Written by Margaret McNamara and Wendi Gu. Illustrated by Mike Gordon
This beginning reader is a wonderful introduction story about how one family celebrates the Lunar New Year. Eigen’s mom comes to school to help him celebrate his favorite holiday with his class. She brings his favorite holiday treats and talks with the teacher and class about the holiday and what it means to Eigen’s family.
This simply written leveled book is great for younger readers who are interested in holidays and culture. I would strongly recommend this purchase.
The PAWS crew is back again in this fourth book in the series. Hazel has a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and uses a wheelchair. This does not stop her from being an active member of the dog walking club. When summer comes along and her friends are leaving for camp, going to visit family and going on vacation, Hazel decides to take on two cats that need to be taken care of in the neighborhood on her own. Will all go smoothly or will things go badly when she chooses to not tell her mom that she is not being supported by others in the group.
While this is book four in the series, this graphic novel could also be considered a stand alone. There is a great deal of back story given on Hazel including how she was treated at her past school, what her condition is and how it has progressed and her connection with the PAWS group. This title also has some fun content as the end including: how to draw a dog and the names of parts of a wheelchair. The graphic novel series as a whole is a great addition to any library. It shows wonderful examples of teamwork, determination, creativity and friendship. I would strongly recommend this series for any elementary or middle school library.
Written by Lindz Amer. Illustrated by Kip Alizadeh.
Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They! celebrates the many different ways people can feel like themselves. It introduces a variety of pronouns that someone might use, but rather than diving into detailed explanations of each, it keeps the focus on the joy of finding a pronoun that feels right. The story highlights how meaningful and respectful it is when someone uses the correct pronoun for you.
This book is a great introduction for younger kids to what pronouns are and why they matter. There’s a thoughtful “Dear Grown-ups” section at the end where the author shares their personal story, which I think both kids and adults will find valuable. Kip Alizadeh’s colorful, joyful illustrations of children throughout make the book feel like a true celebration. It would be a wonderful addition to any school or home library.
Written by Marcus Bridgewater. Illustrated by Reggie Brown.
See Marcus Grow is a heartfelt ode to both the garden and a beloved grandmother. In this book, Marcus Bridgewater (known in real life as Garden Marcus) shares what it was like for young Marcus to learn about gardening from his garden expert grandmother. She lovingly compares the needs of a garden to the needs of a young boy, and she teaches Marcus the importance of patience, care, and respect for all living things.
Reggie Brown’s vibrant, colorful illustrations add warmth and energy to each page, perfectly complementing the story. You can truly feel the author’s deep love for the garden, his grandmother, and the natural world woven throughout every part of the book.
If you love magic, romance, thrill and adventure, The Notorious Virtues is for you. The heir to a country with great wealth and prestige, Nora will discover that her mother’s death wasn’t accidental. Counsins August and Lotte also have bloodlines to the throne and reasons for wanting it. To determine the future leader, a battle of magic ensues. Alwyn Hamilton alternates between each girls’ points of view and readers should become very familiar with each character as the tension builds. The depth of detail in the magic itself could be its selling point but cliffhanger chapter endings will propel readers quickly. Even after 497 pages, waiting for the sequel will be hard for many. Recommended for all libraries.
Four Colorado teens are brought together when they are evacuated from their homes due to an emergency. Many any months after moving to the relocation camp, they stumble upon some evidence that makes them doubt the legitimacy of the evacuation and they begin to dig deeper and start to see the true story and who is behind the land grab.
Megan Freeman has done it again with this companion book to her book “Alone”. While “Alone” is a book about a girl who is left in her town when it is evacuated, “Away” is what happens to everyone else when they are forced to leave. This near future science fiction is fantastic stand alone and yet feels like a part two in a series. Written in a variety poetry and prose forms this story will please many adventure and mystery fans. I highly recommend purchasing this book and believe it is appropriate for 4th to 9th grades.
Emilio is a kind sloth who goes about his day with his dear friends always listening to what they have to say and asking how they are. He also lets them know how he is and always has a cheerful demeanor.
This is a wonderful book about being a kind and listening friend. It really highlights how fulfilling it can be to be a good person with a positive insight to life. Emilio is a great example for young students who are in the process of learning what being a friend means. If these are the type of books you need in your library I would recommend this one as an extra purchase.
Written by Jane Kurtz Illustrated by Claire Messer
This is a fictional tale about Clara, a famous rhinoceros that was taken in as a calf by a Dutch sea captain 260 years ago. This adorable Indian Rhino traveled with Captain Van der Meer where she became a wonderful ambassador for the species. As many know, rhinos have the reputation of be ill-tempered, deadly and cruel. Clara proved these assumptions to be wrong in her lifetime.
Today, many would feel that having someone travel with what should be a wild animal in this way is wrong but as the author’s note says the captain truly treasured Clara and took the best care of her he could. The note also discusses how with conservation efforts these rhinos are now numbering in the thousands although in the past very few were left alive and the species was almost extinct. II would recommend this book as an extra purchase as philosophies on wild animal care have changed and this may take some explaining to do if one was to want to read it aloud to groups and young children.
Bouncing Bunnies all around in this tale. When it’s time for the baby bunnies to wake up they do their bestest jumps! After that, they get hungry then it’s time to wiggle. This carries on until it’s time to cuddle snuggle and go to bed.
This happy little picture book can be a fun librarian read for youngers as it would be easy to sing a simple little tune to it. It can also be one that can have movement activities for an audience easily added. I recommend it as an extra purchase if one needs some new books like this for kinders and pre-K.
Written by Shelia P. Moses, Illustrated by Keith Mallett
This book is another wonderful book about a family traveling to march in Washington DC to fight for rights. Agnes travels by train on an adventure with many others. She is nervous and excited as she does not know what to expect. When they arrive, they walk and walk and in the end, they see many speak about rights, freedoms and the future. It is a day of celebration and smiles. People are hopeful for better days. I recommend this book for libraries that may need to refresh their MLK Day, Black History month books of just want a great historically based book added to their collection.
