Kids
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.
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
This book will make you an artist
Ruth Millington
j701 Millington
Art / Art History, Kids, Nonfiction
"Jam-packed with imaginative ideas for all kinds of creative crafts . . . this book will make YOU an artist! Pick up your pencils, collect your collage materials, and take inspiration from 25 of the world's best-known artists in this fact-filled book full of activities. Discover famous masterpieces through the included photographs of real works of art - from ancient cave painting to contemporary performance - and lots more in between!"-- Provided by publisher.
A brief bio/intro to a couple dozen diverse artists and instructions for making a project of your own in their style. The projects are simple but significant, the artist bios are relevant and interesting, and the whole thing is attractively, colorfully designed and packaged. A great gift book for an artist child (and all children are artists)! -Anne W
Sounds good! : discover 50 instruments
Ole Könnecke
j784.19 Konnecke
Music, Kids, Nonfiction
Explore over 50 common and uncommon instruments as showcased by a fun group of animals. Learn interesting, practical and curious things about music and making music. Discover instruments of all kinds-- from the electric guitar and steelpan to the theremin, from viola to vibraphone to ukulele. Listen through QR codes on each page to a piece of music composed to showcase every instrument by an award-winning musician-- and to a full band that brings together all the instruments in the book!"--Adapted from back cover.
I don't know anything about music except if I like or don't like something when I listen to it, based on nothing but a gut reaction. So this book taught me a lot! Accompanied by hilarious illustrations of random animals playing the instruments, each instrument gets one page of accessible, yet interesting information. Like, I never considered that a harmonica makes one note when you inhale and a different note when you exhale, so that's why it can be so small as to fit in your pocket! There is history, practical info, and fun facts, all presented in a straightforward writing style. -Anne W
Log life
Amy Hevron
j577.3 Hevron
Nonfiction, Kids, Nature
"A nonfiction picture book that's all about the tiny world of nurse log habitats. Nurse logs are tiny ecosystems with hundreds of rare and important life forms. When old trees fall to the forest floor, they can take centuries to decompose, helping all sorts of organism for hundreds of years. They provide nutrients for tree seedlings, hideaways for small animals, shelters for the winter, and protection from the elements"--
Want to know how a downed log provides home and nourishment for scores of animals for the next hundred years? This book is entertaining and thorough yet simple and succinct for the youngest of readers on up. You'll learn something and have fun doing it! -Anne W
Luna Ranchera
Rodrigo Morlesin
jE Morlesin
Kids, Picture Books
"This spellbinding original story opens in a cantina crowded with desert animals, cowboys, and cowgirls all excited to see the glamorous Luna Ranchera mother-daughter singing duo. Long ago, Luna was down on her luck, starving and struggling to feed her pups, reduced to thieving from nearby ranchers. One day, escaping another heist, Luna has to hide in the worst possible place: on top of a beehive! She howls in pain so loudly, it carries all across the desert. It turns out Luna's musical wails are something special, captivating creatures far and wide. Her most rebellious pup, Ranchera, joins her, and soon the two become the famous howling singing act with the flea-bitten souls, Luna Ranchera! Immersive and unforgettable, with knockout, whimsical art, the tale ends with the lyrics to Luna Ranchera's most famous song. Perfect for fans of Coco and Soul."-- Provided by publisher.
This book is so funny and so entertaining and the cartoony illustrations on a dark background are so cool! It begs to be read aloud with its folkloric, conversational, clever tale-spinning vibe. -Anne W
Tomfoolery! : Randolph Caldecott and the rambunctious coming-of-age of children's books
Michelle Markel
j741.6092 Caldecott
Kids
Quick! If you don't move fast, you're going to miss him -- there he goes-- Randolph Caldecott, future famous illustrator. His sketchbook is full of hurly-burly; wild weather, frisky animals and people so sprightly they can barely hold on to the pages. But in the 1850s, there are no children's books like that. Not yet. Many are published, but their pictures look still, full of pretty poses and cluttered scenery. No one has imagined how much fun an illustrated book can be ... Because the future hero of children's book illustration is just a lad.
Have you ever wondered about the origin of the Caldecott Medal, awarded annually to the book for children with the best illustrations? Even if you haven't, read this anyway because it's really good! An entertaining, lightly-written biography of Randolph Caldecott, the 1850s children's book illustrator who took children's book art from dull, staid, stiff, formally-posed, purely decorative, and needlessly ornate to a modern, integral part of the story. Caldecott made pictures that were filled with action, humor, movement, joy, and worked to advance the story, so that even a child who couldn't yet read could glean the story by looking at the pictures. A modern understanding of picture books developed due to his work and we continue to recognize his innovations today through the Caldecott medal. -Anne W
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