In Marina Abrams’ oversized children’s picture book, a young boy and his sister are conduits for young readers to learn about the culture of Central Asia.

On a warm day, a boy named Barzu looks after his sister Nafisa and runs errands for his mother. The children make a “snowman” out of melons, meet an […]

Author Lynn Slaughter’s middle grade fantasy concerns two boys seeking to escape their troubles by swapping places.

Here, humans peacefully co-exist unwittingly with vampires and witches who live under the guise of Goths and eccentrics. The story opens with Varney awakening from his dream of being a human kid and climbing out of his coffin […]

A frog who aspires to fly realizes he already has all he needs in John Seib’s children’s picture book Little Green Frog Discovers I Am Enough.

Looking up at the sky, a frog imagines himself with wings, joining the birds as they fly. He leaps but ends up splashing into the water instead. He imagines […]

In this middle-grade fantasy, an unspecified prophecy sends a band of children and cats on an important mission.

The titular heroes, 12-year-old Chenopka (Chen) and his ten-year-old brother Tesharan (Tesh) live with their family at the foot of Mount Palpatus.  In their tribal community, jewel lizards not only provide food but also valuable rainbow-faceted skins […]

In Marlo Holly’s middle-grade book, a 12-year-old girl loses her beloved grandfather (“Papa”), then discovers clues to a dangerous secret he counted on her to expose.

Three decades ago, Marnie’s Papa, owner of Price Manufacturing, served as a WWII codebreaker. At a memorial reception, Marnie finds a cryptic message in her grandfather’s office which she […]

A child learns to soothe his nervous feelings through meditation and mindset in Rashmi Kumar Shah’s picture book I Found My Piece.

In this story, narrated by an unnamed child, the characters have large, egg-shaped bodies and wiggly antennae but act like humans. When Mommy announces she has a new job and the family will […]

In this playful adventure, two boys from different worlds discover the chaos that comes from wishing for a pet.

A little boy named Jordy has a “closetful of toys,” a comfortable room, and other wonderful things, but he deeply wishes for a pet. His parents have many objections, from allergies to cleanliness and noise. Across […]

The Badger Brothers tells a story about mischievous badgers who help humans and badgers learn to live peacefully together on a ranch near Boise, Idaho.

Twin badger brothers Bartt and Brett are inseparable, and one of their favorite activities involves digging holes to make the rancher who finds the holes do his “Wayne dance” – […]

A sloth’s quest for a new tree to call home introduces him to a human family in this heartwarming holiday picture book.

Wearing his striped pajamas, Sloth writes a goal on a piece of paper and sets out northward to achieve it: “To find the perfect tree to call my home.” He’s attracted by the […]

In Nancy Oswald’s new addition to her middle-grade series, set in 1898 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 13-year-old Ruby has a lot on her plate: She’s lost a beloved pet; a solid friendship is fissuring, and then she stumbles into a gold theft ring—and more.

On Saturdays, Ruby earns money ferrying passengers around town in a […]