Book picks similar to
Your Life Matters by Chris Singleton


picture-books
picture-book
childrens
social-justice

Princess and the Peas


Rachel Himes - 2017
    Her son, John, is a highly eligible bachelor, and three local women vie for his hand in marriage by attempting to cook as well as Ma. At the last minute, a surprise contestant named Princess arrives at the door. Princess and John are well-matched, but Princess has her own ideas. When told she has won John's hand, she asks him to scrub the pots and pans before she'll give him an answer. Her answer, it turns out, is that she wants to spend some time getting to know John first.Backmatter includes an author's note and a recipe for Princess's Black-eyed Peas.

Brown Sugar Babe


Charlotte Watson Sherman - 2020
    But so many beautiful things in the world are brown -- calming beaches, cute animals, elegant violins, and more. Brown is musical. Brown is athletic. Brown is poetic. Brown is powerful!

Octopus Stew


Eric Velásquez - 2019
    �Tenga cuidado! Ramsey shouts. Be careful! But it's too late. The octopus traps Grandma!Ramsey uses both art and intellect to free his beloved abuela.Then the story takes a surprising twist. And it can be read two ways. Open the fold-out pages to find Ramsey telling a story to his family. Keep the pages folded, and Ramsey's octopus adventure is real.This beautifully illustrated picture book, drawn from the author's childhood memories, celebrates creativity, heroism, family, grandmothers, grandsons, Puerto Rican food, Latinx culture and more.With an author's note and the Velasquez family recipe for Octopus Stew!A Bank Street Best Book of the Year

Hair Twins


Raakhee Mirchandani - 2021
    Other days he weaves it into one long braid hanging down her back, just like a unicorn tail.  But her favorite style is when he combs her hair in a tight bun on the top of her head, just like the joora he wears every day under his turban. They call this their hair twin look!

Hey You!: An empowering celebration of growing up Black


Dapo Adeola - 2022
    It's a message that is both urgent and timeless - and offers a rich and rewarding reading experience for every child.To mirror the rich variety of the Black diaspora, this book showcases artwork from Dapo and 18 incredible Black illustrators in one beautiful, powerful, and cohesive reading experience.

Nosotros Means Us: Un Cuento Biling�e


Paloma Valdivia - 2021
    But no matter how they change, they will always be "us." This bilingual story is a timeless ode to the unshakable bond between parent and child.Si yo fuera una oveja, t� ser�as un cordero.Si yo fuera una osa, t� ser�as un osenzo.Con su ni�o en brazos, una madre contempla c�mo ser�a elamorentre ellos si fueran diferentes animales. Pero por mucho que cambien, no importa. Siempre ser�n"nosotros". Este cuento biling�e es una oda eterna al lazo irrompibleentre madre e hijo.

Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero


Kelly J. Baptist - 2020
    Adapted from a story that first appeared in Flying Lessons & Other Stories. Isaiah is now the big man of the house. But it's a lot harder than his dad made it look. His little sister, Charlie, asks too many questions, and Mama's gone totally silent. Good thing Isaiah can count on his best friend, Sneaky, who always has a scheme for getting around the rules. Plus, his classmate Angel has a few good ideas of her own--once she stops hassling Isaiah. And when things get really tough, there's Daddy's journal, filled with stories about the amazing Isaiah Dunn, a superhero who gets his powers from beans and rice. Isaiah wishes his dad's tales were real. He could use those powers right about now!

Dragons Love Tacos


Adam Rubin - 2012
    They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble.The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.

Not Quite Snow White


Ashley Franklin - 2019
    But she fears that having brown skin and a plump frame might keep her from her dreams.

Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride


Andrea Davis Pinkney - 2009
    But she knew she wouldn't really be free unless she was helping to end injustice. That's when she changed her name to Sojourner and began traveling across the country, demanding equal rights for black people and for women. Many people weren't ready for her message, but Sojourner was brave, and her truth was powerful. And slowly, but surely as Sojourner's step-stomp stride, America began to change.A celebrated author-illustrator team tells the story of one of the most unique and courageous women in American history, Sojourner Truth, who worked relentlessly to end slavery and ensure freedom for all. Full color.

Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World


Mac Barnett - 2010
    It's even worse when it's your fault.

A Song of Frutas


Margarita Engle - 2021
    From Pura Belpré Award–winning author Margarita Engle comes a lively, rhythmic picture book about a little girl visiting her grandfather who is a pregonero—a singing street vendor in Cuba—and helping him sell his frutas.When we visit mi abuelo, I help him sell frutas, singing the names of each fruit as we walk, our footsteps like drumbeats, our hands like maracas, shaking… The little girl loves visiting her grandfather in Cuba and singing his special songs to sell all kinds of fruit: mango, limón, naranja, piña, and more! Even when they’re apart, grandfather and granddaughter can share rhymes between their countries like un abrazo—a hug—made of words carried on letters that soar across the distance like songbirds.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie


Laura Joffe Numeroff - 1985
    If you give him a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim....The consequences of giving a cookie to this energetic mouse run the young host ragged, but young readers will come away smiling at the antics that tumble like dominoes through the pages of this delightful picture book.

The Cot in the Living Room


Hilda Eunice Burgos - 2021
    She resents that they get the entire living room with a view of the George Washington Bridge, while all she gets is a tiny bedroom with a view of her sister (who snores). Until one night when no one comes, and it’s finally her chance! But as it turns out, sleeping on the cot in the living room isn’t all she thought it would be.With charming text by Hilda Eunice Burgos and whimsical illustrations by Gaby D’Alessandro, The Cot in the Living Room is a celebration of the ways a Dominican American community takes care of one another while showing young readers that sometimes the best way to be a better neighbor is by imagining how it feels to spend a night sleeping on someone else’s pillow.

Fatima's Great Outdoors


Ambreen Tariq - 2021
    Her family is headed to a local state park for their first camping trip! The school week might not have gone as planned, but outdoors, Fatima can achieve anything. She sets up a tent with her father, builds a fire with her mother, and survives an eight-legged mutant spider (a daddy longlegs with an impressive shadow) with her sister. At the end of an adventurous day, the family snuggles inside one big tent, serenaded by the sounds of the forest. The thought of leaving the magic of the outdoors tugs at Fatima’s heart, but her sister reminds her that they can keep the memory alive through stories—and they can always daydream about what their next camping trip will look like.