List

Category
Audience
Tags

Blue

Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond

 

Discover a world of creativity and tradition in this fascinating picture book that explores the history and cultural significance of the color blue. From a critically acclaimed author and an award-winning illustrator comes a vivid, gorgeous book for readers of all ages.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR New York Public LibraryChicago Public Library Kirkus Reviews

For centuries, blue powders and dyes were some of the most sought-after materials in the world. Ancient Afghan painters ground mass quantities of sapphire rocks to use for their paints, while snails were harvested in Eurasia for the tiny amounts of blue that their bodies would release.
 
And then there was indigo, which was so valuable that American plantations grew it as a cash crop on the backs of African slaves. It wasn't until 1905, when Adolf von Baeyer created a chemical blue dye, that blue could be used for anything and everything--most notably that uniform of workers everywhere, blue jeans.

Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond's riveting text combined with stunning illustrations from Caldecott Honor Artist Daniel Minter, this vibrant and fascinating picture book follows one color's journey through time and across the world, as it becomes the blue we know today.

 

View Details >>

Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth

Nicola Davies

After magnifying the beauty of unseen organisms in Tiny Creatures, Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton turn their talents to the vast variety of life on Earth.

The more we study the world around us, the more living things we discover every day. The planet is full of millions of species of plants, birds, animals, and microbes, and every single one — including us — is part of a big, beautiful, complicated pattern. When humans interfere with parts of the pattern, by polluting the air and oceans, taking too much from the sea, and cutting down too many forests, animals and plants begin to disappear. What sort of world would it be if it went from having many types of living things to having just one? In a beautiful follow-up, the creators of the award-winning Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes deliver an inspiring look at the extraordinary diversity of Earth’s inhabitants — and the importance of their preservation.

View Details >>

What's in Your Pocket?

Heather L. Montgomery

Charles Darwin, George Washington Carver, and Jane Goodall were once curious kids with pockets full of treasures!

When you find something strange and wonderful, do you put it in your pocket? Meet nine scientists who, as kids, explored the great outdoors and collected "treasures": seedpods, fossils, worms, and more. Observing, sorting, and classifying their finds taught these kids scientific skills--and sometimes led to groundbreaking discoveries. Author Heather Montgomery has all the science flair of a new Bill Nye. Book includes the Heather's tips for responsible collecting.

View Details >>

The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity: A Tale of the Genius Ramanujan

Amy Alznauer

A young mathematical genius from India searches for the secrets hidden inside numbers — and for someone who understands him — in this gorgeous picture-book biography.

A mango . . . is just one thing. But if I chop it in two, then chop the half in two, and keep on chopping, I get more and more bits, on and on, endlessly, to an infinity I could never ever reach.

In 1887 in India, a boy named Ramanujan is born with a passion for numbers. He sees numbers in the squares of light pricking his thatched roof and in the beasts dancing on the temple tower. He writes mathematics with his finger in the sand, across the pages of his notebooks, and with chalk on the temple floor. “What is small?” he wonders. “What is big?” Head in the clouds, Ramanujan struggles in school — but his mother knows that her son and his ideas have a purpose. As he grows up, Ramanujan reinvents much of modern mathematics, but where in the world could he find someone to understand what he has conceived?

Author Amy Alznauer gently introduces young readers to math concepts while Daniel Miyares’s illustrations bring the wonder of Ramanujan’s world to life in the inspiring real-life story of a boy who changed mathematics and science forever. Back matter includes a bibliography and an author’s note recounting more of Ramanujan’s life and accomplishments, as well as the author’s father’s remarkable discovery of Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook.

View Details >>

The Middle Kid

Steven Weinberg

A story about the wonderfully challenging realities of being a family's middle kid.

Readers experience a day in the life of a middle kid, and all the highs and lows of a life in-between. When you're the middle kid, you're never the first nor the last to do anything. You're not the tallest or the smallest; you're babysitting one sibling but teased by the other. Stuck between a bossy older brother and a naive younger sister, Middle Kid feels left out of two worlds. But even if--and maybe especially because--it's always overlooked, this kid's own world is just as big and important as his siblings'.

* From author-illustrator Steven Weinberg--a middle kid himself!
* Gently funny and richly detailed
* Starting in the morning and ending at night, readers experience a full day in Middle Kid's shoes

Middle children have classically been sandwiched between the achievements of the older sibling and the needs of the younger one--The Middle Kid gives them a time to shine!

* Perfect for beginning readers
* A great empathy read
* Fans of comical books about family

View Details >>

Polly Diamond and the Magic Book

Alice Kuipers

Polly loves words. And she loves writing stories. So when a magic book appears on her doorstep that can make everything she writes happen in real life, Polly is certain all of her dreams are about to come true. But she soon learns that what you write and what you mean are not always the same thing! Funny and touching, this new chapter book series will entertain readers and inspire budding writers.

View Details >>

Esme's Birthday Conga Line

Lourdes Heuer

Esme always has a plan. A funny and sweet early illustrated chapter book about a problem-solving girl who has to manage her own birthday bash. For fans of Dory Fantasmagory.

Esme lives with her grandparents on the uppermost floor of the topmost best building. It's her birthday. Mimi and Pipo gave her a beautiful guitar. But they didn't plan a birthday party.

Esme thinks this is the way with grandparents. They don't know about parties or piñatas or birthday cake. No problem! Esme is great at problem solving.

With the help of her cat, El Toro, and a LOT of help from her neighbors in the topmost best building, the irrepressible Esme gets the birthday party of her dreams.

View Details >>

The Mailbox in the Forest

Kyoko Hara

While spending a vacation with her grandparents, Mayu, a Japanese first-grader, finds a mysterious mailbox in the forest near their house. She writes a letter and leaves it in the box. The next day she is surprised to find a letter addressed to her. She responds and a friendship develops between the two letter writers. But who could this mysterious friend be? Mayu discovers who he is, and discovers the joys of writing and receiving letters. And when the time comes to go back home, she and her forest friend find an unexpected way to exchange letters and to continue their friendship. Illustrated in the whimsical style that won Kazue Takahashi accolades for her Kuma-Kuma Chan books, The Mailbox in the Forest offers a delightful look into the everyday life of a Japanese girl--with a little magic added!

View Details >>

The Wild Robot

Peter Brown

Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants.

View Details >>

Willa the Wisp (The Fabled Stables Book #1)

Jonathan Auxier

The first in a new chapter book series from New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Auxier, illustrated in full-color—now in paperback!

Auggie is the caretaker at the Fabled Stables, a home for one-of-a-kind creatures. Auggie is one-of-a-kind, too. He’s the only boy on the island, which can get a little lonely. Luckily, he’s got Fen, his trusty stick-in-the-mud. But, being a stick-in-the-mud, Fen can get more-than-a-little grumpy.

Soon enough, Auggie learns that his job is not only to care for creatures at the Stables, but also to save creatures in the Wide World from danger. In this first adventure, Willa the Wisp is being chased by the Rooks, an evil group of hunters keen on using one-of-a-kind creatures for their own dark ends. It’s up to Auggie to help Willa escape the Rooks and find refuge at the Stables, before it’s too late!

View Details >>

Sir Ladybug

Corey R. Tabor

From Caldecott Honoree and two-time Geisel Award–winning author-illustrator Corey R. Tabor, this is a fresh and funny young graphic novel series sure to delight readers. Perfect for fans of Catwad, Bird & Squirrel, and Narwhal & Jelly.

Ladies and gentlebugs, presenting the duke of the dandelion patch, champion of truth and justice, the one, the only—Sir Ladybug!

Sir Ladybug never shies away from a quest, even when he’d rather be playing a video game or baking a cake. So when a caterpillar needs rescuing from a “monster” (a hungry chickadee), Sir Ladybug and his trusty friends—his herald, a roly-poly named Pell, and his squire, a snail named Sterling—hatch the perfect (delicious) plan.

This is the first in a new graphic novel series for newly independent readers, following the adventures of a ladybug knight and his pals in the dandelion patch.

Woven seamlessly into this funny and surprising story are the themes of friendship, bravery, teamwork, creative thinking, and helping others. With warmth and heart, surprising and delightful asides, and memorable cast of characters, this new series will appeal to avid and reluctant readers alike.

View Details >>

Fox & Chick: The Party

Sergio Ruzzier

A 2019 Theodore Seuss Geisel Award Honoree

NPR Best Books of the Year, New York Times Notable Children's Book, Boston Globe Best Book of the Year


Join the dynamic, yet opposite duo as they learn to appreciate differences among friends: Fox and Chick don't always agree, but Fox and Chick are always friends. With sly humor and companionable warmth, Sergio Ruzzier deftly captures the adventures of these seemingly opposite friends. With spare text and airy images, this early chapter book is also accessible to a picture book audience.

• Book teaches a lesson about accepting and cherishing our differences through sweet and funny characters as they embark on silly adventures
• Luminous watercolor images showcased in comic-book panel form will entice emerging readers, keeping them engaged and wanting more
• Sergio Ruzzier is a Sendak Fellow whose work has been lauded by the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, and the Society of Publication Designers

"A subtle lesson, couched in humor: We can be friends with people who aren't just like us." The New York Times

• Great family and classroom read-aloud book
• Books for kids ages 5-8
• Books for early and emergent readers

View Details >>

Baloney and Friends

Greg Pizzoli

In this easy-to-read graphic novel series from an award-winning creator, four funny animal friends and their wacky adventures "will inspire young readers to write and draw their own stories" (Dav Pilkey).

Meet Baloney! He's the star of this book, along with his best buddies: empathetic Peanut the horse, sensible Bizz the bumblebee, and grumpy Krabbit—he'd rather not be here, but what can you do?

In this graphic novel for newly independent readers, Baloney and friends step into the spotlight and embody all the charm of childhood in three short tales and three mini-comics that invite readers to join the fun! Giggle with Baloney as he performs some questionable magic, give him a boost when a case of the blues gets him down, cheer him on as he braves the swimming pool, and at the end, learn to draw all the characters with clear step-by-step instructions!

"A sure bet for Elephant and Piggie fans who are ready for the next step up or want to make the move to comics." —Booklist

"Kids will gobble up Baloney!" —Ben Clanton, creator of Narwhal and Jelly series

"Porcine-ly-perfect" —Laurie Keller, Geisel Award-winning author of We Are Growing!

View Details >>

InvestiGators

John Patrick Green

With more than three million copies in print, John Patrick Green's goofy graphic novel series is a colossal comics hit! Join super spy alligator duo MANGO and BRASH as they surf the sewers and fight the forces of evil.

With their Very Exciting Spy Technology and their tried-and-true, toilet-based travel techniques, the InvestiGators are undercover and on the case! And on their first mission together, they have not one but two mysteries to solve! Can Mango and Brash uncover the clues, crack their cases, and corral the crooks―or will the criminals wriggle out of their grasp?

View Details >>

Someone Builds the Dream

Lisa Wheeler

Buildings, bridges, and books don't exist without the workers who are often invisible in the final product, as this joyous and profound picture book reveals from acclaimed author of The Christmas Boot Lisa Wheeler and New York Times bestselling illustrator of Love Loren Long

All across this great big world, jobs are getting done
by many hands in many lands. It takes much more than ONE.

Gorgeously written and illustrated, this is an eye-opening exploration of the many types of work that go into building our world--from the making of a bridge to a wind farm, an amusement park, and even the very picture book that you are reading. An architect may dream up the plans for a house, but someone has to actually work the saws and pound the nails. This book is a thank-you to the skilled women and men who work tirelessly to see our dreams brought to life.

View Details >>

Nana Akua Goes to School

Tricia Elam Walker

Winner of the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award!

In this moving story that celebrates cultural diversity, a shy girl brings her West African grandmother--whose face bears traditional tribal markings--to meet her classmates. This is a perfect read for back to school!

It is Grandparents Day at Zura's elementary school, and the students are excited to introduce their grandparents and share what makes them special. Aleja's grandfather is a fisherman. Bisou's grandmother is a dentist. But Zura's Nana, who is her favorite person in the world, looks a little different from other grandmas. Nana Akua was raised in Ghana, and, following an old West African tradition, has tribal markings on her face. Worried that her classmates will be scared of Nana--or worse, make fun of her--Zura is hesitant to bring her to school. Nana Akua knows what to do, though. With a quilt of traditional African symbols and a bit of face paint, Nana Akua is able to explain what makes her special, and to make all of Zura's classmates feel special, too.

View Details >>

Home Is in Between

Mitali Perkins

In the timely yet timeless picture book Home Is in Between, critically acclaimed author Mitali Perkins and illustrator Lavanya Naidu describe the experience of navigating multiple cultures and embracing the complex but beautiful home in between.

Shanti misses the warm monsoon rains in India. Now in America, she watches fall leaves fly past her feet.

Still, her family’s apartment feels like a village: Mama cooking luchi, funny stories in Bangla, and Baba’s big laugh. But outside, everything is different – trick-or-treating, ballet class, and English books.

Back and forth, Shanti trudges between her two worlds. She remembers her village and learns her new town. She watches Bollywood movies at home and Hollywood movies with her friends. She is Indian. She is also American. How should she define home?

View Details >>

Drawn Together

Minh Lê

 

 

This acclaimed picture book from two award-winning creators about connecting across generational and language differences shows that sometimes you don't need words to find common ground.When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens -- with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

With spare text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring story about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.
"A beautifully told and illustrated story about a grandson and grandfather struggling to communicate across divides of language, age and culture." --- Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize winner
Don't miss LIFT, also by Minh Lê and Dan Santat!

 

 

View Details >>

Read the Book, Lemmings!

Ame Dyckman

The team behind the New York Times bestselling Wolfie the Bunny and Horrible Bear! is back with new Arctic characters in this hilarious learning-to-read adventure!

Aboard the S.S. Cliff, First Mate Foxy reads an interesting fact: "Lemmings don't jump off cliffs." But Foxy can't get the lemmings on the Cliff to read his book, too. They're too busy jumping off.

After a chilly third rescue, exasperated Foxy and grumbly polar bear Captain PB realize their naughty nautical crew isn't being stubborn: The lemmings (Jumper, Me Too, and Ditto) can't read. And until Foxy patiently teaches his lemmings to read the book, he can't return to reading it, either!

View Details >>

Mina

Matthew Forsythe

Five starred reviews!
Named Best Picture Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and Shelf Awareness
“Marvelous mouse-sized mischief for all ages.” —Booklist (starred review)

From the creator of the acclaimed and beloved Pokko and the Drum comes an emotionally resonant, “richly imagined” (The Horn Book, starred review) picture book about trust, worry, and loyalty between a father and daughter.

Mina and her father live in a hollowed-out tree stump on the edge of a pond on the edge of a forest. Nothing ever bothers Mina, until one day, her father brings home a suspicious surprise from the woods.

Should Mina trust her father—or listen to her own instincts?

View Details >>

The Barnabus Project

Eric Fan

"In a world built for Perfect Pets, Barnabus is a Failed Project, half mouse, half elephant, kept out of sight until his dreams of freedom lead him and his misfit friends on a perilous adventure... Deep underground beneath Perfect Pets, where children can buy genetically engineered perfect creatures, there is a secret lab. Barnabus and his friends live in this lab, but none of them is perfect. They are all Failed Projects. Barnabus has never been outside his tiny bell jar, yet he dreams of one day seeing the world above ground that his pal Pip the cockroach has told him about: a world with green hills and trees, and buildings that reach all the way to the sky, lit with their own stars. But Barnabus may have to reach the outside world sooner than he thought, because the Green Rubber Suits are about to recycle all Failed Projects . . . and Barnabus doesn't want to be made into a fluffier pet with bigger eyes. He just wants to be himself. So he decides it's time for he and the others to escape. With his little trunk and a lot of cooperation and courage, Barnabus sets out to find freedom - and a place where he and his friends can finally be accepted for who they are."--Provided by publisher.

View Details >>