3 stars A sweet story about the link between names and identity, and the love between a father and a son. Love the colorful illustrations. They tell a story of their own, strengthening the story and sometimes adding some humorous details. The words and illustrations blend together at times, making for a fun and engaging…
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4 stars A wonderful conversation starter for topics of race and understanding other’s perspectives. Latham and Waters use poetry to tell the story of Irene and Charles, fifth-graders based on their own childhood selves, who have to work on a poetry assignment together. Along the way, they learn about each other, how they are the…
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4 stars Another adorable story featuring Tameika and her family from Ashley Franklin and Ebony Glenn (with illustrations by Saba Joshaghani). Similar in style to Not Quite Snow White, this one follows Tameika on a brand new adventure, the expanding of her family. A great story for those expecting the arrival of new siblings or those…
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5 stars What at first appears a simple ode to fry bread is in actuality a resource packed with history, culture, and significance. Each page has something new to reveal, both in terms of its illustrations and its words. A story that can serve as a lifelong read, always ready with something new to explore….
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4 stars A sweet story of a girl’s first time fasting for Ramadan. At first, Lailah is excited about being able to fast, but after moving from Abu Dhabi to American, she’s worried about explaining fasting and Ramadan to her teachers and classmates who might not understand. One aspect I loved about the book is…
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3 stars I’d like to take a moment to just marvel at Maroh’s artwork. That color scheme is just… wow. Okay, on to the review. As I said the artwork is great. I loved the color choices. They really captured the desert versus water dynamic going on. The art style I loved so much in Blue…
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3 stars This one took me a bit to get into. It deals with so many heavy topics: puberty, looking older than one’s age, sexual harassment, parental neglect, addiction, death of a parent, and being shuttled from one “home” to the next. But once I dove into the narration and story, I was swept up…
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4 stars A beautiful exploration of the ways differences can separate people, but common interests can bridge the gaps to bring them closer together. Spanning age, language, and culture, Lê demonstrates how relationships do not have to be defined by the words we use to communicate. All they need is a shared space to overcome…
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5 stars A powerful tale of a life lived and how quickly the world can change. Inside Out & Back Again tells the story of a year in the life of Hà, based on Thanhha Lai’s own childhood. In that year (1975), Hà experiences the Fall of Saigon, the treacherous journey by ship to America,…
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4 stars A delicious book recounting the tale of a girl trying different foods (even though pizza is the best!) for the sake of science. Perfect for pizza lovers of all ages and a good reminder about how fun (and delectable!) it can be to try new foods. Gianna Ruggiero‘s illustrations are just the right…
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