In his wonderful debut title, Jimmie Allen, platinum-selling country music artist, encourages us to listen to the many voices around us but to also use our voices to trumpet our commitment to improving ourselves, our community, and our world. With rhythmic rhyming text, the book itself sounds like a anthem encouraging us to,

SAY NOT TO HATE 
by using this voice,
and ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE—
a magical choice

Highly recommended for all elementary libraries.

In Amberland, only recognized citizens have access to Amber, the naturally occurring liquid that when consumed daily, gives people both improved health and enhanced abilities. The borders are tightly sealed and the few non-citizens invited to live and work in Amberland are at a disadvantage and not allowed to partake in Amber. With Amber becoming increasingly scarce, there is an outcry by some to preserve the remaining Amber and limit newcomers.

Mira and her family must navigate her role as invited outsider while they wait for their citizenship request to be approved. How will Mira respond when faced with the many types of inequity she witnesses as both an outsider and finally a new citizen?

While the magical aspect of Amber place this book in the genre of fantasy, the complex social justice concepts provide a powerful opportunity to reflect and discuss the issues of privilege, discrimination, immigration, and equal rights.

A boy goes for a walk one morning in search of a couple of things for his breakfast. With the curiosity of a young child, he investigates a gate, a truck, a tractor, a haystack, a cow, a sheep, and a pony. None of these interesting objects lay the eggs he wants for breakfast. All the while, a chicken follows him. Retrieving eggs in the chicken coop, he shows he always knew where to find the eggs.

The illustrations give the book a classic feel. The lines of the sweet illustrations are reminicent of Robert McCloskey and the playful colors bring to mind Gyo Fujikawa’s characters.

A young hawaiian boy grows up hearing his grandfather sing. As they spend time at the ocean and evenings singing grandfather encourages his grandson to listen for a good song. The boy tries again and again as he grows and moves away from home to hear the song. Time passes and so does his grandfather. Still he can’t hear the song. In his sadness, he heads to the ocean, lying back he lets it lull him. In his dreams he hears the whisper of his grandfather on the wind. And he hears the “good song”. Now when the boy hears singing and the strumming of the ukulele he feels the love of the good song in his heart.

The Good Song is a touching story that encourages a reader to slow down, listen, and connect to both the surrounding world and his/her inner heart. The story reflects the culture of the Hawaiian people.

Endpapers include a short biography of IZ (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole), a Hawaiian muscisian famous for his medley of Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World as well as the song lyrics.

Identified as a graphic novel chapter book, this book offers a hybrid reading experience for young readers.

Snail is happy in his rusty bucket home and doesn’t want to ever leave. When he’s dumped from the bucket, his friend ladybug encourages him to look for a new house. Together they explore the different parts of the yard looking for the perfect snail house. Along the way snail makes friends with a gopher and a rabbit too. After narrowly escaping a chicken who wants to eat him for lunch, he discovers the apple orchard is the perfect place to make his home.

A book that incorporates friendship and problem-solving in an adventure to find snail a new home.

In this sweet story, Ninita a rare pygmy marmoset was born not able to hear. Due to her disability, she was abandoned by her parents when she was just 3 weeks old. A rescue found her, brought her inside and became her new family. Now people kept her safe, groomed her fur, and fed her just like a family should. When she reached adulthood, Ninita was moved to a habitat and introduced to another pygmy marmoset, Mr. Big. Ninita may not be able to understand Mr. Big’s sounds, but she understand friendship – closeness, shared experiences, and affection.

Use when discussing disabilities, pygmy marmosets, or when studying animal sanctuaries and rescues.

Spanning almost 120 years, Together We March details how marginalized populations organized protest marches to bring attention to their struggle. The book celebrates this long history – reminding us that protests are not a new phenomenon. The majority of the examples are from the United States, but protest marches in India, Bulgaria, South Africa, Kenya as well as worldwide protests are included. While some physical opposition is outlined, the focus of the narratives is on peaceful, non-violent movements.

Each two page illustrated spread provides background information about the situation and the people involved, a description of the event, and an analysis of the impact of the protest.

In Together We March the multiple examples of organized protest remind students that their peaceful actions in defense of issues that matter to them can make an impact on the world. Pair it with Equity’s Call or Rise Up!: The Art of Protest for a unit on grassroots movements that lead to change.

Interesting and ambitious investigation of different aspects of the night. The book is divided into four sections; human sleep, nocturnal animals, plants at night, and the night sky. Each section contains solid detailed information supported by illustrations and graphics. While all topics involve the night, there is little connection between the different topics. It makes more sense to view each chapter in isolation as each addresses a unique concept (human health, animal senses, plants, and astronomical features visible at night).

Curious young scientists will enjoy the diverse investigations found In the Dark.