Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States (Christy Ottaviano Books) by Rajani LaRocca, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee has been named to the May/June Kid’s Indie Next list.
See the full list here
The book will be published May 27, 2025. Pre order it here
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone (Lee & Low), by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illustrated by Frank Morrison and Everything in its Place (Doubleday) by Pauline David-Sax, illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow have both been named to Kirkus’s Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far).
Congratulations Frank and Charnelle!
See the complete list here
Living Bridges, The Hidden World of India’s Woven Trees (Beach Lane Books) by Sandhya Acharya, illustrated by Avani Dwivedi has been selected by the Junior Library Guild as part of a new category called Global Citizenship for grades K-2.
The book will be published June 3, 2025.
Pre order it here
Hello There, Sunshine (HarperCollins) by Tabitha Brown, illustrated by Olivia Duchess is #6 on the New York Times Best Seller List for March 30, 2025!
Congratulations Olivia!
No More Gnomes! (CarolRhoda) by Beth Mills is a Junior Library Guild Selection!
Herbert is the politest kid in town. He even has a medal to prove it! But his good manners are put to the test when his afterschool nanny, Ms. Goat, brings home a VERY RUDE garden gnome. Herbert tries to be polite about the inconsiderate imp. But then Ms. Goat gets another gnome . . . and another . . . and another! This is too much for Herbert. He can handle NO MORE GNOMES! But how can he tell that to Ms. Goat without being immensely, impossibly, inexcusably impolite? Find out in this laugh-out-loud story about good intentions and creepy lawn ornaments.
No More Gnomes! will be published September 9, 2025.
Pre-order it here
The Cool Code 2.0 The Switch Glitch (HarperCollins) by Deire Langeland, illustrated by Sarah Mai has been selected by the American Library Association for the 2024 Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List!
Congratulations Sarah!
See the full list here
Get the book here
Rats to the Rescue (Millbrook Press) by Scott Riley and Sambat Meas, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee is getting noticed! It is a Junior Library Guild Selection, A CCBC Choices book, and now a 2026 Towner Award nominated book.
The Towner Award is the Washington state award for nonfiction picture books written for 2nd-6th grade students. In the spring, all Washington State students in public and independent schools, from second through sixth grades, are invited to vote for their favorite book if they have listened to or read a minimum of two titles. Student votes can be submitted by school and public librarians only. In addition, we will recognize an Educators’ Choice. This is your chance to share with other educators which book you found most useful in the classroom.
Learn more about it here
Get the book here
Some of Us (Christy Ottaviano Books) by Rajani LaRocca, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee has been garnering praise!
A starred review from Kirkus calls the book a moving and captivating civics lesson, while another starred review from Publishers Weekly says the book is an elegantly limned work about US citizenship.
A glowing review from Booklist says of the illustrations These scenes provide windows and mirrors for young readers and subtly reinforce the text’s message that immigrants enrich the cultural fabric of the nation.
Congratulations Huy!
Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now! (FSG) by Claudette Colvin and Phillip Hoose; illustrated by Bea Jackson has been named as one of four contenders for the 2025 Irma Black Award. Over the next few months, thousands of children in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the United Arab Emirates will vote for the gold medalist. The winner will be announced in School Library Journal in early May. Learn more here.
Additionally, the book has been selected as a 2025 Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts. The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance (NCBLA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting literacy and recognizing outstanding children’s literature. Each year, the NCBLA awards committee recognizes 30 books of enduring quality that deal explicitly with language, demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style, and/or invite child response or participation. Learn more here
A VOICE OF HOPE: THE MYRLIE EVERS-WILLIAMS STORY, illustrated by London Ladd and written by Nadia Solomon, has received a BCALA Children & Youth Literary Award for Nonfiction! The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. (BCALA) Awards celebrate the diversity of the Black experience, and honor outstanding works of fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults by African American authors.
A VOICE OF HOPE, published by Philomel Books, honors the life and activism of Myrlie Evers-Williams, whose relentless pursuit of justice helped shape the civil rights movement.
Congratulations London!