Illustrated by Sophie Bass 5 stars Absolutely stunning. Weaving together a Rapunzel narrative with the history of enslaved Africans using cornrow patterns to navigate their journey to freedom, Cooke creates a compelling, empowering, and magical tale. Wonderfully written with flowing narration. A lengthy text but certainly worth the read. I love how empowering the narrative…
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Illustrated by Xindi Yan 5 stars A touching story filled with sweet moments and delightful humor. Laila is used to translating things from English to Chinese for her parents. But one day, she decides to do something bigger. She sets out to teach them English. Together, the family learns from one another, figuring out all…
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Illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz 4 stars A sweet picture book following a family through their day and showcasing how they show their love. From a trip to the farm and car singalongs to bath time and watching a storm, baby loves spending time with their two mothers and feeling their love. Lovely, soft, calming…
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4 stars Following a traumatic school shooting, Bea takes up horseback riding to help her cope. We see glimpses of Bea’s life before and after the shooting, learning about her experience with cerebral palsy, her adopted mom Max, and her attempts to get her Little, Josie, to come out of her shell. A heartbreaking story….
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by Ann Diament Koffsky Illustrated by Abigail Rajunov 4 stars A wonderful nonfiction picture book that tells the story of Estee Ackerman’s choice between celebrating Shabbat with her family and competing in the US National Table Tennis Championships. Nicely written. A great example of choosing what is right for you. I love how supportive Ackerman’s…
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5 stars I read the graphic novel adaptation of this book a few years ago and loved it. Finally got around to reading the original and was not disappointed. Molly moves with her family to a renovated church in the middle of nowhere, complete with a quiet little graveyard. The place creeps Molly out, but…
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By Deidre Havrelock Illustrated by Aphelandra 4 stars A beautiful picture book that tells the story of Carol Powder, her music, and her activism. The book goes through Powder’s childhood singing with her family, her great-grandfather making her a drum of her own and teaching her its songs, creating her own drumming group, Chubby Cree,…
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3 stars A sweet story based on the author’s memories of attending Pride parades with their mothers. To be in the parade, Emily knows you have to be loud, proud, and colorful, but is Emily enough of those things to participate? With the encouragement of Mama and Mommy, Emily learns there is no one way…
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3.5 stars Wei has always loved lion dancing. But after his father’s death, Wei quits his team and gives up on his dream. Years later, Wei gets a second chance at lion dancing. Will he be able to push through all of the obstacles to do what he loves? A nice story about what it…
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Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell 5 stars A beautiful story of grief, loss, and remembering. The narrator and her grandfather have a special box of treasures that is all their own. Together, they add to the collection. But when her grandfather passes away, the narrator doesn’t want to open the box anymore; it will just…
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