Carlitos lives with his mother and his abuela in a town across the harbor from Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. His cozy, happy, and comfortable life is colored by the lack of a father. His family looks different than those he sees around him. This lack has him crossing the bay to look for his father in Old San Juan – by himself.

The story leads Carlitos to interact with many interesting people in many interesting and beautiful places throughout the city. Carlitos spirits eventually plummets when he loses his only picture of his father. With the help of a park ranger, he realizes sad things are like dark clouds and that the sun always returns. With a lighter heart, he returns home.

Across the Bay is a sweet story with lovely illustrations. While I enjoyed the story and appreciate the portrayal of Puerto Rico, I found the fact that a young child leaves home to explore a large city alone rather disconcerting.

Many in the United States take the right to vote for granted. The struggle for equality in voting rights, however, has been a struggle for all the many year of our nation’s history. Equality’s Call is a wonderful introduction the story of voting rights in America.

The book begins with the establishment of our system of government and the inclusion of consent and representation in our foundational national documents. But this same inclusion excluded most of the new nation’s population due to gender, race, or wealth. The story steps through history, explaining some of the milestones in expanding voting rights.

The refrain, equality’s call is repeated with each milestone, “A right isn’t a right / Till it’s granted to all.” The book closes with a reminder that the journey isn’t over and voter suppression is another form of disenfranchisement. Each vote we make is possible because of the struggles of others in the past and it is our responsibility to ensure the right to vote to all.

Ren lived on the edge of a National Forest in Puerto Rico. “His days were filled with green and dirt and rocks and mud.” His days were also filled with rich imaginative play and his nightly dreams filled with endless possibilities. When Ren and his mother move to the city, Ren can no longer feel the magic or the wild. Even surrounded by people, Ren is lonely.

Ren’s upstairs neighbor Ava loves the city and shares with Ren all the things that bring her joy. But it is a bit overwhelming for Ren and he cannot feel the magic. When they next meet up, Ren explains what he misses about his wild. This helps Ava understand and she takes him to the basement and the roof to share with him a new different kind of wild.

A New Kind of Wild is a perfect read for youngsters experiencing a move to a new environment or loneliness due to change.

With persistence and dedication to her field, Emmy Noether was a pioneer in mathematics during a time in history when gender norms excluded women from such studies.

The book delves into a number of very intense topics including stereotypical woman’s behavior, discrimination, the Nazi rise in Europe and and anti-semitism. It also tries to explain extremely complex mathematical concepts in a way that elementary school students can understand. The scope of the book is so broad that none of significant ideas are addressed too deeply. The big takeaway is that Emmy Noether was a remarkable, yet unrecognized woman who overcame a lot of challenges. Her amazing mind and unique thinking in the area of mathematics forever impacted how our greatest minds think about cutting edge science and math concepts.

STEM biography collections that tend to be heterogeneous and this title about Emmy Noether will provide enrichment and diversity.

You can be lonely, even when other people nearby if they don’t have time for you. With mom busy teaching and sister wanting privacy, a young girl decides to just leave to see if anyone will even miss her. While she waits in a nearby lilac bush, she decides to build her own house using cardboard and sticks. First her cat then her sister join her in her new house and finally mom arrives with her student. Room is made for each of them.

Having room in your life is more than just about space – it’s also about time and attention. This story illustrates that you can make space for yourself and those that are important to you and in doing so, take positive action to nurture your interconnection with others.

A sweet story that embodies both imaginative play and the love between siblings. Building castles, wrestling alligators, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro are just a few of the many wonderful adventures a little girl plans for when her brother comes home. The sprinkler is a waterfall, a stream is the unexplored rainforest, and packing boxes create a castle. The story reminds us that simple things when paired with imagination and a companion are the recipe for great adventures. The joy and affection of the sibling’s reunion makes the grand plans of the little sister seem possible.

Litchenheld’s sweet soft illustrations show a the little sister waiting and her imagined adventures. The repeated refrain, “When my brother gets home…” is accompanied by a crayon illustration of a school bus as it traverses the town.

Being willing to stand up for what you believe in and raise your voice for change can be demonstrated in many ways. Art can be one of the ways you can share your message with the world. Rise Up! the Art of Protest is a powerful book on how we shape and communicate our messages calling for change.

Written in collaboration with Amnesty International, Rise Up! is an excellent book for readers interested in social justice, the history of protest art, graphic art, or art history. It is written in concise, factual language without any sentimentality – letting the art itself convey the most powerful message. The book is organized in chapters around the themes of women’s rights, race, peace, youth, LGBTQ, and environmentalism. Each chapter begins with a brief description and history of the protest theme followed by gallery of protest art examples. The majority of the examples originate in the United States, but samples of protest art from all around the world are also included.

The art reproductions are excellent quality and printed with bright colors. Each example includes a caption with artist(s), date, region, and a brief description.

Includes a forward by Mari Copeny, a youth activist known for her work during the Flint water crisis. Also includes a brief description of Amnesty International at the end of the book.

Illustrated by Ana Sender

“Mom, why do we cry?” ask Mario. With poetic language and imagery, Mario’s Mom describes the many feelings behind tears. With each example, the book validates the feelings and accepts the release of tears as a natural extension of those strong feelings. When the feelings are too hard to explain, the author employs simile, metaphor, and Ana Sender’s illustrations to portray the deepness of those feelings and the potential healing power of tears.

Why do we cry? The book ends with Mom’s tears of happiness. “More than anything, sweetheart, we cry because we feel like crying.” Includes both social emotional and scientific information on tears as well as extension activities for self reflection and discussion.

Translated from the Spanish original.

A wonderful narrative non-fiction told through multiple haiku stanzas. The great-horned owl pair starts by repurposing a squirrels nest. The book follows the the pair as they prepare their nest, lay and protect their eggs, nurture their owlets until the fledglings fly off to a home of their own. The world is fraught with danger. Only 2 of the 3 eggs survive to hatch and one fledgling barely escapes a fox.

The rhythm of the haiku stanzas help map the steady progression of the owls’ life cycle. Each struggle or danger is surmounted, though not always without loss.

Slipping to the ground
Eeping, flapping, fluttering
Nest far, far away

Red fox is watching
Red fox is sneaking-slinking
Red fox is crouching

Gianferrari’s haiku is approachable for young children; rich with language, but conveying concept and feelings in a way young readers can grasp. Voss’s breathtaking illustrations instill both the movement and the stillness of an owl’s night.

Whoo-Ku Haiku is a good choice for lessons on the haiku as a poetic form, word choice, and the study of owls.

Illustrated by Mike Lowery

Knot Cannot is a humorous story of homophone wordplay that will make the reader chuckle. Can Knot do what Snake can? He cannot – slither, hiss, swallow, shed, climb, or swim. There is not a lot Knot CAN do. But he can save snake from the a bird by twisting him into a knot so he’s too big to swallow. Knot’s envy gives way to an understanding of his own self worth. Valuing what he can do helps Knot recognize the reciprocal nature of friendship.

Cartoon-like illustrations support the story’s silliness. A hilarious read aloud that celebrates the playfulness of language and the importance of inflection to convey meaning.