There is no way I’m ever going to be able to say “Yep, that’s it, this is all the books I want.” But these are the ones that are sitting on the top of the super casual PLEASE LIKE THIS BOOK kid pile in my heart.
My Papi Has a Motorcycle (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) A beautiful, exciting, well-told (and drawn!) story with a strong sense of place. A recommendation from a children’s librarian buddy. Representation: a working-class Mexican-American family with a girl protagonist.
The Shortest Day (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) I find the artwork in this areligious poem of the cyclical death and return of the year bleak, creepy, and arresting. But then reading Susan Cooper’s Dark Is Rising series at a tender age more or less engineered that to feel like THE COOLEST THING EVER and I want this book a lot.
This Is How We Do It (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) The promise of a lovely picture book taking a look at the environments of children around the world excites me to no end. But I have had Montell Jordan crooning in my head ever since I saw the title so be wary. Representation: A day-in-the-life comparison of a child living in Japan, Peru, India, Russia, Uganda, Italy, and Iran.
Drawn Together (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) This beautiful book about a grandfather and grandson who draw together when they can’t talk is poetic and funny and enormously touching and I think my kids have aged into it. Representation: Asian grandfather and grandson artists, language barrier.
Also an Octopus (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) This is a meta-story about building a story. I want it for my meta elder child, who is going on 5 and saddled with a parent whose initial response to “the bad guys in this are scary” is to bust out the Hero’s Journey and the rules of genre. Sorry, kid. Maybe this will help.
Princess in Black (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) This seems like a great application of the superhero/princess tropes that are gaining ground with my little target markets. Representation: feminine white girl as brave hero.
The Street Beneath My Feet (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) A book that goes down, down, down into the stuff under the ground, from the different kinds of utilities to archaeology to earthworms and plant biology. With a giant fold-out section and urban/rural distinction.
Alma and the Beast (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) Alma’s the blue one. I love a flipped perspective so much. Representation: girl co-protagonist, decentering.
Pokko and the Drum (Amazon | BN | Indiebound) Listen, any book that starts, “The biggest mistake Pokko’s parents had ever made was giving her a drum” is GOLD. Warning, there is a bunny that gets eaten here, I am not sure if that will be funny or horrific to my kids. Representation: noisy girl frog protagonist.
There are several books on here recommended by a children’s librarian friend with excellent taste, a couple more from our amazingly curated local bookstore, some from parent friends, some from SCBWI talks, some random browsing and the Amazon hey-want-some-more-of-that algorithm. If you tell me about books, you are a wonderful person I love to talk to, thank you—and if you want a named hat-tip let me know!
