125 Recommended Titles for Children

Time to kick off ICPL's Summer Reading Program! This list is features 125 librarian-recommended titles for children and families to read. You will find 25 titles per category: board books, picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, and nonfiction. Enjoy!

My heart fills with happiness

Monique Gray Smith

jBOARD BOOK Graysmit

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Let's start off the list with 25 highly recommended board books.
- Becky

We love each other

Yusuke Yonezu

jBOARD BOOK Yonezu

What will fit?

Grace Lin

jBOARD BOOK Lin

"Olivia searches the farmers market for something that will fill her basket. The apple is too small, and the zucchini is too long. What will fit just right? Engages young children in the math of spatial sense."--

Always : I love you always

Emma Dodd

jBOARD BOOK Dodd

There is always love between parent and child, which is the heartwarming message in an exquisite new title from Emma Dodd. Featuring stunning illustrations of an elephant family and with interior pages embellished with foil, this makes a handsome addition to any nursery bookshelf.

I love all of me

Lorie Ann Grover

jBOARD BOOK Grover

Rhyming text and colorful illustratons remind young reader to love everything about themselves, from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes.

5 little apples

Yusuke Yonezu

jBOARD BOOK Yonezu

Young readers can count down from five to one with each bite of an apple, with a surprise under a flap after each bite.

Feminist Baby

Loryn Brantz

jBOARD BOOK Brantz

Feminist Baby likes pink and blue, playing with cars and dolls, and the choice to become whatever she dreams.

Tails.

jBOARD BOOK Tails

What animal has a tail like these? Little ones will love guessing which of their favorite animals belong to each set of tails in this question and answer title filled with bold text and bright photographs.

ABC what can she be? : girls can be anything they want to be, from A to Z

jBOARD BOOK Abc

Explore a world of possibilities for little girls with big dreams. From astronaut to zoologist and everything in between, you really can be anything you want to be.

Where's the chick?

Ingela P. Arrhenius

jBOARD BOOK Arrheniu

"A lift-the-flap book for sharing."--from cover.

The going to bed book

Sandra Boynton

jBOARD BOOK Boynton

An assortment of animals on a boat take a bath, put on their pajamas, brush their teeth, and exercise before going to bed.

Snuggle Puppy : a little love song

Sandra Boynton

jBOARD BOOK Boynton

Snuggle Puppy's parent expresses love for his fuzzy little one through a kind of song that includes kisses.

Peek-a-who too?

Elsa Mroziewicz Bahia

jBOARD BOOK Mroziewicz

This follow-up to Peek-a-who is full of hidden animals, each making different sounds. Can you figure out who each one is? Lift the unique shaped flaps to see who peeks out!

Cerca = Close

Juan Felipe Herrera

jBOARD BOOK Herrera

"Mi cuarto es̀t cerca de la cocina. My bedroom is close to the kitchen. Mi cuarto es̀t cerca de la cocina. My bedroom is close to the kitchen."--Provided by publisher.

Lejos = Far

Juan Felipe Herrera

jBOARD BOOK Herrera

A country boy leaves home to visit the far-off city and the seashore even farther away as he enjoys a vacation with his father.

Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?

Bill Martin

jBOARD BOOK Martin

Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a teacher looking at them.

Kiss by kiss : a counting book for families = Ocêtôwina : peyak ôskân ohcih - akitâh-masinahikan

Richard Van Camp

jBOARD BOOK Vancamp

"Count your kisses with baby in this delightful dual-language rhyming board book, written in English and Plains Cree."--

Love you head to toe

Ashley Barron

jE Barron

Love You Head To Toe combines Ashley Barron's illustrations with a simple rhyming text that compares babies to baby animals. Each comparison takes up one spread and features the baby animal and the baby each engaged in a similar action-whether it's a baby riding on his mother's back, just like a duckling, or a baby curled up in a ball, just like a hedgehog.

Music is ...

Brandon Stosuy

jBOARD BOOK Stosuy

Through opposites, readers are introduced to the many different styles, sounds, and moods of music.

Jane Foster's animal sounds.

Jane Foster

jBOARD BOOK Foster

Illustrations of animals introduce readers to such animal sounds as a dog's woof, a cat's meow, and a cow's moo.

Picken : mix and match the farm animals!

Mary Murphy

jBOARD BOOK Murphy

What do you call a cross between a lamb and a calf? How on earth do you make a "googlet"? Children will love to mix up the heads and tails of different farmyard animals to invent hilarious new ones, while developing their matching skills as they work out how the animals should look.

Dream big, little one

Vashti Harrison

jBOARD BOOK Harrison

Featuring 18 trailblazing black women in American history, Dream Big, Little One is the board book adaptation of the author's Little leaders: bold women in Black history.

Baby goes to market

author Atinuke

jBOARD BOOK Atinuke

"Join Baby and his doting mama at a bustling southwest Nigerian marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud offering a gentle introduction to numbers."--Publisher's description.

Kindness makes us strong

Sophie Beer

jBOARD BOOK Beer

"This...board book shows various children as they extend kindness in all kinds of situations: on the playground, at lunchtime, on a bike path, and on a neighborhood street."--

Tip tip dig dig

Emma Garcia

jBOARD BOOK Garcia

Describes how various earthmoving trucks clean up a dump and make a playground, discussing what such machines as diggers, mixers, bulldozers, and cranes can do.

The magical yet

Angela DiTerlizzi

jE Diterliz

The Magical Yet is the perfect tool for parents and educators to turn a negative into a positive when helping children cope with the inevitable difficult learning moments we all face. Whether a child or an adult, this encouraging and uplifting book reminds us that we all have things we haven't learned...yet!

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Here's Magical Yet to start off our list of 25 recommended picture books! This is a book meant to encourage and empower kids when facing a challenging new task. Through beautiful illustrations and storytelling, we learn about the power behind the words, “yet…”
- Becky

You matter

Christian Robinson

jE Robinson

Illustrations and easy-to-read text remind the reader that no matter what happens or how one feels, he or she matters.

The shortest day

Susan Cooper

jE Cooper

A celebration of the winter solstice and the Yuletide season. As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again.

Hair love

Matthew A Cherry

jE Cherry

A little girl's daddy steps in to help her arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self.

Bark, George

Jules Feiffer

jE Feiffer

George is a puppy who does not sound like a puppy should, despite the efforts of his mother.

A big mooncake for little star

Grace Lin

jE Lin

Reimagines the cycles of the moon as a mother bakes a Big Moon Cookie and, despite Mama's request to wait, Little Star begins nibbling at it every night.

Snow Pony and the seven miniature ponies

Christian Trimmer

jE Trimmer

In this twist on the story of Snow White, pretty and sweet Snow Pony--beloved by children for her talent in braiding hair and dancing--follows a trail of delicious apples into the woods, where she meets seven miniature ponies.

Lift

Minh Lê

jE Le

The fantastic tale of a magical elevator that will lift your spirits--and press all the right buttons! Iris loves to push the elevator buttons in her apartment building, but when it's time to share the fun with a new member of the family, she's pretty put out. That is, until the sudden appearance of a mysterious new button opens up entire realms of possibility, places where she can escape and explore on her own.

Girl on a motorcycle

Amy Novesky

jE Novesky

One day, a girl gets on her motorcycle and rides away. She wants to wander the world. To go... Elsewhere. This is the true story of the first woman to ride a motorcycle around the world alone.

I got the rhythm

Connie Schofield-Morrison

jE Schofield-Morrison

On a trip to the park with her mother, a young girl hears a rhythm coming from the world around her and begins to move to the beat, finally beginning an impromptu dance in which other childen join her.

Corduroy

Don Freeman

jE Freeman

A toy bear in a department store wants a number of things, but when a little girl finally buys him he finds what he has always wanted most of all.

Ten little fingers and ten little toes

Mem Fox

jE Fox

Rhyming text compares babies born in different places and in different circumstances, but they all share the commonality of ten little fingers and ten little toes.

The snowy day

Ezra Jack Keats

jE Keats

The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.

Dreamers

Yuyi Morales

jE Morales

"An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story"--

Over and under the pond

Kate Messner

jE Messner

Celebrates the forms of life that live above and under a pond, including turtles, red-winged blackbirds, blue herons, minnows, frogs, and catfish.

Can I play, too?

Mo Willems

jREADER Willems, Mo

Elephant and Piggie learn to play catch with their new friend Snake.

Hug machine

Scott Campbell

jE Campbell

The hug machine is available to hug anyone, any time, whether they are square or long, spikey or soft.

Perfectly Norman

Tom Percival

jE Percival

Norman is thrilled to discover he grew a pair of wings overnight, but his excitement turns to doubt when he realizes he is now different from everyone else, causing him to question whether there is such thing as perfectly normal.

Julián is a mermaid

Jessica Love

jE Love

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes -- and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?

Saturday

Oge Mora

jE Mora

When all of their special Saturday plans go awry, Ava and her mother still find a way to appreciate one another and their time together.

Woke baby

Mahogany L. Browne

jE Browne

For all the littlest progressives, waking up to seize a new day of justice and activism. Woke babies are up early. Woke babies raise their fists in the air. Woke babies cry out for justice. Woke babies grow up to change the world. This lyrical and empowering book is both a celebration of what it means to be a baby and what it means to be woke.

Last stop on Market Street

Matt de la Peña

jE Delapena

A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things.

Owl moon

Jane Yolen

jE Yolen

On a winter's night under a full moon, a father and daughter trek into the woods to see the Great Horned Owl.

Polar bear's underwear

creator Tupera Tupera (Firm)

jE Tupera

Polar Bear has lost his underwear and he asks his friend, Mouse, to help him find it.

My papi has a motorcycle

Isabel Quintero

jE Quintero

When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. With vivid illustrations and text bursting with heart, My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change.

Where the mountain meets the moon

Grace Lin

jFICTION Lin, Grace

Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.

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This begins our list of 25 recommended chapter books!
- Becky

Ghost

Jason Reynolds

jFICTION Reynolds Jason

"Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite middle school track team. He must stay on track, literally and figuratively, to reach his full potential"--

The wild robot

Peter Brown

jFICTION Brown Peter

Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants.

The hobbit : or, There and back again

J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien

jFICTION Tolkien, J. R. R.

Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to share in an adventure from which he may never return.

The girl who drank the moon

Kelly Regan Barnhill

jFICTION Barnhill Kelly

An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her.

The Parker inheritance

Varian Johnson

jFICTION Johnson Varian

Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the old house that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis courts dug up looking for buried treasure--but when she finds the letter that sent her grandmother on the treasure hunt, she finds herself caught up in the mystery and, with the help of her new friend and fellow book-worm, Brandon, she sets out to find the inheritance, exonerate her grandmother, and expose an injustice once committed against an African American family in Lambert.

Lalani of the distant sea

Erin Entrada Kelly

jFICTION Kelly Erin

"Twelve-year-old Lalani Sarita takes on the impossible task of traveling to the legendary Mount Isa, towering on an island to the north. Generations of men and boys have died on the same quest--how can a timid young girl in a tiny boat survive the epic tests of the archipelago?"--

The canyon's edge

Dusti Bowling

jFICTION Bowling Dusti

A year after the death of her mother in a restaurant shooting, Nora is left struggling to stay alive when a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong.

Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone

J. K Rowling

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Rowling, J. K.

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches. This is the first Hary Potter book.

King and the dragonflies

Kacen Callender

jFICTION Callende Kacen

"In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself"--

The birchbark house

Louise Erdrich

jFICTION Erdrich, Louise

Omakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847.

Inside out & back again

Thanhha Lai

jFICTION Lai, Thanhha

Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.

The lightning thief

Rick Riordan

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Riordan, Rick

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe.

Hoot

Carl Hiaasen

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Hiaasen, Carl

Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.

The graveyard book

Neil Gaiman

jFICTION Gaiman, Neil

Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard.

Ophelia and the marvelous boy

Karen Foxlee

jFICTION Foxlee Karen

Ophelia, a timid eleven-year-old girl grieving her mother, suspends her disbelief in things non-scientific when a boy locked in the museum where her father is working asks her to help him complete an age-old mission.

The lion, the witch and the wardrobe : a story for children

C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Lewis, C. S.

Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

Willa of the wood

Robert Beatty

jFICTION Beatty Robert

In the late 1800s, a twelve-year-old nightspirit living in the Great Smoky Mountains despairs as homesteaders destroy her forest habitat, until a chance encounter with a "day-folk" man changes everything she thought she knew about her people--and their greatest enemy.

Charlotte's web

E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White

jFICTION White, E. B.

Dragons in a bag

Zetta Elliott

jFICTION Elliott Zetta

In Brooklyn, nine-year-old Jax joins Ma, a curmudgeonly witch who lives in his building, on a quest to deliver three baby dragons to a magical world, and along the way discovers his true calling.--

How to train your dragon

Cressida Cowell

jFICTION Cowell, Cressida

Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.

Harbor me

Jacqueline Woodson

jFICTION Woodson, Jacqueline

"When six students are chosen to participate in a weekly talk with no adults allowed, they discover that when they're together, it's safe to share the hopes and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world"--

Matilda

Roald Dahl

jFICTION Dahl, Roald

Matilda is a genius, but her parents treat her like a dolt, so she gets back at them by playing practical jokes. Her adventures continue in her school that has a mean headmistress.

Fuzzy mud

Louis Sachar

jFICTION Sachar Louis

"Two middle-grade kids take a shortcut home from school and discover what looks like fuzzy mud but is actually a substance with the potential to wreak havoc on the entire world"--

Stargazing

Jen Wang

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Wang

Growing up in the same Chinese-American suburb, perfectionist Christine and artistic, confident, impulsive Moon become unlikely best friends, whose friendship is tested by jealousy, social expectations, and illness.

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This is the beginning of our highly recommended Graphic Novels category!
- Becky

Pilu of the woods

Mai K. Nguyen

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Nguyen

Willow loves the woods near her house. They're calm and quiet, so different from her own turbulent emotions, which she keeps locked away. When her emotions get the better of her one day, she decides to run away into the woods. There, she meets Pilu, a lost tree spirit who can't find her way back home--which turns out to be the magnolia grove Willow's mom used to take her to.

Queen of the sea

Dylan Meconis

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Meconis

When her sister seizes the throne, Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished to a tiny island off the coast of her kingdom, where the nuns of the convent spend their days peacefully praying, sewing, and gardening. But the island is also home to Margaret, a mysterious young orphan girl whose life is upturned when the cold, regal stranger arrives.

New kid

Jerry Craft

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Craft

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

The cardboard kingdom

Chad Sell

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Sell

Follows the adventures of a group of neighborhood children who create costumes from cardboard and use their imagination in adventures with knights, robots, and monsters.

Guts

Raina Telgemeier

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Telgemeier

Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mom has one, too, so it's probably just a bug. Raina eventually returns to school, where she's dealing with the usual highs and lows: friends, not-friends, and classmates who think the school year is just one long gross-out session. It soon becomes clear that Raina's tummy trouble isn't going away... and it coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships.

Amulet

Kazu Kibuishi

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Kibuishi Amulet

After moving into an old ancestral home, Emily and Navin's mother is kidnapped and dragged down the basement stairs by a mysterious creature, and after giving chase, the kids find themselves in a magical but dangerous world of man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, and shadowy enemies.

Zita the spacegirl

Ben Hatke

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Hatke Zita

When young Zita discovers a device that opens a portal to another place, and her best friend is abducted, she is compelled to set out on a strange journey from star to star in order to get back home.

Roller girl

Victoria Jamieson

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Jamieson

"A graphic novel adventure about a girl who discovers roller derby right as she and her best friend are growing apart"--

Hilda and the troll

Luke Pearson

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Pearson

While on an expedition to illustrate the magical creatures of the mountains around her home, Hilda spots a mountain troll. As the blue-haired explorer sits and sketches, she slowly starts to nod off. By the time she wakes up, the troll has totally disappeared and, even worse, Hilda is lost in a snowstorm.

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy : a graphic novel

Rey Terciero

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Terciero

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are having a really tough year: Not only is their father overseas with the military and their mother working overtime to make ends meet, but each girl is struggling with her own unique problems.

This was our pact

Ryan Andrews

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Andrews

"Ben and his friends are determined to find out where the paper lanterns of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival go, so they follow the river as far as they can until the only followers left are Ben and Nathaniel."--Provided by publisher.

Babymouse

Jennifer L. Holm

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Holm Babymouse

An imaginative mouse learns life lessons while living her life.

Be prepared

Vera Brosgol

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Brosgol

A misfit girl and her brother attend summer camp, where they struggle with primitive plumbing, snobby tentmates, and boys-versus-girls competitions.

5 worlds

Mark Siegel

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Siegel Five

"A story that explores new worlds packed with amazing adventures; ancient mysteries; the unlikely bond of a clumsy dancer, a boy from the poorest slums, and a superstar athlete--and their quest to save one small, distant galaxy from the forces of evil"--

Dog Man

Dav Pilkey

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Pilkey Dog

George and Harold create a new comic book hero in Dog Man, a crimefighter with the head of a police dog and the body of a policeman, who faces off against his archnemesis Petey the cat.

El deafo

Cece Bell

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Bell

The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower."

Best friends

Shannon Hale

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Hale

When she becomes part of the in-crowd, Shannon begins to question whether she wants to remain there, in a story about popularity, first boyfriends, and finding a path in life.

The okay witch

Emma Steinkellner

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Steinkellner

Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she's about to discover that witches aren't just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens.

The Tea Dragon Society

Katie (Cartoonist) O'Neill

jGRAPHIC NOVEL O'Neill

After discovering a lost Tea Dragon in the marketplace, apprentice blacksmith Greta learns about the dying art form of Tea Dragon caretaking from the kind tea shop owners.

Sunny side up

Jennifer L. Holm

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Holm Sunny

Sunny Lewin is sent to live with her grandfather for the summer in Florida, where she befriends Buzz, a boy completely obsessed with comic books, and faces the secret behind why she is in Florida in the first place.

Act

Kayla Miller

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Miller

Olive is excited to start sixth grade: new teachers, new experiences, and a field trip to the big city with her best buds! But when Olive finds out that a school policy is keeping some kids from going on the trip, she decides to act.

The hidden witch

Molly Ostertag

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Ostertag

When Aster's non-magical friend Charlie finds herself the target of a curse, Aster and his unconventional talent for witchery must find the source of the curse before more people get hurt.

Peter & Ernesto : a tale of two sloths

Graham Annable

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Annable Peter

Peter and Ernesto are sloths. Peter loves their tree and never wants to leave, while Ernesto loves the sky and wants to see it from every place on earth. So Ernesto leaves to have a grand adventure, and Peter stays behind and frets. Will their separation tear these friends apart ... or can it bring them closer together?

The breakaways

Cathy G. Johnson

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Johnson

When a popular student encourages her to join the soccer team, Faith signs up even though she has never played the game and learns about loyalty and friendship.

Crossings : extraordinary structures for extraordinary animals

Katy Duffield

jE Duffield

"A non-fiction exploration of animal crossings built by animal lovers around the world to help animals cross over, under, around, and through human construction"--

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This is the start for the final category in our list of 125 recommended titles for children: nonfiction. Enjoy!
- Becky

Galápagos girl

Marsha Diane Arnold

j468.6 Arnold

"A bilingual story, inspired by the childhood of Valentina Cruz, whose family was one of the first permanent inhabitants of the Galapagos islands. Valentina makes a promise to protect the islands and her animal friends"--

How to be an elephant : growing up in the African wild

Katherine Roy

j599.67 Roy

"This nonfiction picture book follows an elephant's growth from a newborn calf to a full-grown adult in one of the most socially and structurally complex family groups on earth."--

Little leaders : bold women in black history

Vashti Harrison

jBIOGRAPHY 920.996 Harrison

Based on her popular Instagram posts, debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison shares the stories of 40 bold African American women who shaped history.

Actual size

Steve Jenkins

j591.41 Jenkins

Discusses and gives examples of the size and weight of various animals and parts of animals.

Separate is never equal : Sylvia Mendez & her family's fight for desegregation

Duncan Tonatiuh

j973.006 /Tonatiuh

"Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez, an eight-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, played an instrumental role in Mendez v. Westminster, the landmark desegregation case of 1946 in California"--

Her right foot

Dave Eggers

jE Eggers

In this honest look at the literal foundation of our country, Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris investigate a seemingly small trait of America's most emblematic statue. What they find is about more than history, more than art. What they find in the Statue of Liberty's right foot is the message of acceptance that is essential to an entire country's creation.

Who is Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

Patricia author Demuth

jBIOGRAPHY Ginsburg, Ruth Bader

"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is famous for her stylish collars (called jabots) and her commanding dissents. This opera-loving New Yorker has always spoken her mind; as a young lawyer, RBG advocated for gender equality and women's rights when few others did. She gained attention for the cases she won when arguing in front of the Supreme Court, before taking her place on the bench in 1993. Author Patricia Brennan Demuth answers all the question about what makes RBG so notorious and irreplaceable"--

Grand Canyon

Jason Chin

jE Chin

"An exploration of the Grand Canyon on a grand scale, as only Jason Chin can illustrate and explain."--

Brown girl dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson

jBIOGRAPHY Woodson, Jacqueline

"The author shares her childhood memories and reveals the first sparks that ignited her writing career in free-verse poems about growing up in the North and South"--

She persisted : 13 American women who changed the world

Chelsea Clinton

jE Clinton

Profiles the lives of thirteen American women who have left their mark on U.S. history, including Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Margaret Chase Smith, and Oprah Winfrey.

First generation : 36 trailblazing immigrants and refugees who make America great

Sandra Neil Wallace

jBIOGRAPHY 920.02 Wallace

Artists and athletes. Educators and journalists. Activists and inventors. CEOs and comedians. Celebrate the genius, diversity, and grit of immigrants and refugees in this boldly illustrated guide to 36 American trailblazers. Their courage, their achievements, and their determination to change the world have helped make our country a stronger place. Perhaps reading their stories, you will be inspired to make the world a better place, too.

Shark lady : the true story of how Eugenie Clark became the ocean's most fearless scientist

Jess Keating

jE Keating

At 9 years old, Eugenie Clark developed an unexpected passion for sharks after a visit to the Battery Park Aquarium in New York City. At the time, sharks were seen as mindless killing machines, but Eugenie knew better and set out to prove it. Despite many obstacles in her path, Eugenie was able to study the creatures she loved so much. From her many discoveries to the shark-related myths she dispelled, Eugenie's wide scientific contributions led to the well-earned nickname "Shark Lady"--

The boy who harnessed the wind

William Kamkwamba

BIOGRAPHY Kamkwamba, William

In this memoir adapted for young readers, William Kamkwamba describes the drought that struck his tiny village in Malawi, his subsequent interest in science, and his idea to build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land.

Animals in winter

Henrietta Bancroft

j591.43 Bancroft

Describes the many different ways animals cope with winter, including migration, hibernation, and food storage.

Who did it first? : 50 politicians, activists, and entrepreneurs who revolutionized the world

Jay Leslie

jBIOGRAPHY 920.02 Leslie

"Illustrated book with profiles of the men and women who have revolutionized politics, policy, and activism, with a focus on their accomplishments that were 'firsts' in their fields"--

Dreams from many rivers : a Hispanic history of the United States told in poems

Margarita Engle

j811 Engle

"A middle grade verse history of Latinos in the United States, told through the voices of many and varied individuals ranging from Juan Ponce de León to modern-day sixth graders"--

Folktales for fearless girls : the stories we were never told

Myriam Sayalero

j398.2 Sayalero

"A collection of folktales from around the world in which girls and women save the day"--

Lovely beasts : the surprising truth

Kate Gardner

j590 Gardner

The author lists several animals that many people would consider scary (sharks), ugly (bats), or creepy (spiders) then explains how they benefit their biological niche, and humans!

A seed is the start

Melissa Stewart

j581.467 Stewart

Beautiful photography and lyrical text pair with comprehensive picture captions in award-winning author Melissa Stewart's story about the surprisingly diverse world of seeds. Learn all about the plant cycle, from how seeds grow, the fascinating ways they travel, and what it takes for a seed to become a plant.

The truth about poop

Susan E. Goodman

j612.36 Goodman

A compendium of fascinating, weird, and gross facts about excrement.

To the moon : the true story of the American heroes on the Apollo 8 spaceship

Jeffrey Kluger

j629.454 Kluger

The inspiring true story of Apollo 8, the first crewed American spaceship to break free of Earth's orbit and reach the moon.

The busy body book : a kid's guide to fitness

Lizzy Rockwell

j612 Rockwell

An introduction to the human body, how it functions, and its need for exercise.

Gardening lab for kids : 52 fun experiments to learn, grow, harvest, make, play, and enjoy your garden

Renata Fossen Brown

j635 Brown

A source of ideas to help children learn how to grow their own garden encourages families to enjoy nature and features fifty-two creative plant-related activities set into weekly lessons. --Publisher's description.