Tag: Henry Holt & Co.

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

More books for your Earth Day displays!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Earth Day is coming to a close, but we can celebrate our Pale Blue Dot all year ’round. Let Earth Day be the kickoff to a Spring full of environmental awareness for your libraries and communities!

The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle, by Maddalena Bearzi/Illustrated by Alex Boersma, (May 2025, Roaring Brook Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781250901675

Ages 6-10

There’s bits and pieces of knowledge most of us have about sea turtles: they lay eggs on the beach, the hatchlings hatch, and there’s the “race for life” to get to the ocean before the predators get the hatchlings. What happens after a turtle hatchling makes it to the water? Bearzi, a marine biologist and conservationist, details the life of a sea turtle for readers. Beginning with the hatching, Bearzi continues the story to show readers that making it to water isn’t the end of a sea turtle’s struggle; there are predators in the water and there are humans, whose fishing nets don’t always allow for a turtle to escape. Bearzi also discusses migration patterns and brings the turtle’s life full circle by having the main sea turtle return to the same beach where she hatched, this time to lay her own eggs. Boersma’s realistic illustrations are breathtaking, evoking emotion and awe with each spread. Back matter includes a section on spotting the different types of sea turtles, ways to protect sea turtles, information about sea turtle researchers, and a bibliography. A must-buy for your nonfiction collections. The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

Together, a Forest: Drawing Connections Between Nature’s Diversity and Our Own, by Roz MacLean, (March 2025, Henry Holt & Co), $18.99 ISBN: 9781250864512

Ages 4-8

A class trip to a forest is a study in interconnectivity. Each of the class interacts with their environment in their own ways, illustrating how we each relate to our surroundings. Sasha, a student with a white cane who codes as being blind, listens to the differences in bird sounds as they change position; the surrounding trees and plants creating “sound shadows”. Angel, a student who gets “caught up in the moment” and “often misplaces things”, is much like a squirrel, who buries more seeds than he will need to get through winter, just in case he forgets where he saved everything. Student Joy appears to suffer from anxiety, is worried about her class assignment, but the soothing network of her classmates – her ecosystem – sustains her just as the orchid sustains its environs. A moving meditation on how we all come together to create a diverse and vibrant world and how we are connected to our planet. A good addition to picture book collections. Mixed media illustration includes a diverse and inclusive group. Use this book to encourage discussion. Together, a Forest has a starred review from Kirkus. Download a free activity kit from MacKids School and Library.

 

How to Explain Climate Science to a Grown-Up, by Ruth Spiro/Illustrated by Teresa Martínez, (March 2025, Charlesbridge), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623546205

Ages 4-8

You know, sometimes it’s just up to kids to get things done, especially when grown-ups don’t want to listen. That’s where this “How to Explain” series comes in handy, and climate change is a particularly important one for kids to be aware of AND about how to talk to grown-ups. Written with the assumption that kids are in charge, Spiro – whose Baby Loves Science series we love! – offers comic book panels, simple and factual explanation (so grownups can understand!) and Pro Tips to fall back on when stubborn adults insist that climate change isn’t a real thing. Martínez’s illustration offers helpful diagrams for visual explanation and comic book dialogue to keep everyone engaged. It’s a tough job, being a kid, especially when you have to explain everything to those spacey grownups: stock your collection with this series to help a kid out. Download an educator kit, a Kid Expert certificate, and badge from Charlesbridge’s website.

 

History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment, by Kate Messner/Illustrated by Justin Greenwood, (March 2025, Random House Books for Young Readers), $9.99, ISBN:  9780593705308

Ages 8-12

This series does gangbusters in my library, which is no big surprise, because it’s penned by Kate Messner. Here, Messner gets to the truth behind the Earth Day history and myths. Messner gets into the first Earth Day in April 1970, but gets to the roots of the holiday with discussions on Indigenous populations who developed sustainable farming practices, environmental activists going back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and the science behind global warming. Messner’s straightforward discourse has the ability to empower a new generation to take up the cause: plant a tree, throw out some trash, recycle the bottles! Greenwood’s black and white illustrations go from the realistic-factual to comic book panels depending on the ideas he communicates. A home run for graphic novel fans and more visual readers that will find a great home in nonfiction collections.

 

Posted in Fiction, Horror, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Remy Lai goes horror with Read at Your Own Risk

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Read at Your Own Risk, by Remy Lai, (Aug. 2024, Henry Holt & Co.), $13.99, ISBN: 9781250323354

Ages 8-12

Lai goes full-on horror with her latest book, and I am delighted. I have been a fan of Lai’s since I read Pie in the Sky and love her talent for tender family stories. With Read at Your Own Risk, the author uses an illustrated diary format, similar to Pie in the Sky but with more illustration. The book reads as the diary of a girl named Hannah, who played a game with her friends but is now cursed, and is filled with the creepiest, crawliest storytelling that will delight middle graders. Lai’s characters remind me of Junji Ito’s human characters, sporting wide black eyes and creepy smiles; during Hannah’s interactions with the spirit – played out in the diary itself – we get loose teeth, drops of blood, and sinister wordplay. Illustrations are black and white, with splashes of red for gore – I mean, good – measure. Your Goosebumps readers are going to squeal with terrified joy at this one. A must-purchase.

Read at Your Own Risk has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Cute Toot salutes the poot!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Cute Toot, by Breanna J. McDaniel/Illustrated by Olivia DeCastro, (April 2024, Henry Holt & Co), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250881298

Ages 3-7

What starts as a game of hide-and-seek between two sisters turns into a hilarious farting contest! Big Sis and Baby Sis are playing away a rainy day in an attic when Baby Sis’s tummy gets a little rumbly… and there it is: “Just a cute little toot”. But one toot leads to another; no matter where Baby Sis goes, she announces where she is with a “pft”, much to Big Sis’s delight. Before you can say “cabbage”, Big Sis lets one slip, sending Baby Sis into a fit of giggles, and the two are off on a gas-powered competition! When the smoke clears, there’s Momma, ready to show them who the champ really is. A laugh-out-loud story that will keep kids giggling, this fart-powered story is filled with laughs as the sisters try to contain themselves, only to let it all go. The bold artwork is punctuated with green clouds and bold white fonts for sound effects. Another book made for read-alouds, make sure to be as dramatic as possible (and possibly make a few felt clouds to include in your storytelling). Cute Toot is a fun family story with laughs and love. The characters are brown-skinned.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

There’s No Such Thing as Vegetables? Fantastic, can’t wait to tell my kids!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

There’s No Such Thing as Vegetables, by Kyle Lukoff/Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi, (Feb. 2024, Henry Holt & Company), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250867841

Ages 4-8

Chester is a kid who just wants to get some vegetables from the community garden so his mom can make him a salad. He gets schooled by the garden’s inhabitants on the many groups that fall under the “vegetable umbrella”. Broccoli? That’s a flower, and her name is Juanita, thank you very much. Potato and Carrot? Those are roots; Lettuce and Kale? Those are leaves. Cucumber, Pepper, and Eggplant are all fruits. Different groups explain their importance and their jobs to Chester with often hilarious moments: Lettuce informs Chester that being good in a salad doesn’t make one a vegetable: “…bacon is good in salads, but that doesn’t make bacon a vegetable”. When Chester claims that vegetables taste good but don’t have a lot of sugar, Beet corrects him, noting that “they literally use me to make sugar”. So why are all these different groups of tasty foods grouped under one term? “Say anything enough times and it’ll stop sounding like a real word”, replies Corn. Newbery Honor Award and Stonewall Award winner Lukoff takes a funny story about vegetables to teach a lesson on social constructs, and an author’s note at the end of the story invites readers to think about  and discuss other social constructs. Tsurumi’s illustrated vegetables have personality, and Chester is sweetly exasperated as he tries to work it all out. Endpapers show the group of of sassy “vegetables”, clearly labeled to help readers identify them. Download free activity worksheets here.

Kyle Lukoff is a Newbery Honoree, a Stonewall Award winner, and a National Book Award finalist. Visit his author page to learn more about his books and upcoming events. Illustrator Andrea Tsurumi is a Society of Illustrators Silver Medalist and Red Clover Book Award recipient. You can visit their author page to read their comics and learn more about their books.

 

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Remy Lai’s Ghost Book weaves myth and fantasy

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ghost Book, by Remy Lai, (Aug. 2023, Henry Holt & Co.), $22.99, ISBN: 9781250810410

Ages 8-12

You’d think July Chen was invisible, but she’s not – at least, she’s pretty sure she isn’t, even if no one can quite remember her. She can also speak to ghosts; they tell her she’s the girl with the “yin-yang eyes”. July lives with her dad – her mother died the night July was born – and he often seems too preoccupied to notice her, too. July makes her first friend when she saves a ghost named William from a Hungry Ghost, but William is not really a ghost: he’s a boy who lives between worlds because of something that happened the very same night that July was born. July’s and William’s stories are entwined in ways they could never have imagined, and as Hungry Ghost month begins – and the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts swarm into the living world – July discovers that she may have to sacrifice herself in order for William to live. Inspired by Chinese mythology, Remy Lai’s newest shows a rich underworld; the ghost marketplace is a bustling otherworldly place where ghosts and human vendors interact; the two ghosts who collect souls are an amusing pair whose love of dumplings sets events in motion. A touching story of friendship and sacrifice, with a sensitive look at grief and loss as only Remy Lai can skillfully weave. Another win!

Want to learn more about Hungry Ghost Month? Check out Chinese American Family’s webpage on this year’s Festival; OFTaiwan has videos and photos, plus links to more resources.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

A love letter to special moments: ALL THAT IS YOU

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

All That is You, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli/Illustrated Devon Holzwarth, (Aug. 2022, Henry Holt & Co), $18.99, ISBN: 9781627797023

Ages 2-6

The bestselling author of the Biscuit Easy Reader series has a gorgeous picture book that’s all about love and joy. All That You Are features diverse groups of people across generations sharing wonderful moments, from splashing in puddles to sharing meals; from sailing across magical seas to soaring through skies. Blending the everyday with the magical everyday, artist Devon Holzwarth uses vibrant colors and mixed media to bring Capuccilli’s verses to life. Verse reads like an ode to joy at the wonder of connection: “You’re my ‘Gather ’round the table’, / the ‘Make room for one more’, / the share in my together, / the warm hug at the door”; “You’re the wide in my world, / the home in my soon, / the star that found my dream, / the glow of my moon”.

An essential first purchase. This will become a storytime standard. Download an activity kit to share at storytime here.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Art is Everywhere!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Art is Everywhere: A Book About Andy Warhol, by Jeff Mack, (Nov. 2021, Henry Holt & Co.), $19.99, ISBN: 9781250777157

Ages 4-8

Pop artist Andy Warhol gives readers his unique view on art in this fun book that is part picture book biography, part introduction to pop art. Narrated by a cartoon Warhol, Art is Everywhere starts with Warhol’s beginnings, drawing shoes for a shoe company, through his Campbell Soup Cans, Brillo boxes, and Marilyn Monroe prints, and touces on his Factory days, surrounded by artists and the expansion of his art into movies, television, and magazines. Mack touches on Warhol’s interest in celebrities and explains his take on the “famous for 15 minutes” credo: “One day, we will all be stars of our own shows, and we will all like each other over and over again. Gee… won’t that be great?” Mack also looks at the big question – What makes art? – by touching on Warhol’s detractors. Brief sentences, interspersed with questions, invite readers to think about their ideas on art and media. Back matter includes a note on Warhol and Pop Art.

TeachersPayTeachers has some fun, free Pop Art/Warhol resources, like this Art with Mrs Smith Crayon Pop Art lesson; Artsy Blevs’s Pop Art handout; and Ms BooksmART’s Andy Warhol poster. If you’re updating your art storytimes like I want to, this is a fun choice.

Art is Everywhere! has a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was a Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Book of Distinction.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

The Monsters of Rookhaven is all about Family

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Monsters of Rookhaven, by Pádraig Kenny/Illustrated by Edward Bettison, (Sept. 2021, Henry Holt), $16.99, ISBN: 9781250623942

Ages 10-14

Mirabelle loves her very unique family: there’s Uncle Bertram, who can transform into a grizzy bear, and Aunt Eliza, entirely made up of spiders. There are the twins, Dotty and Daisy, who can be a little cruel, and Odd, who travels through portals. There’s Gideon, the newest addition to the family, and the mysterious Piglet; and there’s Uncle Enoch, who presides over the group. They have an agreement with the English village that separates them by way of a magical border: they don’t cross the border and eat the townsfolk, and the village keeps them fed and safe from the outside world. But Jem and Tom, two orphaned siblings, discover a tear in the magic and find their way into Rookhaven, with consequences for everyone on both sides of the border.

This book is gorgeous; beautifully macabre and perfect for kids who loved Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. The narration moves swiftly along but is never rushed; it’s deliberate and takes its time creating the world of Rookhaven and the post-War English countryside; we meet a group of people devastated by war and the grief and loss it brings, making them susceptible to the worst type of manipulation. We meet another group of beings, specially gifted but assumed terrible, also suffering from grief and loss, with the added confusion of having two very human children stumble into their secure world and turn things upside down. Pádraig Kenny masterfully brings these elements together with dark humor and gentle moments, tension and terror mixed with wonder and pain. Edward Bettison’s blackwork illustrations add the perfect moodiness to the story. An excellent choice for book groups

The Monsters of Rookhaven is out in hardcover now and will be released in paperback this September, to coincide with the hardcover release of the next Rookhaven book, The Shadows of Rookhaven.

The Monsters of Rookhaven has a starred review from Booklist.

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

The Great TBR Read-Down continues: Rhinos in Nebrasks, by Alison Pearce Stevens

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Rhinos in Nebraska, by Alison Pearce Stevens/Illustrated by Matt Huynh, (July 2021, Henry Holt & Company), $19.99, ISBN: 9781250266576

Ages 8-12

Twelve million years ago, a supervolcano exploded in what we now call the state of Nebraska; animals who used a nearby watering hole were buried under a blanket of ash, and lay quietly undiscovered for milennia, until 1953, when a 17-year-old farm worker and his father discovered a complete jawbone sticking up out of cliff at a spot called Bone Hill. Rhinos in Nebraska is the story of these animals, the supervolcano that killed them, and the discovery and construction of Ashfall Fossil Beds, where more than 200 perfectly preserved fossils have been uncovered. Author Alison Pearce Stevens worked with Ashfall researchers at the University of Nebraska State Museum as she wrote this story, which reads like adventure fiction, moving back and forth through different time periods to tell the story of this incredible archaeological discovery. Black and white illustrations and photos bring the story to life; the black artwork bringing to mind woodcut artwork that beautifully lends an ancient feel to these prehistoric animals. Alison Pearce Stevens generates emotion as she describes the agonizing deaths caused by the volcanic ash as deftly as she explains how a horse’s hoof evolved from three toes to one for easier movements like pivoting to evade predators. Back matter includes a glossary of terms – bolded in the book’s text – that come up throughout the narrative. There is also an author’s note and additional resources. Essential for ancient history readers.

Author Alison Pearce Steven’s website includes links to fun science videos and to activities related to Rhinos in Nebraska via TeachersPayTeachers.com. You can find more of Matt Huynh’s illustration work at his website. The American Museum of Natural History has a great, printable sedimentary layers puzzle available for free download.

Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books

Simone Biles’ lyrical picture book biography: Flying High

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles, by Michelle Meadows/Illustrated by Ebony Glenn, (Dec. 2020, Henry Holt & Co), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250205667

Ages 4-7

A lot of ink has been spilled and a lot of newstime has been spent on Simone Biles, whose withdrawal from several Olympic events this summer has reopened important conversations about mental health. Simone Biles has started a worldwide conversation on performance pressure and anxiety, and, more importantly, the ability to speak up and own that anxiety.

Michelle Meadows and Ebony Glenn’s late 2020 picture book biography, Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles, touches on some of those moments within the greater story of the champion’s life so far. Told in rhyming verse, the story begins with Ms. Biles and her siblings being adopted by family members, and the moment a rainy day decided her future as a gymnast. It details the rise to her fame, but it also looks at moments like a disappointing defeat when she tried out for the national team: “Crushed by defeat, / she loses her spark. / What will it take / to rise from the dark?” The story doesn’t shy away from her sacrifices, like choosing homeschool over conventional, in-person learning, to make more time for gymnastics, and it returns, time and again, to her incredible drive to succeed. Written before Simone Biles’s Olympics withdrawal, Michelle Meadows had the understanding and the foresight to see and include moments like this in Biles’s story. Ebony Glenn’s digital artwork gives us expressive, photorealistic illustrations of Simone Biles, her family, and her teammates. She beautifully recreates the gymnast’s incredible skill, with Biles twisting, flipping, and landing with grace and style. Her facial expressions communicate volumes, whether it’s her focus, disappointment, worry, or sheer joy. Back matter elaborates on Simone Biles’s early childhood, includes fast facts about the gymnast, and sources for more reading.

Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles has starred reviews from School Library Journal and Shelf Awareness. Visit Simone Biles’s webpage for more information about the champion, and links to her social media. Her page on the US Gymnastics website lists career highlights, and her page on the Team USA website offers more about her Olympics experience.