Story by Nina LaCour, pictures by Elizabeth Lilly

Sammy wakes up in the morning, takes off her bonnet, and gets dressed. Today is the first day of school! Sunny, her cute dog, accompanies her as she gets ready. After Sammy is dropped off at her first day of kid school, Sunny is dropped off at the first day of puppy school. Both kid school and puppy school are full of firsts, feelings, and learning. The end of the day comes with the realization that tomorrow will be the second day of school.

A sweet and charming introduction to the start of school. The parallel story of Sunny’s puppy school experience helps calm possible anxiety through shared experiences and routines.

By Olga Herrera

Lucinda’s neighbors scurry inside and close their doors tightly as the sounds of battle grow near. Lucinda peers outside before locking the shutters. As family and friends gather inside, the earth trembles, flashes of light burst between the shutters and sounds and smells of battle pervade the house. Lucinda wonders how her mother can continue to cook with all that is going on. Her mother explains that everyone does their part in the family when times are rough and her part is to cook. Lucinda helps her mother and finds that by being part of the solution makes a difference in how she copes with the uncertainty of armed conflict.

The juxtaposition of the percussive rat-a-ta-tat with the soothing sounds of her mother cooking and the supportive actions of her Abuelo and Tia create a story of human resilience and unity. While a complex and troubling topic, this soothing story is still clearly written for young children. 

The story is set in the 1950s during the Cuban Revolution and is based on a story the author’s mother told her. The recipe for Mama’s picadillo is included.

This book is also available in Spanish – Una luz para Lucinda: Una historia de la Revolución cubana (978-1-62354-819-3)

By Marcie R. Rendon; Illustrated by Sam Zimmerman

Napesni and Renegade – the two names given a young bison calf transported with 6 other bison from South Dakota to Minnesota as part of a multi-tribal partnership to nurture bison as a traditional food source. The story is based on a real calf who escaped an enclosure when a storm hit the first night at his new Minnesota home. The calf earned his name Renegade for his ability to avoid capture. Just before hunting season was to begin, Renegade calmly entered the enclosure to join his mother. The themes of Native tribal stewardship and ecological repair by native species are clear in this animal story.

Author Marcie Rendon also wrote Stitches of Tradition and Powwow Summer as well as a number of titles for adults. Illustrator Sam Zimmerman draws on Anishinaabe traditions and ancestral connections in his art.

This graphic novel series highlights memorable sports accomplishments from the past. From boxing to tennis, horse racing to rowing the series highlights the achievements of 20th century athletes.

• Series includes:
  • The Miracle on Ice
  • Rumble in the Jungle: Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman
  • Billie Jean King and the Battle of the Sexes
  • Going for Gold: Wilma Rudolph and the 1960 Olympics
  • Off to the Races!: Secretariat and the Triple Crown
  • A Winning Crew: The 1936 U.S. Olympic Rowing Team

The stories are factually accurate and told through illustration, text boxes, and speech bubbles. The speech bubbles with red font are direct historical quotes. Speech bubbles with black font are recreated dialog for the sake of the narrative story.

Fox loves sharing a cup of cocoa around the fire with his friends. But as the sun sets, all his friends head off to bed. Feeling lonely, Fox sets out to find someone awake with whom to share a cup of cocoa. He helps turtle, bear, rabbit, and duckling, but as soon as they can, they head off to bed. Finally in frustration, fox yells, “Doesn’t anyone want to have cocoa with me?” All the animals grumpily rouse to “Shhh!” fox. Fox starts to cry. Owl, bat, frog, and raccoon gather around to comfort him and are thrilled with the idea of having a cup of cocoa with him. As dawn arrives, they all head to sleep…until fox is awakened by all of his daytime friends arrive to share a cup a cocoa.

A fun and engaging title to include when studying nocturnal and diurnal animals.

A young girl and her father arrive in his country of origin. She has grown up speaking English and is not confident in her Spanish. This makes her nervous to meet her large extended family. At the same time, the sights of her father’s birth country and the Spanish language fascinate her as she meets her tíos, tías, and primos. And finally she gets to meet her abuela and they share the biggest hug. She learns that differences in language don’t keep her from feeling the closeness of family. As she leaves her extended family at the end of their trip, she has a sense of connection and the confidence that they will see each other again.

This book has a place in multicultural lessons especially when focused on celebrating students’ diverse origins. Pair with Dear Primo by Duncan Tonatiuh to highlight the continued connection of extended families across borders.

Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text, particularly in the dialog with family.

What would you build? Maybe a house? A school? A car? In Chris Van Dusen’s newest book in the series, Jack plans the perfect town…through the eye of a child. In this humorous and imaginative book Jack’s recommendation for the Mayor, include the perfect fountain, zoo, housing, stores and more. The text’s rhythm and rhyme make it a fun read aloud.

More fantastical than realistic, this title is a great jumping off point for teaching planning and to encourage students to think outside the box. It’s sure to be a hit with fans of Van Dusen’s other If I Built books.

Jasmine wakes before dawn, hugs her parents, and leaves with her papa (her grandpa) to drive to Great-Grandma Caroline’s one hundredth birthday. On the long drive, Jasmine naps, snacks, and reflects on the ages of things she cares about; goldfish lived 30 days, hamster lived 6 months, and a dog that shares her age. In meeting and spending time with a great-grandma she had never met, Jasmine learns how she got so old – patience, determination, and faith. The youngest and the oldest then work together to blow out the birthday candles.

This book features a multi-generational black family. Beautiful illustrations reinforces the themes of interconnectedness, caring, and learning life lessons from family.