picture books

Who needs another book by humans? All they do is make us animals super boring. This is a book of oral presentations given by us animals, for us animals, and about us animals. 

Mei Mei has accidentally done the unthinkable: She’s broken her ama’s favorite cup. However, when it’s time to take the blame, she points the finger at her grandmother’s cat instead. Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart has nothing on the deep and penetrating stare of that cat, however, and Mei Mei finds herself unable to keep from confessing her sins in a flood of tears and shame. Forgiveness and cake round out this emotionally exhausting (but still very funny) slice of everyday life.

In Sundust, two kids venture past the rock walls of their border city to explore the untamed desert beyond. Here, away from all the gray concrete, they discover a galaxy of wonders beneath the blazing desert sun. A book that celebrates the magic of the Earth while also revealing marvels on a cosmic scale

Mesoamerican mythology mixes and melds with a contemporary story of a family trying desperately to travel from Mexico to the United States. Told in the style of an ancient codex, the Vargas Ramírezes are determined to go from Iztapalapa, Mexico, north and, as with any epic journey, other characters come and go along the way. Kids will come away from this book realizing how hard such a trip can be (and how important shoes are).

It’s the moment all children dread. A universal childhood complaint (slow-moving adults who jabber with other slow-moving adults) brought to brilliantly overexaggerated life in this tale of a girl, her little brother and the moment when her two moms get trapped in a conversation with the neighbors on the way to the park. This is the perfect book for any kid who has tried to tug, pull, shove or yank their immovable grown-ups away from the irresistible force of chatter. 

A picture book that delves deep into the color blue is one thing, but author Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and illustrator Daniel Minter are equally determined to also decenter whiteness in this visually stunning history. With sumptuous art that never stops surprising, this book follows the human history of our attempts, failures and successes at capturing the color blue and making it our own. Extra points for the book’s particularly elegant connections between indigo, the slavery trade and “The Blues” as they relate to Black history.

Dictionary just wants to tell a story like all the other books, so one day she decides to bring her definitions to life. A chase story ensues – Alligator chases Donut and makes a hole in the A’s as he escapes from inside the book. When Queen slips on Soap, some of the S words go tumbling off the page entirely. It’s chaos! 

Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat, is a humorous and absurd children's picture book that playfully warns readers against trusting fish, despite their seemingly harmless nature. The book uses a mix of silly, exaggerated reasons (like fish having secret underwater lives and plotting world domination) and actual facts (like different types of fish and their habitats) to create a funny, "guidebook" style narrative.