To Dance: Special Edition


Siena Cherson Siegel - 2019
    Siena was six—and her dreams kept skipping and leaping, circling and spinning, from airy runs along a beach near her home in Puerto Rico, to dance classes at the School of American Ballet, to her debut performance on stage with the New York City Ballet while working with ballet legend George Balanchine. Part family history, part backstage drama, this beautifully updated graphic memoir—which features a refreshed design and a brand-new scrapbook of Siena’s mementoes—is an original, firsthand look a young dancer’s beginnings.

Coco and the Little Black Dress


Annemarie van Haeringen - 2013
    Until her eighteenth birthday . . . Coco knew one thing for sure Coco. She would never, never be poor again. A beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Coco Chanel. Coco Chanel (1883-1971) was a famous French fashion designer. Born into a poor family, strictly brought up in the orphanage, influenced by the style of wealthy suitors , she remained faithful throughout her life to the simplicity. A luxurious simplicity , which has produced memorable style icons like the little black dress and perfume Chanel No. 5.

The Escape of Robert Smalls: A Daring Voyage Out of Slavery


Jehan Jones-Radgowski - 2019
    In the early hours of May 13, 1862, in the midst of the deadly U.S. Civil War, an enslaved man named Robert Smalls was about to carry out a perilous plan of escape. Standing at the helm of the ship, Smalls impersonated the captain as he and his crew passed heavily armed Confederate forts to enter Union territory, where escaped slaves were given shelter. The suspenseful escape of the determined crew is celebrated with beautiful artwork and insightful prose, detailing the true account of an unsung American hero.

Bobby and the Monsters


Marie Blair - 2018
    It is a quite often situation for little kids. Their vivid imagination creates a genuine fear about what is waiting in the darkness of the room. Bobby's Mom treats with understanding to his feelings and peculiarly calms him. She makes up a story that makes son smile and ready to sleep.What is this story about? Just start to read, and you know it.It is a cute little story will entertain children and make a good time with parents before sleep.

Women In Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win


Rachel Ignotofsky - 2017
    Keeping girls interested in sports has never been more important: research suggests that girls who play sports get better grades and have higher self-esteem--but girls are six times more likely to quit playing sports than boys and are unlikely to see female athlete role models in the media. A fascinating collection full of striking, singular art, Women in Sports features 50 profiles and illustrated portraits of women athletes from the 1800s to today including trailblazers, Olympians, and record-breakers in more than 40 different sports. The book also contains infographics about relevant topics such as muscle anatomy, a timeline of women's participation in sports, statistics about women in athletics, and influential female teams.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers


Fred Rogers - 2019
    Through songs, puppets, and frank conversations, Mister Rogers instilled the values of kindness, patience, and self-esteem in his viewers, and most of all, taught children how loved they were, just by being themselves. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood reimagines the songs from the show as poetry, ranging from the iconic "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" to the forgotten gems. The poems deal with topics such as difficult feelings, new siblings, everyday routines, imagination, and more.

Irving Berlin, the Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing


Nancy Churnin - 2018
    Growing up on the streets of the lower East Side, the rhythms of jazz and blues inspired his own song-writing career. Starting with his first big hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," Berlin created the soundtrack for American life with his catchy tunes and irresistible lyrics. With "God Bless America," he sang his thanks to the country which had given him a home and a chance to express his creative vision.

Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words


Karen Leggett Abouraya - 2014
    Though she and two of her schoolmates were targeted by a Taliban gunman, a life-threatening injury only strengthened her resolve. Malala spoke at the U.N. on her 16th birthday in 2013, nine months after she was shot. Author and journalist Karen Leggett Abouraya, author of Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books, brings Malala's story to life for young readers. Malala's story is more than a biography of a brave and outspoken teenager. It is a testament to the power of education to change the world for boys and girls everywhere. "Winner of the California Reading Association's 2015 EUREKA! Honor Award"

Grace: Based on the Jeff Buckley Story


Tiffanie DeBartolo - 2019
    All his life, people have told Jeff Buckley how much he looks like his father, the famous ’60s folksinger he barely knew. But Jeff believes he has gifts of his own: a rare, octave-spanning voice and a songwriting genius that has only started to show itself. After he falls in love with a mysterious girl in New York, he sets out to make a name for himself outside his father’s shadow.What follows are six turbulent years of music, heartbreak, hope, and daring—culminating in a tragedy that’s still reverberating in the music world today. Written by Tiffanie DeBartolo and with art by Pascal Dizin and Lisa Reist, this graphic novel biography uses archival material provided by Jeff’s mother, Mary Guibert, to reveal the young songwriter in the process of becoming a legend.

The Reign of Queen Victoria


Hector Bolitho - 2010
     From the day when, as a young girl of eighteen, she succeeded to the throne, she showed that a constitutional monarch could still have a will of her own and that her words could make statesmen tremble. In this classic biography Hector Bolitho analyses the phases of the Queen's life; her childhood and upbringing, her all too brief married life with Albert, the years of' retirement behind the great walls of Windsor and the more remote fastnesses of Deeside. Although Bolitho calls his book The Reign of Queen Victoria, his work is essentially a record of a remarkable woman and her husband, their personal lives and characters, rather than a political history of her reign. It describes the childhood and youth of Victoria and Albert in alternate chapters so that the reader can see the two growing up side by side yet independently, and can trace the gradual evolution of their characters in isolation until they come together. The expansion of the Prince's influence, first over the Queen, then on successive Cabinets and Prime Ministers, and finally on every aspect of the national life, is traced, and the importance of his reforming zeal is clearly brought out, particularly in its lasting influence on Victoria herself, which controlled to the end the more irrational elements of her character. Praise for Hector Bolitho ‘Flowing and lively’ – Cobden Sanderson Hector Bolitho (1897-1974) was born in New Zealand but settled in Britain, where he wrote over fifty books and worked as a freelance journalist. His other books include Albert: Prince Consort and A Penguin in the Eyrie.

Robert and the World's Best Cake


Anne-Kathrin Behl - 2021
    Robert wants to bake a gigantic cake—the best in the world! But when Robert’s freshly created invitations blow out the window, Robert, his dad, and Mopsi the dog get an even bigger surprise. Just when they sit down to eat the cake, the doorbell rings again, and again, and again! With humor and a keen sense of the absurd, Anne-Kathrin Behl tells a delightful story about the big and little wonders of everyday life. Praise for Help, I Don’t Want a Babysitter, illustrated by Anne-Kathrin Behl: “The pencil drawing illustrations . . . [are] hilarious . . . and complement the text perfectly.”—School Library Journal

The Little Cockroach


Susie Violet - 2020
    He loves Mexico but wants to explore the world. Amazing things happen to Pedro and his friend Enrico when they decide to leave their home in search of adventure. The Little Cockroach is a delightful bedtime story about determination, travel and adventure.

Kid Presidents: True Tales of Childhood from America's Presidents


David Stabler - 2014
    Some struggled with schoolwork and got into fights; others pranked their teachers and infuriated their parents. William Howard Taft was forced to take dance lessons. Gerald Ford struggled with dyslexia. Teddy Roosevelt had a bedroom "museum" full of dead animals. "Kid Presidents" features 20 captivating true stories from the childhoods of American presidents, complete with lively text and more than 200 cartoon illustrations. Laugh-out-loud funny and packed with cool facts, it's the perfect read for all young future leaders of the free world.

Rosa Parks


Lisbeth Kaiser - 2017
    All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.Rosa Parks grew up during segregation in Alabama, but she was taught to respect herself and stand up for her rights. In 1955, Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.Her decision had a huge impact on civil rights, eventually leading to the end of segregation on public transport. Rosa was described as “the mother of the freedom movement”. This inspiring story of Rosa’s life is moving, and approachable for young readers.

Little Book of Kindness


Francesca Pirrone - 2020
    Just say thanks. Give a smile. Offer help. When you are kind, others are too. Kindness is a precious quality that we all possess. It can be practiced anywhere and with anyone, it does not require commitment, study or sacrifice, and it makes those who practice it feel good and those who receive it. Isn't it amazing? A sweet pig, funny and above all, very kind, gives us the keys to being a good person.