Book picks similar to
Janna and the Kings by Patricia Smith


picture-books
picture-book
grief
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Hair Love


Matthew A. Cherry - 2019
    Cherry and New York Times bestseller Vashti Harrison.Zuri’s hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it’s beautiful. When mommy does Zuri’s hair, she feels like a superhero. But when mommy is away, it’s up to daddy to step in! And even though daddy has a lot to learn, he LOVES his Zuri. And he’ll do anything to make her—and her hair—happy.Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair—and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere.

Clean Getaway


Nic Stone - 2020
    * Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either. * Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and, most important, the way home.What Not to Bring: * A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with New York Times bestselling Nic Stone and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--his G'ma included.

The Secret River


Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings - 1955
    There's just not enough not enough money, not enough food, not enough fish for her daddy to sell at the market. Hard times have come to the forest, but Calpurnia wants to turn them back into soft times. With her little dog Buggy Horse and a tip from old Mother Albirtha, the wisest person in the forest, Calpurnia finds a secret river and uses the pink paper roses from her hair to catch enough beautiful catfish to feed the whole swamp land with some left over for Daddy to sell. When she tries to find the river again the next day, Mother Albirtha tells her, sometimes a thing happens once, and does not ever happen anymore. You caught catfish when catfish were needed; you will not find the river again. This story by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Yearling and literary icon Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is about living in a time of want, yet it is overflowing with riches&, stunning language, mystical happenings, wondrous, wondrous artwork. Beautiful in all ways that a book can be beautiful, this unforgettable picture book is a classic in the making.

The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee's Story


Pegi Deitz Shea - 1995
    A young Hmong girl in a Thai refugee camp in the mid-1970s finds the story within herself to create her own pa'ndau.

Luke Goes to Bat


Rachel Isadora - 2005
    Someday he wants to hit a homerun like his hero, Jackie Robinson. But the kids on Bedford Avenue won't let him play. "You're just a squirt," they tell him. When he finally does get to play stickball with the others, he does so badly that he thinks they'll never let him play again. But then his grandma takes him to see Jackie in a real game, and Luke discovers that part of being a hero is never giving up, even when there are two strikes against you and the game seems out of reach. Rachel Isadora offers up a touching salute to 1950s Brooklyn, baseball, and one of the most inspiring players ever to take the field.

Ten Ways to Hear Snow


Cathy Camper - 2020
    It's the sound of snow -- the kind that looks soft and glows bright in the winter sun. But as she walks to her grandmother's house to help make the family recipe for warak enab, she continues to listen. As Lina walks past snowmen and across icy sidewalks, she discovers ten ways to pay attention to what might have otherwise gone unnoticed. With stunning illustrations by Kenard Pak and thoughtful representation of a modern Arab American family from Cathy Camper, Ten Ways to Hear Snow is a layered exploration of mindfulness, empathy, and what we realize when the world gets quiet.

Mixed Me!


Taye Diggs - 2015
    He has LOTS of energy! His parents love him. And Mike is a PERFECT blend of the two of them.Still, Mike has to answer LOTS of questions about being mixed. And he does, with LOTS of energy and joy in this charming story about a day in the life of a mixed-race child.

Double Trouble For Anna Hibiscus!


Atinuke - 2015
    But Anna Hibiscus is amazing so it won't be long before everyone finds time for her again! A story which perfectly captures the anxiety and thrill of having a new sibling, this is a great title for any family with a new baby, or a baby on the way!

Twenty Yawns


Jane Smiley - 2016
    But later, she awakens in a dark, still room, and everything looks mysterious. How will she ever get back to sleep?

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez


Andrea Beaty - 2019
    . . until one day, when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill and he can no longer do so. Sofia misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Then she gets an idea—the town can turn the slimy mess into a park! She brainstorms and plans and finally works up the courage to go to City Hall—only to be told by a clerk that she can’t build a park because she’s just a kid! Sofia is down but not out, and she sets out to prove what one kid can do.Collect them all! Add these other STEM favorites from #1 New York Times bestselling team Andrea Beaty and David Roberts to your family library today!  Rosie Revere, EngineerIggy Peck, Architect Ada Twist, ScientistRosie Revere and the Raucous RivetersAda Twist and the Perilous PantsAda Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar ScientistsIggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing ArchitectsRosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold EngineersQuestioneers Family Calendar

In Your Hands


Carole Boston Weatherford - 2017
    I cradle you as you drift to sleep. But I know that I will not always hold your hand; not the older you get. Then, I will hold you in my heart And hope that God holds you in his hands.

My Tree


Hope Lim - 2021
    It reminds him of a tree his family had back home, and he names it Plumee for the deep purple plums on its branches. Whenever the boy is homesick, he knows he can take shelter in Plumee's tall branches.And when a storm brings the old tree down, he and his friends have all kinds of adventures on its branches, as it becomes a dragon, a treehouse, and a ship in their imaginations. But soon it's time to say goodbye when the remains of the tree are taken away. Before long, a new plum tree is planted, new blossoms bloom, and a new friendship takes root.

Cannonball


Sacha Cotter - 2020
    He's ready to make a splash!I'm ready to pull off the perfect cannonball, but everyone has advice."You need more weight""Bigger shorts!""More muscles!""BIGGER SHORTS!"All it really takes is listening to your own voice and finding the courage to make the perfect cannonball.

Everybody Cooks Rice


Norah Dooley - 1991
    Nifty book--The New York Times Book ReviewIn this multicultural picture book, Carrie goes from one neighbor's house to the next looking for her brother, who is late for dinner. She discovers that although each family is from a different country, everyone makes a rice dish at dinnertime. Readers will enjoy trying the simple recipes that correspond to each family's unique rice dish.

The Seven Princesses


Smiljana Coh - 2016
    But one day, they had the biggest fight in the entire history of princess fighting. There was no worse sound than the sound of this fight. Will the sisters ever find a way to fill their kingdom with sounds of laughter and playing again? Princesses of all sizes will royally delight in this modern-day fairy tale of sibling rivalry, adventure, and unconditional sisterly love.