In Punk Wig by Lori Ries, we are introduced to a little girl whose mother has cancer and who is going through treatment. She finds the hospital strange, with her mom hooked up to a lot of machines. Her mother tells her that the medicine...

For the Love of Laxmi: Everyday Desi Biases and the Imprints They Leave speaks about families in a contemporary way, with amusing content. The story begins with a family photo on the couch, a moment we've all been through, where all the relatives want to...

Polly the Polecat by K.A. Mulenga is about an African skunk named Polly who can’t help letting out an unpleasant odor. She tries and tries but no matter what, she still can’t stop that awful smell. Whenever her friends or family are around, they always...

Pick any day of the year you want. Unfortunately, over 400,000 children are in foster care every day across the United States. This figure is appalling! Liane Joly in The Yellow Shirt shares some of the fears and frustrations felt by these precious children. If...

Do you like bugs? Ants crawling on your bare legs? Caterpillars dropping into your hair? I have to admit, bugs make me a bit squeamish. They’re not my favorite critters. Lelia feels the same way. But, like Lelia, we’ve both learned that bugs have their...

David was the youngest son of a family of shepherds who helped take care of the sheep. Because of his humility, no one believed he would become king, but he was a good person, acted nobly, and helped when he had the chance. David, The...

The way Mr. Invisible by Sawyer Ique begins, for a moment, I wondered what was happening. Then I remembered I was reading Mr. Invisible and that he was still hiding and I had to find him. Finally, he asks the reader to help make him...

One of the most important life lessons for children is learning about money; how to earn it and how to save it. Dr. Shanshan Peer’s picture book, Moneytopia: Saving (Financial Literacy for Children) is “right on the money”! Lexie, Chuck, and Zoey live in Moneytopia...

Barbara J. Freeman was a second-grade teacher before becoming a guidance counselor. This background prepared her to write Black History: Tina and Gina Discover Twelve People of Color. So many people of color deserve recognition that I am amazed how anyone can reduce the number...

Shine, my Heart, my Violinist! A Poetic Journey is a poem that tells the story of the way music influenced a young life. Shine comes from a family who loves music and where everyone can play at least one instrument. When she was given the...