books4yourkids

WOKE: A YOUNG POET'S CALL TO JUSTICE Mahogany L. Browne with Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood illustrated by Theodore Taylor III Foreword by Jason Reynolds Review Copy from Roaring Brook Press WOKE: A YOUNG POET'S CALL TO JUSTICE  is a gift to the world, especially those of us who are just waking up. Jason Reynolds begins this collection with a poem and a piece about the freedom to talk back, citing his mother who encouraged him to talk back, with respect and conviction and a voice she could hear, "'cross the room / 'cross the world / over all this noise." To Reynolds' mother, justice is the freedom to talk back, to use your own voice and that is exactly what Reynolds tells readers - "the future poets" - to do. With her introduction, Browne gives readers a clear definition of the idea of WOKE, writing, "To be WOKE is to understand that equality and justice for some is not equality and justice at all. We must ask hard qu

The Stuff of Stars  by Marion Dane Bauer ,  illustrated by Ekua Holmes Review Copy from Candlewick Press With powerfully poetic free verse, Bauer tells the story of the creation of the universe, the earth and a child. A speck floats in the "deep, deep dark,"yet there was "yet not time, / there was yet no space. / No up, / no down, / no edge, / no center." There was no "Earth with soaring hawks," no you, no me. And then, "the beginning / of the beginning / of all beginnings / went / BANG!" As Bauer's well chosen words draw readers into and across the story, Holmes's hand-marbled, paper collage  illustrations swirl with emptiness then burst into the fullness of everything. Reading The Stuff of Stars is an immersive, intense experience, the words and images are so perfectly paired. Holmes's choice of colors is organic and earthy, vibrant and atmospheric, with Bauer's careful evocation of creatures, from bluebirds and

Out of Wonder:  Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth illustrated by Ekua Holmes Purchased for my school library with grant funds Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets is a globally diverse, vividly illustrated,  superb collection of poetic tributes. Pablo Neruda, Bashō, Rumi, Chief Dan George, Judith Wright and Okot p'Bitek represent ancient and foreign language poets as well as poets from different eras, places and cultures, it is the collection of American poets, especially BIPOC poets, that makes this book a stand out. Back matter gives readers the opportunity to learn more about the poets being celebrated. As a young reader (and even, I'm embarrassed to admit, as a college student) I never read the preface of a book. As an adult, especially if I am reading a children's book, I always read the preface and the back matter. I recognize now how the preface guides and informs - and often inspires, the back

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott illustrations by Geneva B Review Copy from Random House Children's Books This is the review I want to write, followed by the review I have to write. As Jaxon and his mother stand outside the door of the mean old lady his mama calls "Ma," there is tension and sadness. Their landlord has turned off the water and gas and is forcing Jaxon and his mother out of their Brooklyn apartment. Alicia needs a place for Jax to be while she tries to work it out and Ma is her last resort, for reasons Jax will soon find out.  Ma has been sent three dragon hatchlings that she needs to deliver to a more magical realm immediately - feeding the hungry babies will make them grow and there is not enough magic in New York City to sustain the trio. Given a choice, Jax decides to accompany and aid Ma as needed and the two head into Prospect Park and to what appears to be the smallest castle Jax has ever seen. Stepping into this portal to ot

Some Places More Than Others  by  Renée Watson   Cover art by  Shadra Strickland Purchased Audio Book,  narrated by the superb  Bhani Turpin On the verge of turning twelve and becoming a big sister, Amara Baker narrates a this story of family, connections and acceptance. The only child of a clothing designer and marketing executive at Nike, Amara has had a comfortable childhood in a suburb of Portland. Born the day her father's mother died, Amara has often heard how much she is like her grandma Grace, but not much else about her father's childhood in Harlem. Feeling pressure from her mother to abandon her sneakerhead sense of style for more feminine dresses and worried about how the arrival of a baby, especially after her mother suffered miscarriages, will change her life, Amara wants to spend time with her father. But, when she asks to accompany him on a business trip to New York City and stay with her Grandpa Earl, a former basketball coach, she gets a firm &quo

ENOUGH! 20 Protesters Who Changed America by Emily Easton, illustrated by Ziyue Chen Purchased for my school library with grant funding With a single sentence on each two page spread,  Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America  introduces readers to the powerful ways Americans have fought for change, starting with Samuel Adams and the Boston Tea Party in 1773.  Easton and Chen  continue with Harriet leading the way,   Susan casting her vote, Rosa keeping her seat, Ruby going to school,  Martin having a dream and Cesar and Dolores declaring, "No grapes!" Woody sang, Rachel wrote a book and John and Yoko honeymooned in bed while Gilbert sewed a flag. Muhammed Ali refused to fight and "Tommie and John raised their fists" at the 1968 Olympics.  Chen's illustrations are gentle - faces are smooth, eyes are big and round and the more intense emotions activists may have felt at the time are not evident. As an introduction to Americans fighting for accep

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh Review Copy from FirstSecond Snapdragon is a graphic novel about a girl who has a run in with the town witch. And that is exactly where everything you think you know about this story flies out the window. The one-eyed, roadkill eating figure in black is Jacks, the woman who rescues and rehabilitates Good Boy, Snapdragon's dog - the only good thing about her mother's last, abusive boyfriend. When Snapdragon discovers that Jacks is earns a living by building and selling online the skeletons of the roadkill she gathers, she is fascinated. When Jacks agrees to rescue a litter of motherless possum that Snapdragon brings to her door (on the condition that Snap learn how to care for them) trust begins to grow. At home, Snap's mom is working nights and going to school. Snap's classmate and neighbor Louis shares her love of the "Witch Hill" movie franchise. As the two get closer, Louis asks to be called Lulu as she transitions.

THE ANGRY LIBRARIAN & DIVERSITY:  Staying Passionate When You Are Undervalued & Overworked bit.ly/TheAngryLibrarian DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & SOCIAL JUSTICE IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Change Is Happening bit.ly/DiversityinKidsBooks

Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max Review Copy from Candlewick Press Astro Girl begins, "Astrid had loved the stars and space ever since sh could remember," and we see a little girl peering out her window, into the night sky with a telescope. Gazing up at the sky with her best friend, she promises to bring him an asteroid when she is an astronaut. Astrid's father tells her all the things she will need to know and do if she becomes an astronaut, from eating food out of a tube or package, to getting used to zero gravity and falling asleep on her own among the stars. As they bake rocket shaped cookies together, Astrid assures her father she can do all of those things.  As  Astro Girl  comes to a close, Astrid puts on her favorite space t-shirt - at last it is time to go get mama. And here Wilson-Max gives readers a stellar surprise, turning this already unique and diverse book into a true standout - Astrid and her Dad are headed to the space center where her m