Molly told Olive a secret which Olive promised not to tell anyone. Secrets have a way of bubbling out though and so Molly’s secret comes back to her. This familiar dilemma is humorously presented with cartoon illustrations and short text with an unexpected conclusion.
Olive and the Big Secret
Readers are encouraged to tell the story of a brave farm girl who provides food to someone who has escaped in this sophisticated, expressive, wordless book. Inspired by family stories, the author allows adults to fill in the historical detail while children recognize the story’s power.
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad
Lydia tires of her electronic devices while her parents and brother are enmeshed in theirs. A small leaf beckons the girl outdoors, propelling her into an imaginative outdoor adventure. Sure to start conversations among plugged-in family members, this genial fantasy is playful and light.
Hello! Hello!
Ivan lives in a “domain” at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall. In evocative language and gentle illustrations Ivan’s story unfolds through his touching, taut, yet hopeful narration. It’s a chronicle of friendship, loyalty, and the power of art. (2013 Newbery Medal Winner)
The One and Only Ivan
Perhaps one of the best known speeches of the 20th century, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” has been combined with lush paintings in a large format for a new generation. Included in this stunning book is a CD of Dr. King’s original speech.
I Have a Dream
Dyamonde Daniel is confident, perceptive and willing to figure out what is really bothering her friend Damaris. Lively language captures the angst and joys of 3rd grade, friendships, even and the feelings of a plausible character with juvenile diabetes.
Halfway to Perfect
The narrator knows his mom is special by the way she does regular Mom things (like changing a diaper) but more. She also drives an old truck and teaches her son to dance the polka. The author/illustrator’s homage to his mom will be appreciated by mothers everywhere.
My Mother Is So Smart
Greg doesn’t think he needs a resolution for the New Year; he’d be hard to improve on. But he’s not sure his parents agree. Once again, family and school lives are revealed with ardent honesty through Greg’s voice and comic drawings.
The Last Straw
Being a kid isn’t easy, especially if — like Greg — you feel teenage-hood creeping up. Over the summer Greg and his best buddy Rowley had a fight. Rowley’s new friend is older which is cool and the cool factor is critical. Spot-on observations add another laugh-out-loud installment.
The Ugly Truth
Will Greg’s older brother, Rodrick, reveal Greg’s most embarrassing moment to the world? It’s a real possibility as the school year starts and Greg’s diary (aka journal) goes missing. Greg’s cartoon line drawings and journal entries reveal Greg’s (often self-made) disasters with deadpan humor.
Rodrick Rules
A lot can happen when friends go to a Valentine’s Day dance together — and it’s not always expected! Greg’s diary entries and line drawings again present the angst of middle school and familiar problems of growing up.
The Third Wheel
Biscuit, a small yellow puppy, is grateful for many things. He appreciates his little girl, their daily walks, and more. Straightforward illustrations and the clear-cut narrative presented on sturdy pages is just right to share with younger children.
Biscuit Is Thankful
Splat, a likeable, fuzzy cat is grateful for many things, especially his friend Seymour. To show him, Splat makes more than a card; he makes a thank you book! Expressive, textured illustrations on open backgrounds show Splat’s range of emotions as he thinks about his buddy.
Splat Says Thank You
“Telling of her childhood in Cuba, Ada begins with an introduction to her homeland followed by 11 episodes about her family and her community. One story tells of her grandfather Modesto’s courage and loyalty in the face of the death of his beloved wife and the simultaneous collapse of the Cuban economy. Another tells of her great-grandmother Mina, who continued to make rag dolls for the village children even after she had lost her sight. And a third tale tells of a Japanese street vendor who sold ice cream for a living, but gave generous samples to children who could not afford to pay.” — School Library Journal
Where the Flame Trees Bloom
“Drawing on his own experience as a child refugee from Cuba, Flores-Galbis offers a gripping historical novel about children who were evacuated from Cuba to the U.S. during Operation Pedro Pan in 1961. Julian, a young Cuban boy, experiences the violent revolution and watches mobs throw out his family’s furniture and move into their home. For his safety, his parents send him to a refugee camp in Miami, but life there is no sweet haven…(T)his is a seldom-told refugee story that will move readers.” — Booklist
90 Miles to Havana
Product Description: For María Isabel Salazar López, the hardest thing about being the new girl in school is that the teacher doesn’t call her by her real name. “We already have two Marías in this class,” says her teacher. “Why don’t we call you Mary instead?” But María Isabel has been named for her Papá’s mother and for Chabela, her beloved Puerto Rican grandmother. Can she find a way to make her teacher see that if she loses her name, she’s lost the most important part of herself?
My Name Is Maria Isabel
Product Description: The yellow dress Erandi wants for her birthday will look beautiful with her long, thick braids. But Mama’s fishing net is full of holes, and there isn’t enough money to buy both a new net and a birthday dress. The only solution lies with the hair buyers from the city. But Mama’s hair isn’t nearly as beautiful as Erandi’s. Will Erandi have to choose between her birthday present and her braids? This touching tale of love and sacrifice is sprinkled throughout with Spanish words and expressions.
Erandi’s Braids
“Nine-year-old América Soliz is an undocumented immigrant of Mexican-Indian heritage living in the violence-ravaged Pilsen barrio of Chicago. Feeling unwelcome in her new country, she yearns to return to her native Oaxaca. Then one day, a Puerto Rican poet visits America’s ESL class and tells the students that ‘There’s poetry in everyone…and poets belong to the whole world.’ Soon, America begins to express herself through poetry, eventually coming to realize that as a poet, she is a citizen of the world with a bright future ahead of her.” — School Library Journal
América Is Her Name
Meet Clara, a little girl who is very, very grumpy. Mami is tired of Clara’s grumpy face, so she sends her daughter to the curandera — or healer — down the hall. The curandera knows just what Clara needs — to help her neighbors! Readers will cheer for Clara as she learns to focus on others rather than herself in this charming story.
Clara and the Curandera
In this 3rd book about Pacy, she and her family plan to go to Taiwan to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday.
Dumpling Days
Bella tells readers all about her grumpy day which starts early. Families with grumpy children (as well others who witness one) will see the humor seen in Bella’s bad behavior, her bedtime apology, and the cheerful next day in the simple, expressive illustrations and honest narration.
My No, No, No Day!
Henkes’ first easy reader introduces Penny and her mouse family in two appealing chapters. Penny must wait to share her original song until after dinner. When she does, not only do her parents join in, the babies respond in a surprising way. Henkes’ signature illustrations expressively complement the well-paced narrative.
Penny and Her Song
Pigeon (of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (opens in a new window) fame) is back. Here, he’s irritated that a very polite duckling gets a cookie by simply asking! Could good manners really matter? Understated humor abounds in both minimal text and characteristic illustration.
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?
An unlikely friendship develops between a small, basket-weaving mouse named Celeste and the young apprentice to the great naturalist, Audubon. They meet when Joseph accompanies Audubon to New Orleans to paint the birds of Louisiana. Evocative pencil drawings add information as well as emotion in this unique, attractive, sometimes sad, but always riveting blend of fact and fantasy.