Staff Picks by Tag

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Mina By Matthew Forsythe, Matthew Forsythe (Illustrator) Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781481480413
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books - February 15th, 2022

The enchanting illustrations and increasingly amusing tale made this book an instant favorite. Mina is usually fine with her father's eccentric finds, like the stick bugs with their charismatic voices, but she's a little skeptical of the new squirrel he brings home, especially when the squirrel refuses to eat - not even acorns!


Review by Sarah B.

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Bathe the Cat By Alice B. McGinty, David Roberts (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Alice B. McGinty, David Roberts (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781452142708
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Chronicle Books - February 8th, 2022

As anyone fortunate enough to live with a cat will tell you, cats generally don't do anything they don't want to do. This hilarious, rhyming read-aloud shows you exactly how far a cat will go to avoid being bathed.


Review by Sarah B.

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Saffron Ice Cream By Rashin Kheiriyeh, Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrator) Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781338150520
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Arthur A. Levine Books - May 29th, 2018

The art is so colorful and vibrant as is the delightful story. Immigrants and children of immigrants will relate while others will enjoy the heart-warming themes. Overall a great choice for everyone!


Review by Lily

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I Eat Poop.: A Dung Beetle Story By Mark Pett, Mark Pett (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Mark Pett, Mark Pett (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9781250785633
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Roaring Brook Press - October 26th, 2021

Yeah, the title got me too. I cried laughing at this book but that's no surprise because it has poop in the title - it knows it's funny. But then you flip the page and learn a valuable lesson about accepting yourself, sticking up for others, and finding the weird in everybody. You'll learn about different insects and have fun and warm your heart all in a matter of a few colorfully illustrated pages. Give it a try!


Review by Emily

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Brown Girl Dreaming By Jacqueline Woodson Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780147515827
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Nancy Paulsen Books - October 11th, 2016

A perfect example of a book for children and adults alike; give this to everyone you know! Woodson writes in verse, beautifully combining prose and poetry, to tell the autobiographical story of a brown girl coming of age at the tailend of Jim Crow. She grapples with identity and the idea of home, growing up in South Carolina and New York, while still trying to be a kid with dreams of becoming a writer. It's powerful, it's beautiful, it's no wonder it was a Newbery Award nominee.


Review by Emily

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My City By Joanne Liu Cover Image
$14.95
ISBN: 9783791373775
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Prestel Junior - April 16th, 2019

My City shows that even the simplest errand can be full of discovery, if you aren't too busy to notice. Max is on a mission to deliver a letter, and every step of his journey reveals some small wonder: bright colors dancing in a laundromat window, the world mirrored in a puddle, the sky's shifting hues at sunset. Every time I open this book I find something new to marvel at, right alongside Max.


Review by Theo

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The Cardboard Kingdom By Chad Sell Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9781524719388
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers - June 5th, 2018

This gem of a graphic novel details the imaginative escapades of a neighborhood of kids with serious creativity, major crafting skills, and an overwhelming capacity for dynamic supportiveness. Through ups and downs of relationships with family and friends, these characters give each other the emotional and creative encouragement they need to be their best, most authentic selves. A reminder to all that the more you connect with your community, the brighter you (and it) shine!



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Julián Is a Mermaid By Jessica Love, Jessica Love (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Jessica Love, Jessica Love (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780763690458
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Candlewick - April 23rd, 2018

Julian is a mermaid - of this there is no doubt. But how will this identity expression be met by his family? This is a question we get to explore through this book's resplendent watercolor illustrations and streamlined story. It's about the transformative power of loving acceptance during pivotal moments of self-doubt. For the mermaid in all of us. 


Review by Dean

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A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet #1) By Madeleine L'Engle Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9780312367541
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Square Fish - May 1st, 2007

Though this book is short, it is nothing short of profound. Meg was my first fictional hero, and she taught me something fundamentally important: that you can be flawed and still heroic. You can be angry and amazing, full of fear and love at the same time, and all of those layers stack together to make you strong. A book to combat darkness, in all its forms.



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George (Scholastic Gold) By Alex Gino Cover Image
$7.99
Unavailable at this time.
ISBN: 9780545812573
Published: Scholastic Inc. - April 25th, 2017

The titular character of this book is a transgender 4th grade girl whose unwavering faith in herself provides a model for all readers to aspire to. The supportive relationship that Melissa has with her best friend Kelly assures readers that, with friends who encourage you to be your most authentic self, anything is possible. 

Additionally, the author has encouraged folks to change the title of their own copies of this book (so as not to deadname the protagonist) to "Melissa's Story." I think this is such an inventive way to encourage a book's evolution long after it leaves our bookstore shelves and what kid could resist an author's permission to scribble on a book?



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