“Monday is the best day of the week (according to Mabel, at least.)” Her Monday morning routine includes dragging a chair out of her bedroom, through the house, and out the front door. Each of her family members has their own perspective on Mabel’s Monday activity.
Picture Book
Ablaze: The Story of America’s First Female Smokejumper
Deanne Shulman’s childhood love of nature became a passion for fighting wildfires with the U.S. Forest Service when she was an adult. The work was physically and mentally arduous, but Deanne excelled as a member of wildland crews and hotshot crews, working twenty-four-hour days in extreme heat.
Our Mothers’ Names: Love in Many Languages
An Indian American girl whose family speaks Malayalam at home explains that she calls her mother Amma, the Malayalam word for mother. Some of her classmates and friends have different words for mother or mom or mommy, from their own family languages.
Blue Sky Morning
“Wake up, Eunny! It’s a beautiful, blue sky morning.” A quiet, second-person narrative gently encourages small moments of mindfulness during a Korean girl’s weekday morning routine.
I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive
“[W]hen winter comes / and hunger thrums / and danger hovers overhead—” it’s roosting time for the murder of American crows that narrates this poetic informational picture book.
This Year, a Witch!
Eager to put the “utterly adorable” costumes of Halloweens past behind her, the young narrator of this picture book has her sights set on a scary getup. “This year, a witch!” Yes, gone are the days of pink bunny onesies and oversized mouse ears. This year, she’s been growing out her “witchy locks,” “whipping up spells,” and teaching herself to speak to animals.
Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa
“Up and down the crooked spine of the / Andes goes Alberto, playing an epic / game of paka paka con la papa, / potato hide-and-seek.” A delightful picture book about Peruvian scientist Alberto Salas describes his travels around the Andes collecting potatoes.
Diggers, Dozers & Dumpers
Fourteen microstories starring anthropomorphic animals introduce readers to various types of construction and farming vehicles. Amanda Crocodile, for example, is fed up with having to ride her bike to work along a bumpy dirt track. “Want to learn some swear words? Try biking to work with Amanda sometime! / One day, Amanda has had enough. She gets herself a bulldozer.”
Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
On a Norwegian island not far from the North Pole, deep inside a mountain, more than 580 million seeds are stored in three temperature-controlled vaults. The seeds originate around the globe and are sent to Svalbard as a backup: “Just in case.” There they are preserved and carefully protected, available to be withdrawn and planted at any time, even centuries from the time of deposit.
A Pocket Full of Rocks
“You can do a lot with a pocket full of rocks.” There is repetition and constancy but also variation and surprise in this picture book as the young narrator (brown-skinned) collects rocks in winter, flower petals in spring, shells at the beach in summer, and acorns in fall.