Children's Books Catalog
Mango Delight (Volume 1)
Author: Fracaswell Hyman
When seventh-grader Mango Delight Fuller accidentally breaks her BFF Brooklyn’s new cell phone, her life falls apart. She loses her friends and her spot on the track team, and even costs her father his job as a chef. But Brooklyn’s planned revenge—sneakily signing up Mango to audition for the school musical—backfires when Mango not only wins the lead role, but becomes a YouTube sensation and attracts the attention of the school’s queen bee, Hailey Jo. Hailey Jo is from a VERY wealthy family, and expects everyone to do her bidding. Soon Mango finds herself forced to make tough choices about the kind of friend she wants to have . . . and, just as important, the kind of friend she wants to be.
Malik's Number Thoughts
Author: Natalie Rompella
A determined boy learns to manage his OCD.
Malik's obsessive-compulsive disorder means his brain wants him to do everything on the count of four. When he’s invited to a minigolf birthday party, Malik is excited. But he worries about his Number Thoughts. If he has to take four tries to get the ball in the hole, he’ll never win―and everyone might make fun of him. Can Malik say "no" to his Number Thoughts?
Malcolm X
Author: Arnold Adoff
Malcolm X lived in difficult times - when some thought that black people were inferior to white people. But Malcolm believed that black people should stand up for their rights and he preached this belief everywhere he went. His message became popular because it was one of hope and pride. But it also became dangerous, because some people didn't agree with him. In 1965, one of these people shot and killed him. Even though his life was cut short by hatred, Malcolm X's ideas still affect people of all races. Here is his amazing story.
Making Happy
Author: Sheetal Sheth
When Leila's mother gets sick, lots of things change for her family. But one important thing stays the same: they still have each other, and they know how to find joy and laughter when they need it most! The poetic, uplifting story and hopeful ending are based on the author's own experience battling cancer as the parent of young children.
Makeda Makes a Home for Subway
Author: Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Makeda is excited to bring Subway, the class guinea pig, home for the weekend. But Subway seems S-A-D—so Makeda and her friend Glory decide to make him an F-U-N new cage to cheer him up. But what if what is fun for Makeda is not fun for Subway?
This Level 2 I Can Read! book features an engaging story, longer sentences, and language play perfect for developing readers.
Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel
Author: Nikki Grimes
"Dyamonde, a third grader, has "wild-crazy hair," is "skinnier than half a toothpick" and is more than equal to the challenge of entering the crowded field of confident grade school heroines."—New York Times
Dyamonde Daniel may be new in town, but that doesn't stop her from making a place for herself in a jiffy. With her can-do attitude and awesome brain power she takes the whole neighborhood by storm. The only thing puzzling her is the other new kid in her class. He's grouchy - but Dyamonde's determined to get to the bottom of his attitude and make a friend.
Make Good Trouble
Author: Jamia Wilson
Read real stories about moments that changed history, and find out what you can do to make a difference!
“Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
– John Lewis, Twitter 2018
Inspired by civil rights activist and congressman John Lewis’s call to challenge injustice, explore famous moments of global activism throughout history with more than 70 narrative stories.
Featured stories include the Newsboys’ strike of 1899, the Freedom Summer Project of 1964, Greta Thunberg’s first School Strike for Climate, and students against book banning.
A must-have, illustrated narrative non-fiction guide through stories of exemplary activism:
- Topics for every interest: Stories cover protests about climate change, racism, feminism, LGBTQIA+ pride, disability, and more from around the world.
- Beautifully told stories and useful resources: Alongside the moving narrative retellings of historical moments, kids can find information about how they can be activists in a safe way, alongside a glossary and key dates for annual activism moments from across the globe.
- Written by Jamia Wilson: The acclaimed author of Shining Bright, Shining Black, Big Ideas for Young Thinkers, and Young, Gifted and Black.
Each true story in Make Good Trouble shares how activists across a variety of beliefs, ages, and backgrounds called for change, empowering young readers of all ages, abilities, and circumstances to make a difference. Brimming with illustrations and additional resources, including a timeline and information about how kids can get involved, this is essential reading for budding activists.
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration
Author: Samara Cole Doyon
Told by a succession of exuberant young narrators, Magnificent Homespun Brown is a story -- a song, a poem, a celebration -- about feeling at home in one’s own beloved skin.
With vivid illustrations by Kaylani Juanita, Samara Cole Doyon sings a carol for the plenitude that surrounds us and the self each of us is meant to inhabit. full color
M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child
Author: Tiffany Rose
M Is for Melanin is an empowering alphabet book that teaches kids their ABCs and celebrates Black children, now available as a board book!
M is for Melanin
shining in every inch of your skin.
Every shade, every hue.
All beautiful and unique.
Each letter of the alphabet contains affirming, Black-positive messages, from A is for Afro, to F is for Fresh, to W is for Worthy. This book teaches children their ABCs while encouraging them to love the skin that they're in.
Be bold. Be fearless. BE YOU.
Lullaby (for a Black Mother) Board Book
Author: Langston Hughes
This beloved poem by Langston Hughes, illustrated by the award-winning Sean Qualls, is an irresistible celebration of the love between mother and baby, now available in board book format.
Award-winning illustrator Sean Qualls’s painted and collaged artwork captures universally powerful maternal moments with tenderness. In the end, readers will find a rare photo of baby Hughes and his mother, a biographical note, further reading, and the complete lullaby. Like little love-ones, this beautiful book is a treasure.
“My little dark baby, / My little earth-thing, / My little love-one, / What shall I sing / For your lullaby?"
Love, Lah Lah
Author: Nailah Blackman
Come on, Come on
Carnival is waiting!
It’s Carnival morning, and Lah Lah is awake bright and early, ready to take part in the festivities of the day. Join Lah Lah and her papa as they dance through the streets of Trinidad and Tobago, cheer on the King and Queen of the Carnival parade, and end with a grand performance onstage!
A moving and lyrical tribute to Nailah Blackman’s grandpa Ras Shorty I, the creator of soca music, which blends African and East Indian rhythms, Love, Lah Lah thrums with the colors and the beat of Carnival.
Love Is All Around
Author: Nikki Shannon Smith
This first book in the Brown Baby Parade series celebrates Black and brown babies and delivers a universal message of love, letting all babies know that they are cherished from head to toe.
Love is in the bathroom when Daddy combs my hair.
He picks out my Afro and clips in bows with care.
Love is in the kitchen. We all sit down to eat—
waffles, milk, and sausage, and yummy syrup sweet.
A little girl observes the ways that love is shown and shared throughout her day. From Sister’s kisses when she wakes to eating breakfast with her family and playing with friends at school, love is all around.
Nikki Shannon Smith's soothing, rhythmic text and Ronique Ellis's warm, welcoming illustrations pair beautifully to create heartwarming scenes of everyday life. It’s never too early to show little ones that they are valued and cherished, and this book does just that.
Lost in the Clouds: A gentle story to help children understand death and grief (
Author: DK / Tom Tinn-Disbury
You don't have to weather the storm alone! This moving book about grief shows children that, despite their loss, they always have someone to talk to.
The beautifully illustrated children’s book follows Billy and his father as they navigate the loss of his mother. It includes:
• A large format that makes it easy for adults and children to read together
• A sensitively written narrative that moves away from the typical institutional approaches to grief for children
• Beautiful full-page illustrations that allow kids to become immersed in the story
• One non-fiction, working spread that teaches children and their families about how to open the conversation about grief and loss
Billy misses his mommy very much. She lives in the clouds. Some days when he and Daddy play in the garden, he knows that Mommy is letting the sun shine for them. But not all days are like that. Sometimes Mommy’s clouds are dark, and Billy feels sad and alone.
Written in collaboration with an experienced grief professional, Lost in the Clouds gently explores the idea of grief and teaches children how to understand and deal with their emotions surrounding the death of a loved one. With beautiful and colorful illustrations to accompany the touching narrative, this meaningful storybook is perfect for sharing and will bring comfort to both children and parents.
Mango All the Time (Volume 3) (Mango Delight)
Author: Fracaswell Hyman
Mango Delight Fuller is ready for her next big break, which just might be in Hollywood! So she heads to California and auditions for a new television series. As she and her family settle in, she meets new friends who also end up competing with Mango for roles. Unfortunately, Mango’s big screen test does not go well. But when the star drops out of the show, Mango’s new manager convinces the producers to rework the show with Mango as the star. The new series, Mango All the Time (she’s a girl who sings and time travels), goes into production and Mango must face the realities of success. Will she be able to juggle a star’s extra-heavy workload, while keeping egos in check, heartbreak at bay, and managing the changes to her family’s life?
Malcolm X: Get to Know the Civil Rights Activist
Author: Ebony Joy Wilkins
Malcolm X is known as a leader of the civil rights movement. He faced racism, spent time in prison, became a minister, joined the Nation of Islam, left, took a pilgrimage to Mecca, traveled the world, and became a public figure before his assassination. Explore how his words shaped the civil rights movement and the people who called him a leader.
Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song
Author: Austin Paramore
Debut writer Austin Paramore and artist Sarah Bollinger (Girls Have a Blog) strike a chord in this humorous and heartfelt story about love, loss, legacy, and the music that ties them all together.
What does the perfect song sound like?
Normally, Malcolm Kid wouldn’t give this type of question the time of day. As a straight B-student with a heart of copper, he is far more concerned with overcoming mediocrity than he is with achieving perfection. But that all changes when he stumbles across the LK-2000—a strange keyboard cursed with the soul of an old jazz musician.
Malcolm soon learns that the only way to free this musician’s soul is by performing the perfect song. With much hesitation, and the help of his lifelong friend January Young, Malcolm embarks on a musical journey across the city of New Bronzeville in the hopes of discovering the perfect song and finding himself as a musician along the way.
Makeda Makes a Mountain
Author: Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
The third title in a delightful new Level 2 I Can Read! series from acclaimed author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and illustrator Lydia Mba, starring Makeda, an exuberant seven-year-old "maker" and problem solver who loves to create.
Perfect for readers who love Rosie Revere, Engineer and Reina Ramos Works It Out.
Makeda and her family are cleaning the house for a party! They make a huge pile of items they don't use anymore, and soon it's time to take them away. But Makeda is not ready to throw anything out. Can she find new ways to use her old things?
This Level 2 I Can Read! book features an engaging story, longer sentences, and language play perfect for developing readers.
Makeda Makes a Birthday Treat
Author: Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
It’s Makeda’s birthday! To celebrate, she is excited to make her marvelous coconut drops to share with the class.
But everyone else brings cupcakes for their birthdays. Will her classmates like her special treat?
Makeda Makes a Birthday Treat is a Level Two I Can Read book, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the engaging stories, longer sentences, and language play of Level Two books are proven to help kids take their next steps toward reading success.
Make It Fashion (The McClure Twins)
Author: Ava McClure/Alexis McClure
Ava and Alexis are twins. So when they find out they were born a whole minute apart and that they don’t agree on what to wear for their fashion show, the girls start to wonder…
Can twins be “mismatched"?!
Just in time, Ava and Alexis remember their twinship pinky promise to “strut together and make it fashion” as they mix and match their unique styles to create one twintastic outfit.
Written by and based on everyone’s favorite YouTube kid-fluencers, The McClure Twins, The McClure Twins: Make It Fashion drives home the very important lesson of embracing what makes us similar and different.
Magnolia Flower
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
Born to parents who fled slavery and the Trail of Tears, Magnolia Flower is a girl with a vibrant spirit. Not to be deterred by rigid ways of the world, she longs to connect with others, who too long for freedom. She finds this in a young man of letters who her father disapproves of. In her quest to be free, Magnolia must make a choice and set off on a journey that will prove just how brave one can be when leading with one’s heart.
Made from Stars (Disney Wish) (Step into Reading)
Author: Kathy McCullough
Walt Disney Animation Studios Wish is set to release Fall 2023, during the Studio’s 100th year. A film that could only come from Disney Animation, the epic animated musical is inspired by the legacy of films from the studio and asks the question: “How did the wishing star, upon which so many characters wished, come to be?” The story, set in Rosas, the kingdom of wishes where wishes can literally come true, follows Asha—an optimist with a sharp wit who cares endlessly about her community. In a moment of desperation, Asha makes an impassioned plea to the stars, which is answered by a cosmic force, a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, they face the most formidable of foes to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Children ages 6 to 8 will love this Step 3 Step into Reading leveled reader based on the animated feature film. Step 3 readers feature engaging characters in easy-to-follow plots about popular topics. They are for children who are ready to read on their own.
Lullaby For a Black Mother
Author: Langston Hughes
This beloved poem by Langston Hughes, illustrated by the award-winning Sean Qualls, is an irresistible celebration of the love between mother and baby, now available in board book format.
Award-winning illustrator Sean Qualls’s painted and collaged artwork captures universally powerful maternal moments with tenderness. In the end, readers will find a rare photo of baby Hughes and his mother, a biographical note, further reading, and the complete lullaby. Like little love-ones, this beautiful book is a treasure.
“My little dark baby, / My little earth-thing, / My little love-one, / What shall I sing / For your lullaby?"
Lucy Lancaster Has a Secret
Name: Willow Coven
Lucy Lancaster is good at being a lot of things. She’s a best friend, a stellar student, and a budding Super Flag Tag athlete. But there is one thing she hadn’t planned on being: magic!
One day, mayhem breaks out after Lucy develops a mysterious case of the hiccups that have the magical power to make her dreams and nightmares come true. Luckily, a fellow witch lends a hand, and Lucy learns how to cast her very first spell and get things back under control!
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Lucy Lancaster chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Love Your Amazing Self: Joyful Verses for Young Voices
Author: Ofosu Jones-Quartey
The world has its ideas of who you are/ but you don’t need them,/ to be the person you really are inside/ is Freedom. The empowering lyrical verse of Ofosu Jones-Quartey, a meditation teacher and hip-hop musician, offers a unique entry point to mindfulness and self-empowerment for kids ages 7 and up, with words that call out to be spoken, recited, or sung aloud. Accompanied by the vibrant illustrations of Ndubisi Okoye, each verse in Love Your Amazing Self carries a theme that encourages kids to affirm the positive in themselves and their lives, including: Be True to Yourself, Find Your Magic, Stand up for Kindness, Embrace Impermanence, and Ask for Help. Short reflections and activities accompanying each verse help kids embody the messages, strengthen their self-confidence, and bring greater joy into their own lives and those around them.
Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution
Author: Sherri Winston
Lotus Bloom just wants to express herself--with her violin, her retro style, and her peaceful vibe, not to mention her fabulous hair.
This school year, Lotus is taking her talent and spirit to the seventh grade at a new school of the arts. The one where she just might get to play under the famous maestro, a violin virtuoso and conductor of the orchestra. But Lotus's best friend, Rebel, thinks Lotus should stay at their school. Why should this fancy new school get all the funding and pull the brightest kids out? Rebel wants Lotus to help her protest, but Lotus isn't sure. If she's going to be in the spotlight, she'd rather it be for her music.
Then, when boys throw paper wads and airplanes into Lotus's afro, Lotus finds herself in trouble for a dress code violation. Lotus must choose--should she stay quiet and risk her beloved hair, or put aside her peaceful vibe and risk everything to fight back?
Inspired by real stories of Black girls fighting dress codes that discriminate against their hair and culture, beloved author Sherri Winston introduces a memorable character who finds her way to speak up for what's right, no matter what it takes.