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.
Picture Book
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 There they are preserved and carefully protected, available to be withdrawn and planted at any time, even centuries from the time of deposit.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.
In the Desert
A standout collection of clever, engaging poems about animals and insects living in the Sahara begins by setting the desert scene, where sun “blinds the sky / and scrapes the land / clean like a butcher / with his favorite knife.”
How to Reach the Moon
In the summer, Emilio (Latino) leaves the city and travels past a landscape of pointed mountains to the forest, where his abuelo lives in a house among the trees. There they eat dinner outside by lantern light, and afterward, in the dark, Abuelo treats Emilio to fantastical stories. Seeing the moon in the sky one night, Emilio asks whether it is “true that the moon has a face we never see.” In fact, it “has many faces!” says Abuelo.
Fireworks
For the two children at the center of this immersive picture book, a blissful July day is capped with a spectacular show.
To See an Owl
“To see an owl is magic.” A girl fascinated by owls draws them, dreams about them, and goes in search of them with her mom, to no avail.
Picking Tea with Baba
Joining Baba in picking tea leaves on the mountain near their Chinese village is “a special treat” for this book’s narrator and his brother. Mama joins them, too. After a steep trek, the family reaches a “serene” garden striped with orderly rows of green tea shrubs.