Love Like Chocolate by Tracy Banghart

Illustrated by Alina Chau 5 stars A wonderfully sweet story of family, love, and chocolate. The narrator’s family is welcoming a new member. To make his adopted sister feel safe and comfortable, he helps introduce her to the family’s baking traditions and shares their love of chocolate. Such a sweet book. I love that it…

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Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja

Illustrated by Shiho Pate 4 stars A delicious story about patience, practice, perseverance, and family. Hiro sets out to make the perfect bowl of ramen just like his dad and his dad’s dad. He’s watched his dad thoroughly and taken detailed notes. But once he gets started, things don’t go to plan. Adorable artwork. I…

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Empanadas for Everyone by Jackie Azúa Kramer

Illustrated by Lenny Wen 3 stars A delicious story of community, family, and generosity. Every Saturday, Carina visits Tia Mimi’s to make empanadas. But this week, Tia Mimi is volunteering at the food center, which leaves Carina to collect all the ingredients herself. Along the way, she finds that her diverse neighbors all have their…

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Words Between Us by Angela Pham Krans

Illustrated by Dung Ho 4 stars A beautiful picture book about language, heritage, and the bond between a grandmother and grandchild. I love the way Felix and his grandmother connect across generations, languages, and cultures, sharing things they enjoy with each other. Felix is so excited for his grandmother to come to America and meet…

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Cat on the Hero’s Lap Vol. 1 by Kousuke Iijima

Illustrated by Shiori Translated by Alan Cheng and Rowena Chen 4 stars Adorable and hilarious. Red and his companions, Grace and Aina, set out to defeat the demon king. There’s just one problem. A stray cat has taken a liking to Red and sits on his lap any chance he gets. Everyone knows you can’t…

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Spicy Spicy Hot! by Lenny Wen

4 stars A beautiful story of love, family, and the connection between food and culture. Lintang is excited to meet her grandmother for the first time and try the sambal that everyone loves. But when Lintang gets a taste, she finds it’s too spicy. She wants to connect with her family and her Indonesian heritage,…

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Goodbye: A First Conversation About Grief

by Megan Madison & Jessica Ralli Illustrated by Isabel Roxas 5 stars A wonderful introduction to talking about death, dying, and grief with young ones. Told in kid-friendly language, this book provides talking points for caregivers to introduce concepts of death and grief. The book is broken down into different common questions such as what…

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The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game

by Laurie Wallmark Illustrated by Stevie Lewis 4 stars A wonderful celebration of Judit Polgár that covers her journey to become the youngest grandmaster at the time. Well-told. The story focuses on the first 15 years of Polgár’s life. Wallmark nicely captures the tension of chess matches and the excitement of victory. Provides a nice…

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