Lulu Gets a Cat
By Anna McQuinn
When Lulu reads Mary, Mary Quite Contrary in a book of Garden Poems, she wants to grow some flowers herself.
While the main character is accustomed to her albinism, moving to a new town brings a number of problems.
The Day You Begin / El día en que descubres quién eres
by Jacqueline Woodson
Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, is new to the school and feels like an outsider. He finds out that his classmate, Angela feels the same. This book celebrates the bravery it takes to take those first steps into a place where you feel different.
What If …
by Samantha Berger
A girl who is determined to draw imagines what would happen if her pencil disappears.
A Different Pond by Bao Phi
Bao Phi, a Vietnamese American, and his father set out to fish for their supper in a nearby lake. This is a bittersweet story of the resourcefulness of an immigrant family.
2018 Caldecott Honor Book
Bixby Alexander Tam, a boy on the autism spectrum, centers in this story about his interactions at school and at home, and especially the bond he forms with an orphaned baby skunk.
A Boy Called Bat
Bat and the Waiting Game
by Elana K. Arnold
Family Poems for Every Day of the Week / Poemas familiares para cada día de la semana
By Francisco X. Alarcón, illustrated by Maya Christina González
Bilingual Spanish/English poems that celebrate family life each day of the week.
Alfie
By Thyra Heder
Alfie, Nia’s pet turtle, goes missing the day before her seventh birthday.
A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
Lovely
By Jess Hong
Picture book celebrating the differences that make us all “lovely.”
Drawn Together
by Minh Le
A story of a young boy and his grandfather connecting through their shared love for drawing.
Aven, a girl born without arms, has to get used to the stares, incredulity, and questions when she moves to a new town. Also, there may or may not be a murder to solve.
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
Derrick D. Barnes
A lovely story about the power that a fresh cut at the barber shop brings to your life and how it helps young black boys reflect in the mirror with pride. Everyone notices and joy exudes. You may go in as a lump of clay, but come out as a masterpiece.
A delightful intergenerational story about a young African American girl who awaits the arrival of Grandma Mimi and her large treasure purse. She loves to go through her purse to hear the fascinating stories about all the surprises that she finds. At the end of the story, the little girl has experienced everything in the purse, until she discovered a surprise just for her.
Clayton feels most alive when he plays music with his grandfather. He is heart broken when his grandfather passes away and his mother forbids him from playing the blues. This compels him to run away in the hope of joining other bluesmen on the road.
This picture book biography follows the journey of Ernie Barnes, from young adolescent, painting mud after a North Carolina rain, to playing football in high school, college, and the NFL. However, a love for painting and being an artist, always remained in his heart. Readers will become captivated in learning his path back to his paint brush.
A Gift from Abuela is the story of Abuela and Niña, a grandmother and granddaughter who live in Mexico City. Abuela wants to buy something special for Niña, so she starts saving pesos every week. A calamity with the money causes her to abandon her original gift idea, but she still manages to give a wonderful gift to her granddaughter.
Readers will enjoy adventures with Carmela as she jingles her
bracelets on her birthday and makes dandelion wishes.
She travels around to explore the sights and sounds of a close-knit immigrant community. This is a great story to remind us of the importance of
family relationships.
This book features the life of Arturo Schomburg, a historian and book collector of Puerto Rican of African and German descent. His quest to show the importance of African people is chronicled through captivating content and vibrant illustrations, featuring the subjects of his collection of books.
Dreamers / Soñadores
by Yuyi Morales
“In 1994, Yuyi Morales left her home in Xalapa, Mexico and came to the US with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but ...She brought her strength, her work, her passion, her hopes and dreams...and her stories...Dreamers is about making a home in a new place...Dreamers is a celebration of what migrantes bring with them when they leave their homes. It's a story about family. And it's a story to remind us that we are all dreamers, bringing our own gifts wherever we roam. Beautiful and powerful at any time but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamers becomes uncertain, this is a story that is both topical and timeless.” --from the publisher.
Where’s Rodney?
By Carmen Bogan
Rodney is a boy who can’t sit still in school. Then his class takes a field trip to a park, where he’s free to run, climb, and explore, and that makes all the difference.
Starstruck: the cosmic journey of Neil DeGrasse Tyson shares the story of the famous astrophysicist. Neil found his calling at nine years old when he went to a show about the Big Bang at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. A few years later he was taking astronomy classes at the Planetarium. A few years after that he worked at the Planetarium and became the director. His enthusiasm for space is infectious, and this is a great read about following your dreams.
Game Changers by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Highlights Venus and Serena Williams special relationship as sisters and their training that led to them both becoming successful tennis players.
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin
By Julia Finley Mosca
Dr. Temple Grandin is a scientist and inventor with autism. Her unique thinking style helped her to contribute to science and farming.
Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics / ¡Bravo! Poemas sobre Hispanos Extraordinarios
by Margarita Engle
“Musician, botanist, baseball player, pilot―the Latinos featured in this collection...come from many different countries and from many different backgrounds. Celebrate their accomplishments and their contributions to a collective history and a community that continues to evolve and thrive today!” --from the publisher.
Yaffa and Fatima, Shalom, Salaam
By Fawzia Gilani-Williams
Two neighbors, one Jewish, the other Muslim, help each other through hard times.
Yo Soy Muslim
By Mark Gonzales
“From Muslim and Latino poet Mark Gonzales comes a touching and lyrical picture book about a parent who encourages their child to find joy and pride in all aspects of their multicultural identity…
“Written as a letter from a father to his daughter, Yo Soy Muslim is a celebration of social harmony and multicultural identities [and] highlights the diversity of the Muslim community as well as Indigenous identity.” --from the publisher.
Thread of Love
By Kahbir Sehgal
“It’s time for the Indian festival of Raksha Bandhan, the celebration of the special lifelong relationship shared by brothers and sisters everywhere. Join two sisters as they lovingly make rakhi—thread bracelets adorned with beads, sequins, sparkles, and tassels—for their brother. And then see their brother present them with toys and sweets and special gifts!” --from the publisher.
The Turtle Ship
By Helena Ku Rhee
“Long ago in Korea, a young boy named Sun-sin spent his days playing with his pet turtle Gobugi and dreaming of sailing around the world. As a poor villager, though, his dream to travel seemed impossible. Then one day, the king’s court announced a contest to find the best design for a new battleship to defend the land from invaders...Sun-sin notices how his pet turtle is small but mighty, slow but steady, and impossible to sink. Suddenly, Sun-sin has a great idea.
“Loosely based on the true story of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and his Turtle Ship, this delightful tale...introduce[s] young readers to a fascinating episode in Korean history and naval engineering.” --from Amazon.
Galápagos Girl / Galapagueña
By Marsha Diane Arnold
“Valentina was born on an island formed by fire, surrounded by blue-green sea. As a Galapagueña, Valentina spends her days observing the natural world around her. She greets sea lions splashing on the shore, scampers over lava rocks with Sally-lightfoot crabs, and swims with manta rays. But Valentina also understands the fragility of this wondrous world, and she makes a solemn promise to protect the islands and her animal friends.
“This delightful bilingual story was inspired by the childhood of Valentina Cruz, whose family was one of the first permanent inhabitants of the Galápagos. Valentina is now a biologist and naturalist guide who has dedicated her life to the conservation of the islands.”--from Amazon.
Benji, the Bad Day
and Me
By Sally J. Pla
Sammy is having a very bad day at school and at home until his autistic brother, Benji, finds a way to make him feel better.