“Tola lives in a run-down block of apartments in the megacity of Lagos, in the country of Nigeria.” Three delightful episodic stories begin with “Too Small Tola,” in which Tola’s big sister is too busy studying, and her older brother is too obsessed by soccer, to help Grandmommy shop.
Starred Review of the Week
Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover)
It’s not a new idea: A wolf decked out in fluffy wool infiltrates a community of sheep in hopes of scoring a tasty meal of mutton.
Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey
Marisol Rainey lives with her parents and older brother, Oz, in Louisiana … As summer begins, Marisol wishes she weren’t afraid to ascend Peppina, the beautiful magnolia tree in her back yard with perfect branches for climbing.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
“Once upon a time near Tulsa, Oklahoma…” There is promise in the opening pages of this picture-book history as the Black community in the booming city of Tulsa prospers in the early 20th century.
Sunshine
Ben, a “what-if kid” with many worries and fears, is spending a week with his mother, who left him when he was three years old, in her off-the-grid cabin on a small island in northern Minnesota.
American Betiya
Indian American Rani Kelkar’s parents have always been clear: No dating in high school. She’s always respected that rule.
Amber & Clay
Two children’s fates entwine in a novel set in Greece, 5th century B.C.E.
Watercress
When a girl’s parents spot watercress growing at the side of an Ohio road, they pull over the family car and show her and her brother how to gather it.
Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance
Grimes focuses on women poets of the Harlem Renaissance to draw attention to these generally lesser known yet talented writers of that time, offering up a selection of poems that she in turns uses as inspiration for poems of her own.
Milo Imagines the World
Taking the subway to a destination unknown to the reader, Milo feels like “a shook-up soda.”