CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Fireworks
CCBC Review:
For the two children at the center of this blissful picture book, a carefree summer day is capped with a spectacular show. After a warm breakfast made by their grandmother, the Asian American siblings “venture out across steamy city sidewalks.” A splash in a leaky fire hydrant cuts the heat (“Whoop! Weee! Woohoo!”) as the kids wander their bustling neighborhood. Later, “shining red wedges” of watermelon quench their thirst, and salsa music drifts through open windows, inviting them to dance. As the sun sets, the siblings return home for Grandma’s sizzling dinner before climbing to the rooftop of their building. They wait. “POP! A comet streaking across the sky BURSTS into a flower of fire. (THE FIRST!)” The next several two-page spreads are devoted to the magnificent fireworks bursting in vibrant shades against black, onomatopoeic words in various sizes scattered across the pages. “Pop POP / Swish / Zing / Tizzle-ting / POOF!” There comes a lull in the excitement. “‘Is it over?’ ‘Wait!’” A vertical gatefold reveals the cacophonous finale in all its glory. Afterward, with only the “ghosts” of the fireworks drifting in the sky, the children return home “to be tucked in with summer on our skin, listening to the gentlest kaboom kaboom kaboom within.” Glorious. Honor Book, 2026 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Catia Chien
CCBC Age Recommendation: 4-7
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Asian Americans
Celebrations, Holidays, and Observances
City Life
Diversity subject:
Asian
On CCBC Booklist:
Charlotte Zolotow Award (for Outstanding Writing in Picture Books)
Publishers:
Clarion, HarperCollins
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780063216723
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Burgess
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Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.