Category: The Kids Are All Right

This inspiring picture book from Colin Kaepernick is a sweet story of self-esteem and self love, set after Kaepernick was asked to draw his family.

In this sweet picture book, a girl and her grandfather come up with a plan to help her grandmother, who often gets confused and lost in her memory. They get to work on their garden, growing gấc seeds to make grandmother’s favorite dish from her wedding.

In this heartfelt middle grade, June and Tyrell are kids living in a homeless shelter. June’s a new arrival struggling with her new life at Huey House, and Tyrell helps her adjust, showing her the good things about their new home. Then, as a new housing policy puts homeless families at risk, June and Tyrell work together to find a solution.

In this fun adventure middle grade, young witches hoping to be sorted into a powerful coven are shocked to instead be named as Spares. But when not even their Spare coven can be sealed, Seven and the other Spares embark on an impossible task to preserve their magic and become full-fledged witches.

This gorgeous, wordless picture book follows a marmot who sees part of his home destroyed by wildfires. He (adorably) sets out to replant the forest, taking care of his baby trees and enduring windstorms and winter. This marmot is probably the most adorable creature I’ve seen!

This intergenerational picture book begins with a grandfather’s story of leaving his home country as a young child with just one small bag and one nut. When he arrived in the new country, he planted it in a pot and watched it grow. When he bought a house, he moved it to the backyard and watched it grow. And from that tree came more walnuts, which his granddaughter collected… I loved this story so much!

This informative non-fiction book for middle grade readers tells the human story of the climate change conversation from the recent past into the present day. It wrestles with the long shadow of our failures, what might be ahead for today’s generation, and crucial questions of how we understand the world we live in—and how we can work together to change the outlook for the better. 

I really enjoyed this non-fiction picture book about Frederick Law Olmstead. I am familiar with him because he designed a lot of NYC’s parks, including the park I got married in (Fort Tryon Park!). It was wonderful to learn more about his life and the vast number of projects he undertook all throughout America.

This picture book is set right in my neighborhood! Years ago, Tony Hillery invited a group of students from an underfunded school to transform a vacant lot into a beautiful and abundant farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration. The author’s portion of proceeds from the sale of this book directly benefits the non-profit organization Harlem Grown.

If you’re planning summer camping trips, I highly recommend 50 States 500 Campgrounds, published by National Geographic. Filled with great information and photos, this is a must have book if you’re researching where to go and where to stay.

In this sweet picture book (the picture book debut of YA author Nina Lacour), a child struggles with one of their moms going on a trip for a few days. The change in their routine is stressful and saddening, until they come up with the perfect way to welcome their mom home.

From the author of Not Quite Narwhal, also known as one of the cutest picture books ever written (please also try Harriet Gets Carried Away), comes this sweet story of Nimbus, a Pegasus who wishes on a star to find friends like her. What she finds is a Unicorn named Kelp and a few other creatures who open her eyes to so much more than she was looking for.

In this silly picture book, Goldie knows plenty about being the best grandchild and puts all her know-how to work with her grandpa, who also has a well of knowledge about grandparenting.

In this animal adventure, Cress and her family move into a new apartment when their dad doesn’t return home from one of his expeditions. In their rowdy new home, Cress tries to figure out if this strange place, without her dad, can ever be a real home.

This novel-in-verse is set in 1980s California, where Persian-American Ava loves to listen to music and surf with her best friend Phoenix. When Phoenix’s lymphoma reemerges, and Ava starts volunteering at the hospital at her mom’s direction, Ava has to find a way to keep her head above water.

This fun, colorful picture book is loaded with charming rhymes and an upbeat mood, celebrating all the dads raising amazing daughters.

In this picture book, a small sailor develops a friendship with a whale called Blue. When Blue doesn’t appear one day, the sailor goes looking and discovers Blue is feeling ill after accidentally swallowing a bunch of plastic.

This lyrical picture book celebrates all of life’s magical moments but also celebrates the small, mundane moments made special by the presence of people we love.

In this middle grade novel from actor John Cho, twelve year old Nigel finds his life, and his city, turned upside down after the acquittal of cops filmed brutalizing Rodney King, and the shooting of a Black teen Latasha Harlins by a Korean shop owner. As Los Angeles spirals into chaos, Nigel’s dad heads to their family store, and Nigel and his friends make their own journey to join him, and they’re forced to reckon with the racism infecting and affecting their community.

In this heartfelt novel, twelve year old Mira faces a downer of a summer with her best friend moved away, her dad out of work, and her nemesis now living nearby. When she learns her beloved cat Fig Newton is diabetic, Mira is determined to scrounge up the money needed for his insulin shots.

Goat and Frog are friends; Goat likes to lead, and Frog likes to follow. But Goat starts jumping on it, along it, above it, inside it, beside it, around it, and under it. It’s a lot, and Frog doesn’t know if he can keep up. Can their friendship survive this?

Meet an unlikely group of heroes: Toots the Bean, Chip Ninja, Tammy the Tomato, and Leonard, a wedge of cheddar cheese. But as strange as these heroes might be, they’re the only ones who can save kids all over the world (even the annoying ones). When they get a call that a kid in Ms. Sternbladder’s class missed breakfast and isn’t allowed to have snacks, they know he needs to eat something or he can’t do all the things he needs to do that day! Can the Hunger Heroes save the day?

This sweet friendship book by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell reminds me of books I loved reading with my kids when they were younger: Frog and Toad, The Fire Cat, and Little Bear. In this new story, Cornbread loves planning and Poppy does not. When winter approaches, Cornbread is completely prepared but Poppy is not! What will Poppy do?

Yasmin and her multi-generational Pakistani American family are endlessly entertaining in this early chapter book series. I love Yasmin and her energy and all the ways she creatively solves problems. There are plenty of books in this series, which is great for newly independent readers!

I love LeUyen Pham’s illustrations, and this new book for burgeoning readers is no exception. In this book, a bunch of dinosaurs have an itch: Triceratops, Pterodactyl, Brontosaurus, AND T-Rex! But DINOSAURS DO NOT SCRATCH. Right?

One, Two, Kat, and Four are really good at doing lots of things… but one thing they are not good at is naming clubs! Will they be able to find the perfect name before it’s too late?

This sweet board book celebrates motherly love. This features a single mom who loves her kids unconditionally and shows up for them through good times and bad.

When twelve year old Emmie decides to get serious about WCMX, she starts raising money for a tricked out new wheelchair. After an unfortunate incident on a ramp at school, Emmie’s school decides to give her an aide, which isn’t what she wants. And though Emmie loves her community, she has to figure out a way to explain to them that she has different dreams and wants to live on her own terms.

In this wordless graphic novel, Marisol is forced to leave her vibrant and beloved home of Cuba. With it no longer safe to remain, Marisol is sent to the U.S on her own, but finds that her new life in Brooklyn is dull and gray in comparison to the home she left behind. But the longer Marisol stays, the more she realizes that home can be wherever she is.

As a former gymnast, I have followed Simone’s career for years and have been amazed by her accomplishments and integrity. She has brought so much to the sport and is truly the G.O.A.T.! This wonderful picture book biography tells the story of this incredible woman.

In her own words, the Nobel Peace Prize winner tells a story inspired by her own childhood. As a child in Pakistan, Malala wished for a magic pencil that would grant all the wishes she desired. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true.

This book tells that incredible story of Zaha Hadid, a British Iraqi architect whose stunning buildings and fluid lines made her a pioneer in her field. I first found out about her when a new building was going up in New York City. It was the most beautiful building I had ever seen, and I wanted to know more about the architect behind it. Zaha faced discrimination as she pursued architecture, but through it all she persisted and ended up creating some of the most stunning buildings in the world.

I have been so in awe of Greta Thunberg and her devotion to spreading knowledge about climate change. When she was fifteen she learned of global climate change from her teacher, and it impacted her so much that she went on strike, skipping school every Friday to sit outside of the Swedish Parliament building with a sign that read “School Strike for Climate.” At first, Greta was the only one. But gradually, more and more students joined her, until her lone protest had sparked a worldwide student movement for action on climate change.

I have nothing but admiration for Sonia Sotomayor who grew up in New York City and faced many odds on her path to becoming a Supreme Court Justice. In this honest picture book, Justice Sotomayor shares about her childhood and the health issues she encountered. I also love how she continues to write picture books that are focused on empathy and compassion. Check out Just Ask! and Just Help!

In this fun picture book, Stella, who finds sleep boring, would rather not do it anymore. Stella reasons that the only reason anyone sleeps is because it gets dark, and if she and her best friend can figure out how to keep the sun out, then they can stay up forever!

In this rhyming picture book, little readers can get a fun look at the Capitol and the surrounding D.C area. This book visits historical monuments, museums, and the White House itself.

In this new novel from Newberry medalist and honoree Erin Estrada Kelly, a seventh grade class in a small town is thrown for a loop with the arrival of a new student, Orchid Mason. In a town this small, everyone knows everybody, and everybody’s business, but Orchid’s presence injects a bit of magic into Fawn Creek.

From Kelly Barnhill, who won the Newberry for what is still one of my favorite classic middle grades The Girl Who Drank the Moon, comes this new novel. In a town facing a myriad of issues, their flashy mayor continues to avoid them while assuring the townspeople things are better than they are. When a child goes missing, the mayor immediately blames the Ogress who runs the Orphan House at the edge of town. The Orphans know it’s untrue, as the Ogress secretly delivers gifts to the townspeople, but they have to come up with a way to make the rest of town listen and see the real source of their problems.

Okay, let’s first acknowledge the genius that is Jason Chin. He is the most recent Newbery Medalist for his work in Watercress (written by Andrea Wang). Watercress was one of my absolute favorite picture books published in 2021. In Grand Canyon, Jason writes an incredible picture book with an engaging story, intriguing facts, and incredible illustrations. I mean, check out that gorgeous cover!

I love Raul the Third’s illustrations. I love examining every inch of his drawings of a border town. This book is bilingual in a new way, teaching readers simple words in Spanish as they experience the bustling life of Little Lobo and his dog Bernabe as they deliver supplies to a variety of vendors, selling everything from sweets to sombreros, portraits to piñatas, carved masks to comic books!

I adore Kate Messner’s Over and Under picture book series. (I always think about her first one, Over and Under the Snow, whenever I take a walk in the winter.) This beautiful book examines life in the canyon which takes young readers on a thrilling tour of a desert canyon ecosystem.

Dusti’s love for the desert is apparent in all of her middle grade books, but I especially love this survival story of a girl and her father who escape to the canyon to find some peace after an unspeakable tragedy. But when her father is swept away by a flash flood, Nora faces dehydration, venomous scorpions, and deadly snakes. Can she survive the desert and find her dad?