“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 […]
Gender Representation: Girls/Women
Characters who are explicitly identified or who self-identify as a girl or woman (traditionally feminine gender expression, she/her pronouns).
A Bindi Can Be …
“A young girl is eager to learn all about bindis, the red dot that goes between her brows. Paati, her grandmother, shows her how to make a bindi in a clay pot by combining crushed turmeric, sandalwood powder and a dollop of ghee. They mix and mix and mix until, like magic, the mixture turns from yellow to bright red. Her bindi can be big or small, and shaped like a star, a flower or a glowing half-moon. She can wear her bindi to celebrate different festivals, such as Diwali, or on an ordinary day as a way to stay centered and calm. In this way, she discovers that her bindi is more than just a dot.” — publisher […]
A Crane Among Wolves
“To save her sister, a teen girl becomes entangled in a political conspiracy with an enigmatic prince in this fiery new YA novel from the bestselling author of The Red Palace.
Joseon (Korea), 1506. The people suffer under the reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from kidnapping and abusing women and girls. Iseul has lived a sheltered life. When her sister becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves her village in hopes of stealing her sister back. But the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is certain death.
Prince Daehyun lives in the shadow of his despicable half brother, the king, and aches to find a way to dethrone the king once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know whom he can trust.
When Iseul’s and Daehyun’s fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king.” — publisher […]
A Flicker of Hope
Lucía loves to watch the monarchs’ migration from her home in Mexico with Papá. But this year, the monarchs’ journey north holds extra weight; Papá is heading north, too, to look for work. He promises her that when “the weather turns cold and the monarcas return, our winged ancestors will guide me home.” So while he spends the summer months harvesting produce on faraway farms, Lucía watches the skies for signs of the monarchs’—and her papá’s—return. […]
A Maleta Full of Treasures
It’s been three years since Abuela’s last visit, and Dulce revels in every tiny detail—from Abuela’s maletas full of candies in crinkly wrappers and gifts from primos to the sweet, earthy smell of Peru that floats out of Abuela’s room and down the hall. But Abuela’s visit can’t last forever, and all too soon she’s packing her suitcases again. Then Dulce has an idea: maybe there are things she can gather for her cousins and send with Abuela to remind them of the U.S. relatives they’ve never met. And despite having to say goodbye, Abuela has one more surprise for Dulce—something to help her remember that home isn’t just a place, but the deep-rooted love they share no matter the distance […]
A Ramadan to Remember
“Sweet stories follow children as they celebrate global holidays and festivals in their homes
Ramadan is almost here! It’s Zain’s favorite time of the year.
Well, it usually is. After a recent move and with no mosque or Islamic school in his new neighborhood, will Zain find a new Muslim friend to celebrate with him?
Children will learn what makes the ninth Islamic month special from pre-Ramadan decorating, the importance of fasting and volunteering in the community, and the festivities and prayers that continue through the month, ending with Eid al-Fitr.” — publisher […]
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 […]
Abuela, Don’t Forget Me
” In this companion-in-verse, Rex captures and celebrates the powerful presence a woman he could always count on—to give him warm hugs and ear kisses, to teach him precious words in Spanish, to bring him to the library where he could take out as many books as he wanted, and to offer safety when darkness closed in. Throughout a coming of age marked by violence and dysfunction, Abuela’s red-brick house in Abilene, Texas, offered Rex the possibility of home, and Abuela herself the possibility for a better life.” — publisher […]
Adnan: The Boy Who Helped His Mummy Remember
“This touching and sensitively told children’s book is a story about a boy and his mother, about trauma and recovery, and how to deal with the challenges of mental health.
It tells the story of an imaginative ten-year-old Syrian refugee boy who flees his home country with his mother. Now settled in the UK, he must use all his creativity to break through his mother’s PTSD or risk losing her forever.” — publisher […]
Read More… from Adnan: The Boy Who Helped His Mummy Remember
Afikoman, Where’d You Go?
“This lively, funny picture book brings to life the Passover tradition of searching for the afikoman—literally. When the mischievous piece of matzoh runs and hides during the seder, all the kids in the family (and even the pet dog!) go hunting for it, through every room in the house. Readers can join the hunt and find the sneaky afikoman in each bright and busy scene while enjoying the playful rhyming text. And they’re in for a surprise ending that’s as delightful as this favorite part of Passover.” — publisher […]
