Terry Lynn Johnson’s Lost! is the first book in the Survivor Diaries series. Two recently introduced children vacationing with their families at a resort in Costa Rica get lost in the rainforest. They survive through will, wit, and a little luck. In the first chapter, one of the two protagonists, […]
Elise Gravel’s board book, You Can Be, subtly rejects gender stereotypes while introducing very young readers to a range of characteristics through images of diverse children embodying them. Steely-blue and bright-red images leap off the glossy-white background of each page. The cover features the back of a young child with […]
This Makes Me Sad, written by Courtney Carbone and illustrated by Hilli Kushnir, is one of several books in Rodale Kids’ Dealing with Feelings series. This easy reader does a great job teaching emotional literacy through simple sentences that build an accessible and engaging story about a boy and his […]
Shannon and Dean Hale’s The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare is delightfully and generously illustrated by LeUyen Pham whose many images are sure to encourage young readers’ transition from early readers to easy chapter books. The story strains against traditional fairytale conventions by engaging contemporary ideas and […]
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
Raise Them Righteous 