This book list is pulled from NPR’s 100 Favorite Books for Young Readers article. Click a book cover for more information and links for borrowing the books through the library.
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The Snowy Day
Ezra Jack Keats
Ages 0-2
No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than The Snowy Day. Universal in its appeal, the story has become a favorite of millions, as it reveals a child’s wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever.
Available Formats
Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak
Ages 4-8
This iconic story has inspired a movie, an opera, and the imagination of generations. When Max dresses in his wolf suit and causes havoc in the house, his mother sends him to bed. From there, Max sets sail to an island inhabited by the Wild Things, who name him king and share a wild rumpus with him. But then from far away across the world, Max smells good things to eat…
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Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
Derrick Barnes
Ages 3-8
The barbershop is where the magic happens. Boys go in as lumps of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders, a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads, and a slow, steady cut, they become royalty. That crisp yet subtle line makes boys sharper, more visible, more aware of every great thing that could happen to them when they look good: lesser grades turn into As; girls take notice; even a mother’s hug gets a little tighter. Everyone notices.
A fresh cut makes boys fly.
This rhythmic, read-aloud title is an unbridled celebration of the self-esteem, confidence, and swagger boys feel when they leave the barber’s chair&;a tradition that places on their heads a figurative crown, beaming with jewels, that confirms their brilliance and worth and helps them not only love and accept themselves but also take a giant step toward caring how they present themselves to the world. The fresh cuts. That’s where it all begins.
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut is a high-spirited, engaging salute to the beautiful, raw, assured humanity of black boys and how they see themselves when they approve of their reflections in the mirror.
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Julián is a mermaid
Jessica Love
Ages 4-8
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: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?
Available Formats
Stellaluna
Janell Cannon
Ages 0-3
After she falls headfirst into a bird’s nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother.
Available Formats
print book | ebook | DVD
Miss Rumphius
Barbara Cooney
Ages 5-8
As a child Great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful–and she does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all.
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Freight Train
Donald Crews
Ages 0-4
Brief text and illustrations trace the journey of a colorful train as it goes through tunnels, by cities, and over trestles.
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Strega Nona
Tomie De Paola
Ages 2-5
When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works.
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Go, Dog, Go!
P. D. Eastman
Ages 3-7
When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works.
Available Formats
Corduroy
Don Freeman
Ages 2-5
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.
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The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
Paul Goble
Ages 5-8
Though she is fond of her people, a girl prefers to live among the wild horses where she is truly happy and free.
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The People Could Fly
Virginia Hamilton
Ages 8+
Retold Afro-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the supernatural, and desire for freedom, born of the sorrow of the slaves, but passed on in hope.
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Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
Kevin Henkes
Ages 4-8
Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.
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Catwings
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ages 4+
Four young cats with wings leave the city slums in search of a safe place to live, finally meeting two children with kind hands.
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Frog And Toad Are Friends
Lobel, Arnold.
Five tales recounting the adventures of two best friends – Frog and Toad.
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Betsy-Tacy
Maud Hart Lovelace
Ages 8-12
Betsy hopes that whoever moves into the house across the street will have a little girl just her age. And the little girl who moves in is just her age. Her name is Tacy. She is very bashful, but she likes to listen to Betsy’s stories-wonderful stories that the girls love, and that they keep as their own special secret. After a while, it’s hard to remember a time when Betsy and Tacy weren’t best friends.
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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Bill Martin
Ages 1-4
An alphabet rhyme/chant that relates what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree.
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Blueberries For Sal
Robert McCloskey
Ages 3-7
Little Sal and Little Bear both lose their mothers while eating blueberries and almost end up with the other’s mother.
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Little Bear
Else Holmelund Minarik
Ages 4-8
Little Bear’s four adventures include taking a trip to the moon and having a birthday party.
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Junie B. Jones series
Barbara Park
Ages 6-9
In her own words, a young girl describes her feelings about starting kindergarten and what she does when she decides not to ride the bus home.
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Tar Beach
Faith Ringgold
Ages 5-8
A young girl dreams of flying above her Harlem home, claiming all she sees for herself and her family. Based on the author’s quilt painting of the same name.
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The Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Jon Scieszka
Ages 3-7
Madcap revisions of familiar fairy tales.
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Where The Sidewalk Ends
Shel Silverstein
Ages 6-8
A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author’s own drawings.
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Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Judith Viorst
Ages 2-4
On a day when everything goes wrong for him, Alexander is consoled by the thought that other people have bad days too.
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The Napping House
Audrey Wood
Ages 4-7
In this cumulative tale, a wakeful flea atop a number of sleeping creatures causes a commotion, with just one bite.
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The Mitten : A Ukrainian Folktale
Jan Brett
Ages 3-5
Several animals sleep snugly in Nicki’s lost mitten until the bear sneezes. Adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett.
Available Formats
Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown
Ages 0-4
Goodnight to each of the objects in the great green room: goodnight chairs, goodnight comb, goodnight air. Pictures by Clement Hurd.
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Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel
Virginia Lee Burton
Ages 4-7
Mike Mulligan proves that, although dated, his steam shovel is still useful. Story and pictures by Virginia Lee Burton.
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Henry And Mudge : The First Book Of Their Adventures
Cynthia Rylant
Ages 5-7
Henry, feeling lonely on a street without any other children, finds companionship and love in a big dog named Mudge. “Level 2: reading with help”–Cover.
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Bark, George
Jules Feiffer
Ages 4-8
When George’s mother tells her son to bark, George goes “Meow,” which definitely isn’t right because George is a dog. When she asks him again, he goes “Oink.” What’s going on with George? Readers will delight at the surprise ending!
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Three Tales Of My Father’s Dragon
Ruth Stiles Gannett
Ages 8-12
A compilation of three tales which relate the fantastic adventures of Elmer Elevator and a baby flying dragon named Boris.
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The Story Of Ferdinand
Munro Leaf
Ages 3-5
A true classic with a timeless message, The Story of Ferdinand has enchanted readers since it was first published in 1936. All the other bulls would run and jump and butt their heads together. But Ferdinand would rather sit and smell the flowers. And he does just that, until the day a bumblebee and some men from the Madrid bullfights give gentle Ferdinand a chance to be the most ferocious star of the corrida&;and the most unexpected comic hero. This cherished hardcover is perfect for those who love Ferdinand, and those who have yet to meet him.
Available Formats
A Chair For My Mother
Vera B. Williams
Ages 4-8
A child, her waitress mother, and her grandmother save dimes to buy a comfortable armchair after all their furniture is lost in a fire.
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Beautiful Blackbird
Ashley Bryan
Ages 3-8
In a story of the Ila people, the colorful birds of Africa ask Blackbird, whom they think is the most beautiful of birds, to decorate them with some of his “blackening brew.
Available Formats
The Boxcar Children series
Gertrude Chandler Warner
Ages 7-10
Four orphaned children run away and live in a boxcar, until they are found by their grandfather. Includes a biography and photographs of the author.
Available Formats
print books in the series | ebooks in the series | eaudiobooks
Trumpet Of The Swan
E. B. White
Ages 8-12
Louis, a voiceless Trumpeter swan, finds himself far from his wilderness home when he determines to communicate by learning to play a stolen trumpet.
Available Formats
The Penderwicks
Jeanne Birdsall
Ages 8-12
While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.
Available Formats
print books in the series | ebooks in the series | eaudiobooks in the series
Mercy Watson To The Rescue
Kate DiCamillo
Ages 5-8
After Mercy the pig snuggles to sleep with the Watsons, all three awaken with the bed teetering on the edge of a big hole in the floor.
Available Formats
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle
Ages 2-5
Follows the progress of a hungry little caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep.
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Ivy + Bean
IVY & BEAN series
Ages 6-10
When seven-year-old Bean plays a mean trick on her sister, she finds unexpected support for her antics from Ivy, the new neighbor, who is less boring than Bean first suspected.
Available Formats
Clementine series
Sara Pennypacker
Ages 6-10
While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.
Available Formats
The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson
Ages 3-5
Just what is the Gruffalo? “He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws”. But do all these things make him the scariest creature in the deep dark wood? One brave little mouse with a big imagination doesn’t think so!
Available Formats
Elephant & Piggie series
Mo Willems
Ages 4-8
While Piggie is determined to fly, Elephant is skeptical, but when Piggie gets a little help from others, amazing things happen.
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Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
Donald J. Sobol
Ages 8-12
Leroy Brown, aka Encyclopedia Brown, is Idaville’s ten-year-old star detective. With an uncanny knack for trivia, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be chief of police, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia Brown helps him solve his most baffling mysteries.
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A Sick Day For Amos McGee
Philip Christian Stead
Ages 3-6
Amos McGee, a friendly zookeeper, always made time to visit his good friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros, and the owl. But one day–‘Ah-choo!’–he woke with the sniffles and the sneezes. Though he didn’t make it into the zoo that day, he did receive some unexpected guests.”–Dust jacket.
Available Formats
Extra Yarn
Mac Barnett
Ages 4-8
With a supply of yarn that never runs out, Annabelle knits for everyone and everything in town until an evil archduke decides he wants the yarn for himself.
Available Formats
The Monster At The End Of This Book
SESAME STREET
Ages 3-7
Grover worries page by page about meeting the monster at the end of this book. Many, many adults name this book as their favorite Little Golden Book. Generations of kids have interacted with lovable, furry old Grover as he begs the reader not to turn the page-for fear of a monster at the end of the book. “Oh, I am so embarrassed,” he says on the last page … for, of course, the monster is Grover himself! …
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Each Kindness
Jacqueline Woodson
Ages 5-8
When Ms. Albert teaches a lesson on kindness, Chloe realizes that she and her friends have been wrong in making fun of new student Maya’s shabby clothes and refusing to play with her.
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Better Nate Than Ever
Tim Federle
Ages 10+
An eighth-grader who dreams of performing in a Broadway musical concocts a plan to run away to New York and audition for the role of Elliot in the musical version of “E.T.
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Dory Fantasmagory series
Abby Hanlon
Ages 6-8
Dory, the youngest in her family, is a girl with a very active imagination, and she spends the summer playing with her imaginary friend, pretending to be a dog, battling monsters, and generally driving her family nuts.
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The Book With No Pictures
B. J. Novak
Ages 5-8
In this book with no pictures, the reader has to say every silly word, no matter what”–
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Josephine
Patricia Hruby Powell
Ages 7-10
In exuberant verse and stirring pictures, Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson create an extraordinary portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine’s powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.
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The Princess In Black series
Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Ages 5-8
Hiding her secret identity as a monster-fighting superhero, Princess Magnolia interrupts her fancy tea with the unsuspecting Duchess Wigtower to stop a big blue monster from endangering her kingdom’s goats.
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Last Stop On Market Street
Matt de la Peña
Ages 3-5
A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things.
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Murder Is Bad Manners
Robin Stevens
Ages 10+
At an English boarding school in the 1930s, crime-solving friends Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells struggle to find an exciting mystery to investigate until Hazel discovers the dead body of Miss Bell, the science teacher.
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Anna Hibiscus
Atinuke
Ages 4-10
Anna Hibiscus, who lives in Africa with her whole family, loves to splash in the sea and have parties for her aunties, but Anna would love to see snow.
Available Formats
The Wild Robot
Peter Brown
Ages 8-12
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.
Available Formats
Ada Twist, Scientist
Andrea Beaty
Ages 5-7
Ada Twist is a very curious girl who shows perseverance by asking questions and performing experiments to find things out and understand the world.
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Dog Man series
Dav Pilkey
Ages 7+
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.
Available Formats
Juana & Lucas
Juana Medina
Ages 5-8
A spunky young girl from Colombia loves playing with her canine best friend and resists boring school activities, especially learning English, until her family tells her that a special trip is planned to an English-speaking place.
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Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter
Astrid Lindgren
Ages 8-12
Ronia, who lives with her father and his band of robbers in a castle in the woods, causes trouble when she befriends the son of a rival robber chieftain.
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Jabari Jumps
Gaia Cornwall
Ages 4-8
Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fears, newcomer Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but root for.”–Amazon.com.
Available Formats
Mother Bruce
Ryan T. Higgins
Ages 3-5
Bruce is a grumpy bear who likes no one and nothing but cooked eggs, but when some eggs he was planning to boil hatch and the goslings believe he is their mother, he must try to make the best of the situation.
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A Different Pond
Bao Phi
Ages 6-8
As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father’s long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. Between hope-filled casts, Bao’s father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam”–
Available Formats
The Rabbit Listened
Cori Doerrfeld
Ages 3-5
When Taylor’s block castle is destroyed, all the animals think they know just what to do, but only the rabbit quietly listens to how Taylor is feeling”–
Available Formats
Hello Lighthouse
Sophie Blackall
Ages 4-8
Explores the life of one lighthouse as it beams its message out to sea through shifting seasons, changeable weather, and the tenure of its final keeper.”–
Available Formats
Drawn Together
Minh Lê
Ages 4-8
A boy and his grandfather cross a language and cultural barrier using their shared love of art, storytelling, and fantasy.
Available Formats
Front Desk
Kelly Yang
Ages 8-12
Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang’s parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants–not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao’s son, Jason.
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Dreamers
Yuyi Morales
Ages 4-8
An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story”–
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A Big Mooncake For Little Star
Grace Lin
Ages 4-8
Reimagines the cycles of the moon as a mother bakes a Big Moon Cake and, despite Mama’s request to wait, Little Star begins nibbling at it every night.
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A Is For Activist
Innosanto Nagara
Ages 3-7
A is for Activist is an ABC picture book written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that activists believe in and fight for. The alliteration, rhyming, and vibrant illustrations make the book exciting for children, while the issues it brings up resonate with their parents’ values of community, equality, and justice. This engaging little book carries huge messages as it inspires hope for the future, and calls children to action while teaching them a love for books”–
Available Formats
Hidden Figures
Margot Lee Shetterly
Ages 4-8
Explores the previously uncelebrated but pivotal contributions of NASA’s African American women mathematicians to America’s space program, describing how Jim Crow laws segregated them despite their groundbreaking successes.
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Evil Alien Warlord Cat
Johnny Marciano
Ages 8-12
Klawde, the exiled ruler of the planet Lyttyrboks, and Raj, who just moved from Brooklyn to tiny Elba, Oregon, forge an unlikely friendship as they find their footing in a strange new world.
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The Jumbies
Tracey Baptiste
Ages 9-12
Eleven-year-old Corinne must call on her courage and an ancient magic to stop an evil spirit and save her island home.
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Bowwow Powwow :
Brenda J. Child
When Uncle and Windy Girl attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars. Uncle’s stories inspire visions in her head:a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a visiting drum group, and traditional dancers, grass dancers, and jingle-dress dancers–all with telltale ears and paws and tails. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow.”–Provided by publisher.
Available Formats
Stargazing
Jen Wang
Ages 8-12
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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The Proudest Blue
Ibtihaj Muhammad
Ages 4-8
Faizah relates how she feels on the first day her sister, sixth-grader Asiya, wears a hijab to school.
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Fry Bread
Kevin Noble Maillard
Ages 3-6
Using illustrations that show the diversity in Native America and spare poetic text that emphasizes fry bread in terms of provenance, this volume tells the story of a post-colonial food that is a shared tradition for Native American families all across the North American continent. Includes a recipe and an extensive author note that delves into the social ways, foodways, and politics of America’s 573 recognized tribes.
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Sulwe
Lupita Nyong’o
Ages 4-8
Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything. In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.
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My Papi Has A Motorcycle
Isabel Quintero
Ages 4-8
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”–
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From The Desk Of Zoe Washington
Janae Marks
Ages 8-12
Avid baker Zoe Washington receives a letter on her twelfth birthday from her biological father, who is in prison for a terrible crime”–
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The Undefeated
Kwame Alexander
Ages 6-9
The Newbery Award-winning author of The Crossover pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree”–
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New Kid
Jerry Craft
Ages 8-12
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. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds–and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Available Formats
Prairie Lotus
Linda Sue Park
Ages 10-12
In Dakota Territory in the 1880s, half-Chinese Hanna and her white father face racism and resistance to change as they try to make a home for themselves. Includes author’s note.
Available Formats
Brown Baby Lullaby
Tameka Fryer Brown
Ages 2-6
An illustrated lullaby featuring a busy, independent, beloved brown baby being prepared for bedtime.
Available Formats
Hair Love
Matthew A. Cherry
Ages 4-8
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.
Available Formats
The Oldest Student
Rita L. Hubbard
Ages 4-8
A picture book biography sharing the inspiring and incredible true story of the nation’s oldest student, Mary Walker, who learned to read at the age of 116″–
Available Formats
A Wish In The Dark
Christina Soontornvat
Ages 8-12
Escaping from the prison where he was born, Pong discovers harrowing truths about the gap between the world’s privileged ruling class and impoverished laborers, while the prison warden’s daughter who is hunting him uncovers other daunting secrets.
Available Formats
I Am Enough
Grace Byers
Ages 4-8
This is a gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another.
Available Formats
Antiracist Baby
Ibram X Kendi
Ages 0-3
Illustrations and rhyming text present nine steps Antiracist Baby can take to improve equity, such as opening our eyes to all skin colors and celebrating all our differences.
