Tag: Crown Books for Young Readers

Posted in Non-fiction, picture books

Next Year in the White House: a story about the first Presidential Seder

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Next Year in the White House: Barack Obama’s First Presidential Seder, by Richard Michelson/Illustrated by E.B. Lewis, (March 2025, Crown Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593711583

Age 5-9

The White House has celebrated Easter with an “Egg Roll” since the 1870s, but a Seder celebrating Passover? Barack Obama was the first U.S. President to introduce a Presidential Seder, and it all started in 2008, when three members of Obama’s staff gathered in the basement of a hotel while on the road, working to get him elected President. Just as homesick and tired as his staff, Obama was invited to join the group. As the men read from the Haggadah – the guidebook to the Passover meal – Obama reflected on how the Exodus story inspired his heroes of the civil rights movement. At the conclusion of the meal, the group promises to celebrate the next year’s Seder at the White House. The White House Seder frames the story of this first Seder, with appearances by Sasha and Malia and even Bo Obama. Building a bridge between, as Michelle Obama reflects, “two enslaved peoples… now free to share a meal together in the White House”, the story is at once warm and powerful, as is the message delivered by the original three staff members – Herbie Ziskend, Eric Lesser, and Arun Chaudhary – that Passover is “about the family you have and the family you make”. Back matter includes the Haggadah booklet from the White House Seder annotated by Eric Lesser, notes on Passover, Black History, and a recipe for Flourless Golden Apricot Cake from Arun Chaudhary.  Lewis’ warm watercolor illustrations bring the reader into the story through perspective. An important book.

Next Year in the White House has starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

“Essential reading for all children—and adults—who hope for freedom for all.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Richard Michelson is a poet, children’s book author, and art dealer whose children’s books have been listed among the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and The New Yorker; and among the 12 Best Books of the Decade by Amazon.com. He has been a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award, the Harlem Book Fest Wheatley Award, and the National Jewish Book Award, as well as receiving two Skipping Stones Multicultural Book Awards, a National Parenting Publication Gold Medal and an International Reading Association Teacher’s Choice Award. In 2009 Michelson received both a Sydney Taylor Gold and Silver Medal from the Association of Jewish Librarians, the only author so honored in AJL’s 50 year history. Michelson received his 2nd Silver Medal in 2017 and his 2nd Gold Medal in 2018. Additionally, Michelson won the 2017 National Jewish Book Award. Michelson is the owner of R. Michelson Galleries, the host of Northampton Poetry Radio, and the current Poet Laureate of Northampton Massachusetts. Visit his website: richardmichelson.com
E. B. Lewis has illustrated over seventy books for children, including the Caldecott Honor–winning Coming on Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson. Lewis also illustrated Jabari Asim’s Peaching to the Chickens, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and a Kirkus Reviews Best Illustrated Book, and he’s a five-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner. Lewis teaches at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He is also a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York City, and an artist member of Salamagundi Club of New York. To learn more: eblewis.com
Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Special Days: Wash Day with Mama

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Wash Day with Mama, by Monia Mikai, (Jan. 2025, Crown Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593810644

Ages 4-8

It’s Sunday, and it’s the best day of the week for the little girl at the heart of Wash Day with Mama: it’s wash day! The story takes a wonderful look at the process of caring for Black hair by turning it into a girls’ spa day. Mama asks her daughter what hair style she wants for the coming week, and the girl helps prep by fetching all the supplies her mom will need – except for the deep conditioner, which her mom makes in the kitchen. The story takes readers step-by-step through the wash day routine and focuses on the relationship-building and self-care aspects. Mama empowers her daughter by relating the dual purposes served by the conditioner’s ingredients, telling her it contains “all the things you’ll also need in life… honey for some smoothing, for when life gets tough… tea tree oil for soothing, for the discomfort that can come with growth… coconut milk and avocado for strength, so you can keep on going”. The digital illustrations are warm and full of comfort and love and show a legacy of care as we see Mama’s mother taking her through the same ritual when she was a child. Mama reminds her daughter that wash day may take some time, but prioritizes self care, noting that “it’s an act of loving yourself, inside and out”. This story is pure joy and is a great addition to collections.

Monica Mikai is an author and illustrator of books for children. She is passionate about creating thoughtful stories and illustrations that inspire the reader to see life from a new perspective. Monica is the illustrator of the picture books Build a House, Thank a Farmer, The Proudest Color, My Name is a Story, and The Blue Pickup, among others. When not writing or illustrating, she can be found practicing yoga and pranayama, hiking, or propagating her many house plants. She lives in coastal Virginia with her husband and two sons.
Instagram
Monica Mikai: @monicamikai
Random House Children’s Books: @randomhousekids
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media
Facebook:
Monica Mikai: N/A
Random House Children’s Books: Random House Children’s Books
Blue Slip Media: @blue-slip-media
Twitter/X:
Monica Mikai: N/A
Random House Children’s Books: @randomhousekids
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

Read and display with:

Hair Love  Hair Love, by Matthew A. Cherry/Illustrated by Vashti Harrison, (May 2019, Kokila), $17.99, ISBN: 9780525553366

Stella’s Stellar Hair, by Yesenia Moises, (Jan. 2021, Imprint), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250261779

 

My Hair, by Hannah Lee/Illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan, (Sept. 2019, Faber & Faber), $16.95, ISBN: 9780571346868

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

The Goblin Twins (Try to) Take New York!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Goblin Twins: Too Hard to Scare, by Frances Cha/Illustrated by Jaime Kim, (Sept. 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $19.99, ISBN: 9780593480267

Ages 3-7

Doki and Kebi, two 601-year-old Korean goblin twins, are living in New York. Doki is happy to read the books in his new library, but Kebi is lonely. Attempts to make new friends aren’t working out, and New Yorkers aren’t very easy to rattle! Doki tries to give him a hand, but as readers will learn, it takes a lot – maybe even more than a shrinking Statue of Liberty – to make a New Yorker do a double-take. Readers living in Metro New York will get big laughs out of this – I sure did! – and folks outside of New York will get a hearty laugh at all the ways the twins try to shake things up: make the trains run late? Pfft – that’s just expected. Fill the streets with smoke? It would be weirder if the streets were clear, depending on where you’re walking! Make tables float in the air? People will just grumble that they can’t find a seat. It’s a fun play on people’s perspectives on New York, and Kim’s digital illustration is bright, colorful, and beautifully captures New York landmarks (and yes, I’m including traffic as a landmark). The story’s touching plot about finding someone who always has your back shines through the laughter. A fun read-aloud and a fun New York story that’s good for any time of year. The Goblin Twins: Too Hard to Scare is the follow-up to 2022’s The Goblin Twins.

If your kids are asking for more information on dokkaebi, you can find more information about them at Mythology Planet. Download a free curriculum guide at Frances Cha’s website.

“An amusing tale of sibling love and mischief.” —Kirkus Reviews
Frances Cha often wonders what it would take to scare a New Yorker, and also wishes she could finish reading all the books in a library! The dokkaebi who used to eat socks in her laundry basket now delights in hiding her keys whenever she needs them. Her novel (for grown-ups) If I Had Your Face was named a best book of the year by NPR, USA Today, and Time. She teaches creative writing at Columbia University and divides her time between New York and South Korea. To learn more, and to download a free curriculum guide, visit francescha.com.
Jaime Kim has illustrated many books for young readers, including La La La: A Story of Hope by Kate DiCamillo and Ready for the Spotlight! which was her debut as an author and illustrator. Her illustrated book Take Heart, My Child was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Like her character Doki, Jaime once preferred staying at home and creating art over exploring the wider world. But now she loves traveling, discovering new places, and connecting with new people. Also like Doki and Kebi, she was born and raised in South Korea and now lives in the United States. For more information, visit jaimekim.com.

Posted in Middle Grade, Middle School, Non-Fiction, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story: The new Race to the Truth book

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story (Race to the Truth), by David Dorado Como, (Aug. 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $8.99, ISBN: 9780593567753

Ages 10-14

The newest book in the nonfiction Race to the Truth series couldn’t have been released at a more necessary time. The middle grade/middle school series takes an unvarnished look at marginalized communities in American history; Borderlands and the Mexican American Story examines the history of relations between Mexico and America. As with Exclusion and the Chinese American Story, the reality is different from what many readers may know to be true. Borderlands examines how Mexican culture has enriched and shaped American culture; how white colonizers sought to suppress Mexican settlers, and how systemic racism still plays a part in how Mexican immigrants and Mexican-American people are seen today. Como provides an intelligent overview of Mexican history and uses primary source information to interest readers. The Race to the Truth series has been a vital addition to nonfiction shelves and is an essential purchase for middle grade and middle school nonfiction collections.

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Stitching together memories: Poppy’s Family Patterns

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Poppy’s Family Patterns, by Lauren Semmer, (June 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593710609

Ages 4-8

A little girl learns about the patterns connecting her family when her doll’s dress tears during playtime. Poppy is distraught when Bunny’s dress is torn, but Mom has a cache of fabric scraps ready for the rescue. Going through the scraps, she tells Poppy about a special memory attached to each: a piece of Poppy’s grandfather’s tie; a swatch of Poppy’s father’s t-shirt; even a bit of Poppy’s mother’s wedding veil! As Mom recalls her happy memories, Poppy remembers, too; through the fabrics, Poppy thinks of how fabric patterns come together, just like her family. Mom has a special project for both Poppy and Bunny, bringing everything full circle. By illustrating that tactile memories are just as substantial as, say, browsing a photo album, Semmer tells an intergenerational story of family and connectedness. Memories encompass all the senses, as Poppy recalls the smell of cherry tomatoes in her grandmother’s garden, the fuzziness of chevrons in her aunt’s scarf. Readers can spot each pattern within the memory, like dancing inside a paisley curl with her grandfather or the gate of her grandmother’s garden maching her grandmother’s dress. Semmer also addresses throwaway culture by focusing on repairing Bunny’s dress; by having a box of swatches with which to create and repair clothing, rather than discarding something for being torn. Digital collage illustrations look quiltlike, pieced together with vibrant colors and bold lines. Endpapers show a variety of sewing materials and a pieced together quilt; back matter includes a pattern library with labeled fabrics and an author’s note. Poppy and her family are brown-skinned, with different pigmentations. Under the book jacket, the hard cover shows a series of Poppy’s memories. A moving story about time well spent and memory.

Visit Lauren Semmer’s author website for free downloadable goodies, and more information about her books.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Tate’s Wild Rescue will melt your heart!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Tate’s Wild Rescue, by Jenny Turnbull/Illustrated by Izzy Burton, (June 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593569078

Ages 4-8

Tate is a young girl who loves animals, but she worries about the animals who live in the wild. Are they cold and lonely? She can help! She sends letters to several animals with offers of a warm bed, spa treatment, meals fit for a king, even a trampoline, but each animal politely declines her offer. They’re all happy where they are – or are they? There’s one potential best friend out there that Tate misses at first. Animal lovers all over will immediately relate to Tate and her desire to care for the lions, tigers, bears, and other wild animals in the world, only to realize that all she has to do is look a little bit closer to home. Fun animal facts pop up in each animal’s letter to Tate, and Burton’s colorful, cheery illustrations are a delight to see. Sharp-eyed readers will see Tate’s new friend appearing in each spread, and will likely be waiting on pins and needles for Tate to take notice. An appealing treatise on wild animals needing to stay wild while empowering kids to help make positive changes, Tate’s Wild Rescue is a great adoption story and a tale of finding home.

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Intermediate, picture books, Realistic Fiction

Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School – historical fiction based in reality

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School, by Traci Huahn/Illustrated by Michelle Jing Chang, (May 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $19.99, ISBN: 9780593644027

Ages 4-8

Mamie Tape was an 8-year old Chinese girl who fought, alongside her family, to attend school during a time when America was openly hostile to Chinese immigrants – while they labored to build the country. Mamie played alongside the white children in her San Francisco town, but was not allowed to attend the all-white school. Defining her struggle with on the Chinese proverb, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, Traci Huahn and Michelle Jing Chang bring Mamie and her family to life on the page. Huahn tells Mamie’s story and does not shy away from the virulent racism of the time, noting that the school principal told her, “Your kind is not welcome here”; that a preacher in favor of educating Chinese children had his home vandalized; that newspapers of the day resorted to using words like “heathen”, “barbarian”, “trouble”, and “disaster” to refer to children. Chang’s illustrations show the Chinese community in protest, the disappointed faces of the Tape family, and the determination of young Mamie Tape, who made the decision to continue pushing forward to attend school. Back matter includes an epilogue to the Chinese Primary School, which opened in 1885 and where Mamie and her brother Frank attended; an author’s note on the Tape family, complete with photos, and a selected bibliography. Endpapers continue the story by showing Mamie staring out the window of her home, and eventually running, with her brother, dressed for school. A very good study of American attitudes toward the Chinese community and a good addition to historical picture book collections.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

AANHPI Month Reads: Exclusion and the Chinese American Story

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Exclusion and the Chinese American Story (Race to the Truth), by Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, (March 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $8.99, ISBN: 9780593567630

Ages 10-14

The Race to the Truth series is a middle grade/middle school series that takes an unvarnished look at marginalized communities in American history. Exclusion and the Chinese American Story traces the history of Chinese people in America. Tied closely to the history of African Americans in America, Blackburn begins with the Chinese arrival on U.S. shores during the Gold Rush, hoping to pursue their part of the American Dream. They quickly found themselves “othered” by the white men that legislated their very existence while paying them poverty wages to do the work that white men could no longer force Black Americans to do. Blackburn discusses racial hierarchies and how the Chinese moved along that hierarchy as American politicians needed them; Angel Island, where immigrants on the West Coast languished while waiting to be admitted to America; the practice of “paper sons and daughters” in attempts to circumvent racial legislation; and where we stand today in terms of racial diversity. She includes photos of primary sources and spotlights individuals like Ho Ah Kow, a laborer who successfully sued a San Francisco sheriff over racially motivated local ordinances, and Anna May Wong, the first Chinese film star in Hollywood. Easily readable, each chapter offers thought- and discussion-provoking questions to consider. Back matter includes resources and an extensive bibliography. Informative, well-written, and a frank look at how far we still have to go in terms of racial equity.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Peek into The Wonderful World of Ants!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Wonderful World of Ants, by Philip Bunting, (March 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $17.99, ISBN: 9780593567784

Ages 4-8

There are 10 quadrillion ants in the world! That’s a lot of ants. The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants is all about how these tiny little creatures make life better for us humans, and what we can learn from them. Recycling is a big thing with ants: nothing goes to waste! They recycle nutrients of plants and trees to create richer soil, and that makes for better crops for us. Ants love a good power nap, too – and who can blame them? Bunting’s humor comes across in his artwork and his writing, making fun facts even more interesting to read about, and bold, colorful pictures to grab your attention. He explains how an ant colony functions and each group’s job within the colony, and how ants communicate through pheromones. All in all, ants do their job in making the world a better place, and we could take a minute to learn from them. An excellent introduction for younger readers, and a first-rate addition to collections. The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants is the companion to The Gentle Genius of Trees.

The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants has a starred review from The Horn Book.

 

Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

A Kind of Spark is an incredible must-read

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Kind of Spark, by Elle McNicoll, (Oct. 2021, Crown Books for Young Readers), $16.99, ISBN: 9780593374252

Ages 8-12

An award-winning debut middle grade novel that debuted in the UK last year, A Kind of Spark is the kind of book the educators, parents and caregivers, and kids need to read and discuss together.

Addie is an autistic girl with a teacher who loves reading and learning, but she’s stuck with a teacher who sees her neurodivergence as being rebellious and lazy. She’s verbally abusive to Addie, as she was to Addie’s older sister, Keedie. Addie is targeted by both Mrs. Murphy, her teacher, and by Emily, a fellow student; her fellow students, including her former friend, all look the other way during these painful bullying sessions, but new girl Audrey arrives and befriends Addie, enjoying her for who she is. When the class learns that their small Scottish town once tried and executed a number of young women as witches, it sparks a visceral reaction in Addie. What if these women were misunderstood? What if they were like her? The lesson becomes a personal crusade for Addie, who campaigns for the town to install a memorial to these misunderstood women, with Keedie and Audrey providing the support she needs.

There is so much in this book. At times painful and enraging, it remains a book that needs reading and discussing. Told from the point of view of a neurodivergent character, written by a neurodivergent author, A Kind of Spark encourages empathy and understanding by providing a first-person perspective. It addresses the bullying and abuse that neurodivergent people are susceptible to, but it also points the finger at bystanders who don’t speak out and takes on those who should be there to support and protect students – like caregivers and educators – who are lacking. The bond between Keedie and Addie is heart-warming, and their discussions on “masking” – acting neurotypical in order to fit in – are thought-provoking and a wake-up call. An incredible book that is a must-add, must-read, to all collections.

A Kind of Spark has a starred review from School Library Journal. There are a wealth of autism and neurodivergence resources available: the NEA has a guide for educators; the Organization for Autism Research has a Kit for Kids to help create allies rather than bullies and a Teacher’s Corner for educators; the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network has resources and an article on what makes an ally, and Autism Classroom News and Resources has a free resources library with materials and webinars. Author Elle McNicoll’s website has links to her blog and more information about her books.

The BBC is going to be bringing A Kind of Spark to the screen – now, we folx in the U.S., wait.