These six titles tell different stories about our wonderful and diverse world.
Let’s start with early readers:
A Little Like Magic by Sarah Kurpiel (Author)
The girl protagonist is in a wheelchair and perhaps is not all that happy about putting on warm clothes and driving a long way to see the magic happen before her eyes, but she goes with her mom to the ice festival nevertheless.
There, in the cold, sculptors chisel, sculpt, and drill, bringing forth images and statues made of ice, conjured up by the winter. These are both imposing and serene, sparkling in the moonlight.
The magic this girl encounters will be hard to forget.
This book won the Schneider Book Award 2024.
A Little Like Magic is on sale since October 15, 2024.
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books
Pages: 40/ Hardback
EAN/UPC: 9780593697658
Up next, this book is about the same feeling:
A Forest Song by Kirsten Hall (Author) Evan Turk (Illustrator)
A poem about the forest, about coming and going and feeling the forest around you, filled with vivid illustrations and color.
The kid experiencing this knows that all the wonders of the forest will start afresh in the morning. This is a book meant to be read aloud:
Into the forest, dark and deep,
With miles to go before I sleep . . .
Beneath the holy oaks I wander.
Here, O my heart, just listen!
A Forest Song is on sale since February 11, 2025.
Publisher: Random House Studio
Pages: 40/ Hardback
ISBN: 9780593480366
Now let’s talk puppies and worms:
The Little Puppy by Michelle Sumovich (Author) Laura Park (Illustrator)
Ollie is eagerly awaiting a visit from Grandma, and her special Valentine’s visit includes a visit from Grandma’s puppy, Millo.
Ollie wants everything to be perfect, and a young energetic puppy is not the best companion when you want to stay indoors and paint Valentine’s cards, it’s just not in the mix.
Will they be able to understand each other and have a nice time together?
The Little Puppy is on sale since December 17, 2024.
Published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Hardback | Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781665965903
Up next this story talks about permaculture:
Worm Makes a Sandwich by Brianne Farley (Author)
Worms are used in permaculture to compost food scraps and kitchen waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer. This process is called vermicomposting. Any kid would yawn at this description, but not in this particular book, because Worm is going to make a sandwich, just for you!
Now, he will take a roundabout way and many months for this sandwich, because it is special. First, he will eat delectable garbage, apple cores, grapes, and carrot tops… he and his friends will enjoy all of it. And then, they will poop!
After, we will use that poop as fertilizer, to grow plants and wait for the tomato that will end in that sandwich we mentioned.
That is how a worm can make you a sandwich!
Worm Makes a Sandwich is on sale since February 18, 2025.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Hardback | Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780593697801
Up next, this is a lovely take on cooking together as a family:
Jollof Day by Bernard Mensah (Author), Annalise Barber-Opp (Illustrator)
A kid and his father wake up happy because today is Jollof Day.
Jollof is a type of rice dish, with lots of peppers and tomatoes. Something I would love to try, (I am sad my Nigerian friends did not prepare it for me when we had the chance).
The joy of cooking, slicing, and preparing, of having this moment for the two of them is something we get to enjoy when Father and Son feel in the best of Sunday moods. My kid and his dad make Japanese pancakes: and dorayakis, and the ritual is all about mom and the other children not being in the kitchen until everything is set and ready to be eaten.
In this book, something delicious burbles on the stove, the pots and pans are happily clanging, father and son and cooking, and it’s a joyful day, a Jollof Day.
Jollof Day is available since January 28, 2025.
Publisher: Dial Books
Hardback| Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780593406441
Finally, a surprising slice-of-life graphic novel for teens:
Sea Legs: A Graphic Novel by Jules Bakes (Author), Niki Smith (Illustrator)
Janey’s family lives in a boat in the Caribbean, and they get to sail and live on the sea. It sounds dreamy, right? But Janey feels lonely on the boat, especially after having had a year in Miami with school, life, and a best friend.
Almost no children are to be found in this lifestyle, and making new friends every few days is a daunting task. Not dreamy at all for a teenager!
Finally, Janey meets Astrid – a fellow boat kid who has her share of big problems, but who could use a friend. Astrid has her temper, and hurricane season will only complicate matters.
The best feature of the story is the drawings. They have a pop and kawaii quality that enjoys making glorious seascapes, sunsets, and horizons, alongside a very cute and relatable main character. Smith has done a great job on this!
Janey’s family has decided to live by their own rules, but growing up in this environment can be equally as challenging as it is interesting.
Sea Legs: A Graphic Novel is available since February 04, 2025.
Publisher: Graphix
Hardback| Pages: 256
ISBN: 9781338835885
