In A Different Pond, author, Bao Phi, and illustrator, Thi Bui, both Vietnamese Americans, create a necessary and impactful story that is both a tribute to their working-class new immigrant childhoods and a valuable #OwnVoices contribution to children’s literature. The story is anchored in a purposeful fishing trip a father […]
Written by Paul Czajak and illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh, The Book Tree reads like a love letter to books in all their sensual glory. Czajak lingers on descriptions of the scent and sound of books as his story of a tyrant’s failed attempt to destroy all books, and a boy’s […]
In Anna Humphrey’s Megabat, a boy named Daniel leaves his friends, school, and home behind when his family moves to a new city. He is unenthusiastic about his creaky, kind of creepy, new house and resolutely refuses to try to make friends; that is, until he is jolted out of […]
I’ve been reviewing children’s picture books exclusively, but I’m going to expand into YA with a review of Chandra Prasad’s Damselfly – coming soon!
Do it! I started blogging to help spread the word about diverse, socially engaged, children’s literature. Be a microphone for all the beautiful diverse voices in children’s literature. Nominate your favorite #kidlit and #ya books for a Cybils Award. Change a bookshelf for the better!!! Here’s the link: http://www.cybils.com/2018/10/the-2018-nominations-are-now-open.html
The 2018 Nomination categories include: Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books Elementary/Middle-Grade Nonfiction Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction Fiction Picture Books/Board Books Graphic Novels Junior/Senior High Nonfiction Middle-Grade Fiction Poetry Young Adult Fiction Young Adult Speculative Fiction Follow this link to nominate your favorite books in all our categories. You have until […]
Linda Urban’s Road Trip with Max and His Mom (2018) is a clever follow up to Weekends with Max and His Dad (2016). In both books a young Max adjusts to his parent’s recent divorce. Urban’s second installment pivots around a road trip to Pennsylvania that nine-year-old Max and his […]
J.E. Morris’s new series Maud the Koala introduces early readers to a wonderfully relatable character and helps build visual literacy as well as reading confidence. The series is thoughtfully illustrated in the tradition of comics with action moving across panels and tiers. Full-page spreads allow the reader to become immersed […]
Debbie Michiko Florence’s delightful early chapter book series, about an 8-year-old Japanese American girl named Jasmine Toguchi, provides readers with accessible and engaging snapshots of Japanese cultural traditions as well as universal struggles of growing up in the US.
