Kids
In the garden
Emma Giuliani
"From season to season, children follow the life of a garden as each page reveals new treasures hiding under lift-up flaps. Peek inside the curious tulip bulb and discover the peas inside a peapod. Watch a ladybug help with pesky aphids and search for ripe strawberries under the leaves"--Publisher marketing.
Moomin : the complete Tove Jansson comic strip
Tove Jansson
COMIC Moomin
Graphic Novels, Adventure, Kids
A cute and quaint comic series that's not just for kids! I loved accompanying the Moomin family on their hilarious adventures through Moominvalley. Also a good Pride Month read from the artist and writer Tove Jansson, a queer icon! -Annie
Five stories
Ellen Weinstein
j813.54 Weinstein
Picture Books, History, Kids, Nonfiction
"Five children, from five different cultures and in five different decades, grow up in the same building on the Lower East Side of New York City"--
Fascinating look at the generations who arrive and make New York their own - the neighborhood businesses changes, cultures ebb and flow and blend, but the vibrancy and character remain and build year after year! -Anne W
This is not my lunch box!
Jennifer Dupuis
j591.73 Dupuis
Nonfiction, Kids, Animals, Picture Books
"Join in on a surprising camping trip and discover the favorite meals of your favorite forest creatures--from the wood frog to the moose. Rich art illustrates the beautiful biodiversity found in our forests and expressive, repetitive text helps even the youngest naturalists learn all about herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores"--
A cute book about animal diets that keeps kids guessing from page to page! -Anne W
I Hear a Búho
RAQUEL MACKAY
jE/MacKay
Kids, Picture Books
As a child and adult caregiver snuggle together in a hammock at night, it’s a chance to share various animal sounds, introduced throughout MacKay’s effectively rhyming bilingual phrases. In English and Spanish, a repeated pattern of exchange unfolds between the companions: “Meow/ meow/ meow/ I hear a gato/ Could it be?// Sí, mamita/ That gato is me.” Fonseca’s mixed-media art employs contrasting colors, and incorporates textures of stamping and etching. Minimally detailed figures, cast in black and white, are captured busily engaging in creaturely pursuits until the call and response game, which has ranged from ducks to frogs and beyond, gives way to the actual sound of an animal that “is NOT me!” The result is a vibrantly artsy wind-down book. A pronunciation guide and glossary conclude. Ages 5–7. Publishers Weekly
This book is perfect for storytime with your little one! The rhyme, rhythm, and flow of the story are crafted by an author who knows what they are doing when it comes to storytelling. Raquel was a children's librarian at ICPL, leading our weekly Spanish Bilingual Storytime and now teaches ELL classes here in Iowa City. The story also mixes in a perfect amount of Spanish and includes a pronunciation guide in the back. Illustrations are engaging and striking, sure to keep everyone's attention! -Angie
Family is family
Melissa Marr
jE Marr
Picture Books, Kids, LGBTQ+
When Little Chick starts school, he discovers that there are lots of different kinds of families, all of them full of love.
Delightful and whimsical illustrations fill the pages along with wonderful text from a child's point of view about how a family is a family no matter what yours may look like. -Angie
What's new, Daniel?
Micha Archer
jE Archer
Kids, Picture Books, Nature
A curious little boy explores his neighborhood, finding out what is new with his friends and neighbors.
Let's celebrate the spring with Micha Archer's latest, "What's New, Daniel?". -Casey
Jam, too?
JaNay Brown-Wood
jE Brown-Wood
Kids, Picture Books, Music
"A jam session forms, instrument by instrument, and welcomes a child who loves dancing along"--
Janay Brown-Wood's latest, "Jam, Too?" is a rhythmic delight! Look for this one in preschools and storyJAMs near you soon. -Casey
Seoul food
Erin Russell
jE Russell
Picture Books, Kids
When Hana's grandparents visit, Hana decides to cook a meal that represents both her Korean and Southern heritages.
Love is the ingredient that brings this fabulous picture book together. I may have to try the recipe in the back! -Casey
Glenn Burke, game changer : the man who invented the high five
Phil Bildner
j796.357092 Burke
Sports, LGBTQ+, Kids, Nonfiction
"An inspiring picture book biography about Glenn Burke, the first Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, and the story of how he created the high five, the world's most recognizable handshake. Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Glenn Burke could do it all--hit, throw, run, field. He was the heart of the clubhouse who energized his teammates with his enthusiasm and love for the game. It was that energy that led Glenn to invent the high five one October day back in 1977--a spontaneous gesture after a home run that has since evolved into our universal celebratory greeting. But despite creating this joyful symbol, Glenn Burke, a gay Black man, wasn't always given support and shown acceptance in return. This moving picture book biography recognizes the challenges Burke faced while celebrating how his bravery and now-famous handshake made him a true pioneer"--
Ever thought about who might have invented the high five? It was 1970s pro baseball player Glenn Burke! This biographical picture book follows Glenn Burke's brief but illustrious career in the major leagues, including the moment he and fellow player Dusty Baker spontaneously invented the high five. For Burke, a unique individual who was always joking, cheering, and dancing in the dugout, it was a natural progression. Burke also happened to be a Black gay man in the 1970s, and, heartbreakingly, he was pushed out of the league and later struggled with homelessness and substance abuse, dying of AIDS-related illness at only 42. These topics are dealt with sensitively but honestly in this picture book biography. I hope readers think of Burke every time they high-five someone after reading this story - a man who only now is being recognized for his legacy, not only in inventing such an iconic gesture, but in paving the way for LGBT+ athletes. If you want more on Burke, there is a middle-grade fiction title also by Phil Bildner that ties together the stories of Burke and a modern-day LGBT+ young male baseball player, also an excellent book. -Anne W
I happened upon this giant book on a cart to be shelved, and was drawn in by its bold colors and the word "garden," which has quickly become an obsessive hobby of mine. I leisurely read through the gardening tips and fruit, vegetable and flower vocabulary, particularly tickled by the cute lift-the-flap moments revealing the secret, inside petals or what a seed will look like as it grows into fruition. Every once in a while I have an older kid at the children's desk asking for a lift-the-flap book, and this nonfiction, yet whimsical, read is the perfect answer. -Mari