Skip to main content
A different pond
Phi, Bao
A young boy accompanies his dad to catch fish for food before the sunrises and before other family members awake. The dad tells the bait man at the all-night store that he is starting a second job. The boy meets a Hmong man and a black man who are also fishing -- but this time, it is just the boy and his dad under the starlit sky. The boy learns to make a fire and to bait his hook and to honor the stories of his Dad as he explains how life was in Vietnam when he was a boy. When they return home, the dad and mom head to work while the boy looks after his brothers and sisters.

Magic: Once upon a faraway land
Ortega, Mirelle
Once upon a faraway land in Mexico, a young girl highlights her grandfather's pineapple farm, her mom's wool blanket weaving, and her dad's sketches for making stone buildings. She reflects on the way that magic can change things for better and for worse. She loves the beautiful music and sounds that are woven together for people to dance. She also admires her fingertips as an artist when blank pages become pictures to share with others.

The case for loving: The fight for interracial marriage
Alko, Selina
Mildred and Richard Loving wanted to love each other with freedom without having to be legally limited by where they lived as husband and wife based on the color of their skin. Marriages between people of different races were against the law in 17 states. In those states, interracial marriage was illegal. So Mildred and Richard got married in Washington DC then moved to Virginia where their marriage certificate hung on the wall of their home. The police did not honor the certificate so the Lovings were taken away and locked up in jail. They moved away from their families back to Washington DC where they had three children. The Lovings took their case all the way to the Supreme Court and won on June 12, 1967. Richard had his courageous message read aloud in court. The message was: "Tell the court I love my wife and it is just unfair that I can't live with her in Virginia". From that day, it was unconstitutional to make marriage a crime because of race.

Still dreaming = Seguimos sonando
Martinez, Claudia Guadalupe
Many workers from Mexico leave their homeland with their families to a land of opportunity where they dream to live a life without borders. A young boy and his parents drive their car far away until there are no city lights. Papa sings a sweet sad song on the side of the road where there are other people at a campfire. The boy eventually learns that the laborers worked in Alaska, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, and Chicago, and they cross the border together to find answers to their dreams.

Berry song
Goade, Michaela
As a young Tlingit girl collects a variety of wild berries over the seasons in Alaska, she sings with her grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back. Have you ever heard of dogberry, swamp berry, thimbleberry, lingonberry, or bunchberry?

Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a deaf girl, changed percussion
Stocker, Shannon
Evelyn Glennie grew up in Scotland where her Dad played the accordion and her Mom played the organ. Evelyn played the piano and clarinet until she began to lose her hearing. But that did not stop her love of music. In secondary school, Evelyn played percussion instruments. Through the genius of Mr. Forbes, her music teacher, he had Glennie take out her hearing aids and make sounds that vibrated and resonated through her whole body. In fact, her whole body responded like one large hearing organ. She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music and received the prestigious Queen's Commendation for both music and academics. Later, tthe Queen of England knighted her and the world listened as she toured to perform in forty countries and win two Grammy Awards.

Schomburg: The man who built a library
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro-Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk's life's passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and to bring light to the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. When Schomburg's collection became so big it began to overflow his house (and his wife threatened to mutiny), he turned to the New York Public Library, where he created and curated a collection that was the cornerstone of a new Negro Division. A century later, his groundbreaking collection, known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has become a beacon to scholars all over the world.

Strong
Kearney, Rob & Rosewood, Eric
Rob dreams of becoming a champion strongman because his favorite sport was weightlifting. But there are lots of ways to be strong because he had to learn to overcome unkind words and criticisms for how he liked to dress in rainbow clothing with strong, bold colors. He trained hard and lifted huge tires, boulders, sandbags, and cars, so he could become the strongest man in the world. And one day we did just that by lifting a log over this head and was named the strongest person in North America!

Someone builds the dream
Wheeler, Lisa
Many skilled workers, craftsmen, and tradesmen help to build each dream of a community in order for it to become a house, a park, or a bridge. After many many examples of how dreams are made and constructed, you learn how an author and illustrator are also a dream team that makes a book for you.

"L" is for library
Terry, Sonya
Children with a friendly tabby cat, a dog, and ducklings move through the library stacks from A-Z as they discover many things to do and see in a library. You can learn about the Caldecott award, the Dewey Decimal System, and URL Web address.

Isla & Pickle: Best friends
McLelland, Kate
Pickle is a miniature Shetland pony who is fed, groomed, and loved by Isla. Isla's father wanted to buy her a pet but he wasn't interested in bringing Pickle into the family even though Pickle kept showing up a the beach, at school, and at bedtime. Eventually, Pickle becomes part of the family, and Isla plays with Pickle nonstop.

A land of books: Dreams of young Mexihcah word painters
Topnatiuh, Duncan
Aztec artists living in Mesoamerica painted beautifully crafted books to keep the knowledge, culture, and history of the Mexihcah (also known as the Aztec). The process of making paper and obtaining dyes from plants, animals, and rocks is explained, then the way that a painter of words and images will share their work to be sung by a reader in a land of books.

Plants can't sit still
Hirsch, Rebecca E.
Plants can wiggle, whirl, and hide. Some plants can bloom by the moon and other plants sleep at night. Plants can walk up a wall and climb a fence. All plants just can't sit still and are always actively moving. Come to learn about seeds built for travel as they whirl, float, and glide into action and take a ride on humans and animals.

The me I choose to be
Tarpley, Natasha Anastasia
There are many "I am" statements from different children who refer to a planet, to hope, to a bridge builder, and to a weaver of words. Through creativity, children can become who they choose to be. Feelings of joy, sadness, and laughter are represented by wind, light, and a free spirit. The possibilities are endless for children.

Fuddles
Vischer, Frans
Fuddles is not an ordinary house cat. His family pampers and spoils him but he lacks adventure. Even though he is not allowed to go outside, he finds a way to get laughed at, chased, and put in my difficult situations before he realizes that he really misses his family. In the deep darkness of the night, he hears his family calling him. What a relief!

Lily's garden of India
Smith, Jeremy
Lily's adventure through her mother's garden provides her with a discovery of plants and trees from India. Indian festivals and a glossary of plants are shared after her journey.

No one else like you
Goeminne, Siska
There are seven billion people living in this world. Each person is different and uniquely original. See all the ways that people can move, act, do and be. People come in different colors, shapes, and sizes, and they wear a variety of clothing and feel a variety of emotions. People believe in different things. Not one of them is just like you.

Big dreams, small fish
Cohen, Paula
In this New York neighborhood, a store sells gefilte fish but no one wants to buy it. Shirley's family thinks she is too young to help market the gefilte fish. In a timely moment, Shirley gives a surprise to each customer who buys something from the store. The customers come back eager for gefilte fish - much to her parents' surprise.

The talk
Williams, Alicia D.
Jay has many favorite things he likes to do with his friends and family. His mom measures him as he grows inch-by-inch which means he can do more and more as he gets older and older. Although his feet don't reach the gas pedal of his Daddy's car, he can skateboard up and down the street and and do flips with many friends. Jay's grandpa tells his grandchildren not to crowd in groups of four or more - which is only one of many unfortunate realities of African American families and parents when they have to say, "Jay, its time we had a talk" about racism.

From the tops of the trees
Yang, Kao Kalia
Four year old Kalia wants to know what is beyond the fences of the Ban Sinai Refugee Camp where many Hmong families are held in Thailand after fleeing the Secret War in Laos. Kalia and her cousins play together by racing with chickens and riding a pet dog. One day, Kalia's father picks her up to hold her in his arms as he climbs a tall tree in the camp. This gives Kalia a chance to see a new and different world.

Where wonder grows
Gonzalez, Xelena
When Grandma goes to her garden, her grandchildren follow so they can gather magic rocks and relics from nature. They use the rocks to learn more about the world and earth. And the rocks are used to send songs and prayers through the air to their ancestors. Down into the water, they dive to see the rocks. Grandma reminds her granddaughters that "water names and breaks even the biggest rocks, very slowly, over time. So when life feels too hard, just remember to go with the flow".

Mary wears what she wants
Negley, Keith
One day, a young girl named Mary decided to wear pants instead of dresses at a time when girls always wore dresses. Mary took her very daring idea into town where she was challenged by people for wearing boys clothes. Mary reminded them that "Im wearing MY clothes".

The notebook keeper: A story of kindness from the border
Briseno, Stephen
Families seeking asylum into the U.S. at the Tijuana, Mexico border have to wait for a long time to enter the United States after being denied entry. During the wait at the border, a girl and her mother look for a refugee who keeps a list of people waiting to cross into the United States. This act of kindness from the border, initiated by a notebook keeper, gives families hope as they wait.

All my stripes: A story for children with autism
Rudolph, Shaina & Royer, Danielle
Zane worries that his "autism stripes" makes him stand out from his peers. Zane's mom helps him understand the different ways that he unique from other kids his age. Whether it is art, math, or science class, Zane learns to do his best. And his mom reminds him to use his pilot stripe, caring stripe, honesty stripe, and curiosity stripe to be himself at school.

The tower of life: How Yaffa Eliach rebuilt her town in stories and photographs
Stiefel, Chana
Yaffa loved helping her Grandma Alte in her photography studio in Poland. Many people had their photographs made during special events and celebrations, then they were mailed overseas to relatives before the Jewish New Year. After the Holocaust when 3500 Jewish souls were murdered by Nazi soldiers, Yaffa worked for 17 years to recover 6000 photographs and stories about people from Eishyshok, which is now a different town in Lithuania. Yaffa became a professor of history who rebuilt the lives of those lost by connecting with their loved one's photographs from six continents.

Hello muddah, hello faddah! A letter from camp
Davis, Jack E.
On a rainy first day at Camp Granada, a young camper writes home to "Muddah" and "Faddah" to ask them to let him leave the difficult place. The lyrics of this camp song is a letter from camp with all the jokes aside.

The everything book
Fleming, Denise
From ABCs to 123s, children learn about the world around them. They are introduced to food and animals, along with colors and shapes, so that they can understand their environment.

The old woman & the wave
Jackson, Shelley
Once upon a time, a dog and a woman lived under a wave that never fell. The old woman finally comes to understand and appreciate the huge wave that has hung in the air, sheltering her house all her life.

Ida B. Wells, voice of truth
Duster, Michelle
Ira B. Wells was an educator, feminist, and anti-lynching civil rights leader who founded many important clubs for African Americans. Even when faced with threats and criticisms, Ida B. Wells still kept writing, speaking, and traveling to challenge the racist and sexist norms of her time and leading the fight for justice and equality as a leader who made a difference for us all.

One little bag: An amazing journey
Cole, Henry
Beginning as a tree in the forest, a paper bag is made and given to a little boy as he shops in the market. Over time, the boy reuses this bag, meets his wife, and has a baby. One day, the baby's grandfather passes away, and instead of carrying the bag around, they plant a tree in it to honor the family member they lost.

Mel fell
Tabor, Corey R.
Mel leaves the nest with a sense of adventure and finds that the animals and birds and insects on the way down on his flight are all there when flying back up the tree. The descending flight takes him into the water for a kingfish which he carries back to the nest to feed his siblings.

My best friend
Fogliano, Julie
Two girls become friends and realize that they are able to make each other smile and laugh. They both enjoy doing the same gardening and creative gardening and creative activities and, despite some of their differences, they value each other's company. They are best friends and their relationship will continue to grow for many years to come.

Gaston
DiPucchio, Kelly
Mrs. Poodle takes Gaston and his three siblings to the park where they meet Mrs. Bulldog and her family. Suddenly, they realize that Gaston looks more like Mrs. Bulldog’s child and Gaston goes to live with her family. However, Gaston realizes that he likes his old family and returns to live with Mrs. Poodle, making sure to play with Mrs. Bulldog’s children when they are at the park.

Crown: An ode to the fresh cut
Barnes, Derrick
A boy goes to the barbershop to get a haircut. As he sits there, he notices everyone around him, gaining confidence with each unique style. Once his haircut is complete, the boy feels ready to accomplish anything with a newfound conviction and trust in himself.

Nouns and verbs have a field day
Pulver, Robin
Mr. Wright’s class has a field day away from school! While the children are gone, the nouns and verbs want to play. At first, the nouns make teams with other nouns and the verbs make teams with other verbs. Both sides found out that they had to work together so the nouns formed teams with the verbs and the verbs formed teams with the nouns. They continued to play many games until Mr. Wright’s students came back from field day.

Blue
Seeger, Laura Vaccaro
A boy and his dog go through their lives together and experience different things associated with the color blue. Whether they are playing with blue butterflies or picking blue blueberries together, they love spending time with each other. One day, the boy’s dog passes away and, with time, he gets a new puppy to share his life with.

The rock from the sky
Klassen, Jon
Turtle really likes standing in his favorite spot. He asks his friend to come over to experience it too, but his friend feels uneasy there. Through a series of questions, the friendship continues to live in the moment and imagine into the future. The addition of another companion wants to join the sunset but misses the moment.

The great poochini
Clement, Gary
The Great Poochini lives with his owner, Hersh, and leaves at night to sing in the opera. Due to his talent, the Great Poochini is the lead singer and, on the night of the premiere, he is unable to leave his home. Then, after a robber breaks into Hersh's home and the Great Poochini scares him away, he makes it to the opera just in time for the show.

Sweet justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery bus boycott
Rockliff, Mara
Georgia Gilmore heard about Mrs. Rosa Parks who had been arrested when she wouldn't give up her seat to a black man on a city bus in 1955. But something was also cooking in Montgomery, Alabama about the same time -- a woman who cooked to feed and fund the people willing to participate in the Montgomery fun boycott. Georgia knew there was no justice under segregation so she boycotted the arrest of Mrs. Parks by staying off the city buses for one day. In order to get others to stay off the buses for one day, Georgia cooked and sold her crispy chicken, sandwiches, cakes, and pies to pay off the fines that people got when participating in the boycott. After testifying in court, Dr. Martin Luther King encouraged Georgia to keep cooking. On December 20, 1956, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that segregated buses were unconstitutional.

My parents won't stop talking
Hunsinger, Emma & Walden, Tillie
Waiting is hard, and every kid knows it's not fun. Molly wants to go the park but her parents have started talking with the neighbors for a very long time.

I am you: A book about ubuntu
Moahloli, Refiloe
Ubuntu is an ancient philosophy from many African cultures. The word promotes the idea that a person is known through other people - a concept of shared humanity, compassion, and oneness. Observe the many ways that we are all connected.

My father's shop
Ichikawa, Satomi
Mustafa's father sells beautiful carpets from all over the world in his shop. One day, a small hole was discovered in one of the carpets so Mustafa asks his father for that rug to play with. In order to get it, Mustafa has to learn different languages from his father so he can make successful sales with the customers. As different foreign customers walk by the colorful carpet over Mustafa's body outside the shop, he crows like a rooster in different languages. He is excited to run back to the shop to tell his father that he can speak rooster in five languages. And all the tourists follow right behind Mustafa into his father's shop!

All-of-a-kind family hanukkah
Jenkins, Emily
Gertie, the youngest of five children, wants to help her mother cook for their family dinner on the first night of Hanukkah in New York City’s Lower East Side. After many attempts of trying to help in the busy kitchen, Gertie is sent to her room by her mother and is eventually called down for dinner by her dad. In order to get her to come downstairs, Gertie’s father asks for her helping to light the candles of the menorah for the first time and Gertie happily accepts the offer.

I am utterly unique: Celebrating the strengths of children with Asperger Syndrome and high-functioning autism
Larson, Elaine Marie
Explore this alphabetical enumeration of individual traits that make children and others from the autism spectrum rich with unique features, talents, and abilities.

A library book for bear
Becker, Bonny
Although he sees no need for more books to read, Bear agrees to accompany Mouse to the library.

Keeping the city going
Floca, Brian
During the COVID-19 pandemic, entire cities shut down and everyone stayed in their homes except for the workers that society needed the most. The people who deliver the mail, stock the grocery stores and care for the sick: they remained. Society celebrates these people because, without their sacrifice and dedication, society would not have been able to survive a global pandemic.

Good night, knight
Lewin, Betsy
After a tantalizing dream about golden cookies, Knight and his horse embark on a quest for baked goods.

Action! How movies began
McCarthy, Meghan
Movies are an important part of our society today, but they have not always been what we see in theaters. From the Kinetoscope to black and white film, and from soundless productions to special effects, the movie industry has evolved over time to make what we see and enjoy today!

Fry bread: A Native American family story
Maillard, Kevin Noble
Children help a Native American grandmother make fry bread while learning about the history, social ways, food, art, and politics of America's 573 recognized Indian tribes.

Nana, Nenek, & Nina
Ferneyhough, Liza
Nina enjoys her visits to her two grandmothers in Malaysia and in England. Nina compares the similarities and differences between the two and enjoys the special time with Nenek and Nana.