Time to kick off ICPL's Summer Reading Program! This list is features 125 librarian-recommended titles for children and families to read. You will find 25 titles per category: board books, picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, and nonfiction. Enjoy!
What will fit?
Grace Lin
jBOARD BOOK Lin
"Olivia searches the farmers market for something that will fill her basket. The apple is too small, and the zucchini is too long. What will fit just right? Engages young children in the math of spatial sense."--
Always : I love you always
Emma Dodd
jBOARD BOOK Dodd
There is always love between parent and child, which is the heartwarming message in an exquisite new title from Emma Dodd. Featuring stunning illustrations of an elephant family and with interior pages embellished with foil, this makes a handsome addition to any nursery bookshelf.
I love all of me
Lorie Ann Grover
jBOARD BOOK Grover
Rhyming text and colorful illustratons remind young reader to love everything about themselves, from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes.
5 little apples
Yusuke Yonezu
jBOARD BOOK Yonezu
Young readers can count down from five to one with each bite of an apple, with a surprise under a flap after each bite.
Feminist Baby
Loryn Brantz
jBOARD BOOK Brantz
Feminist Baby likes pink and blue, playing with cars and dolls, and the choice to become whatever she dreams.
Tails.
jBOARD BOOK Tails
What animal has a tail like these? Little ones will love guessing which of their favorite animals belong to each set of tails in this question and answer title filled with bold text and bright photographs.
ABC what can she be? : girls can be anything they want to be, from A to Z
jBOARD BOOK Abc
Explore a world of possibilities for little girls with big dreams. From astronaut to zoologist and everything in between, you really can be anything you want to be.
The going to bed book
Sandra Boynton
jBOARD BOOK Boynton
An assortment of animals on a boat take a bath, put on their pajamas, brush their teeth, and exercise before going to bed.
Snuggle Puppy : a little love song
Sandra Boynton
jBOARD BOOK Boynton
Snuggle Puppy's parent expresses love for his fuzzy little one through a kind of song that includes kisses.
Peek-a-who too?
Elsa Mroziewicz Bahia
jBOARD BOOK Mroziewicz
This follow-up to Peek-a-who is full of hidden animals, each making different sounds. Can you figure out who each one is? Lift the unique shaped flaps to see who peeks out!
Cerca = Close
Juan Felipe Herrera
jBOARD BOOK Herrera
"Mi cuarto es̀t cerca de la cocina. My bedroom is close to the kitchen. Mi cuarto es̀t cerca de la cocina. My bedroom is close to the kitchen."--Provided by publisher.
Lejos = Far
Juan Felipe Herrera
jBOARD BOOK Herrera
A country boy leaves home to visit the far-off city and the seashore even farther away as he enjoys a vacation with his father.
Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?
Bill Martin
jBOARD BOOK Martin
Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a teacher looking at them.
Kiss by kiss : a counting book for families = Ocêtôwina : peyak ôskân ohcih - akitâh-masinahikan
Richard Van Camp
jBOARD BOOK Vancamp
"Count your kisses with baby in this delightful dual-language rhyming board book, written in English and Plains Cree."--
Love you head to toe
Ashley Barron
jE Barron
Love You Head To Toe combines Ashley Barron's illustrations with a simple rhyming text that compares babies to baby animals. Each comparison takes up one spread and features the baby animal and the baby each engaged in a similar action-whether it's a baby riding on his mother's back, just like a duckling, or a baby curled up in a ball, just like a hedgehog.
Music is ...
Brandon Stosuy
jBOARD BOOK Stosuy
Through opposites, readers are introduced to the many different styles, sounds, and moods of music.
Picken : mix and match the farm animals!
Mary Murphy
jBOARD BOOK Murphy
What do you call a cross between a lamb and a calf? How on earth do you make a "googlet"? Children will love to mix up the heads and tails of different farmyard animals to invent hilarious new ones, while developing their matching skills as they work out how the animals should look.
Dream big, little one
Vashti Harrison
jBOARD BOOK Harrison
Featuring 18 trailblazing black women in American history, Dream Big, Little One is the board book adaptation of the author's Little leaders: bold women in Black history.
Baby goes to market
author Atinuke
jBOARD BOOK Atinuke
"Join Baby and his doting mama at a bustling southwest Nigerian marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud offering a gentle introduction to numbers."--Publisher's description.
Kindness makes us strong
Sophie Beer
jBOARD BOOK Beer
"This...board book shows various children as they extend kindness in all kinds of situations: on the playground, at lunchtime, on a bike path, and on a neighborhood street."--
Tip tip dig dig
Emma Garcia
jBOARD BOOK Garcia
Describes how various earthmoving trucks clean up a dump and make a playground, discussing what such machines as diggers, mixers, bulldozers, and cranes can do.
The magical yet
Angela DiTerlizzi
jE Diterliz
The Magical Yet is the perfect tool for parents and educators to turn a negative into a positive when helping children cope with the inevitable difficult learning moments we all face. Whether a child or an adult, this encouraging and uplifting book reminds us that we all have things we haven't learned...yet!
Here's Magical Yet to start off our list of 25 recommended picture books! This is a book meant to encourage and empower kids when facing a challenging new task. Through beautiful illustrations and storytelling, we learn about the power behind the words, “yet…”
- Becky
You matter
Christian Robinson
jE Robinson
Illustrations and easy-to-read text remind the reader that no matter what happens or how one feels, he or she matters.
The shortest day
Susan Cooper
jE Cooper
A celebration of the winter solstice and the Yuletide season. As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again.
Hair love
Matthew A Cherry
jE Cherry
A little girl's daddy steps in to help her arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self.
Bark, George
Jules Feiffer
jE Feiffer
George is a puppy who does not sound like a puppy should, despite the efforts of his mother.
A big mooncake for little star
Grace Lin
jE Lin
Reimagines the cycles of the moon as a mother bakes a Big Moon Cookie and, despite Mama's request to wait, Little Star begins nibbling at it every night.
Snow Pony and the seven miniature ponies
Christian Trimmer
jE Trimmer
In this twist on the story of Snow White, pretty and sweet Snow Pony--beloved by children for her talent in braiding hair and dancing--follows a trail of delicious apples into the woods, where she meets seven miniature ponies.
Lift
Minh Lê
jE Le
The fantastic tale of a magical elevator that will lift your spirits--and press all the right buttons! Iris loves to push the elevator buttons in her apartment building, but when it's time to share the fun with a new member of the family, she's pretty put out. That is, until the sudden appearance of a mysterious new button opens up entire realms of possibility, places where she can escape and explore on her own.
Girl on a motorcycle
Amy Novesky
jE Novesky
One day, a girl gets on her motorcycle and rides away. She wants to wander the world. To go... Elsewhere. This is the true story of the first woman to ride a motorcycle around the world alone.
I got the rhythm
Connie Schofield-Morrison
jE Schofield-Morrison
On a trip to the park with her mother, a young girl hears a rhythm coming from the world around her and begins to move to the beat, finally beginning an impromptu dance in which other childen join her.
Corduroy
Don Freeman
jE Freeman
A toy bear in a department store wants a number of things, but when a little girl finally buys him he finds what he has always wanted most of all.
Ten little fingers and ten little toes
Mem Fox
jE Fox
Rhyming text compares babies born in different places and in different circumstances, but they all share the commonality of ten little fingers and ten little toes.
The snowy day
Ezra Jack Keats
jE Keats
The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.
Dreamers
Yuyi Morales
jE Morales
"An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story"--
Over and under the pond
Kate Messner
jE Messner
Celebrates the forms of life that live above and under a pond, including turtles, red-winged blackbirds, blue herons, minnows, frogs, and catfish.
Can I play, too?
Mo Willems
jREADER Willems, Mo
Elephant and Piggie learn to play catch with their new friend Snake.
Hug machine
Scott Campbell
jE Campbell
The hug machine is available to hug anyone, any time, whether they are square or long, spikey or soft.
Perfectly Norman
Tom Percival
jE Percival
Norman is thrilled to discover he grew a pair of wings overnight, but his excitement turns to doubt when he realizes he is now different from everyone else, causing him to question whether there is such thing as perfectly normal.
Julián is a mermaid
Jessica Love
jE Love
While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes -- and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?
Saturday
Oge Mora
jE Mora
When all of their special Saturday plans go awry, Ava and her mother still find a way to appreciate one another and their time together.
Last stop on Market Street
Matt de la Peña
jE Delapena
A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things.
Owl moon
Jane Yolen
jE Yolen
On a winter's night under a full moon, a father and daughter trek into the woods to see the Great Horned Owl.
Polar bear's underwear
creator Tupera Tupera (Firm)
jE Tupera
Polar Bear has lost his underwear and he asks his friend, Mouse, to help him find it.
My papi has a motorcycle
Isabel Quintero
jE Quintero
When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. With vivid illustrations and text bursting with heart, My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change.
Where the mountain meets the moon
Grace Lin
jFICTION Lin, Grace
Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.
This begins our list of 25 recommended chapter books!
- Becky
Ghost
Jason Reynolds
jFICTION Reynolds Jason
"Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite middle school track team. He must stay on track, literally and figuratively, to reach his full potential"--
The wild robot
Peter Brown
jFICTION Brown Peter
Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants.
The hobbit : or, There and back again
J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien
jFICTION Tolkien, J. R. R.
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to share in an adventure from which he may never return.
The girl who drank the moon
Kelly Regan Barnhill
jFICTION Barnhill Kelly
An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her.
The Parker inheritance
Varian Johnson
jFICTION Johnson Varian
Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the old house that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis courts dug up looking for buried treasure--but when she finds the letter that sent her grandmother on the treasure hunt, she finds herself caught up in the mystery and, with the help of her new friend and fellow book-worm, Brandon, she sets out to find the inheritance, exonerate her grandmother, and expose an injustice once committed against an African American family in Lambert.
Lalani of the distant sea
Erin Entrada Kelly
jFICTION Kelly Erin
"Twelve-year-old Lalani Sarita takes on the impossible task of traveling to the legendary Mount Isa, towering on an island to the north. Generations of men and boys have died on the same quest--how can a timid young girl in a tiny boat survive the epic tests of the archipelago?"--
The canyon's edge
Dusti Bowling
jFICTION Bowling Dusti
A year after the death of her mother in a restaurant shooting, Nora is left struggling to stay alive when a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong.
Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone
J. K Rowling
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Rowling, J. K.
Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches. This is the first Hary Potter book.
King and the dragonflies
Kacen Callender
jFICTION Callende Kacen
"In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself"--
The birchbark house
Louise Erdrich
jFICTION Erdrich, Louise
Omakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847.
Inside out & back again
Thanhha Lai
jFICTION Lai, Thanhha
Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.
The lightning thief
Rick Riordan
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Riordan, Rick
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe.
Hoot
Carl Hiaasen
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Hiaasen, Carl
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
The graveyard book
Neil Gaiman
jFICTION Gaiman, Neil
Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard.
Ophelia and the marvelous boy
Karen Foxlee
jFICTION Foxlee Karen
Ophelia, a timid eleven-year-old girl grieving her mother, suspends her disbelief in things non-scientific when a boy locked in the museum where her father is working asks her to help him complete an age-old mission.
The lion, the witch and the wardrobe : a story for children
C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Lewis, C. S.
Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
Willa of the wood
Robert Beatty
jFICTION Beatty Robert
In the late 1800s, a twelve-year-old nightspirit living in the Great Smoky Mountains despairs as homesteaders destroy her forest habitat, until a chance encounter with a "day-folk" man changes everything she thought she knew about her people--and their greatest enemy.
Dragons in a bag
Zetta Elliott
jFICTION Elliott Zetta
In Brooklyn, nine-year-old Jax joins Ma, a curmudgeonly witch who lives in his building, on a quest to deliver three baby dragons to a magical world, and along the way discovers his true calling.--
How to train your dragon
Cressida Cowell
jFICTION Cowell, Cressida
Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.
Harbor me
Jacqueline Woodson
jFICTION Woodson, Jacqueline
"When six students are chosen to participate in a weekly talk with no adults allowed, they discover that when they're together, it's safe to share the hopes and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world"--
Matilda
Roald Dahl
jFICTION Dahl, Roald
Matilda is a genius, but her parents treat her like a dolt, so she gets back at them by playing practical jokes. Her adventures continue in her school that has a mean headmistress.
Fuzzy mud
Louis Sachar
jFICTION Sachar Louis
"Two middle-grade kids take a shortcut home from school and discover what looks like fuzzy mud but is actually a substance with the potential to wreak havoc on the entire world"--
Stargazing
Jen Wang
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Wang
Growing up in the same Chinese-American suburb, perfectionist Christine and artistic, confident, impulsive Moon become unlikely best friends, whose friendship is tested by jealousy, social expectations, and illness.
This is the beginning of our highly recommended Graphic Novels category!
- Becky
Pilu of the woods
Mai K. Nguyen
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Nguyen
Willow loves the woods near her house. They're calm and quiet, so different from her own turbulent emotions, which she keeps locked away. When her emotions get the better of her one day, she decides to run away into the woods. There, she meets Pilu, a lost tree spirit who can't find her way back home--which turns out to be the magnolia grove Willow's mom used to take her to.
Queen of the sea
Dylan Meconis
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Meconis
When her sister seizes the throne, Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished to a tiny island off the coast of her kingdom, where the nuns of the convent spend their days peacefully praying, sewing, and gardening. But the island is also home to Margaret, a mysterious young orphan girl whose life is upturned when the cold, regal stranger arrives.
New kid
Jerry Craft
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Craft
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.
The cardboard kingdom
Chad Sell
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Sell
Follows the adventures of a group of neighborhood children who create costumes from cardboard and use their imagination in adventures with knights, robots, and monsters.
Guts
Raina Telgemeier
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Telgemeier
Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mom has one, too, so it's probably just a bug. Raina eventually returns to school, where she's dealing with the usual highs and lows: friends, not-friends, and classmates who think the school year is just one long gross-out session. It soon becomes clear that Raina's tummy trouble isn't going away... and it coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships.
Amulet
Kazu Kibuishi
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Kibuishi Amulet
After moving into an old ancestral home, Emily and Navin's mother is kidnapped and dragged down the basement stairs by a mysterious creature, and after giving chase, the kids find themselves in a magical but dangerous world of man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, and shadowy enemies.
Zita the spacegirl
Ben Hatke
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Hatke Zita
When young Zita discovers a device that opens a portal to another place, and her best friend is abducted, she is compelled to set out on a strange journey from star to star in order to get back home.
Roller girl
Victoria Jamieson
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Jamieson
"A graphic novel adventure about a girl who discovers roller derby right as she and her best friend are growing apart"--
Hilda and the troll
Luke Pearson
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Pearson
While on an expedition to illustrate the magical creatures of the mountains around her home, Hilda spots a mountain troll. As the blue-haired explorer sits and sketches, she slowly starts to nod off. By the time she wakes up, the troll has totally disappeared and, even worse, Hilda is lost in a snowstorm.
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy : a graphic novel
Rey Terciero
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Terciero
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are having a really tough year: Not only is their father overseas with the military and their mother working overtime to make ends meet, but each girl is struggling with her own unique problems.
This was our pact
Ryan Andrews
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Andrews
"Ben and his friends are determined to find out where the paper lanterns of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival go, so they follow the river as far as they can until the only followers left are Ben and Nathaniel."--Provided by publisher.
Babymouse
Jennifer L. Holm
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Holm Babymouse
An imaginative mouse learns life lessons while living her life.
Be prepared
Vera Brosgol
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Brosgol
A misfit girl and her brother attend summer camp, where they struggle with primitive plumbing, snobby tentmates, and boys-versus-girls competitions.
5 worlds
Mark Siegel
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Siegel Five
"A story that explores new worlds packed with amazing adventures; ancient mysteries; the unlikely bond of a clumsy dancer, a boy from the poorest slums, and a superstar athlete--and their quest to save one small, distant galaxy from the forces of evil"--
Dog Man
Dav Pilkey
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Pilkey Dog
George and Harold create a new comic book hero in Dog Man, a crimefighter with the head of a police dog and the body of a policeman, who faces off against his archnemesis Petey the cat.
El deafo
Cece Bell
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Bell
The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower."
Best friends
Shannon Hale
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Hale
When she becomes part of the in-crowd, Shannon begins to question whether she wants to remain there, in a story about popularity, first boyfriends, and finding a path in life.
The okay witch
Emma Steinkellner
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Steinkellner
Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she's about to discover that witches aren't just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens.
The Tea Dragon Society
Katie (Cartoonist) O'Neill
jGRAPHIC NOVEL O'Neill
After discovering a lost Tea Dragon in the marketplace, apprentice blacksmith Greta learns about the dying art form of Tea Dragon caretaking from the kind tea shop owners.
Sunny side up
Jennifer L. Holm
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Holm Sunny
Sunny Lewin is sent to live with her grandfather for the summer in Florida, where she befriends Buzz, a boy completely obsessed with comic books, and faces the secret behind why she is in Florida in the first place.
Act
Kayla Miller
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Miller
Olive is excited to start sixth grade: new teachers, new experiences, and a field trip to the big city with her best buds! But when Olive finds out that a school policy is keeping some kids from going on the trip, she decides to act.
The hidden witch
Molly Ostertag
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Ostertag
When Aster's non-magical friend Charlie finds herself the target of a curse, Aster and his unconventional talent for witchery must find the source of the curse before more people get hurt.
Peter & Ernesto : a tale of two sloths
Graham Annable
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Annable Peter
Peter and Ernesto are sloths. Peter loves their tree and never wants to leave, while Ernesto loves the sky and wants to see it from every place on earth. So Ernesto leaves to have a grand adventure, and Peter stays behind and frets. Will their separation tear these friends apart ... or can it bring them closer together?
The breakaways
Cathy G. Johnson
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Johnson
When a popular student encourages her to join the soccer team, Faith signs up even though she has never played the game and learns about loyalty and friendship.
Crossings : extraordinary structures for extraordinary animals
Katy Duffield
jE Duffield
"A non-fiction exploration of animal crossings built by animal lovers around the world to help animals cross over, under, around, and through human construction"--
This is the start for the final category in our list of 125 recommended titles for children: nonfiction. Enjoy!
- Becky
Galápagos girl
Marsha Diane Arnold
j468.6 Arnold
"A bilingual story, inspired by the childhood of Valentina Cruz, whose family was one of the first permanent inhabitants of the Galapagos islands. Valentina makes a promise to protect the islands and her animal friends"--
How to be an elephant : growing up in the African wild
Katherine Roy
j599.67 Roy
"This nonfiction picture book follows an elephant's growth from a newborn calf to a full-grown adult in one of the most socially and structurally complex family groups on earth."--
Little leaders : bold women in black history
Vashti Harrison
jBIOGRAPHY 920.996 Harrison
Based on her popular Instagram posts, debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison shares the stories of 40 bold African American women who shaped history.
Actual size
Steve Jenkins
j591.41 Jenkins
Discusses and gives examples of the size and weight of various animals and parts of animals.
Separate is never equal : Sylvia Mendez & her family's fight for desegregation
Duncan Tonatiuh
j973.006 /Tonatiuh
"Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez, an eight-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, played an instrumental role in Mendez v. Westminster, the landmark desegregation case of 1946 in California"--
Her right foot
Dave Eggers
jE Eggers
In this honest look at the literal foundation of our country, Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris investigate a seemingly small trait of America's most emblematic statue. What they find is about more than history, more than art. What they find in the Statue of Liberty's right foot is the message of acceptance that is essential to an entire country's creation.
Who is Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
Patricia author Demuth
jBIOGRAPHY Ginsburg, Ruth Bader
"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is famous for her stylish collars (called jabots) and her commanding dissents. This opera-loving New Yorker has always spoken her mind; as a young lawyer, RBG advocated for gender equality and women's rights when few others did. She gained attention for the cases she won when arguing in front of the Supreme Court, before taking her place on the bench in 1993. Author Patricia Brennan Demuth answers all the question about what makes RBG so notorious and irreplaceable"--
Grand Canyon
Jason Chin
jE Chin
"An exploration of the Grand Canyon on a grand scale, as only Jason Chin can illustrate and explain."--
Brown girl dreaming
Jacqueline Woodson
jBIOGRAPHY Woodson, Jacqueline
"The author shares her childhood memories and reveals the first sparks that ignited her writing career in free-verse poems about growing up in the North and South"--
She persisted : 13 American women who changed the world
Chelsea Clinton
jE Clinton
Profiles the lives of thirteen American women who have left their mark on U.S. history, including Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Margaret Chase Smith, and Oprah Winfrey.
First generation : 36 trailblazing immigrants and refugees who make America great
Sandra Neil Wallace
jBIOGRAPHY 920.02 Wallace
Artists and athletes. Educators and journalists. Activists and inventors. CEOs and comedians. Celebrate the genius, diversity, and grit of immigrants and refugees in this boldly illustrated guide to 36 American trailblazers. Their courage, their achievements, and their determination to change the world have helped make our country a stronger place. Perhaps reading their stories, you will be inspired to make the world a better place, too.
Shark lady : the true story of how Eugenie Clark became the ocean's most fearless scientist
Jess Keating
jE Keating
At 9 years old, Eugenie Clark developed an unexpected passion for sharks after a visit to the Battery Park Aquarium in New York City. At the time, sharks were seen as mindless killing machines, but Eugenie knew better and set out to prove it. Despite many obstacles in her path, Eugenie was able to study the creatures she loved so much. From her many discoveries to the shark-related myths she dispelled, Eugenie's wide scientific contributions led to the well-earned nickname "Shark Lady"--
The boy who harnessed the wind
William Kamkwamba
BIOGRAPHY Kamkwamba, William
In this memoir adapted for young readers, William Kamkwamba describes the drought that struck his tiny village in Malawi, his subsequent interest in science, and his idea to build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land.
Animals in winter
Henrietta Bancroft
j591.43 Bancroft
Describes the many different ways animals cope with winter, including migration, hibernation, and food storage.
Who did it first? : 50 politicians, activists, and entrepreneurs who revolutionized the world
Jay Leslie
jBIOGRAPHY 920.02 Leslie
"Illustrated book with profiles of the men and women who have revolutionized politics, policy, and activism, with a focus on their accomplishments that were 'firsts' in their fields"--
Dreams from many rivers : a Hispanic history of the United States told in poems
Margarita Engle
j811 Engle
"A middle grade verse history of Latinos in the United States, told through the voices of many and varied individuals ranging from Juan Ponce de León to modern-day sixth graders"--
Folktales for fearless girls : the stories we were never told
Myriam Sayalero
j398.2 Sayalero
"A collection of folktales from around the world in which girls and women save the day"--
Lovely beasts : the surprising truth
Kate Gardner
j590 Gardner
The author lists several animals that many people would consider scary (sharks), ugly (bats), or creepy (spiders) then explains how they benefit their biological niche, and humans!
A seed is the start
Melissa Stewart
j581.467 Stewart
Beautiful photography and lyrical text pair with comprehensive picture captions in award-winning author Melissa Stewart's story about the surprisingly diverse world of seeds. Learn all about the plant cycle, from how seeds grow, the fascinating ways they travel, and what it takes for a seed to become a plant.
The truth about poop
Susan E. Goodman
j612.36 Goodman
A compendium of fascinating, weird, and gross facts about excrement.
To the moon : the true story of the American heroes on the Apollo 8 spaceship
Jeffrey Kluger
j629.454 Kluger
The inspiring true story of Apollo 8, the first crewed American spaceship to break free of Earth's orbit and reach the moon.
The busy body book : a kid's guide to fitness
Lizzy Rockwell
j612 Rockwell
An introduction to the human body, how it functions, and its need for exercise.
Gardening lab for kids : 52 fun experiments to learn, grow, harvest, make, play, and enjoy your garden
Renata Fossen Brown
j635 Brown
A source of ideas to help children learn how to grow their own garden encourages families to enjoy nature and features fifty-two creative plant-related activities set into weekly lessons. --Publisher's description.
Let's start off the list with 25 highly recommended board books.
- Becky