Book picks similar to
When Emily Was Small by Lauren Soloy


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Birdsong


Julie Flett - 2019
    But when she meets an elderly woman artist who lives next door, named Agnes––her world starts to change.Katherena and Agnes share the same passions for arts and crafts, birds, and nature. But as the seasons change, can Katherna navigate the failing health of her new friend?Award-winning author and artist Julie Flett’s textured images of birds, flowers, art, and landscapes bring vibrancy and warmth to this powerful story, which highlights the fulfillment of intergenerational relationships, shared passions, and spending time outdoors with the ones we love.Includes a glossary and pronunciation guide to Cree words that appear in the text.

Roxaboxen


Alice McLerran - 1991
    There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.“A celebration of the transforming magic of the imagination. An original.” —ALA Booklist

Going Places


Peter H. Reynolds - 2014
    Reynolds.It's time for this year's Going Places contest! Finally. Time to build a go-cart, race it—and win. Each kid grabs an identical kit, and scrambles to build.Everyone but Maya. She sure doesn't seem to be in a hurry ... and that sure doesn't look like anybody else's go-cart!But who said it had to be a go-cart? And who said there's only one way to cross the finish line?This sublime celebration of creative spirit and thinking outside the box—both figuratively and literally—is ideal for early learners, recent grads, and everyone in between.

Calvin Gets the Last Word


Margo Sorenson - 2020
    After looking all day, Calvin finally finds the word he’s looking for at bedtime. And when he does, the dictionary is as surprised as you will be.

The Camping Trip


Jennifer K. Mann - 2020
    . . won’t it? An endearing story about a girl’s first experience with the great outdoors.My aunt Jackie invited me to go camping with her and my cousin Samantha this weekend. I’ve never been camping before, but I know I will love it.Ernestine is beyond excited to go camping. She follows the packing list carefully (new sleeping bag! new flashlight! special trail mix made with Dad!) so she knows she is ready when the weekend arrives. But she quickly realizes that nothing could have prepared her for how hard it is to set up a tent, never mind fall asleep in it, or that swimming in a lake means that there will be fish — eep! Will Ernestine be able to enjoy the wilderness, or will it prove to be a bit too far out of her comfort zone? In an energetic illustrated story about a first sleepover under the stars, acclaimed author-illustrator Jennifer K. Mann reminds us that opening your mind to new experiences, no matter how challenging, can lead to great memories (and a newfound taste for s’mores).

A Poem for Peter


Andrea Davis Pinkney - 2016
    The family were struggling Polish immigrants, and despite Keats’s obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra’s dream of being an artist was an unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. By high school he was winning prizes and scholarships. Later, jobs followed with the WPA and Marvel comics. But it was many years before Keats’s greatest dream was realized and he had the opportunity to write and illustrate his own book.   For more than two decades, Ezra had kept pinned to his wall a series of photographs of an adorable African American child. In Keats’s hands, the boy morphed into Peter, a boy in a red snowsuit, out enjoying the pristine snow; the book became The Snowy Day, winner of the Caldecott Medal, the first mainstream book to feature an African American child. It was also the first of many books featuring Peter and the children of his — and Keats’s — neighborhood.   Andrea David Pinkney’s lyrical narrative tells the inspiring story of a boy who pursued a dream, and who, in turn, inspired generations of other dreamers.

The Marvels


Brian Selznick - 2015
    After surviving a shipwreck, he finds work in a London theatre. There, his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until 1900, when young Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage.Nearly a century later, runaway Joseph Jervis seeks refuge with an uncle in London. Albert Nightingale's strange, beautiful house, with its mysterious portraits and ghostly presences, captivates Joseph and leads him on a search for clues about the house, his family, and the past.

The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just


Mélina Mangal - 2018
    He saw the whole, where others saw only parts. And he noticed details others failed to see. Through stunning illustrations and lyrical prose, this picture book presents the life and accomplishments of Ernest Everett Just, an African American biologist who made important discoveries about the cell in the 1930s. Through his careful observations and hard work, Ernest opened up the wonder of the universe to all of us, through a tiny egg cell.

Ada and the Number-Crunching Machine


Zoë Tucker - 2019
    Although she might look like an ordinary little girl, she’s about to change the world.Augusta Ada Byron, better known as Ada Lovelace, is an inquisitive child. Like her clever mother, she loves solving problems—big problems, little problems, and tricky, complicated problems. Ada invents crazy contraptions and reads all the books in the library of her father, the poet Lord Byron; but most of all she loves to solve mathematical problems. Together with her teacher, the mathematician Charles Babbage, Ada invents the world’s first computer program. Her achievements made her a pioneer for women in the sciences. Zoë Tucker’s words capture the adventurous life of Ada succinctly, and debut picture book illustrator Rachel Katstaller’s art infuses Victorian London with humor.

The Tiny Tale of Little Pea


Davide Calì - 2017
    Teeny-tiny. His clothes were hand sewn by his mother and his shoes were hand-me-down doll shoes. As he grew older, Little Pea enjoyed climbing tomato plants, driving around in his wind-up car and riding on the backs of grasshoppers. But then Little Pea started school. And he suddenly realized just how small he was. Too small for his chair. Too small to play the flute. Too small for gym class. What would become of wee Little Pea?

How To


Julie Morstad - 2013
    How to read this book? That is up to you!

Maximillian Villainous


Margaret Chiu Greanias - 2018
    His famous family pulls pranks on the likes of Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, and Max spends his time undoing them. So when he brings home a bunny to be his sidekick, Max's disapproving mother hatches a plan. She challenges Max and the bunny to become a devious duo; otherwise . . . the bunny hops. If they want to stay together, Max and the bunny have no choice but to go against their nature. They blunder into villainy with comical effect until Max discovers that embracing his good heart may just be the key to pulling off the most devious deed of all and winning his family's acceptance.Delightfully fun and irreverent, Maximillian Villainous is an empowering story about embracing one's true self and finding acceptance. Up and coming illustrator Lesley Breen Withrow brings the characters to life with bold and colorful illustrations in a style reminiscent of Richard Scarry.

The Water Princess


Susan Verde - 2016
    But clean drinking water is scarce in her small African village. And try as she might, Gie Gie cannot bring the water closer; she cannot make it run clearer. Every morning, she rises before the sun to make the long journey to the well. Instead of a crown, she wears a heavy pot on her head to collect the water. After the voyage home, after boiling the water to drink and clean with, Gie Gie thinks of the trip that tomorrow will bring. And she dreams. She dreams of a day when her village will have cool, crystal-clear water of its own.

Pando: A Living Wonder of Trees


Kate Allen Fox - 2021
    Author Kate Allen Fox engages readers' senses to help convey the vastness of Pando, the challenges it faces, and how we all can be part of the solution. With lyrical poetry, Fox summarizes the science, action, and compassion needed to save this wonder of nature.

Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed


Lesléa Newman - 2015
    But Moshe didn’t mind. Everything he heard was music to his ears. One day, while out for a walk, he heard a small, sad sound that he’d never heard before. It was a tiny kitten! "Come on, little Ketzel," Moshe said, "I will take you home and we will make beautiful music together." And they did—in a most surprising way. Inspired by a true story, Lesléa Newman and Amy June Bates craft an engaging tale of a creative man and the beloved cat who brings unexpected sweet notes his way.