The silly fun that started in The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza returns in this latest book. Soup has poisoned the Moon Queen. Can she — and the universe — be saved before it’s too late? Soup of Doom can be read alone or as a sequel (and be prepared for another madcap adventure!)
The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom
A day in the life of residents of a sizeable apartment begins when a large clock on its front reads 6. It’s morning. Though some people are already at work, most start at 7. Readers will enjoy following activities throughout the day as only the time, sky, and activities change. Detailed papercut illustrations are unique and engaging.
All in a Day
A girl and her mother find and adopt a lone polar bear cub. Together they thrive until the bear is no longer a cub, who leaves the humans to find his own community. One day, the bear returns with his mother. This adaptation of an Inuit tale is simply and touchingly illustrated.
The Woman and Her Bear Cub
A mother introduces her child to his rich bicultural heritage through dragons. Distinctive illustrations and lyrical language contrast the fierce dragons hidden in deep, dark forests of the West, and the water-dwelling, free-flying dragons of the East. The mother reminds the boy that, “Both journeys are yours to take. Both worlds are yours to discover.”
The Truth About Dragons
When snow starts falling, the perfectly normal animals on Farmer Pumpernickel’s farm start acting strangely; they catch snowflakes on their tongues! Eventually, even the farmer himself gets with the rhythm. Rhyming text accompanied by comical illustrations will make a joyful read aloud.
Snowflakes on Our Tongues
A girl thinks everyone else in her family is smarter and more talented that she is. The girl thinks she messes up whatever she touches, even her grandmother’s nesting dolls. Her wise grandmother helps her understand that not all family members have the same gifts or look alike, but each is an important part of the same family. The author explores her own Gullah Geechee background in this touching and universal story.
Nesting Dolls
One single red apple hangs on a tree. One by one, animals see it and greedily declare it “Mine!” Only a nonplussed possum willing to share it with the apple’s resident worm winds up with the prize. Alliterative, animated, onomatopoeic language is paired with strong lines and color for a jaunty, delightful book to read aloud.
Mine!
Micah knows that his new sister Lily is a Martian. His fears are confirmed by his cousin Maxwell and doubly so when Lily goes to school with Micah for show-and-tell! Humor abounds in this out-of-this-world sibling story.
Invader from Mars: The Truth About Babies
Together Gift and Box were a package on the way to a child from her grandmother. “Gift’s purpose was to delight. Box’s purpose was to protect.” They both arrived safely, and brought joy to the young Sofia! Imaginative illustrations on what appears to be cardboard depict packages’ long journey in an amusing, reassuring way.
Gift & Box
Doris, a performing horse, steps out of her comfort zone to find out what is twinkling beyond. She feels the “moonness” and soon is joined by a brown pony and together they dance off. Swirling illustrations combine with limited text that whirls across the pages in this joyful celebration.
Doris
Will JoJo ever be able to dance the national dance of the Philippines as easily as his grandmother? As he watches and practices, he begins to learn how to let the rhythm move through him and he dances the tininkling! Warm illustrations complement the lively text, evoking the sense of movement and joy.
Dancing the Tinikling
Will the runaway pea become a snack for one of the animals it rolls by? Illustrations call to mind folk art in this rollicking translation from the French. The tale is likely to hold up to multiple readings and may inspire young gardeners!
Roll, Roll, Little Pea
Marta is una niña, an ordinary girl, who is sometimes big when compared to a bug; sometimes small next to an elephant. The charming child is presented in a sturdy format with words in both English and Spanish.
Marta! Big & Small
Young Leo and his dad enjoy a day exploring nature, observing small creatures, and looking at trees and animals. Realistic illustrations and simple language enhance the shared joy.
Leo on a Hike
Parents welcome their new little one, examining the baby’s face and describing its features in Spanish. Cozy illustrations and the welcoming narration conclude with a glossary (just in case it’s not clear from the images!).
I Love You, Baby Burrito
A small dog and tiny cat are best of friends, playing all day, until one day Tao is hurt. George misses Tao very much until the friends are reunited, one with a bandage and gentler play. Simple but evocative illustrations complement the effective, brief narrative.
George & Tao
Tired of the same Old MacDonald’s farm? Add donuts and a greedy crocodile alongside a take-charge rooster and it’s a new tune! Silliness is the word (and picture) on this farm as children will sing along with the rousing E-I-E-I-O!
Croc-a-Doodle Doo!
One toddler thinks she can get dressed all by herself but winds up needing her sister’s help. In Muy verde! / Too Green!, another child is reluctant to try a new green soup but once he does, he wants more! Both attractive board books capture familiar experiences through cheerful, expressive illustrations and short text. Both books are available in bilingual (Spanish/English) editions.
By Myself!
Alma, first introduced in Alma and How She Got Her Name, is back! She plays with her cousins, snuggles with her mother, and more as she names her relatives. In Alma Head to Toe / Alma de pies a cabeza, she introduces all of her from her head to her soft heart. Both engaging books are in Spanish and English, sure to charm even the youngest reader.
Alma and Her Family / Alma y su familia
Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them? But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean white pages. “Think of it as a garden,” she says. Soon Fefa starts to sprinkle words across the pages of her wild book. She lets her words sprout like seedlings, shaky at first, then growing stronger and surer with each new day. And when her family is threatened, it is what Fefa has learned from her wild book that saves them.
The Wild Book
This is a book about dinosaurs. No it’s not. Dinosaurs are not allowed. Oh. This is now a book about avocados! Sorry. We deleted those too. Discover just what can happen when ideas are erased instead of expressed with this hilarious picture book romp that kids (and grown-ups) will want to read over and over again.
This Book Is Banned
Based on the real journal kept by French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534, Ethis book imagines a first meeting between a French sailor and a Stadaconan fisher. As they navigate their differences, the wise animals around them note their similarities, illuminating common ground. Encounter is a luminous telling from two Indigenous book creators that invites readers to reckon with the past, and to welcome, together, a future that is yet unchartered.
Encounter
As she waits for the arrival of her new baby, a mother-to-be gathers gifts to create a sacred bundle. A white feather, cedar and sage, a stone from the river … Each addition to the bundle will offer the new baby strength and connection to tradition, family, and community. As they grow together, mother and baby will each have gifts to offer each other. Two Indigenous book creators bring beautiful words and luminous art together in a resonant celebration of the bond between mother and child.
I Sang You Down from the Stars
What if a school’s mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone? In this compelling middle-grade novel in verse, two best-selling authors tackle this hot-button issue. In Rye, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, people work hard, kids go to school, and football is big on Friday nights. An eighth-grade English teacher creates an assignment for her class to debate whether Rye’s mascot should stay or change. Now six middle schoolers — all with different backgrounds and beliefs — get involved in the contentious issue that already has the suburb turned upside down with everyone choosing sides and arguments getting ugly. Told from several perspectives, readers see how each student comes to new understandings about identity, tradition, and what it means to stand up for real change.