When Moon Blooms by Aida Salazar

Illustrated by Caribay M. Benavides 3 stars A beautiful exploration of the phases on the moon and the connection between nature and the body. Told in English with Spanish words interwoven throughout the text, the story tells of a mother passing down cultural wisdom to her child. Beautiful artwork and poetic text. A lovely read….

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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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This Is My Bag: A Story of the Unhoused

by Roxanne Chester Illustrated by Abraham Matias 4 stars A wonderful resource for beginning conversations with children about unhoused populations and the importance of treating individuals with kindness and empathy. There are few examples of unhoused individuals in children’s books. When they do show up, they are often presented in stereotypical ways. Chester’s book is…

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Mother of Sharks by Melissa Cristina Márquez

Illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz 3 stars A beautiful example of the power of representation and the joy of doing what you love. This book is an interesting mashup of a semi-autobiographical story mixed with magic and time travel. Meli loves exploring the waters of la Playita del Condado, especially the tidal pools. When she…

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We Are a Song by Lorian Tu

4 stars A touching tale of all the individual pieces that come together to make a family. Arturo and Emilyn visit their family members to pick up supplies for a party. Along the way, they cherish the different elements of their Chinese and Cuban heritage and find inspiration for a poem. Such a sweet story….

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The Worry Balloon by Mónica Mancillas

Illustrated by Betty C. Tang 4 stars The first day of school has arrived, but with it comes Isla’s worries. With her Mami by her side, Isla practices mindfulness, visualization, and positive thinking to battle her anxiety and blow the worry balloon away. Beautiful illustrations. Nice visual representations of how Isla’s feelings influence how she…

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Be Gay, Do Comics

Featuring Dorian Alexander, Archie Bongiovanni, Sage Coffey, Shelby Criswell, Dylan Edwards, Julia Bernhard, JB Brager, Rosa Colon Guerra, Max Dlabick, Trinidad Escobar, Mady G, Alex Graudins, Binglin Hu, Shing Yin Khor, Kazimir Lee, Melanie Gillman, Levi Hastings, Robyn Jordan, Maia Kobabe, Matt Lubchansky, Mariah-Rose Marie, Jason Michaels, Sfe R. Monster, Breena Nunez, Elisabet Run, Ria…

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Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic

Edited by g. haron davis Stories by Saundra Mitchell, Sonora Reyes, Renée Reynolds, A. R. Capetta, Cory McCarthy, Francesca Tacchi, Ayida Shonibar, Nik Traxler, g. haron davis, Jonathan Lenore Kastin, Mason Deaver, Ash Nouveau, Cam Montgomery, Dove Salvatierra, and Emery Lee 5 stars Generally with anthologies, there are some stories that resonate with a reader…

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The Sprite and the Gardener

by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt Illustrated by Rii Abrego 3 stars A sweet story with stunning artwork. This gentle fantasy follows Wisteria, a new sprite to the neighborhood. When humans came to the land long ago, sprites took a backseat and let them take over caring for the plants. But after watching a wannabe…

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The Girl Who Married a Skull and Other African Stories

3 stars I recently read The Woman in the Woods and Other North American Stories and absolutely loved it. So, I thought I’d read some of the earlier collections in the series. What I loved about The Woman in the Woods is that it showcases a variety of indigenous authors and artists. As far as I can…

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