When this book’s young, white narrator and her mom move into a new apartment in a new city, she feels comfortable and safe there. She enjoys reading and independent play. But meeting new people? That’s a different story.
Picture Book
Everybody’s Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah
Repeatedly evading theft and destruction with the help of many over several centuries, a treasured book becomes a symbol of hope in a war-torn land.
Let’s Go! / haw êkwa!
“Cacussh! Cacussh! Cacussh!!” A young Cree boy watches from his window as a skateboarder goes by. “haw êkwa! Let’s go!” His mom brings home her old skateboard and he begins to learn to ride.
The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith!
When Viola Smith first played the drums, “She lost the beat, made a terrible racket, and had more fun that she’d ever had before!” Born in 1912, Viola grew up in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin, where she and her sisters had a family band, the Smith Sisters Orchestra.
The Mochi Makers
Emi is making mochi with Obachaan. As the rice cooks, Obachaan tells her granddaughter about bringing the recipe she learned from her mother and grandmother when she came to America from Japan.
Poetry Comics
A collection of original poems full of quiet surprises and small moments of pleasure is presented in comic format. Organized around the seasons, many of the short poems explore familiar scenes and subjects (e.g., nature, swimming, back to school, snow), but offer the delight of the unexpected in moments of reflection, fresh observation, and wondering.
The Blue Pickup
Ju-Girl (Black) loves spending time with her granddad, who runs a garage. “I help him fix radiators, switch out batteries, and even change a car’s oil.” Her favorite thing is organizing Granddad’s socket wrench set. When they take a break, they sit on the gate of his old Blue Pickup, where she drinks Ting and listens to Granddad’s stories of when he—and the truck–were both younger, and he drove to jobs around the island.
When Rosie Walks George
“George is old and deaf in one ear, and he doesn’t run fast anymore.” The brown-spotted white dog, clearly beloved, still needs to go for walks, however. Rosie is too little to walk George alone but sometimes the whole family walks him along the beach near their home.
My Mother’s Tongues: A Weaving of Languages
“My mother has two tongues. With one tongue, she speaks Malayalam. With the other, she speaks English.” Young Sumi (Indian American) explains that her mother changes the language she speaks depending on who she’s with and what she’s doing.
Jimmy’s Rhythm and Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin
“Home is brick brown, / Harlem, uptown, / trains rumbling by.” An exquisitely composed picture book biography of James Baldwin illuminates his interest in the arts and development as a writer from a young age.