Instagram Facebook X-twitter Linkedin

Sign Up

Get the latest ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

All , Coverage

All Children's Coverage

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Review

Review by bookpagedev

k History Month: Children’s inspiration and celebration Black History Month has been celebrated since 1976, but its origins date back to 1926, when a high school teacher named Carter G. Woodson first proposed setting aside a week to study the history of African Americans. February has now become a nationwide celebration and time for reflection. It’s also a chance to explore new books for children. Transporting readers from the Outer Banks to a contemporary village in Uganda, this year’s new titles offer something for kids of all ages.

On the night of October 11, 1896, the E.

S. Newman got caught in a hurricane and began to sink off Cape Hatteras. In an astonishing rescue feat, the African-American crew of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station tied two men to a line and sent them into the raging sea to rescue each sailor, one at a time. Not a life was lost. One hundred years later, the members of the Pea Island crew were awarded Gold Life-Saving medals posthumously by the U.S. Coast Guard for their courageous actions.

This little-known true story serves as the inspiration for Storm Warriors, Elisa Carbone’s absorbing and meticulously researched historical novel for young readers about a boy who wants to be a storm warrior himself. With likeable characters and exciting storm sequences, Storm Warriors is sure to capture the attention of readers and shed light on a fascinating way of life and the unsung heroes who lived it.

John Henry swims better than anybody I know.

He crawls like a catfish, blows bubbles like a swamp monster, but he doesn’t swim in the town pool with me.

He’s not allowed. So relates Joe, the young narrator of Freedom Summer an outstanding first picture book by Deborah Wiles, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. Set in the South in 1964, this poignant story explores the friendship between two boys, one white and one black. Joe and John Henry spend their summers together, playing marbles and swimming in the creek. They can hardly contain their excitement when they learn the town pool is about to open to everyone, regardless of skin color. But though their innocence is shattered by what happens next, their hope is not. Based on true occurrences, this is a wonderful book to share and discuss with young readers and a sober reminder that racism affects all children.

Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger, illustrated by Teresa Flavin, is a picture book biography of the first African American to earn a pilot’s license. Born into a large family in rural Texas in 1892, Bessie Coleman spent her childhood in extreme poverty. During World War I, Coleman learned of women pilots in France and determined to learn to fly. Unable to find anyone to teach her in this country, she saved enough money to attend flying school in France. Although Coleman flew for only a few years before her death in a plane crash in 1926 at the age of 34, her legacy survives.

Hurry Freedom: African Americans in Gold Rush California, by Jerry Stanley, is fascinating and informative nonfiction at its best. Filled with period photographs and accompanied by an index and bibliographic note, Hurry Freedom tells the story of black Americans in California before the Civil War.

Stanley’s book is especially effective in threading the story of one man against the backdrop of California history and the experiences of other African Americans. Mifflin Gibbs arrived in San Francisco in 1850 with 10 cents in his pocket. Despite an uncertain and sometimes dangerous racial climate, Gibbs prospered as a businessman. But he was less successful in his battles to win civil rights for blacks. In 1858, with a bill pending that would have prohibited African Americans from entering California, Gibbs and more than 200 other black citizens chose to emigrate to Victoria, British Columbia. He eventually returned to the U.S., earned a law degree and became ambassador to Madagascar. In Hurry Freedom, Jerry Stanley makes the complex historical events of pre-Civil War California come alive. Another nonfiction title, Catherine Clinton’s The Black Soldier: 1492 to the Present provides an overview of the involvement and accomplishments of black soldiers in America. Perhaps because it covers such a wide time period, the book does not leave much room for the detailed telling of many individual stories. Nevertheless, with its short chapters and accessible prose, this title should prove to be a valuable resource for students interested in this subject. Attractively illustrated with photographs and drawings, the book includes a bibliography and index.

For older readers, Milton Meltzer’s There Comes a Time: The Struggle for Civil Rights examines the key issues and events of the Civil Rights movement and includes a calendar of events, a bibliography and index. Of course, Black History Month isn’t only about the past; it’s also a time to celebrate families today. Young children will delight in Myles C. Pinkney’s striking photographs of African-American children that grace the pages of Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children with text by Sandra L. Pinkney. As the subtitle suggests, this is an affirmation book that uses rich, poetic language to celebrate each child’s uniqueness. “My hair is the soft puffs in a cotton ball and the stiff ringlets in lambs wool.” Preschoolers will love this one, and it would be a great gift book for new parents, too.

Another title that celebrates families of all hues is called, simply, Family. Written by Isabell Monk with illustrations by Janice Lee Porter, Family tells the story of a young girl named Hope who brings a surprise dessert to the family gathering at Aunt Poogee’s farm. This simple tale celebrates family traditions. Recipes are included in case you get a hankering to try the dessert Hope brings along pickles with peppermint sticks inside! Children are sure to be fascinated by the vibrant cut-paper collage art in Grandma’s Purple Flowers. Written by Adjoa J. Burrowes, it’s a story about love and loss. The story celebrates the rhythm of the seasons and the relationship between a young girl and her grandmother. The collage art, much of it in bright, primary colors, has a three-dimensional feel but also manages to be warm and inviting.

Family life in Uganda is the subject of a book called Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier, illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter with an afterword by Hillary Rodham Clinton. A true story, Beatrice’s Goatexplores the impact of the Heifer Project International on a girl whose family receives a goat. Through selling the goat’s milk, the family is able to earn enough to send Beatrice for school for the first time. The author and artist traveled to Africa to research this book, and the details of Beatrice’s daily life add authenticity to the story. Information about Heifer Project International is also included.

Last but not least are the sports books. Everyone knows kids eat up books about their sports heroes. And for parents whose kids just can’t get enough about basketball, two new picture books offer variations on traditional biographies. Take It to the Hoop, Magic Johnson, by Quincy Troupe and illustrated by Shane W. Evans, is a lively poetic tribute to the basketball great, with a playful, free-moving design. In Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, Jordan’s mother and sister team up to reveal that even Michael Jordan was once a child with doubts. Kadir Nelson’s warm, endearing oils portray a family devoted to helping a child pursue his dreams.

While these titles are primarily designed for children from preschoolers to teens, the best children’s books appeal to readers of all ages. So whether you have a child in your life or not, head into the children’s section of your bookstore or library during Black History Month to see what’s on display. I can almost guarantee you’ll find something there that will enrich your own appreciation of our rich and complex history.

Deborah Hopkinson’s new books for children, Bluebird Summer and Fannie in the Kitchen, will be published this spring. She lives in Walla Walla, Washington.

k History Month: Children's inspiration and celebration Black History Month has been celebrated since 1976, but its origins date back to 1926, when a high school teacher named Carter G. Woodson first proposed setting aside a week to study the history of African Americans. February…
Children's & YAPicture Book

Mina

Review by Jill Lorenzini

Mina the mouse is no stranger to her quirky father’s passion for bringing home discarded rubbish, odd artwork and even unusual new pets. A bit of an inventor, he’s well-meaning but inattentive, frequently declaring “Everything will be fine.” But when he ignores Mina’s concerns about his most recent pet project, which involves squirrels that look awfully feline, things quickly go from fine to not so fine. It’s up to book-smart Mina and an unexpected ally to save the day.

Matthew Forsythe’s Mina is a crafty, charming and wryly hilarious tale. Mina projects an attitude of competence and calm, while her father’s bold, geometric-patterned decor adds an eclectic energy to each page, creating a study in contrasts. Illustrations created with colored pencils, soft lines and gentle edges make this world feel lived in and tactile. Forsythe’s lively use of perspective creates a mouse’s-eye view that shrinks the reader down to Mina’s size and draws them into the story’s intimate and cozy setting, while supersized flowers and plants lend a rich vivacity to many scenes. Even the not quite menacing but slightly unsettling eyes of the so-called squirrels are tempered by earth tones and muted pastels. There’s much to see in Mina, and it’s all amusing.

Forsythe’s energetic artwork works perfectly with his unadorned narration, understated storytelling and plainspoken dialogue. As Mina’s droll observations clash with her father’s carefree assertions, Forsythe builds a tone of sophisticated, implicit humor guaranteed to have kids yelling, “THAT’S NOT A SQUIRREL!”

Readers may be tempted to look for a moral in Mina, since picture books featuring anthropomorphic animals often contain them. Indeed, the book makes a compelling case for paying heed to warnings, and readers may wonder if Mina’s father will ever learn to listen to his daughter. But Mina is so much more than a mere cautionary tale: It’s thoroughly entertaining.

Mina’s father may not be the cleverest mouse in the nest, but Mina is one of the shrewdest books on the shelf.

There’s much to see in this picture book about a well-intentioned father and his book-smart daughter, and it’s all charming and wryly hilarious.
Children's & YAPicture Book

Kat Hats

Review by Julie Danielson

Matt Katz, president of Kat Hats Incorporated in the city of Pretzelburg, runs a successful business as a world-renowned cat trainer. Kat Hats are felines who have been trained to arrange themselves on the heads of humans “as a living headpiece.” (Be sure to remove the book’s dust jacket to see some charming examples.) The Kat Hat shop doubles as the home Matt shares with his wife, Glamorella, and their children, Pocketmouse and Lambkin. Also visiting the family is “the pride and joy of Kat Hats, and the warmest cat ever known,” Thermal Herman 6⅞ths. If you can’t already tell from the character names, Kat Hats is beloved author Daniel Pinkwater delivering what his fans love: a story that sparkles with eccentric characters, skillful comic pacing and originality.

At its heart, this is an adventure tale. It seems that the local witch, Chickarina, has gone on a hike up the Witch’s Spitz with an “extra-large jumbo frozen fruitsicle, blueberry and avocado flavor.” Her son, Old Thirdbeard, knows that she often gets an ice cream headache when consuming such treats and worries she is stuck atop the snowy mountain with a “frozen brain.” Since Chickarina was not wearing her witch’s hat when she was last seen, the Katzes know the solution: Send Thermal Herman 6⅞ths out into the cold night to find her.

Illustrator Aaron Renier’s thickly textured gouache illustrations bring the Katz family and their unusual work to life in vivid and entertaining detail. We read, for instance, that Glamorella is famous for her pretzels flavored with peach and apricot; Renier paints her baking them while wearing a space helmet (which is, in point of fact, a cat). The book’s full-bleed spreads—no borders can contain this family’s spunk—are packed with many such peculiar surprises, ready and waiting for readers to discover.

Utterly weird and wonderful, Kat Hats is a picture book you won’t soon forget.

Utterly weird and wonderful, Kat Hats sparkles with eccentric characters, skillful comic pacing and complete originality.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk

Review by Lily Goldman

Many Jewish children grow up with a distinct awareness of the darkness that exists in the world, but well-known works of Jewish American children’s literature limit their depictions of existential dangers to historical settings. Eric A. Kimmel’s Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins and Lois Lowry’s Numbers the Stars allude to genocide, while Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family books are about early 20th-century immigrants.

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk is one of the first middle grade novels to portray a modern-day Orthodox Jewish child. It’s the story of Aviva, who has been haunted—literally—for years by the loss of her father. There’s an empty seat at the kitchen table where her Abba should sit, and in his place, Aviva has a dybbuk, a mischievous spirit who’s always causing trouble.

Aviva lives with her mother and the dybbuk above a mikvah, a ritual bath used by Orthodox Jewish women. Although Aviva’s mother manages the mikvah, she otherwise rarely leaves their home, and she and Aviva have gradually drifted away from their friends and community, set apart by grief and the actions of the meddlesome dybbuk.

This year, everyone at school is looking forward to the Bas Mitzvah Bash, but when the principal asks Aviva and her former best friend, Kayla, to work together on the preparations, Aviva’s life becomes even more complicated. And then someone draws a pinwheel shape that Aviva’s never seen before in the wet cement of the sidewalk outside the mikvah, and everyone is suddenly very frightened . . .

Debut author Mari Lowe expertly captures the environment in which Orthodox children are raised while offering a glimpse into one family’s way forward after a tragic loss. Despite what she’s been through, Aviva still wants to play with her friends and be liked by her teachers. She feels cooped up at home, aches for an absent family member, misses her friends and begins to worry about her safety in the face of escalating threats to her community; these concerns ground the character and make her relatable. An early scene in Aviva vs. the Dybbuk highlights the key role that finding meaning in language plays in the Jewish experience, so Lowe’s inclusion of a racial slur later in the novel is notable, though some readers may feel that the scene in which it’s spoken would be impactful enough without it.

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk is deeply rooted in the specifics of Aviva’s Orthodox Jewish community, but its representation of loss, grief and healing will resonate with any reader who, like Aviva, has lost someone close to them and feels tangled up in grief.

Deeply rooted in its protagonist’s Orthodox Jewish community, Aviva vs. the Dybbuk’s depiction of grief and healing has wide appeal.
Children's & YAPicture Book

Love in the Library

Review by Julie Danielson

Love grows in the face of fear in Love in the Library, a picture book based on the experiences of author Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s maternal grandparents in Minidoka, a World War II incarceration camp in Idaho.

As the book opens, a young woman named Tama has been forced to live at Minidoka for the past year, because in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, being Japanese American is “treated like a crime.” Though she finds the camp unsettling, she makes the most of her assignment to work in the camp’s library. There, she is surrounded by books and receives regular visits from a man named George. It’s not until a conversation in which George validates Tama’s feelings of dread that she realizes he has been coming to the library to see her: “You can’t possibly be reading all those books you check out,” she tells him. “No,” he replies. “Do you see how long they are? I’m only human, you know.” They marry and have their first son while imprisoned at Minidoka.

Illustrator Yas Imamura’s soft, muted, earth-tone illustrations work wonders in bringing the characters and setting to life. Her fine, smooth lines gently capture the tenderness that permeates this tale, and backlit scenes seem to lift Tama and George from the page.

Tokuda-Hall depicts Tama as a multifaceted woman who is vulnerable yet tough, scared but willing to seek out the miraculous in her newly limited life. That she conveys Tama’s abiding spirit while also acknowledging the great injustice of the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during this time is important: Tokuda-Hall never sugarcoats Tama’s experience, and her author’s note emphasizes the hate that spawned the imprisonment: “Hate is not a virus; it is an American tradition,” she writes.

Love in the Library returns again and again to Tama’s search for the words to describe her experience, such as constant: “Constant questions. Constant worries. Constant fear.” Later, when Tama realizes that George loves her, he tells her that the word for when she feels “scared and sad and confused and frustrated and lonely and hopeful” is human.

Love in the Library is an exquisite piece of historical fiction and a love story for the ages.

This exquisite picture book, based on the experiences of the author's grandparents, tells a love story for the ages without sugarcoating history.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

A Comb of Wishes

Review by Billie Little

Lisa Stringfellow’s debut middle grade novel, A Comb of Wishes, opens in the deep abyss of the ocean. Ophidia, a sea woman with beautiful green and gold scales, frantically searches for a missing box that contains her only hope of gaining a soul.

On land, 12-year-old Kela used to love beachcombing near her Caribbean island home, but since her mother died three months ago, she’s been adrift in her grief. Her only solace has been crafting with sea glass, creating jewelry from the colorful treasures her mother called “mermaid’s tears.” A historian at the local museum, Kela’s mother left her daughter a valuable gift: a love for the folk tales of the sea and their island, stories filled with shipwrecks, mermaids and mystery.

As Kela walks along the beach one day, she hears a mysterious hum that draws her to a sinkhole. Inside, she finds an ancient box containing a comb made of bone. Although she knows taking anything from the protected beach is wrong, Kela puts it in her bag. When the sea woman discovers that Kela has taken the comb, she offers to grant Kela one wish in exchange for it. But all magic has a cost.

A Comb of Wishes is a beguiling fantasy novel that will engage, inspire and challenge its readers. As Kela confronts her deepest fears and longings, she learns to accept the unacceptable and comes to understand the consequences that ripple outward from our choices. Stringfellow expertly balances the story’s dual settings, evoking Kela’s all-too-human sadness on land and the impact of her mother’s loss on her whole family, as well as Ophidia’s underwater world, where magical sea creatures dwell and wishes can come true, if the wisher is willing to pay the price.

In 2019, Stringfellow received Kweli’s inaugural Color of Children’s Literature Manuscript Award for A Comb of Wishes, and it’s easy to see why. She understands that the most powerful fantasy tales can be more true than ordinary life, and her immersive writing launches readers into Kela’s heart as she makes impossible choices. A Comb of Wishes is an extraordinary debut.

In her beguiling debut middle grade novel, Lisa Stringfellow shows how the most powerful fantasy tales can be more true than ordinary life.
Children's & YAPicture Book

Review

Review by bookpagedev

What makes a family? Is it a name? Or perhaps similar characteristics among its members? Maybe similar abilities? Or similar traits? Well, Mommy Rabbit had a special family. Each member was different in many different ways, but each one knew he or she was loved dearly. Bunny was Mommy Rabbit’s first little honey, and he was as sweet as could be. Before long, Little Duckling came along to join the family. Even though he didn’t look like a bunny, Mommy Rabbit was still his mommy. Little Duckling became Mommy Rabbit’s second little honey. Of course, Miss Mouse, Mommy Rabbit’s third little honey, didn’t look like a bunny, but Mommy Rabbit became her mommy, too. Each little honey was as different as could be, but all needed love and affection.

Bunny, Little Duckling, and Miss Mouse play together, sing together, and know they are loved by Mommy Rabbit. When Mommy Rabbit says, All together now, the three little honeys know it is time to sing their favorite song. Each one has a favorite line in the song that includes a special meaning just for them. Each has a special game at which they are best: Bunny is best at run-rabbit-run, Little Duckling at splashy-sploshy games, and Miss Mouse at itchy-twitchy, squirly-whirly games. Still, there remains one game that each plays well: the thump-your-great-big-feet game. Even though they are all different in so many ways, Bunny, Little Duckling, and Miss Mouse all have great big feet! In this sequel to Bunny, My Honey, Anita Jeram artfully presents a simple, loving story that will touch the hearts of her readers. Jeram’s animal characters exhibit human qualities and emotions which reinforce the moral of the story. Jeram, who illustrated the classic Guess How Much I Love You, presents beautiful watercolor and ink illustrations that carry the story line gracefully from page to page. The delightful pictures will charm youngsters whether they are being read to or reading the book themselves. All Together Now (ages 3 and up) is a sweet, warm, fuzzy story with a special message that young children (whether in age or heart) can grasp and understand. After all, the message of love is universal.

Dr. Cynthia Drennan is a retired university administrator.

What makes a family? Is it a name? Or perhaps similar characteristics among its members? Maybe similar abilities? Or similar traits? Well, Mommy Rabbit had a special family. Each member was different in many different ways, but each one knew he or she was loved…
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Solimar

Review by Hannah Lamb

Beloved and bestselling children’s author Pam Muñoz Ryan offers a new tale featuring a compelling heroine, her supportive community and a shimmer of magic in Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs.

Solimar’s quinceañera and her official coronation as princess of the small kingdom of San Gregorio are rapidly approaching, and she is about to face a lot of changes and new responsibilities. But all she really wants to do is witness the annual migration of the sacred monarch butterflies to the forest beyond the small village where she lives. 

During this grand event, something strange happens to Solimar, and she receives a magical gift that she doesn’t understand or know how to control. When dark forces threaten San Gregorio, Solimar must learn to harness her new power if she has any hope of saving her people, her family and her beloved monarch butterflies. 

In Solimar, longtime fans of Ryan’s books will recognize echoes of Esperanza Rising’s titular protagonist. Both girls take pride in their heritage and demonstrate strength and resilience when faced with situations that put them and the people they love in peril. These qualities make them easy to root for, but Ryan also skillfully tempers their exceptional qualities with realistic flaws, ensuring that they remain simultaneously admirable and relatable. 

Another element common to many of Ryan’s books present in Solimar is a tight-knit village filled with vibrant characters who genuinely care for each other and feel a sense of love for their home. Much as she did in Mañanaland, Ryan creates a portrait of a community with strong beliefs. The people of San Gregorio have a deep respect for nature, especially the monarch butterflies, which Ryan conveys through awe-inspiring descriptions of towering oyamel fir trees and thousands of delicate butterfly wings glittering in the sunlight. Readers will be immersed in the natural wonders of San Gregorio and understand Solimar’s determination to protect them.

With many hallmarks of the Newbery Honor recipient’s best-loved works, Solimar is a satisfying fantasy adventure that will delight faithful readers and send new ones scurrying to shelves to discover more of her wonderful tales.

Newbery Honor author Pam Muñoz Ryan offers a new tale about a compelling heroine, her supportive community and a shimmer of magic in Solimar.
Children's & YAPicture Book

Review

Review by bookpagedev

If you’ve ever been to a professional baseball game, you know a baseball player has got to know how to spit! That’s just one of the things that Paul B. Janeczko describes in his poems in That Sweet Diamond: Baseball Poems, illustrated by Carol Katchen. You’ll find yourself laughing and thinking, Yeah, I’ve seen that! And the next time you go to a game, you’ll know what to do during a rain delay! Janeczko captures the experience of being there in a book children of different ages will like for different reasons. Although the metaphors may escape younger readers, they will enjoy the illustrations that look as if they were drawn with chalk. Older children will appreciate the humor, symbolism, and wide range of subjects found in Janeczko’s poetry. Reviewed by Jeff Stephens.

If you've ever been to a professional baseball game, you know a baseball player has got to know how to spit! That's just one of the things that Paul B. Janeczko describes in his poems in That Sweet Diamond: Baseball Poems, illustrated by Carol Katchen.…
Children's & YAPicture Book

Black history made new

Feature by Alice Cary

History lives and breathes, not only within us but also as we uncover new ways to see and understand the past. These picture books introduce young readers to fresh, vital perspectives on Black history.

★ Born on the Water

Readers are in for a sweeping history lesson that spans centuries in The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, an illuminating extension of the educational movement begun at the New York Times Magazine in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery Honor author Renée Watson begin this exquisite book with a framing story about a Black girl who receives a school assignment to trace her family’s roots and feels ashamed that she can go back only three generations. Upon hearing this, her grandmother gathers the whole family to explain their heritage, starting with their ancestors in West Central Africa. “Ours is no immigration story,” she says. In a series of free verse poems with titles like “They Had a Language,” “Stolen,” “Tobacco Fields” and “Legacy,” the authors convey not only facts but also feeling, a powerful mixture of pride, joy, tragedy, sorrow, perseverance and triumph.

Nikkolas Smith’s visceral illustrations bring all of these emotions to life, starting with joyous scenes of families living in the kingdom of Ndongo, “their bodies a song under open sky and bright sun.” These pages burst with the colors of turquoise waters and grassy fields of gold and green beneath warm, sunlit skies. The images are a wonderful gift to readers, offering a sense of what life was like before enslavement.

With the suddenness of a single page turn, life changes cataclysmically as these ancestors are kidnapped from their homeland and imprisoned aboard a ship called the White Lion. Shadowy illustrations convey the brutality that follows: an empty, ransacked village; people in chains forced onto a ship; faces filled with sadness and fear. One image shows a person who has jumped overboard, and Grandma explains that their ancestors are those who survived the terrible journey: “We were born on the water. We come from the people who refused to die.”

Grandma’s history continues to the fields of Virginia, where a baby named William Tucker becomes the first Black child born in the new land, and on across centuries of resistance and achievement. “Never forget you come from a people of great strength,” Grandma says. “Be proud of our story, your story.”

Born on the Water is a triumph and a history lesson that every child needs to learn.

★ A History of Me

“I was the only brown person in class,” begins the young narrator of Adrea Theodore and Erin K. Robinson’s A History of Me. She feels the eyes of her classmates on her back whenever their teacher discusses slavery and civil rights. “I wanted to slide out of my seat and onto the floor and drift out the door,” she admits. Even worse, a bully taunts her after school, “If it wasn’t for Lincoln, you’d still be our slaves!”

In an author’s note, Theodore describes writing this debut picture book after learning that “some thirty years after I had attended elementary school, the way the subject of slavery was being taught was still causing harm to young black and brown children.” As the narrator of A History of Me shares her experiences in history class, she also reflects on the lives of the women in her family, including her great-great-grandmother, who was enslaved, and her mother, who spent part of her childhood in the Jim Crow South. “And so I should be grateful to go to school and learn,” the narrator says repeatedly, but it’s clear that her feelings are more complicated than simple gratitude.

Illustrator Robinson skillfully illuminates the book’s many strands of history. The narrator’s historical musings appear in sepia tones, while contemporary scenes leap off the page in vivid colors, adding a dose of energy to the tale. The narrator is a quietly thoughtful force to be reckoned with. Her piercing eyes often gaze directly at readers, and she faces down the bully with her head high, striding purposefully down the sidewalk past him.

The book concludes as the narrator discusses growing up and having a daughter of her own. A wonderful spread shows her daughter reaching triumphantly toward the sky, surrounded by a sunburst of rainbow color and empowered with the knowledge “that she is free to be anything she wants to be.”

“What happens when you are proud of where you come from?” asks Theodore in her author’s note. A History of Me is a moving reminder of what we gain when we draw strength and inspiration from the past.

Through stories of triumph and pride, two picture books challenge widely held notions about the history of African Americans.
Children's & YAPicture BookMiddle Grade

2022 preview: Most anticipated children’s books

Feature by Stephanie, Associate Editor

Adults often wish they could revisit their own childhoods, but I find myself envying kids today when I survey all the great children’s books being published this year. These 15 titles are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wonders that will fill young readers’ shelves  in 2022.

Sing, Aretha, Sing! by Hanif Abdurraqib, illustrated by Ashley Evans
FSG | February 1

Hanif Abdurraqib is an acclaimed writer of poetry and cultural criticism for adults. He received a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2021, and his 2019 book, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest, was long-listed for the National Book Award. Plus, his 2021 book, A Little Devil in America, was BookPage’s best nonfiction book of the year.

Picture books require a deep attention to language that’s similar to poetry, so it’s always exciting when writers with backgrounds in poetry branch out into writing picture books. Abdurraqib is well-versed in music and cultural history, so I can’t wait to read this picture book that will explore Aretha Franklin’s connections to the civil rights movement.

Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Disney-Hyperion | February 1

Every new book from Newbery Honor author Pam Muñoz Ryan is cause for excitement, but the ambitious premise of Solimar offers more reason than usual. Set in a fictional fantasy kingdom, the story offers an irresistible royal heroine and a fascinating depiction of magic, told in Ryan’s signature lush and lyrical prose.

Out of a Jar by Deborah Marcero
Putnam | February 8

In BookPage’s review of author-illustrator Deborah Marcero’s previous picture book, In a Jar, reviewer Jill Lorenzini wrote that it “does what all the best picture books do: It captivates, entertains and leaves you with a reminder of magic still shimmering around the edges.” In a Jar’s ending didn’t seem to hint at a sequel, so it’s delightfully surprising that Marcero has created another story about Llewellyn the bunny and the things he tries to keep bottled up.

Mina by Matthew Forsythe
Paula Wiseman | February 15

Matthew Forsythe’s picture book Pokko and the Drum was one of 2019’s most singularly charming and acclaimed titles. Readers who loved it will want to line up outside their library or bookstore so they can be the first to discover his next book, Mina. Fans of Pokko’s dry humor and intricate colored pencil illustrations will find Mina a worthy successor.

John’s Turn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kate Berube
Candlewick | March 1

Author Mac Barnett is one of the funniest, smartest and most prolific writers working in children’s literature today, and just about everything he publishes is worth a reader’s time. For John’s Turn, he’s paired with Kate Berube, an illustrator I love for her deceptively simple lines and masterful ability to convey complex emotions through facial expressions. It’s worth noting that Barnett is publishing two additional books this spring: a picture book illustrated by Marla Frazee called The Great Zapfino, out April 5 from Beach Lane, and a graphic novel adaptation of the “live cartoon” he developed during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown with illustrator Shawn Harris called The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, out May 10 from Katherine Tegen.

The Aquanaut by Dan Santat
Graphix | March 1

Dan Santat is best known as the Caldecott Medal-winning author-illustrator of 2014’s The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, as well as many other beloved picture books. However, I first became familiar with him as a graphic novelist via his hilarious, action-packed 2011 graphic novel, Sidekicks, the tale of a group of pets who belong to a superhero named Captain Amazing and who are, secretly, also superheroes. Santat packs so much imagination and heart into all of his books that I can’t wait to discover the story he’ll tell in this standalone graphic novel.

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
Algonquin | March 8

Kelly Barnhill’s Newbery Medal-winning The Girl Who Drank the Moon is an exquisite fantasy tale—and she hasn’t published anything for young readers in the five long years since it came out! She’s kept busy in the meantime, releasing a book of short stories for adults in 2018 and putting the finishing touches on The Ogress and the Orphans. Whether you’ve been counting the months, weeks and days or are brand-new to Barnhill’s sharp, word-perfect prose and classical yet fresh storytelling, you’re going to love this standalone fantasy.

Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle by Nina LaCour, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
Candlewick | March 29

Nina LaCour is an acclaimed and beloved young adult author whose 2018 novel, We Are Okay, won the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Medal for excellence in young adult literature—the YA equivalent of the Newbery Medal. There are very few picture books that depict families with two moms, so this book is notable for two reasons: It contributes sorely needed representation, and it’s LaCour’s first picture book! I’m also looking forward to the illustrations by talented up-and-comer Kaylani Juanita, whose work I’ve admired in picture books such as When Aidan Became a Brother and Magnificent Homespun Brown.

Perfectly Pegasus by Jessie Sima
Simon & Schuster | March 29

Every so often, an author-illustrator makes their debut with a book so fully formed that you read it and think, “Surely, this cannot be their first book!” So it was with Jessie Sima’s Not Quite Narwhal, which was published on Valentine’s Day in 2017 and has gone on to sell more than 250,000 copies. Sima has since published five more picture books, and this spring, they’ll publish this companion to their debut. Read enough picture books and you’ll realize how masterfully Sima walks the line between treacly and genuinely sweet. I can’t wait to read Perfectly Pegasus and let out an “awwwwww!” in spite of myself. 

A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser
Clarion | April 5

Readers who love middle grade stories featuring big families have wholeheartedly embraced Karina Yan Glaser’s Vanderbeekers, who hit shelves in the fall of 2017 and have since starred in five heartwarming tales. I’m always intrigued when an author finds initial success with a series and then launches into either a standalone tale or a new series, because it gives them an opportunity to reveal new dimensions to their writing and storytelling. A Duet for Home is a standalone novel that seems poised to explore similar themes as in Glaser’s bestselling series, like family and what it means to find a home, but from a totally different lens.

I’d Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog by Philip C. Stead
Doubleday | April 5

Speaking of remarkable debuts: Husband and wife team Philip C. and Erin E. Stead won the Caldecott Medal for their very first picture book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee. The Steads are picture book creators whose every release is noteworthy, but I find the title and cover of this one to be irresistibly enticing. Fans as well as dog lovers should know that this is Philip’s first of two canine-themed books in 2022: June will see the publication of Every Dog in the Neighborhood, illustrated by fellow Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell. It’s enough to make you bark with joy.      

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller
Random House | April 26

Middle grade author Tae Keller won the 2021 Newbery Medal for her second novel, How to Trap a Tiger. Winning an award as prestigious and influential as the Newbery or the Caldecott can change the entire trajectory of a creator’s career, and I’m endlessly fascinated to see what authors and illustrators choose to publish after winning such an award. Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone will blend contemporary middle school dynamics with a central mystery and a hint of science fiction.

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton
Holt | May 3

It is such a good time to be a middle grade reader who loves tales of magic and adventure. Case in point: YA author Dhonielle Clayton is making her middle grade debut with The Marvellers, a fantasy novel that will blow the concept of the magical school sky-high—literally. The Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors is an academy in the clouds that attracts magically gifted students from all over the world, and it’s the enchanting setting for what’s sure to be the summer’s must-read middle grade fantasy.   

The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Leo Espinosa
Nancy Paulsen | May 10

Jacqueline Woodson is one of the most beloved and acclaimed writers working today, and her reach knows no bounds. She has written books for readers of every age, from picture books to novels for adults, and has served as our National Ambassador for Children’s Literature. In her picture books, Woodson’s prose is often paired with artwork by exciting, talented illustrators, from Rafael López to James Ransome to E.B. Lewis. Here, she’s working with Colombian illustrator Leo Espinosa, who received a Pura Belpré Honor for his work on Junot Diaz’s picture book, Islandborn. The World Belonged to Us promises to be a nostalgic ode to summer in New York City as only these two talented creators could tell it.

Small Town Pride by Phil Stamper
HarperCollins | May 31

Phil Stamper has published three acclaimed, character-driven YA novels that offer complex depictions of LGBTQ+ teens. It’s thrilling to see him branch out into middle grade, particularly since middle grade books centering the experiences of LGBTQ+ kids are desperately needed. I also love that this book is going to be set in a small rural town. As YA author Preston Norton said in a recent Q&A with BookPage about his new book, Hopepunk, which takes place in rural Wyoming, “Queer stories are needed everywhere because queer people are everywhere.”

Check out our most anticipated titles of 2022 in every genre!

Take a glimpse at the wonders that will fill young readers' shelves in 2022.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Code Name: Serendipity

Review by Kevin Delecki

Have you ever had one of those days where absolutely everything seems to be going wrong and there’s nothing you can do to change it? In Amber Smith’s Code Name: Serendipity, 11-year-old Sadie has been feeling this way all year. Her best friend, Jude, moved to Utah, she’s made an enemy of the meanest girl at her bus stop, her older brother has started acting like “a total butthead,” and something seems off about her grandfather, who recently moved in with Sadie’s family.

Then one day, while walking through the woods behind her house, Sadie hears a small voice in her head calling for help. She follows it and discovers Dewey, a stray dog with whom she somehow has a telepathic connection. Sadie knows that Dewey is just as lost and lonely as she is, so with help from her Gramps, she sets out on her greatest mission ever: convincing her moms to let her adopt Dewey. What Sadie doesn’t know is that this mission will accomplish so much more than she could ever imagine.

Beneath Code Name: Serendipity’s straightforward prose and grounded, almost ordinary conflicts lies a powerful and emotional story. Sadie is a remarkably realistic protagonist, and the challenges she faces are, for the most part, the relatable stuff of everyday life. She’s just received a processing disorder diagnosis and is starting an individualized education plan at school. She’s adjusting to a long-distance friendship with Jude. And she’s worried about all the small ways that her beloved Gramps seems to be changing. Although Sadie and Dewey’s supernatural quest to win over Sadie’s moms propels the plot forward, Smith’s nuanced, reassuring portrayal of Sadie and her family as they navigate a period of uncertainty is what sets this book apart.

Code Name: Serendipity is a warm, appealing novel about a girl who learns that even though it might seem like everything is going wrong, a bad day—or year—can always change for the better.

Amber Smith’s middle grade novel offers a reassuring, emotional story about a girl and her family navigating an uncertain time in their lives.
Children's & YAChapter Book

Matthew Cordell

Interview by Julie Danielson

Matthew Cordell is best known for his Caldecott Medal-winning Wolf in the Snow, a book that contains almost no words. His new book, Cornbread & Poppy, contains a lot of words—80 pages of them, in fact! It’s Cordell’s first foray into early readers, those books nestled snugly between picture books and chapter books and designed for children who are just beginning to read independently.

Featuring oodles of Cordell’s signature sketchlike illustrations, Cornbread & Poppy is an endearing tale of two mice who embark on an expedition up Holler Mountain in search of enough food to see them through the winter.

Why did you want to create an early reader?

I love the picture book format for its challenge and need to distill and consolidate lots of thoughts and ideas into a short amount of text and space. But I’ve often wondered what it would be like to open things up and put more words on the page for readers to chew on. Not quite ready to jump into a full-length novel, I thought an early reader would give me a chance to play with a longer text and still hold on to lots of illustrations.

What are some early readers you admire, and what did you want to accomplish in your own?

There’s quite a range of offerings, past and present, in early readers! I wanted to write a longer text, broken up into chapters. I really wanted the character development, world building and rich plot that one can create with a fuller text.

‘After years and years of keeping only essential words and working with the picture book mindset of ‘showing not telling,’ it was liberating to just write and write and write.’

Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad is the gold standard for its charm, humor and exquisite, pitch-perfect writing. In terms of contemporaries, I love Cece Bell’s Rabbit and Robot books for all of the same reasons.

What were the pleasures and challenges of telling and illustrating a story in more than 32 pages?

After years and years of keeping only essential words and working with the picture book mindset of “showing not telling,” it was liberating to just write and write and write and not worry too much about how much pruning would need to be done in the end.

But it was challenging too, not to go in and start slicing and dicing. I’m so used to working that way that I had to remind myself that I wanted to keep the storytelling language nice and beefy for those new little reading eyes that would be reading it.

Early readers are designed for children who are still gaining literary fluency. How conscious of these developmental needs were you as you wrote the text, and how did you balance them with the creative demands of the story?

I’m a dad of two kids who are on either side of the world of early readers. My daughter is 13 and devours books, but it wasn’t all that long ago that she was just learning to read. My son, who’s 8, is just now picking up early readers. So, having seen it firsthand, I was very conscious of wanting to not write over the heads of these littlest readers. I did, however, want to make the book a little challenging. Something longer and a little complicated, so that they might take a little more time with it—maybe even not finish it in one sitting.

“Going on adventures in life is a great way to find new things to write about and draw.”

How did Cornbread’s and Poppy’s names come to you?

They are such great names! I can say that with actual modesty, because I didn’t come up with them. My cleverer-than-me wife, author Julie Halpern, gifted me these character names one day, and I used them as a springboard for everything that followed. To me, Cornbread and Poppy conjured a world of fun and adventure with animals in a rural setting. And Poppy is a great name, but Cornbread . . . I was in love with that character name from the get-go!

Were Cornbread and Poppy always mice?

More or less, yes, they were always mice. In the very beginning, before I even had any stories, I jotted down a list of animal possibilities. Those notes are forever lost, but I remember thinking, maybe pigs or dogs could work. But my very first sketch was of these two mice, and I looked no further!

Cornbread and Poppy sketch © Matthew Cordell

What was their character development like? Did you land on their personalities right away or did they evolve as you wrote?

I think it was a gradual development, overall. I knew I wanted one to be uptight and the other to be a free spirit, but it wasn’t until I started writing more from that basic premise that I felt like each personality should have positives and negatives. When you put the two characters together, they fill each other out nicely. One’s positive traits fill in for the other’s flaws and vice versa. They don’t always see eye to eye, but they really like each other, they’re willing to listen and learn from each other, and in the end, they make a great team.

What’s your favorite illustration in the book? Do you have a favorite line?

My favorite spread is where Cornbread and Poppy first encounter an owl on Holler Mountain. It’s their worst fear to be descended upon by a mouse-eating owl, and when they find themselves under the giant shadow of a flying owl, the look on their gaping faces is horrific and priceless. There’s lots of drama in that picture, and I just like how it looks.


Illustration from Cornbread & Poppy © 2022 Matthew Cordell. Reproduced by permission of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

My favorite line (or lines) in the book are probably the very first two. “It was winter. The first snowflake had fallen.” Very simple idea, but I love the idea and visual of the first single snowflake falling signifying the beginning of winter itself.

The book’s dedication hints that you may be more of a Cornbread than a Poppy. What Cornbread-ish qualities are handy for a writer and illustrator to have?

Cornbread is very on top of things and has things planned out perfectly. He’s ready for anything! This mindset would be very helpful to someone writing or illustrating a book. Or to any person doing any job, really. Be prepared! I should follow my own advice.

Are there Poppy-ish qualities that are also helpful for a creative person?

Poppy loves to try new things, explore and seek thrills. Going on adventures in life is a great way to find new things to write about and draw. We’re never too old to learn and experience new things. As long as we keep looking, we’ll always have something to be inspired by and something new to create.

Read our starred review of ‘Cornbread & Poppy.’

In his first early reader, Matthew Cordell offers a mouse’s tale that’s perfect for the youngest of readers.

Sign Up

Stay on top of new releases: Sign up for our newsletter to receive reading recommendations in your favorite genres.

Sign up now

Recent Reviews

All Reviews

Author Interviews

More Interviews

Recent Features

All Features