Illustrated by Tamisha Anthony 5 stars A delightfully sweet and delicious story of family, love, culture, and food. Hana is excited for all her grandparents to visit. But one set is from South Korea and the other set is from South Carolina, which leaves Hana wondering what to make for dinner for them all to…
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Illustrated by Emily Cannon 3 stars An interesting blend of history and the paranormal with plenty of mystery and secrets. Chelsea has worked hard to shake her past as the “Ghost Girl”. She’s got new, popular friends at her fancy, new school and everything is going just fine. Until she’s forced to work at Ghost…
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5 stars A touching and empowering picture book about the associations attached to words, the way our words affect others and ourselves, and the freedom of allowing yourself to take up space. Simple narration with a powerful message. The story shows the shift in childhood from when “big” is seen as a good thing (“What…
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5 stars An absolutely fantastic read! I finished this a few weeks ago now and have been trying to figure out how to put into words how I feel about this book. It’s fantastic. Everything about it is fantastic. When I first saw that Sorell and Waters were teaming up for this, I was expecting…
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Illustrated by Jenin Mohammed 5 stars A beautiful story of stopping to appreciate the world around you, sharing experiences, and changing perspectives. Told through rhythmic text, the book tells the story of Emmalene and Grandma Jean’s journey to church. On the way, Emmalene listens to the song of the city, but Grandma Jean doesn’t have…
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Written by Jason Reynolds Art by Danica Novgorodoff 5 stars I loved Reynolds’ original novel-in-verse and was a little nervous about this graphic adaptation. But it really delivered. Reynolds’ words and messages shine through accompanied by Novgorodoff’s haunting artwork and stunning visuals. The watercolors perfectly capture the essence of Reynolds’ words. Absolutely stunning. A fantastic…
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Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton 5 stars A sweet companion book to The King of Kindergarten. MJ’s mom gives her a tiara to wear on the first day of school and tells her how to be a good queen. This includes brightening up the room, being caring and kind, and helping others. MJ does just that, making…
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by Janae Marks 5 stars At times, I struggle with getting into realistic fiction, but I loved this one. Zoe has such a great voice and intriguing personality. This one really pulled me in. I also love that despite Zoe’s good intentions, she still has to face the consequences of her actions when she makes…
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Art by Dare Coulter 5 stars Masterful. This book is hard-hitting, beautiful, powerful, hopeful, unabashed, and well-told. It acknowledges that the histories and realities of the past can be hard to face and difficult to discuss. But encourages us all to keep fighting for a better future. A story of hope and hardship, of remembering…
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Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa 3 stars I enjoyed this one more than the first book. As with the first one, Figueroa’s illustrations are fantastic. It was really fun to see all of Oona’s inventions and I loved all of the unique details included. In this one, Oona attempts to befriend a quiet shark. Nice way…
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