inside Out and Back Again. Just when Ha’s family is making progress on adjusting to life in America, Ha’s mom decides to move the family to Texas. Suddenly, Ha has to readjust all over again — can she find a home in Texas?

Penny is a lovable and endearing character who begins a journal because her feelings teacher, Mrs. Hines, says it might be a good idea. But instead of beginning it with, “Dear Diary,” she decides to write to her dog, Cosmo, instead. I love Penny’s honesty about her anxiety, which she diligently writes about in her journal. This is a very timely book that I think lots of young readers will connect with.

When a thunderstorm grounds all airplanes for a night, four kids find themselves together in an airport following a huge Muslim convention. While all of them are preoccupied with their own personal troubles, they quickly band together for a night of adventure that they will never forget.

Every person no matter their age is going to identify with the narrator of Ode to a Bad Day. From the time she wakes up in the morning to the time she goes to bed at night, everything is just off and doesn’t feel right. Her cereal gets soggy with too much milk, she’s late for school, a cricket in her room won’t stop chirping. But she also has an understanding father, good classmates, and a warm bed to snuggle into that night. She knows that tomorrow, everything could be different. I always love Hyewon Yum’s illustrations, but these might be my favorite. Yum perfectly captures the narrator’s expressions.

This beautiful picture book tackles childhood depression and sadness. One day a dark cloud appears and follows Abigail everywhere she goes. It follows her to school, to birthday parties, to bed. She has people around her who understand and offer support, like her dad, who brushes her hair when she just can’t muster the energy to lift her comb, and another child who has his own cloud and silently sits beside her on a bench. Abigail’s family and friends are there for her on the days she steps outside the cloud, too, and feels the sunshine on her face. This is a great conversation starter about depression and what it feels like.

Jessie Sima’s newest Nimbus and Kelp picture book also uses the metaphor of a cloud to describe depression. No matter how fun the day is, a cloud follows Nimbus the Pegasus. She tries to ignore it on her adventures with Kelp the unicorn, but the more she ignores it, the bigger it gets. When she realizes everyone can see her giant, thundering cloud, she flees into the forest alone. She realizes there that the only way to weather her cloud is to embrace it as part of herself. But she worries Kelp won’t want to be her friend anymore. Will he love her even with the cloud? (Answer: of course.) I like how this picture book shows both what depression looks and feels like and how to be a good ally. As a bonus, Not Quite Narwhal is now going to be a Netflix series! It’s set to air June 19th.

This is a heartwrenching middle grade novel about 9th grader Clementine’s struggle with grief after her younger sister Hailey’s death. A year has passed but Clementine continues to feel numb to the world, though there are days that, somehow, she manages to smile, or complete a task. School is very difficult, and she misses many days, unable to leave bed, and punches a bully. The book moves through all the cycles of grief and how they often overlap and fold into one another, and while things aren’t perfect by the end, there is hope that the future might hold laughter and smiles again. This is a really tough read. Clementine has suicidal thoughts and sometimes self-harms. She has bad experiences with therapists. It’s also beautifully written. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sara Matsui-Colby.

Oh, I just love this book! Even though it doesn’t come out until August 1, you should definitely put it on your list. Follow the day in the life of a cat as it rolls, stretches, chases its tail, and grooms itself. I love the simple, adorable illustrations.

The Oakley the Squirrel book series is so adorable, and this is the newest one! Featuring real squirrels, these photographs show squirrels on a campsite, on the beach, and collecting logs for a campfire. I really can’t take all the cuteness!

This book speaks right to my heart! Featuring 30 types of dumplings from all around the world (complete with little faces!), this book is a fun exploration of different shapes and numbers. A wonderful addition to any board book library.

Fans of the wonderful book Hair Love, rejoice! This board book is wonderful. A is for Afro, N is for Natural, and W is for Waves. Zuri and her father journey through all the different styles and types of hair in this celebratory ABC board book.

It’s Twig’s first birthday in this adorable picture book centering Korean birthday traditions, and big sister Hazel is excited to see what object Twig will choose for her doljabi. Hazel hopes it will be the yarn, like she chose on her first birthday, so that the two can have a long life together. The sisters and their parents eagerly prepare for the big day by sending out invitations to their animal friends, hanging lanterns with fireflies, and more. Dressed in their beautiful hanboks, the sisters celebrate Twig’s birthday, and Twig chooses something no one could’ve expected.

Frankie’s birthday party has almost arrived, and her entire family has pitched in to help for the day. There’s only one big problem: Frankie doesn’t like any of the dresses her mother has picked out for her. The night before her birthday, Frankie draws her perfect outfit: a dazzling suit with lightening bolts and lots of pizazz. She crumbles up the picture, knowing there’s no way she’ll ever be able to wear the outfit of her dreams. But when her family finds the drawing, their combined help makes Frankie’s dream suit a reality.

In this silly and perhaps too-relatable picture book, Mr. Tortoise and his friends are excited to celebrate his birthday. They have the birthday cake ready, but how many candles should be on it? How old exactly is Mr. Tortoise? Trips down memory lane provide some clues, though no one can quite nail it down. One thing is for certain, Mr. Tortoise has celebrated quite a few birthdays, which doesn’t make this one any less special, especially when surrounded by friends. This is why I’m opting for ice cream. 😉

I adore Samantha Cotterill’s Little Senses series, which is aimed to help neurodiverse kids. This is the fourth book in the series. Laila had her perfect unicorn-themed birthday party carefully and meticulously planned. She and her mom both know that Laila needs a schedule to feel comfortable. But things almost immediately begin going awry. It rains, so they have to move the party indoors. When the cake goes plummeting, so does Laila’s mood. With help from her mom and service dog, she rejoins the party and ends up having a lovely time with her friends.

A young girl goes to the local barbershop with her mom. She looks through all the hairstyles — parts, perms, frizzy fros, dye jobs, locs, cornrows — and finally chooses a hairstyle that she feels confident and happy in.

This very special book tells the story of culture and hair. A young girl celebrates her long hair, even as she remembers the stories from her mom, who couldn’t grow her hair out because she was told it was too wild, and her grandmother, whose hair was taken away from her.

In this treasure of a book that has won so many awards, a young boy goes to the barbershop where he is supported by the community and given a hair cut so sharp that it boosts his confidence and makes him think that anything is possible.

This book was published over 20 years ago, but it continues to resonate and give an incredible and powerful message to all kids, telling them that they should be proud of their heritage.

This is such a tender and poetic ode to motherhood. A mother tells her daughter about the shapes of things. Some shapes are obvious: the spherical shape of the Earth, the square shape of their dining room table. But other shapes are more abstract: the quiet shape of thinking, the dog shape of a friend. At the end, the mother tells the daughter about the shape of her love for her.

In this fun, rhythmic picture book, a young boy begs his two mothers for a treehouse. Mommy draws the plans and cuts the wood; Mom picks the tree and helps paint. When the treehouse is complete, it becomes a place for the community to gather. But when it’s time for everyone to leave, the treehouse is there for the child and his mom and mommy to enjoy together.

In this beautiful picture book, an Inuit mother tells her daughter all the things she loves about her, from her fierce eyes, “like a purple saxifrage cutting through autumn’s first snow” to her voice, like a “comforting throat song.” The illustrations of the Arctic landscape are soft and lovely. The glossary in the back discusses the Inuktut languages and gives a translation of the Inuktut words used in the text.

I included this picture book in my most anticipated list back in January, but now that I’ve had the chance to read it, I wanted to include it here, too! Much like Ho’s previous three picture books, One Day is a beautifully poetic ode, this time from a mother to her son. She encourages her son to be gentle, soft, to take his time and feel his feelings. This and To My Panik would make great gifts for new moms.

Steph is an 8th grader in New York City, and that means applying to high schools. Her mom doesn’t want Steph to apply to any public high schools, but Steph hears about an art school and decides to apply without her mom’s knowledge. With the help of her art teacher, she explores museums around the city and builds her portfolio — all without her mom knowing. Can she convince her mom that art school is a good idea?

Twelve-year-old Meesh is not a very good demon. She is way too empathetic and interested in the fairy realm and princesses. But when demons are threatened, Meesh has to travel to the fairy realm to get help, discovering more about herself along the way.

Lady Camembert is not the marrying type. So she makes a deal with her father that involves her becoming Count Camembert and living a quiet life out of the public eye when he passes away. But living a lonely life is not as easy as it seems, especially when Count Camembert meets Princess Brie and the count’s most closely guarded secret is suddenly at risk of being revealed. *Publisher recommends this book for ages 12+

After tragedy upends her family, Addie and her dad start a new life across the country. She ends up befriending Mateo and they join forces in an exciting project that involves a virtual reality headset. As Addie’s world expands, can she gain the strength to face her biggest fears?