USA TODAY
Growing up undocumented in the United States, Areli Morales didn t come across many children s books that addressed or helped make sense of her experience. So she wrote her own. Areli Is a Dreamer: A True Story, illustrated by Luisa Uribe (Random House Studio, out June 8), depicts the author s early childhood in Puebla, Mexico, where she was born, and in New York City, where she grew up.
Morales, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient – a program put in place by former president Barack Obama – shares her story to equip young readers with the necessary language to unpack and understand what people like her have gone through and to help readers going through a similar experience feel seen.
As we ease (or run) into the end of the school year, it’s time for summer reading. Be sure to sign up with your library to keep kids exploring new worlds and navigating exciting adventures
May 27, 2021
Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including stories of private school drama, a raccoon’s dumpster finds, a girl and her busy parents, a picture book biography of a pivotal painter, and many more.
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-80081-7. An anonymous texter known as Aces reveals secrets about an elite private school’s only two Black students in this bracing debut that explores systemic oppression in predominantly white institutions. The YA novel earned a starred review from
PW.
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-300394-1. In this picture book, while foraging in a garbage can, a raccoon named Grub meets glowing green Seed, who has bright black eyes and a knowing smile. Seed, who is hoping to get planted, isn’t in a hurry to dissuade Grub of the notion that Seed could eventually grow into his favorite food, a “very good and
Let these new and forthcoming titles welcome the changes to come in 2021.
Top, L to R: Milk Blood Heat (Grove Atlantic), Just As I Am (HarperCollins), We Too (The Feminist Press), Four Hundred Souls (One World/Random House). Bottom, L to R: This Close to Okay (Grand Central), Firekeeper s Daughter (Henry Holt + Co.), The Echoing Ida Collection (The Feminist Press), Love is an Ex-Country (Catapult). Illustration Credit: Courtesy CLG
We will never go back to a time before the devastating losses and surreal political theater seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2020 changed us irreversibly, both as individuals and en masse. Let these books usher in the new year in all its complexity, with topics on grief, sexuality, history and more.
Top Childrenâs Books Feature a Passover Tale and 2 Coming-of-Age Debut Novels
BOSTON (JTA) â A heartwarming and beautifully illustrated Passover tale and two poignant coming-of-age debut novels are this yearâs gold medal winners of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards for the best in Jewish childrenâs literature.
The awards, given by the Association of Jewish Libraries, were announced Monday at the American Library Associationâs midwinter meeting as part of the ALAâs Youth Media Awards ceremony. The ALA conference was held remotely due to the pandemic.
In âWelcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail,â by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Susan Gal, a young boy celebrating a Passover Seder with his family is united with a lonely kitten shivering at his doorstep on a cold, windy night. The lyrically written story, echoing with the holidayâs theme of welcoming strangers, won in the picture-book category.