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Poverty didn’t stop this girl from working hard, reading lots of books, and graduating top in her class. Meet young Sonia Sotomayor, the child who grew up to become the first Latina Supreme Court justice. Her life is presented through a jaunty, positive narrative and warm-toned illustrations that capture the warmth and joy of Sotomayor’s family and story. A bit of background information concludes the engaging glimpse of a contemporary figure.

A stick-figure boy enlivens his dreary town called Cementland when he discovers and plants a treasure. To protect it from robbers, he creates a scarecrow-like creature from various paraphernalia but winds up befriending the thieves. Hand-written text ideally complements the rich, active illustrations.

Snook, a small rat terrier, happily lives and works with his monk friend on their isolated island sanctuary until separated by a storm. Poetic language combines with evocative illustrations to convey the range of authentic emotions, happily concluding with dog and man reunited.

Edwin is a translucent ‘wiggleskin’ — a clam — who sheds his shell for the sake of adventure. Not only does he have a fabulous adventure but saves his clam clan from clam diggers. This quirky tale is fast-paced, funny, and illustrated in Ering’s high-energy style.

This offbeat and slightly irreverent original story invents a tale about the creation of the universe; it was made in the kitchen of Mr. & Mrs. God. Older readers will enjoy the humor of the verbal sparring between the duo and in the homespun look of the light-handed illustrations.

Young Finn doesn’t like anything on this particular day. When offered something he normally likes, Finn throws an earth-shaking tantrum. Readers will likely see themselves in egg-shaped Finn’s behavior as his parents try to weather the storm revealed in energetic language and ebullient, sketchy illustrations.

When Darryl finds an injured racing pigeon, he nurses it back to health and hopes to return it to its rightful owner. When he learns that the owner might kill the untraceable bird, Daryl decides to keep the pigeon.

When Lucy suspects there’s a monster in her bedroom, her mum knows exactly what to do; make a guard dragon, Gruffen, to look after her. See also: Gauge (opens in a new window), another book in The Dragons of Wayward Crescent series.

Billy has heard there is a hole in the ozone layer at the North Pole. With the help of a polar bear, he set out to try to repair the hole.

No matter if Sherman is hiking, skating, taking a walk on a rainy day, or visiting grandma, he has just the right footwear. Readers are invited to choose along with the boy as his faithful dog watches. Simple illustrations use bright color and a clear layout help younger readers focus on the activity and the appropriate choice.

Mama, Carmelita, and their dog Manny greet people in their diverse neighborhood as they walk to see Abuela Rosa. Everyone says “hello” but in their own language — ranging from Italian and French to Hebrew and Arabic to slang American greetings. It is Manny’s “woof,” however, that is universal. Textured illustrations make Carmelita’s community familiar and accessible.

Zack, Andy, and Penelope slept all night but not Petra. No matter what her siblings suggested, Petra was afraid of monsters. When they meet a three-eyed monster with four arms, Petra discovers that the monster is as fearful as she is. Together they enjoy a monstrous good time until the pups’ parents carry them off to bed. Naive illustrations extend the familiar theme and its cozy resolution.

Happy puppies,/scrappy puppies … each one needs a name … and ideal names from A to Z are presented in 26 descriptive poems. Aspen is the color of leaves in fall, Melody likes to sing, and Zipper loves to run, zipping everywhere. These poems are wonderful to read aloud to one child or a whole group.

When a runt pig named Pink was pushed out by his litter mates, he was placed with a mother dog who was caring for puppies of her own. The story of Tink, the patient dachshund mom, and her pup’s acceptance of Pink is documented in easy text and full color photographs. It is based on one family’s experience on their West Virginia farm.

A brown dog in colorful checkered pants is highly competitive, claiming to be the best and that he can do things better than his friends. Eventually, his friends prove him wrong but assure the deflated dog that he’s still the best at having lovely fluffy ears. Child-like illustrations exude the joy and difficulty of friendship in which readers will likely recognize themselves.

A junkyard bulldog helps a small hamster build his racer to compete in a hot rod happening. The small rodent is asked to choose from a range of components as the car comes together — and ultimately takes the prize. Snappy language and repetition combine with engaging illustrations as the smallest critter wins the race to become the Hot Rod Hamster.

Mr. Mutt responds to canine concerns, writing practical advice letters. He shares his Dogwood home with The Queen, a tiara-wearing cat who adds her distinctly feline advice on her own embossed stationery. The result is wildly different perspectives, lots of laughs, and action suggested by the correspondences and extended by realistic, outrageous, and very funny illustrations.

A dog with no name and no home meets a boy with a ball but no dog. Boy and dog play in the park every day until one day the little dog — a small fleabag — helps the boy and finds a home. Loose lines and bright colors convey city activities and the affectionate relationship between child and hound and ultimately, a warm family.