Category: The Kids Are All Right

James Van Der Zee loved taking photographs, saving enough money as a young boy to buy his first camera so he could take photos of his family, classmates, and anyone who would sit still for a portrait. By the fifth grade, James was the school photographer and unofficial town photographer. Eventually he moved to New York City to work, but was told that no one would want their photo taken by a Black man. So James opened his own portrait studio in Harlem. He took photographs of legendary figures of the Harlem Renaissance and ordinary folks in the neighborhood too.

Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first Black director in Hollywood, but before he made movies and wrote books, he was told by his teacher that he would only get a job as a waiter or porter. Instead, Gordon bought a camera and taught himself how to take pictures. He ended up working for the government, documenting segregation and becoming a part of the US Farm Security Administration’s visual record of the Great Depression.

How did a group of the most beloved jazz musicians end up being photographed together for an Esquire magazine issue saluting the American jazz scene in 1958? Graphic designer Art Kane had insisted on setting up the shoot in front of a Harlem brownstone, but he wasn’t sure if he could pull it off. Would any of these jazz greats come? Roxane Orgill, in a series of beautiful poems, bring to life the musicians’ mischief and quirks, their memorable style, and the vivacious atmosphere of a Harlem block full of kids on a hot summer’s day.

One of the most iconic photos from the Great Depression was taken by Dorothea Lange. But before she traveled the country for the US Farm Security Administration, Dorothea Lange took photos of the downtrodden, from bankers in once-fine suits waiting in breadlines, to former enslaved people, to the houseless sleeping on sidewalks. Traveling across the United States, documenting with her camera and her field book those most affected by the stock market crash, she found the face of the Great Depression.

In this fun picture book, Fred wanders through his parents’ closet in search of the perfect ensemble. He tries out his dad’s clothes but doesn’t like them so much, so he moves on to his mom’s clothes and gets to dabble in her makeup and jewelry with some help from his parents.

One of my favorite picture book series, featuring the grumpy bear Bruce, has a new book this month! In this one, Bruce’s housemates wish that Bruce was more fun, and they’re shocked when their wish appears to come true. But it’s not Bruce after all, but his fun cousin Kevin.

This charming picture book biography of Julián and Joaquin Castro takes readers back to the beginning, where they were shaped by their grandmother and mother to become advocates for the betterment of their community.

This sweet picture book follows a Sikh father and daughter in a fun celebration of their hair. In accordance with tradition, both wear it long, and sometimes they’ll even wear it in the same bun and become hair twins.

This fun middle grade novel features a sweet, witchy fantasy about two sisters who cast a spell that goes horribly awry. While Hattie is turning 13 and soon to be initiated into their clan, meaning magic of her own, Riley’s adopted and nonmagical and so not allowed to participate. But when Hattie performs a spell to share her magic with Riley, it goes wrong and puts their entire community, and Hattie, in danger.

This middle grade novel follows Junie, a middle schooler dealing with racism in her suburban town. Coping with depression, Junie finds a therapist she likes, and when she’s given a school assignment to interview an elder, her talks with her grandfather about his childhood during the Korean War give Junie new perspective and courage.

Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, is celebrated every spring. Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo have lots of preparation to do. One of their main duties is to gather flowers to make into colorful powders to toss during the festival. When at last the big day comes, they gather with their friends, family, and neighbors for a vibrant celebration of fresh starts, friendship, forgiveness, and, of course, fun!

It all started with red, yellow and blue. They lived peacefully until Red declared that reds were the best. Understandably, the other colors and miffed about this and they decided to separate, until a Yellow, a Blue, and a never-before-seen color step in to save the day!

This fantastic animal book categorizes animals in a whole different way: by color! Each page spread is filled with gorgeous illustrations and fun facts about animals. They are grouped by color and then by other fun visual characteristics like iridescence, changing color, spots, and stripes. A terrific book for any reader who loves animals!

As the Collections Interpreter for Youth and Families at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Liz Yohlin Baill is particularly well suited to write a picture book about how vibrant works of art help us discover how artists use color to help us see and think in new ways. This fun book is best for preschoolers and early elementary children!

This book is interactive, hilarious, and a sight to behold. As the reader begins, a white tree causes the narrator to pause. Trees aren’t white! This illustrator, the narrator observes, must be terrible. But things only get more bizarre from there as the narrator implores the reader to help as townspeople, a group of scientists, and the town tailor all try to determine what is going wrong. A very fun book!

For older readers who are interested in all aspects of sight, pick up this wonderful book! This science-intensive exploration of how sight essentially impacts our everyday lives is a great, informational book that includes eye anatomy and how different animals see things. A fascinating book!

From the author of the adorable Prince and Knight is this followup, which returns to the titular couple following their fairytale wedding. But their happily ever after is short-lived, as the kingdom soon comes under threat from a mysterious blight and the couple goes off to take on the Shadow King.

In this rhyming bedtime picture book, a father leaves the daddy responsibilities to his son because he’s too tired.

Hudson and Tallulah are neighbors and rivals, but as the two go on an adventure through their neighborhood together, bickering all the way, they find they might have one or two things they might enjoy about each other.

This followup to Ways to Grow Sunshine, finds Ryan and her family preparing for the arrival of a new baby. And Ryan heads off to church camp, where she has to figure out how to share the attentions of her best friend.

In this historical middle-grade set in the 1920s, Mrytle, a maid, and Lady Sylvia, become friends when they team up to make a wardrobe for one of Sylvia’s friends, embarking on expedition that will require her to pose as a man to escape society’s expectations for its young women.

Oh my goodness, this book!!! This is the story of two Josés who live in the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria. One José looks forward to visiting Paradise, the house with all the books, every Saturday, and the other José is a garbage collector. As José works each day, he scans the trash for books that he rescues and adds to his collection to share with his community on Saturdays. I loved this book so much!

This gorgeous books tells the story of Darlene Arviso, a woman who provided water to people living in New Mexico. Darlene not only drove a school bus, but she also drove a tanker that she filled with 3,000 gallons of water and delivered to hundreds of families every month. Here is en eye-opening quote from the book: “While almost every other American will use around a hundred gallons of water today, many of the Navajo reservation will use only seven.”

Elizebeth Friedman (1892–1980) was a brilliant American code breaker who smashed Nazi spy rings, took down gangsters, and created the CIA’s first cryptology unit. I really loved the illustrations in this picture book biography, which is rich with information and good for readers both young and old. Her story came to light when her secret papers were finally declassified in 2015. From thwarting notorious rumrunners with only paper and pencil to “counter-spying into the minds and activities of” Nazis, Elizebeth held a pivotal role in the early days of US cryptology.

This book is formatted much like Little Dreamers by Vashti Harrison (one of my favorites!). In Latinitas, Juliet Menéndez creates gorgeous artwork for each influential woman she profiles along with a summary of achievements. I love the portraits, which I think should be made into posters and hung in classrooms all throughout the world! I love that the book features woman living in different eras, including a few contemporary figures. The book features Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Juana Azurduy de Padilla, Policarpa Salavarrieta, Rosa Peña de González, Teresa Carreño, Zelia Nuttall, Antonia Navarro, Matilde Hidalgo, Gabriela Mistral, Juana de Ibarbourou, Pura Belpré, Gumercinda Páez, Frida Kahlo, Julia de Burgos, Chavela Vargas, Alicia Alonso, Victoria Santa Cruz, Claribel Alegría, Celia Cruz, Dolores Huerta, Rita Moreno, Maria Auxiliadora da Silva, Mercedes Sosa, Isabel Allende, Susana Torre, Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Sonia Sotomayor, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Mercedes Doretti, Sonia Pierre, Justa Canaviri, Evelyn Miralles, Selena Quintanilla, Berta Cáceres, Serena Auñón, Wanda Díaz-Merced, Marta Vieira da Silva, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Laurie Hernandez.

This new chapter book series is an extension of Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger’s bestselling picture book, She Persisted. The chapter book series explore various influential women and are written by a variety of award winning and bestselling authors. In this book, readers will learn about Claudette Colvin, who at age fifteen refused to give up her seat in a time before Rosa Parks famously did so. Claudette stood up for what was right, and in doing so, fought for equality, fairness, and justice. Check out the whole series, which currently includes eight titles.

In this beautiful watercolor and pencil picture book, parents wake up their children for a mysterious nighttime walk. As they move to their destination, traversing beautifully-rendered, blue-hued landscapes, you’ll be eager to see where this family finally ends up.

This fun and colorful picture book introduces 21 first cousins, all varied in personality, appearance, and ambitions. This is a nice book for showing the variations that can exist among people in one family.

In this inspiring picture book, Penelope confides in his family that he’s a boy, even though his family still thinks he’s a girl. Encouraged by his family to be himself, Penelope enters a karate tournament.

Twelve-year-old Jolina has recently moved to the small island of Isla Pag-Ibig and is struggling with a girl at school who mistreats her. Finding solace in her dog and her grandpa’s magic lessons, Jolina’s able to ignore it until things come to a head, and she brews a powerful friendship potion that works perfectly. Now Jolina and Claudine are friends for real, but magic always comes with a price.

In this haunting middle grade book set in the summer before middle school, Bug’s best friend Moira insists it’s time they learn what clothes to wear and what makeup to buy. But Bug, mourning the death of Uncle Roderick, doesn’t see anything particularly interesting in Moira’s plans or learning how to be more of a girl. Then there’s also the matter of the ghost now haunting Bug.

In this beautiful picture book, siblings Anna and Benjamin live in the city but love to stay with their cousin Robin in the countryside. Robin introduces them to his favorite tree in the nearby forest: a 300-year-old giant oak. Each time the children visit, they are amazed at how the forest and the mighty oak changes with the seasons. In autumn, they build a cozy den in the tree’s roots to watch the squirrels. In winter, they learn to ski in the shelter of the forest. In spring, they search the forest for animals. This is a beautiful picture book about the wisdom of trees and the shelter they provide.

I am a huge fan of Jason Chin’s gorgeous illustrations, and his nonfiction picture books are so informative with captivating stories. In this one, an ordinary subway trip is transformed when a young boy happens upon a book about redwood forests. As he reads the information unfolds, and with each new bit of knowledge, he travels―all the way to California to climb into the Redwood canopy.

This picture book details the ancient and tremendous species that grow only on the western slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada. Each sequoia begins life as a seed no larger than an oatmeal flake—yet can grow as tall as three blue whales stacked chin to tale. The oldest sequoias have lived as long as forty human lifetimes. The largest are so enormous, 20 children holding hands can’t wrap their arms around the trunks! In evocative text and vibrant paintings, The Sequoia Lives On reveals all of this fascinating information and more. An extensive author’s note completes the portrait for young readers, inviting them to become the next generation of protectors for this amazing tree.

This sweet picture book follows two children as they leave the city and head out to the woods. They explore their campsite and the surrounding area, all while thinking about what a tree would taste and feel and smell and see and hear. The illustrations are lovely and evoke peacefulness and hope.

I love Corinna’s illustration style, which is beautifully on display in her new book, The Tree in Me. This book celebrates all the ways a young child finds connection with a tree, whether it’s the apples or the sun or the strength or the shelter. I love the fluorescent pops of pink and orange. My favorite spreads are the ones when a community of children gather, reveling in an impromptu dance party during a storm or the celebration when the sun returns.

This middle grade book is a lovely testament to every child’s dream: living in a treehouse! When Winnie’s parents get a divorce, they decide she should spend three days a week at each of her parent’s houses and one day by herself in the treehouse in between their places so her time will be split perfectly evenly. But a year into this arrangement, Winnie is fed up and decides to barricade herself in the treehouse until her parents come to their senses. Then her friends join her, and the list of demands grow…

This book won’t be out until August, but I wanted to share it because it took my breath away when I took a look at an advance copy. I worked in downtown New York City on September 11, 2001, about a mile from the World Trade Center, and I witnessed the moment the second tower was hit. My husband, who I was to meet a few years later, was working inside the second tower when the first tower was hit. Thankfully, he was safely evacuated by firefighters. As a result, this book is especially meaningful to me. It is about a tree that lived between the two towers and was covered by rubble after the buildings fell. The tree was brought somewhere to heal and was later replanted at the 9/11 Memorial, serving as a living testament to hope and revival.