Ideas Are All Around


Philip C. Stead - 2016
    Wednesday chases squirrels while the two friends discuss fishing and war and how back before the neighborhood was there enormous woolly mammoths roamed where houses now sit.Thoughts open up to other thoughts, and ideas are born and carried forward, often transforming into other ideas until he finds that ideas really are all around, you just have to know what to do with them.

Memory Jars


Vera Brosgol - 2021
    She has to wait a whole year before they're back, and she doesn't want to lose them! Then Gran reminds her that they can save blueberries in a jar, as jam. So Freda begins to save all her favorite things. But it turns out that saving everything also means she can't enjoy anything, and Freda realizes that some things are best saved as memories.

How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad?


Jane Yolen - 2013
    Illustrations and rhyming text explore some of the things that dinosaurs might do when they are angry--and how they should control their tempers.

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.

Watercress


Andrea Wang - 2021
    Grabbing an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can.At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family get food from the grocery store? But when her mother shares a story of her family's time in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. Together, they make a new memory of watercress.Andrea Wang tells a moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage, illustrated by award winning author and artist Jason Chin, working in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques. An author's note in the back shares Andrea's childhood experience with her parents.

The Matchbox Diary


Paul Fleischman - 2013
    Then I’ll tell you its story." When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. What she finds inside surprises her: a collection of matchboxes making up her great-grandfather’s diary, harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory. Together they tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write — the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn’t enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game.

A Year with Marmalade


Alison Reynolds - 2012
    It’s about losing old friends and making new ones. It’s about change, which isn’t always a bad thing… When Maddy’s family relocate for a year, she must leave behind her cat, Marmalade, and her best friend Ella. The story of the growing friendship between Marmalade and Ella is set against a backdrop of the changing seasons.

Mommy's Khimar


Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow - 2018
    Before she walks out the door each day, she wraps one around her head. A young girl plays dress up with her mother’s headscarves, feeling her mother’s love with every one she tries on. Charming and vibrant illustrations showcase the beauty of the diverse and welcoming community in this portrait of a young Muslim American girl’s life.

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born


Jamie Lee Curtis - 1996
    Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is a special celebration of the love and joy an adopted child creates for a family.In asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl relives a cherished tale she knows by heart. Focusing on the significance of family and love, this a unique and beautiful story about adoption and the importance of a loving family.A beautiful adoption story, Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born also speaks to the universal childhood desire to know more about the excitement, awe, love, and sleeplessness that a new baby brings to a family.Tell me again about the night I was born.Tell me again how you would adopt me and be my parents.Tell me again about the first time you held me in your arms.

Ninja!


Arree Chung - 2014
    There may be obstacles! But have no fear—a true ninja can overcome all challenges.

Florette


Anna Walker - 2018
    She’ll miss the apple trees, the daffodils, and chasing butterflies in the wavy grass. But there’s no room for a garden in the city. Or is there?

One Word from Sophia


Jim Averbeck - 2015
    But she has Four Big Problems in the way: Mom, Dad, Uncle Conrad...and Grand-mama.Will her presentations, proposals, and pie charts convince them otherwise? Turns out, all it takes is one word.

Niblet & Ralph


Zachariah OHora - 2018
    Niblet loves noshing on crunchy potato chips. Ralph loves putting on headphones and jamming to his favorite records. But both cats have one thing in common: They love being friends and waving to each other from their windows across the courtyard of the apartment building they live in.One day, Niblet and Ralph decide it's time to meet in person (or in cat?). But when they mistakenly end up at each other's apartments, their owners think that Niblet is Ralph, and Ralph is Niblet! Will Niblet and Ralph be able to switch back to their proper homes, or will they be stuck listening to music (ugh) and eating chips (gross) forever? Better still, will they be able to bring their lovable (if not very observant) human families together?With zany humor and bold, bright art, Zachariah OHora creates a purrrfect picture book for kids, adults, and pets of all ages to enjoy.

Baking Day at Grandma's


Anika Aldamuy Denise - 2014
    Then they wrap it up in ribbons to show that sweets are even better when they're shared. With a recipe in the back, this is a perfect family feel-good story for the fall, winter, and any holiday spent with grandparents.Praise for BAKING DAY AT GRANDMA'S "This gentle story will leave children feeling warm and fuzzy. It’s perfect for individual sharing, storytime, baking time, and pretty much any time."--School Library Journal "A rollicking, rhyming salute to the grandmother-grandchild bond."--Kirkus Reviews

The Snow Dancer


Addie Boswell - 2020
    It isn’t long before the rest of the neighborhood wakes its sleepy head—and the other kids make their way to the park, scattering all of Sofia’s beautiful silence. But with the help of a new young friend, Sofia is ready to show everyone what a snow dancer can do on a perfect day like this. With lyrical language and gorgeous art, this book sparkles with all the joy and beauty of a snow day.