Maisie’s Scrapbook

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

As the seasons turn, Maisie rides her bull in and out of Dada’s tall tales. Her Mama wears linen and plays the viola. Her Dada wears kente cloth and plays the marimba. They come from different places, but they hug her in the same way. And most of all, they love her just the same. A joyful celebration of a mixed-race family and the love that binds us all together.

Kaya’s Heart Song

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

“Let me tell you a secret—if you have a heart song, anything is possible. Even magic!”

Kaya is looking for her heart song—the song that happy hearts sing. Her search takes her on a journey deep into the jungle where a broken down carousel waits for a very special song to make it turn again.

Chicken in the Kitchen

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

What would you do if you woke up one night to find the shadow of a giant chicken passing your bedroom door? Go and investigate, of course! When Anyaugo follows a giant chicken into her kitchen one warm night in Nigeria, she embarks on a fun-filled adventure where nothing is quite as it seems. Is the mischievous giant chicken a friend or a foe? More importantly, will Anyaugo be able to save the food for the New Yam Festival the next day?

Lovely

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Big, small, curly, straight, loud, quiet, smooth, wrinkly. Lovely explores a world of differences that all add up to the same thing: we are all lovely!

H Is for Home

A Sesame Street ® Guide to Homes around the World

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Kindergarten

Homes can be square or round or even stand on stilts. But no matter what a home looks like, home is where you are loved. The characters of Sesame Street take readers around the world to learn more about how kids live across the globe.

Sleep Well, Siba and Saba

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Forgetful sisters Siba and Saba are always losing something. Sandals, slippers, sweaters—you name it, they lose it. When the two sisters fall asleep each night, they dream about the things they have lost that day. Until, one night, their dreams begin to reveal something entirely unexpected… With playful illustrations and a lullaby-like rhythm, this heart-warming story set in Uganda is truly one to be treasured.

Trombone Shorty

From the Series Live Oak Media eReadalong

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 3    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

The stunning story and exquisite illustrations in this Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award–winning book can now be savored along with Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews reading the words and playing his trumpet in this readalong that will transport readers to New Orleans and beyond!

Dads

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 1

Celebrate all that fathers do: building, fixing, cooking, cleaning, laughing, crying, hugging, playing and more! John Coy and Wing Young Huie—the author and photographer behind Their Great Gift—reunite for a new book that shows a wide range of fathers and children, particularly highlighting families of color and lower-income families, who often aren’t depicted in children’s books. This beautiful book is a perfect Father’s Day gift!

H.O.R.S.E.

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 6    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

One day at the basketball court, two kids, a familiar challenge—H.O.R.S.E.? But this isn’t your grandmother’s game of hoops. Not when a layup from the other side of the court, standing on one foot, with your eyes closed is just the warm-up.

Around the neighborhood, around the world, off Saturn’s rings . . . the pair goes back and forth. The game is as much about skill as it is about imagination.

A slam dunk from award-winning author and illustrator Christopher Myers, H.O.R.S.E. is a celebration of the sport of basketball, the art of trash-talking, and the idea that what’s possible is bounded only by what you can dream.

All Kinds of Friends

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Friends can come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. Through bright photographs and simple text, young readers will discover the many ways to be a friend and how to celebrate all the different kinds of friendships they have.

How to Build an Insect

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

See what the buzz is about in this fresh, fun look at insect anatomy.

Let’s build an insect! In the pages of this book, you’ll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Written by entomologist Roberta Gibson and accompanied by delightfully detailed illustrations by Anne Lambelet, this wonderfully original take on insect anatomy will spark curiosity and engage even those who didn’t think they liked creepy, crawly things!

Taking Time

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Taking time to listen to a bird’s song on the breeze. Taking time to gather up the blossom dancing free. Taking time to imagine the deep sounds of the sea. Taking time to cherish you . . . and cherish me.

This poem is inspired by principles of mindfulness and invites children around the world to experience the wonders of nature and home.

I Am Brown

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

I am brown. I am beautiful. I am perfect. I designed this computer. I ran this race. I won this prize. I wrote this book. A joyful celebration of the skin you’re in—of being brown, of being amazing, of being you.

A Story About Afiya

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Some people have dresses for every occasion but Afiya needs only one. Her dress records the memories of her childhood, from roses in bloom to pigeons in flight, from tigers at the zoo to October leaves falling. A joyful celebration of a young girl’s childhood, written by the late Coretta Scott King Book Award-winning Jamaican poet James Berry.

“[A] joyous celebration of childhood, culture and place. . .”—The New York Times, 25 Best Children’s Books of 2020

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix

From the Series Live Oak Media eReadalong

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 5    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Describes the L.A. street cook’s life, including working in his family’s restaurant as a child, figuring out what he wanted to do with his life, and his success with his food truck and restaurant.

Imani’s Moon

From the Series Live Oak Media eReadalong

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

‘Imani the tiny’ the children tease her, but this young Maasai girl is determined to touch the moon. Her mother shares stories of others who have overcome challenges and managed great accomplishments always reminding Imani that ‘it is only you who must believe.’ This magical tale, with roots in the tradition of the adumu, a cultural jumping dance, is one strong and spirited girl’s thrilling story.

Yum! MmMm! Que Rico!

Americas’ Sprouting

From the Series Live Oak Media eReadalong

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 4    
• Reading Level: Grade 5

Chocolate, papaya, corn, and potatoes – these are only a taste of the many delicious foods native to the Americas and celebrated in this delightful collection. Imaginative, evocative poems and exuberant illustrations introduce 14 different indigenous foods, along with a descriptive paragraph of information for each.

The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred

From the Series Live Oak Media eReadalong

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

When a farm maiden decides to get out her cazuela and cook arroz con leche, the farm animals join in to help in this playful cumulative tale that introduces Spanish words throughout. Inspired by the nursery rhyme “The House That Jack Built”, this bilingual readalong will have kids merrily chanting along in English and Spanish as the animals all work together to create a delicious dish for the fiesta.

Bee Love (Can Be Hard)

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

Otis wasn’t scared of many things, but at the top of his list? Bees.

When Grandpa was younger, he was afraid of bees too. That is, until he learned about them. “Bees are amazing insects,” Grandpa tells Otis. “They’re pollinating powerhouses!” To help Otis overcome his fear, Grandpa takes him to a bee farm, where he learns that while “bee love” can be hard, it is also important.

Lovely pastoral paintings are the backdrop to this gently told, delightful, relatable story. The book includes extended information about bees, beekeeping, and pollinators.

A Girl Like Me

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 4    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

“[A] rallying cry for girls to reject limitations others might place on them and their dreams.”—starred, The Horn Book Magazine

“Once I dreamed I swam / the ocean / and saw everything deep, cool / and was part of the waves. / I swam on by the people / onshore / hollering, / ‘A girl like you needs to / stay out of the water / and be dry / like everyone else.’”

Empower young readers to embrace their individuality, reject societal limitations, and follow their dreams. This inspiring picture book brings together a poem by acclaimed author Angela Johnson and Nina Crews’s distinctive photocollage illustrations to celebrate girls of color.

A Dog Named Haku

A Holiday Story from Nepal

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

It’s the Festival of Lights in Nepal, and today is the day to honor dogs! Brothers Alu and Bhalu wander the streets of Kathmandu, passing by twirling kites and bamboo swings, looking for a dog to feed. But as night falls, their task begins to feel hopeless, until they spot a small black dog who is in need of a friend. This sweet story presents an important Hindu holiday through the eyes of two young boys, making it relatable for both those familiar with the holiday and those reading about it for the first time.

Seeing into Tomorrow

Haiku by Richard Wright

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 4    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

A remarkable celebration of Richard Wright, poetry, and contemporary black boys at play.
From walking a dog to watching a sunset to finding a beetle, Richard Wright’s haiku puts everyday moments into focus. Now, more than fifty years after they were written, these poems continue to reflect our everyday experiences. Paired with the photo-collage artwork of Nina Crews, Seeing into Tomorrow celebrates the lives of contemporary African American boys and offers an accessible introduction to one of the most important African American writers of the twentieth century.

Luis Paints the World

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 4    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

Luis wishes Nico wasn’t leaving for the Army. To show Nico he doesn’t need to go, Luis begins a mural on the alleyway wall. Their house, the river, the Parque de las Ardillas—it’s the world, all right there. Won’t Nico miss Mami’s sweet flan? What about their baseball games in the street?

But as Luis awaits his brother’s return from duty, his own world expands as well, through swooping paint and the help of their bustling Dominican neighborhood.

Beautiful Shades of Brown

The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring

• Interest Level: Grade 1 – Grade 4    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn’t see any artists who looked like her. She didn’t see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African-Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington DC’s National Portrait Gallery, where children of all races can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured.

We Are Grateful

Otsaliheliga

From the Series Live Oak Media eReadalong

• Interest Level: Grade 1 – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

This authentic, loving celebration of gratitude & community—written by a citizen of the Cherokee nation—follows celebrations and experiences through the seasons of a year, underscoring the traditions and ways of Cherokee life.

Anita and the Dragons

• Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 4    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Anita watches the dragons high above her as she hops from one cement roof to another in her village in the Dominican Republic. But being the valiant princesa she is, she never lets them scare her. Will she be brave enough to enter the belly of the beast and take flight to new adventures?

The Floating Field

How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field

• Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

On the island of Koh Panyee, in a village built on stilts, there is no open space. How will a group of Thai boys play soccer?

After watching the World Cup on television, a group of Thai boys is inspired to form their own team. But on the island of Koh Panyee, in a village built on stilts, there is no open space. The boys can play only twice a month on a sandbar when the tide is low enough. Everything changes when the teens join together to build their very own floating soccer field.

This inspiring true story by debut author Scott Riley is gorgeously illustrated by Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien. Perfect for fans of stories about sports, beating seemingly impossible odds, and places and cultures not often shown in picture books.

“A compelling book for football [soccer] fans and readers seeking examples of ingenuity.”—starred, Publishers Weekly

Classified

The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer

• Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecraft as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation’s first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her life and work.

Cherokee author Traci Sorell and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan trace Ross’s journey from being the only girl in a high school math class to becoming a teacher to pursuing an engineering degree, joining the top-secret Skunk Works division of Lockheed, and being a mentor for Native Americans and young women interested in engineering. In addition, the narrative highlights Cherokee values including education, working cooperatively, remaining humble, and helping ensure equal opportunity and education for all.

“A stellar addition to the genre that will launch careers and inspire for generations, it deserves space alongside stories of other world leaders and innovators.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews

My Beijing

Four Stories of Everyday Wonder

• Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5    
• Reading Level: Grade 3

A 2019 Batchelder Honor Book

Yu’er and her grandpa live in a small neighborhood in Beijing—and it’s full of big personalities. There’s a story around every corner, and each day has a hint of magic.

In one tale, Yu’er wants to swim in the Special Olympics, a sports competition for people with disabilities. But she and her grandpa don’t have a pool! Their trick to help Yu’er practice wows the whole neighborhood. In another story, a friend takes Yu’er to a wild place full of musical insects. Later, Yu’er hears a special story about her grandparents. And in the final story, Yu’er and her grandpa show a cranky painter the sweet side of life.

Cici: A Fairy’s Tale

When Cici turns 10, she learns from her abuela that fairies have been a part of her family for generations—and now it’s her turn! By choosing to keep her wings, she inherits the ability to always see people for who they truly are. Cici’s new powers present unexpected challenges to normal life. As a fairy, Cici will encounter the magic of sprites, pixies, and demons. At the same time, she will have to process her parents’ divorce, forge new friendships, and cope with an eccentric grandma, all while remaining true to herself.

Cassandra: Animal Psychic

Cassandra has a gift: she can see what animals are thinking. After keeping her talent a secret at first, Cassandra realizes she can use her gift to make a difference and sets out to help pets and their people.

The Hunt Is On

Book 1

From the Series Seekers of the Aweto

• Interest Level: Grade 7 – Grade 12    
• Reading Level: Grade 7

Xinyue, his brother Qiliu, and their mother are seekers, hunting aweto—a rare, plantlike treasure—along the legendary Silk Road. After one outing, Xinyue discovers the offspring of a deity that creates aweto—and becomes the little creature’s reluctant caretaker. He soon struggles to keep it safe and keep it a secret. And that’s before he learns that warriors from the deity’s village are on his family’s tail…

Topside

• Interest Level: Grade 7 – Grade 12    
• Reading Level: Grade 6

A wild outer-space fantasy about fixing your mistakes and the friends you meet along the way.
When Jo, a headstrong maintenance technician, makes an error that destabilizes her planet’s core, she only knows one way to fix things: leaving her underground home for a trip to the planet’s dangerous, unruly surface. Soon she’s wandering through deserts, riding on the backs of giant beasts, and cutting deals with con artists and bounty hunters. Meanwhile, agents of the core are in hot pursuit. J. N. Monk and Harry Bogosian (co-creators of the web-comic StarHammer) present a wild outer-space fantasy about fixing your mistakes and the friends you meet along the way.

Stage Dreams

• Interest Level: Grade 8 – Grade 12    
• Reading Level: Grade 7

In this rollicking queer western adventure, acclaimed cartoonist Melanie Gillman (Stonewall Award Honor Book As the Crow Flies) puts readers in the saddle alongside Flor and Grace, a Latinx outlaw and a trans runaway, as they team up to thwart a Confederate plot in the New Mexico Territory. When Flor—also known as the notorious Ghost Hawk—robs the stagecoach that Grace has used to escape her Georgia home, the first thing on her mind is ransom. But when the two get to talking about Flor’s plan to crash a Confederate gala and steal some crucial documents, Grace convinces Flor to let her join the heist.