Children

For rainy day reads or as motivation for the littlest readers, this adorable and affirming picture book adventure from author/illustrator Angie Rozelaar is perfect for fans of Lions Lessons and Max the Brave!

Bursting with vibrant colors and adorable illustrations, this story follows one little cat named Jeff as he imagines himself as a ferocious tiger in the jungle where he can be free from the rules of indoors! Escaping in his imagination to exercise his wild side, Jeff meets other animals in the jungle. With their help, Jeff learns to appreciate himself for who he is: not a tiger, but a little kitty who can be just as wild.

With an uplifting message for young readers and text with call-and-response, jaunty refrains, and rhyme throughout, Jeff Goes Wild is perfect for read-alouds and will have everyone roaring along with Jeff as he goes wild!

A leprechaun is causing all kinds of trouble on St. Patrick's Day—but our popular Gingerbread Man is back to save the day!

After a mischievous leprechaun makes a mess of the band room, the Gingerbread Man vows to catch him. He follows the leprechaun's clues all around the building finding chaos everywhere--even in the library! But then he finds the worst clue of all. It says the leprechaun's next target might be a house made of gingerbread!

Luckily, the Gingerbread Man makes it to his classroom in time to set a trap for the leprechaun. He'll show that mischief maker that he messed with the wrong cookie this time.

"I'm on a mission! I've got a good plan.
I can catch him! I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

The greedy leprechaun king has locked away all the luck in Ireland and the whole country has fallen into despair. Through clever charades, Fiona outwits the leprechaun king and restores luck to the land.

Readers learn about the Islamic observance of Ramadan in this charming story of a young Muslim girl determined to do the right thing during her first Ramadan fast.
Ramadan is coming and Leena is excited. Although she is too young to fast every day during the Muslim religious festival, Leena decides to fast each Friday instead. When Leena receives an invitation to a party which happens to fall on Friday, she has a dilemma. She doesn't want to miss the party, but she doesn't want to miss fasting either. So Leena decides to go to the party, but not eat or drink anything at all. Later, she will join her family for the meal known as iftar, when the daily fast is broken. But when Leena, who is the only Muslim at the party, sees her friends enjoying fresh lemonade and chocolate cake, her stomach starts to growl and her head begins to hurt. Will she keep her Ramadan fast?

The Cultural Holidays illustrated nonfiction book Ramadan teaches young readers about the background, traditions, foods, and celebrations of the Islamic holiday. Easy-to-read text combines with colorful illustrations to provide entertainment and facts for even the youngest audience. 

WINNER OF THE 2023 CALDECOTT MEDAL • This glowing and playful picture book features an overheated—and overwhelmed—pup who finds his calm with some sea, sand, and fresh air. Destined to become a classic!

This hot dog has had enough of summer in the city! Enough of sizzling sidewalks, enough of wailing sirens, enough of people's feet right in his face. When he plops down in the middle of a crosswalk, his owner endeavors to get him the breath of fresh air he needs. She hails a taxi, hops a train, and ferries out to the beach.

Here, a pup can run!

With fluid art and lyrical text that have the soothing effect of waves on sand, award-winning author Doug Salati shows us how to find calm and carry it back with us so we can appreciate the small joys in a day.

2023 Newbery Award Winner

Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there's no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.

In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.

Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage.

A lavishly illustrated woodland tale with a classic sensibility and modern flair.

Gregory Maguire turns his trademark wit and wisdom to an animal adventure about growing up, moving on, and finding community. When Papa doesn't return from a nocturnal honey-gathering expedition, Cress holds out hope, but her mother assumes the worst. It’s a dangerous world for rabbits, after all. Mama moves what’s left of the Watercress family to the basement unit of the Broken Arms, a run-down apartment oak with a suspect owl landlord, a nosy mouse super, a rowdy family of squirrels, and a pair of songbirds who broadcast everyone’s business. Can a dead tree full of annoying neighbors, and no Papa, ever be home? In the timeless spirit of E. B. White and The Wind and the Willows—yet thoroughly of its time—this read-aloud and read-alone gem for animal lovers of all ages features an unforgettable cast that leaps off the page in glowing illustrations by David Litchfield. This tender meditation on coming-of-age invites us to flourish wherever we find ourselves.

From a Newbery Medal-winning author and a New York Times bestselling illustrator comes a deeply moving ode to the complexity and uniqueness of every child.

In profound, uplifting verse and sumptuous artwork, beloved creators Matt de la Peña and Corinna Luyken explore the endless possibilities each child contains: A young dancer may grow into a computer coder; a basketball player might become a poet; a class clown may one day serve as an inspiring teacher; and today’s quiet empath might be tomorrow’s great leader. Here's a profound and uplifting new classic with an empowering message for readers of all ages: Your story is still being written.

A charming tale about friends finding joy and wonder in nature when they are caught in a thunderstorm on their way to their fort.

It’s spring! Warm and green, the great outdoors beckons, especially when you’ve built a fort to play in with your friends. Our Fort is the story of three friends who set out one day to visit their secret fort at the edge of the woods. The weather looks fine, but no sooner have they left home and walked into the hills than the sun disappears behind the clouds. Crows fly by, calling, and the wind begins to blow. Suddenly the day turns into night. It’s a storm! Will the friends make it to shelter? Will their fort survive the storm? Marie Dorléans’s illustrations capture the sensory pleasures of nature, as well as its capriciousness, while her story reminds us of the simple joy of being with friends and sharing a great adventure.

Caught in a storm, Arnold the elephant washes up on a tiny island. Along comes Mouse in a little dingy and Arnold steps aboard...uh-oh! They use the wreckage to make the island bigger. And here's Dog--can this boat take Arnold's weight? Uh-oh!

None of the animals can save the shipwrecked elephant but each broken vessel provides new materials for another intricate construction. Wheels and pulleys create a Ferris wheel, an elevator, a waffle maker. All the animals work as a team to build increasingly intricate constructions that turn the desert island into a fun park city. Soon there is a whole community and enough space for everyone!

As with all Leo Timmers picture books, Elephant Island has many layers of discovery. Tapping into the childhood pleasure of contraptions, this cheerful picture book is full of complex and playful visual detail and humor that Leo Timmers' readers love. Preschoolers who enjoy meccano and lego will find joy on every page with the creation of each new imaginative construction, packed with mechanical detail on bright double page spreads. Elephant Island is a runaway hit in Europe.

Humor abounds in this masterfully-bilingual twist on "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" that dares to ask the question: why is that troll so grumpy anyway?
Three little cabritos have a clever plan to get past the grumpiest troll in the land. But then one of the billy goats wonders: Why is that gigante so grumpy, anyway?
This thoughtful question sends their plan in a new direction, and the results are better than they ever imagined.
Dashes of humor, empathy, and kindness make this modern twist on a classic tale a charming delight.

In a brand-new companion to his beloved classic It's Okay to Be Different, New York Times bestselling author Todd Parr encourages kids to be proud of who they are inside.

Be who you are!
Be proud of where you're from.
Be a different color. Speak your language.
Wear everything you need to be you.

Who better than Todd Parr to remind kids that their unique traits are what make them so special? With his signature silly and accessible style, Parr encourages readers to embrace all their unique qualities.

Meet Phoebe. Unfortunately, her name doesn't look quite like it sounds. At school, her classmates practice writing their names, but Phoebe struggles. Her teacher tells her to "just sound it out." Phoebe doubts herself and procrastinates before resolving to try. Readers are privy to her funny, endearing interior monologue and little-kid rationale as she writes the result: FEEBY.

Told in a relatable, introspective voice, this school story conveys the feelings and worries of a 5-year-old and supports learning about sounds and letters. Readers will see from Phoebe's fellow kindergartners' attempts that everyone makes mistakes, and that we can take pride in effort and not just perfection.

An empowering and informative picture book biography about Khutulun, the great-great granddaughter of Genghis Khan, and how she defied the expectations of her time to become commander of the Khan’s army.

Just like the fourteen brothers that came before her, Khutulun, princess of her tribe, learned from an early age how to ride horseback, shoot arrows at full gallop and, most importantly, to wrestle. But as she grew older, her people wondered why their beloved princess had not yet married. So Khutulun vowed to marry any man that could defeat her at wrestling. Though she remained undefeated, Khutulun felt duty bound to throw a match to end the rumors and restore honor to her family. But when the day arrives, Khutulun's heart is torn. In the heat of battle, would she–could she–make the decision to become a wife and not a warrior?

A story based on the life and legend of Khutulun, Warrior Princess is an inspiring tale of a princess who realizes that sometimes the best way to serve one’s community is to stay true to oneself and defy their expectations, brought to life by Sally Deng’s lush, sweeping paintings and additional backmatter about Khutlun’s life.