Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

Forty brave women, forty bold women, forty women who thought outside of the box, forty women who changed the world.  “In a society where being black and female meant being an outsider or sometimes invisible, these women dared to go after what they wanted, to demand what they deserved.  Some of them were reluctant leaders, while others were not even conscious of their bravery, but their legacies live on to pave the way for more of us to follow.  Many of them didn’t set out to be pioneers, but all of them were, and we can look to each one of them for inspiration.”

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History was written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison and published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

ABC Pop-Up

This is not your run-of-the-mill abecedarian primer.  It’s hard to resist a pop-up book, especially such a clever one.  Little ones will be taken with how letters of the alphabet are presented through intricately-designed and well-executed concepts.  A work of art that teaches as much as it inspires awe.

ABC Pop-Up was created by Courtney Watson McCarthy and published by Candlewick Studio.

Stella Díaz Has Something to Say

This week we’re reading Stella Díaz Has Something to Say, an early middle grade novel written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez.   It’s based on her childhood growing up Mexican American, and her note at the end explains similarities and differences between her and Stella.

Stella loves drawing, going to the library, and spending time with her best friend Jenny, who’s Vietnamese American.  She’s shy to speak out loud in class because she’s still learning to how to say certain sounds (which she’s working on with her speech teacher) and is sometimes misunderstood, which is frustrating.  Her goal is to make friends with the new kid in class, but the problem is she gets pretty nervous whenever Stanley’s around.  She’s also pretty worried about the big presentation she has to give in front of her class.  Stella’s story is about becoming comfortable with her differences, finding courage and her voice, and watch out when she does. ;) We also really love her supportive and loving mother and older brother and the roles they play in her life.

Published by Roaring Brook Press, Stella Díaz Has Something to Say will be out next Tuesday, January 16!

Little Lit Book Series: Night

Night is the #littlelitbookseries theme for January, with its traditionally short days and long nights.

Vietnamese American poet Bao Phi wrote A Different Pond to honor the struggle of his parents as immigrants working multiple jobs in the US to feed their family of six.  Bao’s father would sometimes take them fishing with him, before the sun came up—for sustenance, not sport.  Like the boy and father in the book, Bao would hear his father tell stories about war-torn Vietnam.  Bao’s father wanted him to understand things that had been part of their lives as a family and country.  Truly a beautiful and poignant story, with evocative language and art.

A Different Pond was written by poet Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui and published by Capstone.

For more books on the theme of night, be sure to stop in at @littlelitbookseries throughout the month.  And see what everyone else is sharing today on Instagram with the hashtag #littlelitbookseries.

What Do You Do With a Chance?

New year, new perspectives.  Ideas, problems and chances are all things we encounter every day in life and sometimes we get mired in the same patterns of dealing with each.  But what’s great about the start of each new year is that we naturally crave change and we make more of a conscious effort to clear our minds and reset our ways and habits.  Anyone have any resolutions to share?  A lot of the time I find myself carrying over some of the same resolutions from year to year — two of my ongoing ones are to be a better listener and to ask better questions.

What Do You Do With an Idea?, What Do You Do With a Problem? and What Do You Do With a Chance? were written by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom and published by Compendium.  What Do You Do With a Chance? will be out on February 6, 2018.