“Yo loves to bake. Baking blends bad feelings away, and inspires good feelings to rise. When Yo notices a new neighbor simmering in sadness, she bakes her a batch of cakies—her latest baking creations. Yo’s plan works so well that word of her baking spreads. It turns out, baking helps a lot of people feel better. But now Yo isn’t feeling so great. She’s swimming in batter and can’t stay afloat! Will Yo find a way to cheer everyone up, including herself? Or will she dissolve in the baking blues?” — publisher […]
Children’s Picture Books: Any Child Category
Books featuring BIPOC in which race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, culture, im/migration, and/or religious, sacred, or origin stories are not central to the storyline. These elements may be present, but they are not essential to the plot and could be changed without changing the story.
A Terrible Place for a Nest
“Juno and his mom have just moved into a new home, and he hates everything about it – the new school, his new classmates, his new room.
Just outside his window, Juno notices a family of mourning doves have started a nest atop the fence, and they seem to be struggling to make it work, too. Sure enough, Juno concludes this new place is a terrible place to build a nest.
But, as winter turns to spring and the doves grow, so does Juno. And while this new place may be scary and sometimes lonely, they will all make it work, together.” — publisher […]
Aqua Boy
“Aaron lives by the ocean with his sister, Angel, and his mom and dad, who are Ocean Guardians. He loves the smell of the air, the colors of the water, the sound of the waves, and the feel of sand between his toes. But unlike his sister, who dives into the waves all day long, Aaron shies away from putting his head in the water. How can he ever fulfill his dream of swimming with dolphins and whales? One day, as his family does beach cleanup after a storm, they come upon a stranded octopus. As Aaron helps his father with the rescue, he finds himself following the octopus underwater to watch it swim away. He did it! With warm illustrations and a gentle text, Ken Wilson-Max shows how environmental stewardship and empathy for the world’s animals can infuse us with unexpected bravery.” — publisher […]
Ava Lin, Best Friend! (Ava Lin #1)
“Ava Lin is six and a half years old, and she loves bubble tea, finding treasures, and animals (note the 117 varieties of pets on her wish list). She’s very good at drawing and balancing pasta on her nose. And there’s a Very Exciting Thing happening in her life right now: tomorrow is her first day of first grade! Which means she gets a new backpack, new pencils, and a new lunch box. But what she really wants to get in first grade is a best friend, which isn’t as easy as she thought.
Ava’s quest has her navigating some confusing social rules, with unintentionally comical results—but she always manages to wriggle out of her mishaps in ways young readers will find very familiar. With an engaging text, humorous graphic panels, and black-and-white illustrations, Vicky Fang draws on her Chinese American family’s experience to create a heroine kids will instantly love.” — publisher […]
Black Girl You are Atlas
In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes
about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender.
Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power. […]
ChupaCarter and the Haunted Piñata
“New kid Jorge is shocked to learn that his beastly friend Carter isn’t the only legendary creature in Boca falls. Every few years, the town is terrorized by a haunted . . . piñata? Rumor has it that the petrifying party decoration floats around setting eerie fires to avenge a long-ago betrayal. Jorge can’t help but laugh, until a rash of green fires forces the townspeople to consider moving away, including the parents of his pals Ernie and Liza!
With Carter at their side, the three friends are in a race against time to catch the real culprit before they’re separated forever . . . or the whole town is set aflame. Which will come first?” — publisher […]
Do Mommies Ever Sleep?
“Baby can’t help but wonder why Mommy never gets any sleep. Maybe Mommy doesn’t sleep because she lost her paci? Or she’s really hungry—or maybe she’s too gassy? Could the reason be not such a big mystery after all? But baby also has some wise and witty advice for all those mommies who never rest…
This funny tribute to the exhausting work of raising an infant, cleverly told from the baby’s point of view, provides plenty of much-needed laughs for all those sleepless nights (and days)!” — publisher […]
Don’t Wash Winston
“A young boy plots to save his stuffed teddy from the scary washing machine in Ashley Belote’s funny and heartwarming new picture book.
We’ve all been there… A bit of a spill, an overenthusiastic leap, one mud pie too many, and OH NO! our beloved stuffed animal friend suddenly has to be (glup) WASHED!
When Winston, Liam’s favorite teddy bear, gets muddy, Dad decides that Winston needs to be washed. But the washing machine is big and loud and scary! Liam decides that the only solution is to hide Winston away from this terrible fate.
This humorous and heartwarming tale allows anxious toy-protectors to gleefully follow along with Liam’s teddy-hiding plans, while also, in the end, leading them to the realization that sometimes it really is necessary for even the most beloved friend to be washed.” — publisher […]
Ellie Mae Dreams Big!
“Ellie Mae loves everything about school, except when her teacher asks the big question. “What do you want to be when you grow up? Tomorrow, come dressed as what you’ve chosen.”
Ellie Mae is overflowing with ideas. She could be a chef, but that doesn’t seem very exciting. What if she became the first ‘astronaut-chef’ and cooked in outer space? Or she could be a ‘ballerina-painter’ and create beautiful art as she dances across the stage.
In the end, Ellie Mae arrives at school dressed as the one and only astronaut-chef, candy-farmer, pirate-dentist, zookeeper-teacher, ballerina-painter in the world!” — publisher […]
Emma and the Love Spell
“It’s a complicated summer between sixth and seventh grade. Emma’s parents made her promise that she’d keep her powers a secret and never, ever use them. But if Evangeline’s parents fall back in love, then she won’t have to move. And how hard could one little love spell be?” — publisher […]