Juvenile Fiction

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!

Mima is very sick, and just thinking about it makes Julian very sad and very angry. Julian is worried about Mima and wonders if God can hear her or if God cares. So Mima explains to Julian that God loves us and that God can be trusted―even when we are sad or angry. This gentle story of a grandmother's love for her granddaughter incorporates the timeless wisdom of Julian of Norwich: because of God's great love for us, all will be well.

Written by Lacy Finn Borgo and beautifully illustrated by Rebecca Evans, All Will Be Well tackles the sensitive subjects of death and grief in a way that can be understood by children when adults read thoughtfully with them. Also included is a note from the author to facilitate further conversation about the content.

Discover IVP Kids and share with children the things that matter to God!

Follow baby from day to night--around town and home again--and discover opposites aplenty!

From New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Balcombe comes this charming and affecting tale of young Jake, who on his first fishing trip with his grandfather, makes a crucial discovery when he meets Ava, an archerfish, caught on his line.

2020 Mathical Book Honor Book

Two is not a lot of pennies, but it is a lot of smelly skunks. Ten is not a lot of popcorn pieces, but it is a lot of chomping dinosaurs. One thousand is not a lot of grains of sand, but it is a lot of hot air balloons!

While Joey’s mom explains the context of numbers in vivid ways, Joey’s imagination transforms their ordinary car ride into a magical odyssey through a land of make-believe.  

Is Two a Lot? is a wonderfully charming and authentic exchange between mother and child. Annie Watson’s story makes numbers tangible, and Rebecca Evans’s illustrations bring them to life.

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."

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.

When Laura—a.k.a. Masterpiece Robot—heads into the backyard with her little sister Molly—a.k.a. Sidekick—her active imagination places them instead on patrol around the perimeter of a dystopian city, guarding against supervillains. Then older sister Amber—a.k.a. Valerie Knick Knack—throws handfuls of fallen leaves at them, unknowingly initiating a battle for the ages.  masterpiecerobot.com

In 1943, during World War II, Pam meets the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots, and discovers exactly what she wants to be. She even begins to build her very own plane. But when her friend becomes sick, Pam has to decide what is most important.

An adaptation of WINDSHIFT by Joyce Faulkner

In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Noah finds out from his animal friends why fur belongs on animals, not people. Sitting on his bed with his cat Mango and his furry toy animals, Noah asks, “Why do you get to have fur coats, but I don’t?” In his dream that night, Noah’s animals offer a variety of answers. He learns how vital each animal’s coat is to its survival and happiness.

When a far-sighted shopkeeper encounters a bear in his store, he mistakes her for a woman “wrapped up in a fur” and hires her. But once the shopkeeper puts on his new glasses and realizes that his new assistant is a bear, will her smart running of the place be enough to keep her employed there?

William lives in a gray world. His moods, his thoughts, even most of his clothes are gray. But one gray morning, a mysterious girl appears.

Her name is Purple, and she is the only dash of color in William’s gray yard. She asks his name, and when he answers “Um, well…,” she dubs him Umwell the Gray, then leads him on an exploration of a world that is always new and beautiful to eyes that can see.

This story is a celebration of the ever-present newness and change around and within us. Because newness is more readily discernible in nature than in human lives, the story relies on Purple’s guidance through the natural world to build a bridge to William’s inner world. Umwell the Gray can’t see what Purple sees in a falling leaf, a cloud, a swirling stream, a tidepool. She is demanding, challenging, frustrating, but compelling. Though he doesn’t understand her, he wants to be around her. Bit by bit the world comes to life for him, and as it does, Rebecca Evans’s palette evolves from gray to multihued. At last Umwell becomes William, but a different William than he was before. He is a new boy, looking out upon a new world.

Children with disabilities often struggle to fit in, but church can be a place where everyone is welcome and included!When I Go to Church, I Belong follows the story of six children, helping us better understand the experiences and feelings of those with special needs. And it reminds us that even though we have our differences, we also have so much in common.

Written by Elrena Evans and illustrated by Rebecca Evans, this message of inclusion and belonging can be enjoyed by children and the adults who read with them. Also included is a note from the author to encourage further conversation about the content.