Category: The Kids Are All Right

This stunningly illustrated picture book was one of the 10 books that won in the Future Classics category. A young girl asks her mother “Will it be okay?” in a variety of scenarios, from being stung by a bee to wondering what would happen if her mother died. The mother’s reassurance is shown through the lyrical prose and Jessica Love’s (of Julián Is a Mermaid fame) absolutely beautiful, emotion-filled illustrations.

This picture book speaks to me on so many personal levels: as a mom with a chronic illness, as a daughter who grew up with a father with a chronic illness, and as a daughter now whose father has cancer. It’s so difficult to depict chronic illness, agency, and the nuanced emotions a child will feel when a parent has a chronic illness — in this book’s case, cancer. Sheetal Shesh pulls from her own experiences as a mom with cancer to create one of the truest portrayals of what it’s like to live with a parent who has a chronic illness that I’ve ever seen, and she does so with simplicity and grace. Khoa Le’s tapestry-like illustrations are as lovely as they always are. This book is a winner on the Conversation Starters theme, and needless to say, is one of my favorites.

This queer-affirming sweet bedtime picture book won in the Best Read Aloud category. It’s time for Sweet Pea to go to bed, but Mama and Mommy have a bit of a problem — Sweet Pea is procrastinating by pretending to be different animals. How would a koala sleep? How about an emperor penguin? My child has forever been difficult at bedtime, and Cornwell perfectly captures that child bedtime mischievousness.

This powerful picture book tells the true story of how Estela Juarez’s mother was deported to Mexico when she was eight years old. Her mother had lived in the United States since she was 18, working and eventually marrying a man in the military with whom she had two children. But that did not prevent her from being deported to Mexico during Trump’s term. Estela wrote a moving letter to Congress asking for her mother’s return, which was eventually granted during Biden’s presidency. It’s a poignant story about a family torn apart and a young girl’s bravery. It won in the Best Biography category.

In this sci-fi-ish (or realistic?) picture book, Bix lives in a city where no one talks to each other or reads books. They just stare at portable devices all monitored by the Big Eye. In an attempt to escape from the intrusive Eye, Bix finds a way under the city where he discovers an abandoned city…one that has a library! Can Bix find a way to bring back books, and defeat the Big Eye for good?

Cities are known for diversity, and this picture book perfectly captures how people can all be unique and add different gifts to a place. The illustrations are vibrant and full of energy!

I love so many things about this book! Farrell’s humor and illustrative style remind me of Richard Scarry. Etta the Elephant is off to her aunt’s house, and along the way she encounters a bicycle parade! Check out all the funny and silly bikes Etta sees in this delightful picture book.

Living in a big building has its challenges, especially when noise wakes up residents one by one, setting off a chain reaction so no neighbor is unaffected! But calm and quiet return to the city, and slowly the residents of the red brick building find rest again. Are you tired of me recommending books by Oge Mora yet??? I just love her illustrations!

Kids can explore global Christmas traditions in this tree-shaped board book that counts down the 10 days before Christmas. In Australia, for example, a child hangs a shell ornament on the tree while friends and family have fun on the beach. In the Andes Mountains in Peru, children carve gourds to hang on the tree, while in Ethiopia boys play Ye’gena Chewata. It’s a fascinating read for children and adults! And a great way to introduce some new traditions.

Speaking of traditions, this picture book is based on the Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve, known as Jolabokaflod. It’s a lyrical, cozy, and delightful read for book lovers of all ages. Back matter includes the author’s experiences with the holiday and how to make a book tree.

This hilarious picture book rewrites “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to feature cats. On day four there are four cats laying on gifts; on day seven, cats shred wrapping paper; and on day 10, 10 cats help Santa. Soon, the Christmas tree has been demolished by 12 oh-so-helpful cats. But they’re still adorable! This is my daughter’s favorite Christmas read right now. We love the illustrations!

If you’re more of a dog person, then you will love this delightful new picture book, which is just as mischievous as the previous book. Murray knows his job: to keep his family safe. So when Murray’s first Christmas arrives, he dutifully pees on the Christmas tree to mark his territory, snatches away ‘snakes’ (aka Christmas lights) from his humans, and howls at carolers. Then comes the worst offense: a stranger in a red suit in the house at night! But maybe Murray can be a helper instead of a menace this time.

I am so happy that this book was made! Shaun Tan is one of the world’s most visionary artists, capturing so much beauty in his narrative illustrations (like in his Caldecott winner The Arrival). This collection of sketches, illustrations, and illuminating essays make this a powerful and thrilling book for all fans of Shaun Tan.

As much as I love the Ramona Quimby stories, I do think the iconic illustrations and covers play a huge part of what made this series such an incredible success. Go back in time and check out the five different illustrators — Louis Darling, Alan Tiegreen, Joanne Scribner, Tracy Dockray, and Jacqueline Rogers — who helped bring Ramona to life!

Alice and Martin Provensen are a beloved husband-and-wife team who created the art for over 40 books, many of which ended up on the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year lists. One of the books they illustrated, The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot, won the Caldecott Award. Check out this gorgeous book that showcases so much of their beautiful artwork over the course of 70 years.

I first came across this book in a museum, and I immediately longed to buy it. It is filled with so much gorgeous art from beloved filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki who creates stories that feature characters navigating unfamiliar terrain and looking out on a challenging and complicated world. This book is an immersion into his world and creative process.

One of my daughter’s favorite books last year was Spin to Survive: Frozen Mountain, and she literally screamed when the newest book in the series arrived. These books are so neat, and can be enjoyed just as much by my 4-year-old as they can by a middle schooler. In this newest one, Grandma Beatriz has given you, the reader, an important mission: find the fabled Lost City of the Jaguar God before the treasure hunters steal all the Indigenous artifacts. Each page presents new dilemmas, and the reader has to make a choice, then spin to survive with a compass. The reader is then directed to another page based on the results. There are also lots of survival tips, historical insights, and ecological facts scattered on every page. It’s an awesome book.

I love The Story Orchestra series, which typically retells the story of an opera with buttons to push for musical accompaniment from the opera. Their latest has a small piano so young readers can play along with 8 famous musical pieces, from Tchaikovsky’s “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” to “Royal March of the Lion” by Camille Saint-Saëns. This would pair well with other books in the series, like The Story Orchestra: The Magic Flute.

Another jungle book, and another entertaining book in a series. In the Let’s Tell a Story series, the reader is prompted to create every aspect of a story from page one. Readers choose from a list of characters, character clothes, quests, villains, and so on, creating an entirely new story each time they read. This interactive series helps with early storytelling skills and could be used in classrooms or at home. It’s another series that transcends age.

These bilingual board books are amazing. The languages offered are Chinese, Spanish, French, Hindu, and Korean. You choose a language, then receive a set of books and a reading wand. The reading wand reads the text in both the chosen language and in English. The Habbi Habbi company offers all kinds of products to go with the reading wand, from books to puzzles to flash cards. It’s a super neat and well-executed idea.

When the pilgrims arrived in North America, they were given the gift of the Wampanoag’s care. Without the Wampanoag, the pilgrims would not have made it through their first winter. In particular, the Wampanoag’s cultivation of Weeâchumun (corn) was integral to their thanksgiving story. This book comes with a pronunciation key and definitions.

This is one of my favorite picture books by one of my favorite author/illustrators! In this story, a young child watches as their grandmother prepares an aromatic stew that has everyone knocking on their door for a taste! With Omu giving away all of their food, will there be anything left for them?

This is one of my absolute favorite picture books about giving generously even when it’s difficult. When a neighbor loses everything in a fire, the community comes together to provide for their neighbor’s needs. But what does James have that is worth giving?

As someone who volunteers regularly at a soup kitchen, I really appreciated this book and how it shows all the ways people come together to use what they have to make meals for people who might be hungry.

This is the book that inspired me to make a Beautiful Biology list. It’s a stunningly illustrated picture book about bioluminescence, depicting a mother and daughter exploring the many ways bioluminescence is present in our world, on land and in water. Kuo explores bioluminescence in lyrical language but then provides more detailed information in short paragraphs on each page. It’s a perfect marriage of poetry and science, both in language and in illustration.

This innovative nonfiction uses a three-color lens to reveal hidden pictures within the illustrations. Each section describes an ecosystem from around the world, and readers can use various lenses to reveal insects, habitats, and other invertebrate creepy crawlies that call that ecosystem home in the layered illustrations. It’s a book bug lovers of all ages can get lost in for hours. It’s really fascinating.

This beautiful concertina-style exploration of the sea unfolds to reveal each layer of the sea, from otters diving along the surface to anglerfish deep in the ocean’s depths. This is a book that requires a lot of room, as it unfolds to about 10 feet! It also provides lots of fun facts about the ocean.

This picture book is a little different from the other three in that not only does it provide a fascinating glimpse into the Elwha River’s ecology, but it also gives a call to action to protect the environment, gives a history of how the U.S. government took land from Indigenous Americans — particularly the Strong People — and shows how contemporary Indigenous Americans lobby for their land rights and rehabilitate ecosystems. The book is beautifully illustrated by Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan, and it’s a great way to look at broad topics like environmentalism, the effects of overpopulation, and the history of how the U.S. government treated Indigenous Americans by focusing on one single example — the Elwha River.

Two squirrels need to get creative in order to get a slice of that gooey, delicious pizza. Will they accomplish their hearts’ desire, even if it means trickery and evading Tomato, the one-eyed cat?

This wonderfully informative book about everyone’s favorite food is both fun and funny. Did you know that in the USA, we eat 350 slices of pizza every second? Find out where Pizza Margherita got its name and how pizza differs by country.

This cosmically silly graphic novel combines so many things that kids love: cats, space, and pizza! When humans discover that rats are eating the moon, Earth’s last great hope is…a cat? Can this cat save the world?

Pipo knows that pizza is the best food in the world, but when she sets out to scientifically prove that fact, she meets so many people in the neighborhood who like different foods. Is pizza better than bibimbap? Better than Moroccan tagine? Maybe the best food is the one that reminds you of home…

In this picture book biography, Indigenous dancer Ria Thundercloud — from the Ho-Chunk Nation and Sandia Pueblo — describes how she came to be a dancer, from attending powwows at four to participating in jingle dances to learning ballet and tap. No matter what kind of dance she learns, she feels connected to her Indigenous ancestry, and she stays connected through adulthood. It’s a lovely, powerful biography.

This stunningly illustrated picture book connects the past, present, and future through both words and illustrations, showing the cyclical nature of our choices. It encourages young readers to be a good ancestor by practicing active respect towards themselves, others, and the environment. It’s a lyrical call to action, unlike any other book I’ve seen. The authors are from the Lake Babine Nation and Nak’azdli Whut’en and belong to the Likh Tsa Mis Yu (Beaver) Clan. The illustrator is Cree.

This bilingual poetic picture book is written in both English and Plains Cree. Accompanied by Grimard’s warm and joyful illustrations, Smith’s poem presents a list of hopes she has for children and future generations. It would make a lovely present for new parents. Monique Gray Smith is Cree, Lakota, and Scottish.

While snuggling in bed during story time, Izzy notices that her skin is darker than her mama’s and, later, that her hair is poofy when dancing while her mama’s hair swings side to side. Her mama assures her of her beauty and Izzy realizes that no child and mother match exactly. Based on the author’s experiences as an Afro-Indigenous girl (Cree and Trinidadian), this lyrical picture book is a lovely story about self-love and self-acceptance.

I adore this picture book about two people who fall in love in the most unlikely of places: Minidoka, a War Relocation Center in the desert. There, Tama works in the camp’s tiny library, and each day George is waiting at the door when the library opens ready to return his book haul and select new stories to check out. Tama has never met such a bookworm! Or is George visiting the library so frequently for a different reason?

When his younger brother Jimmy stops eating once their family is moved to an internment camp, Taro spends his nights making the risky trip out of the camp to catch fish for Jimmy in hopes that he can tempt his brother to eat.

This thoroughly researched nonfiction book illuminates an underrepresented topic in American history. During the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, three photographers set out to document life in Manzanar, an internment camp in the California desert. Through their eyes, we see a variety of images that capture what life was like inside the camps.

In this heavily researched book, award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone tells the story of two groups of teenagers on opposite sides of the world connected by war who grow up into adults who pursue peace and forgiveness.