Recommended Books

Liling and her family have moved from their rural farm to an overwhelming urban city. Because of Chinese law, Liling can't go to school and spends her days with Mama or Baba at work. At the playground, the other children throw sand at her and tease her old red coat and dirty shoes.
    
But after she shares a smile with a girl in a bright yellow jacket who lives in an apartment beneath hers, Liling has a big idea! She draws a picture and lowers it down to the girl--Qiqi--who returns it with a drawing of her own. When the new friends meet face to face, Liling takes Qiqi's hand, and they walk bravely into the park--together.

With luscious watercolor illustrations and lovely poetic text, this achingly beautiful story is about our universal desire for connection, and the comfort we feel when we find a true friend.

Skeletons might seem frightening, but if you look closer, there’s nothing much to fear. They can’t run fast, they’re terrible at hide-and-seek, and they’re scared of everything. When a group of trick-or-treaters runs into an actual skeleton on an enchanted Halloween night, they do whatever they can get away. But what does the skeleton really want? What if they’re just looking for a friend?

With distinctive, quirky illustrations and humorous rhyming text, this book invites you to find out whether this bag of bones is a trick or a treat!

2020 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award gold winner
2020 Moms Choice Award Gold winner
2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention

A little bird, a big sky, and the first time out of the nest! A robin's first flight is a gentle reminder about what we can accomplish if we just keep trying. As reviewer Sue Lowell Gallion says, "Children (and parents!) experiencing the many firsts of growing up will relate to this lively story of a young robin learning to fly. Playful, rhyming text and winsome water color illustrations give readers a birds' eye view of he baby birds' emotions and adventures on its way to solo flight."

Kirkus Star
2019 Junior Library Guild Gold Selection

More than two centuries before Einstein, using a crude telescope and a mechanical timepiece, Dutch astronomer Ole Romer measured the speed of light with astounding accuracy. How was he able to do this when most scientists didn’t even believe that light traveled? 

Twins Martina and Mateo wanted a hamster as a pet but find caring for Jeannie a chore. Their younger sister, Sophia, loves Jeannie and sets out to solve the mystery of why Jeannie continues to escape from her cage. This endearing and engaging story of a growing friendship is also instructive about the needs of small animal companions, often referred to as pocket pets.