Children's Books Catalog
The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze
Author: Derrick Barnes
In the small town of Great Mountain, Mississippi, all eyes are on Henson Blayze, a thirteen-year-old football phenom whose talents seem almost superhuman. The predominately white townsfolk have been waiting for Henson to play high school ball, and now they’re overjoyed to finally possess an elite Black athlete of their own.
Until a horrifying incident forces Henson to speak out about injustice.
Until he says that he might not play football anymore.
Until he quickly learns he isn’t as loved by the people as he thought.
Overnight, Henson’s town is divided into two chaotic sides—those that support his decisions, and those that don’t—when all he wants is justice. Even his best friends and his father can’t see eye to eye. When he is told to play ball again or else, Henson must decide whether he was born to entertain those who may not even see him as human, or if he’s destined for a different kind of greatness.
Written for children ages 10 and up, Derrick Barnes’s groundbreaking novel masterfully combines a modern-day allegory with classic-style tall tales to weave a compelling story of America’s obsession with relegating Black people to labor or entertainment. Spanning the 1800s to today, this exceptional novel shows how much has changed over centuries . . . and, at the same time, how little.
The Grover School Pledge
Author: Wanda Taylor
A true-to-life story about the pains and triumphs of growing up, perfect for readers of Renée Watson and Lisa Moore Ramée
Arlaina Jefferson is eager to prove herself. Tasked with caring for her cousin’s rabbit, Obeena, Arlaina knows all that stands between her and the grown-up world of middle school is one year of staying out of trouble and making sure to clean up Obeena’s turds. It would be easy—if growing up didn’t also mean growing wiser.
Having faced thoughtless comments from fellow students, Arlaina is already struggling to explain the hurt she feels to her best friend, Tina. But when their teacher, Mr. Matthews, asks an ignorant question about classmate Nadia’s headscarf, Arlaina has the confirmation she needs: Mr. Matthews is part of a larger problem that plagues Grover School. All those comments that Arlaina—and several other students—once brushed off suddenly seethe under the light of truth. Some things just can’t be fixed by Obeena’s warm and fuzzy charms.
Bolstered by her father’s childhood experience in the Million Man March, Arlaina teams up with no-nonsense Nadia and a host of other Grover School students to right a systemic wrong. After all, proving you’re grown up doesn’t always mean staying out of trouble!
The Great Birthday Surprise (Hairette of Harlem, Book #1)
- Author: Tanya Wright
Hip, hip, hooray! It's Hairiette's Birthday!
With her glowy hair done and the perfect dress picked out, Hairiette is ready for her special seventh birthday present. But on the big day, there is no bike in sight! All she gets is a stinking barrette and comb. It looks like it isn't going to be a hip hip hooray day after all…until a class unit on imagination changes everything!
i + magi + nation = My Magic Nation!
Using the power of her imagination, Hairiette turns her boring birthday gifts into charmed objects that whisk her off to an enchanted place called Magic Nation where she can have hip hip hooray days every day! All she needs is a little creativity and the magic words, "Razzle, Dazzle, Diddly, Do!" and soon the adventures begin!
The Getaway
Author: Lamar Giles
Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world’s most famous resorts. He’s got his family, his crew, and an incredible after-school job at the property’s main theme park. Life isn’t so great for the rest of the world, but when people come here to vacation, it’s to get away from all that.
As things outside get worse, trouble starts seeping into Karloff. First, Jay’s friend Connie and her family disappear in the middle of the night and no one will talk about it. Then the richest and most powerful families start arriving, only... they aren’t leaving. Unknown to the employees, the resort has been selling shares in an end-of-the-world oasis. The best of the best at the end of days. And in order to deliver the top-notch customer service the wealthy clientele paid for, the employees will be at their total beck and call.
Whether they like it or not.
Yet Karloff Country didn’t count on Jay and his crew--and just how far they’ll go to find out the truth and save themselves. But what’s more dangerous: the monster you know in your home or the unknown nightmare outside the walls?
The Fish of Small Wishes
Author: Elana K. Arnold
Once, there was a girl named Kiki, who found a fish on the asphalt.
The fish was very hot and very dry.
But when Kiki put it in the bathtub, it started swimming, and growing, and . . . speaking?
"I want to grant you a wish for saving me," it said.
A wish-granting fish!
Alas, this fish was only a fish of small wishes, and Kiki’s wish was too big.
Unless . . . there was a way for both their dreams to come true.
Follow Kiki and the wish-granting fish in this contemporary fairy-tale perfect for fans of A Big Mooncake for Little Star and Carmela Full of Wishes.
The Endless Sleepover (Disney Junior Ariel)
Author: Golden Books
Ariel and her friends are having too much fun to go to bed! She convinces Ursula to use magic to stop time, so bedtime never comes. Children ages 2 to 5 will love this sweet Little Golden Book based on an episode of the new show Disney Junior's Ariel, airing on Disney Junior and streaming on Disney+ starting in 2024!
Geared towards preschoolers, Disney Junior's Ariel is an animated musical series for preschoolers inspired by the beloved story of “The Little Mermaid.” It follows 8-year-old mermaid princess Ariel as she and her friends embark on fun-filled, action-packed underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica and beyond. The series features fan-favorite characters, including King Triton, Ursula, Sebastian and Flounder, as well as exciting new additions like Ariel’s two best friends, mer-children Lucia and Fernie, and lots of other adorable sea creatures.
The Dream Big, Little One Collection
Author: Vashti Harrison
Beautifully illustrated and accessibly written, Dream Big, Little One; Think Big, Little One; and Follow Your Dreams, Little One are board book adaptations of the bestselling Little Leaders, Little Dreamers, and Little Legends books. These inspiring books highlight trailblazing Black women leaders, visionary Black creators, and exceptional Black men who changed the world—now available in a collection sure to inspire big dreams in the youngest readers, or any little leader in the making.
The Dragon Thief
Author: Zetta Elliott
Stealing a baby dragon was easy! Hiding it is a little more complicated, in this sequel to reviewer favorite Dragons in a Bag. Jaxon had just one job--to return three baby dragons to the realm of magic. But when he got there, only two dragons were left in the bag. His best friend's sister, Kavita, is a dragon thief! Kavita only wanted what was best for the baby dragon. But now every time she feeds it, the dragon grows and grows! How can she possibly keep it secret? Even worse, stealing it has upset the balance between the worlds. The gates to the other realm have shut tight! Jaxon needs all the help he can get to find Kavita, outsmart a trickster named Blue, and return the baby dragon to its true home.
The Doggie Defendant
Author: Milo Stone and Shawn Martinbrough
When Neil’s extravagant birthday party is ruined, he blames the mess on Kim and Miles’s dog, Digger! Can Miles defend Digger and prove his innocence—or is Digger not the good boy that Kim thought he was?
Ready-to-Read Graphics books give readers the perfect introduction to the graphic novel format with easy-to-follow panels, speech bubbles with accessible vocabulary, and sequential storytelling that is spot-on for beginning readers. There’s even a how-to guide for reading graphic novels at the beginning of each book.
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the Hist
Author: Sam Kean
A young readers edition of the New York Times bestseller The Disappearing Spoon, chronicling the extraordinary stories behind one of the greatest scientific tools in existence: the periodic table.
Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?
The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. The fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow elements on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.
Adapted for a middle grade audience, the young readers edition of The Disappearing Spoon offers the material in a simple, easy-to-follow format, with approximately 20 line drawings and sidebars throughout. Students, teachers, and burgeoning science buffs will love learning about the history behind the chemistry.
The Day You Begin
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
Featured in its own episode in the Netflix original show Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices!
National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
There will be times when you walk into a room
and no one there is quite like you.
There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.
Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael López's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.
The Crossover Graphic Novel (The Crossover Series)
Author: Kwame Alexander
The Crossover is now a graphic novel!
“With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . . The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. ’Cuz tonight I’m delivering,” raps twelve-year-old Josh Bell. Thanks to their dad, he and his twin brother, Jordan, are kings on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood—he’s got mad beats, too, which help him find his rhythm when it’s all on the line.
See the Bell family in a whole new light through Dawud Anyabwile’s dynamic illustrations as the brothers’ winning season unfolds, and the world as they know it begins to change.
The Colors of Spring
Author: Danna Smith
ORANGE is the door
of Grandpa's garden shed.
BROWN is the soil
that fills the flower bed. . . .
Preschoolers will enjoy hearing the rhyming tale of a young boy and his grandfather gardening on a lovely spring day. The beautiful illustrations highlight the different colors to be seen including green weeds, purple flowers, yellow butterflies, and pink lemonade! It's the perfect companion to the Little Golden Books The Colors of Winter, The Colors of Summer, and The Colors of Fall.
The History of We
Author: Nikkolas Smith
Fossil records show that the first humans were born in Africa. Meaning, every person on Earth can trace their ancestry back to that continent. The History of We celebrates our shared ancestors' ingenuity and achievements and imagines what these firsts would have looked and felt like.
What was it like for the first person to paint, to make music, to dance, to discover medicine, to travel to unknown lands? It required courage, curiosity, and skill.
The History of We takes what we know about modern human civilization and, through magnificent paintings, creates a tale about our shared beginnings in a way that centers Black people in humankind's origin story.
The Great Germ Hunt (The Magnificent Makers #4)
Author: Theanne Griffin
In class, Violet and Pablo have been learning about the icky world of germs! Violet has been out sick, and is excited she's feeling better... achoo! Well, she's mostly feeling better. She and Pablo are paired up with another classmate, Aria, who is a bit nervous that Violet keeps sneezing.
When another riddle appears to transport them back to the Maker Maze--a magical makerspace--to learn all about bacteria, viruses, and fungi, Violet and Pablo find out why Aria is so nervous. Aria's body has more trouble fighting off illnesses than their bodies do. Together they learn all about good and bad germs, and why staying home until you're 100% recovered is really important.
The Getaway
Author: Lamar Giles
Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world’s most famous resorts. He’s got his family, his crew, and an incredible after-school job at the property’s main theme park. Life isn’t so great for the rest of the world, but when people come here to vacation, it’s to get away from all that.
As things outside get worse, trouble starts seeping into Karloff. First, Jay’s friend Connie and her family disappear in the middle of the night and no one will talk about it. Then the richest and most powerful families start arriving, only... they aren’t leaving. Unknown to the employees, the resort has been selling shares in an end-of-the-world oasis. The best of the best at the end of days. And in order to deliver the top-notch customer service the wealthy clientele paid for, the employees will be at their total beck and call.
Whether they like it or not.
Yet Karloff Country didn’t count on Jay and his crew--and just how far they’ll go to find out the truth and save themselves. But what’s more dangerous: the monster you know in your home or the unknown nightmare outside the walls?
The Gathering Table
Author: Antwan Eady
The author of Nigel and the Moon delivers a joyful picture book about how a Southern family gathers around a special table for year-round celebrations that highlight the importance of family, community, and coming together.
In my family,
there are traditions.
And my favorite—
happen around this table.
No matter the season, no matter the reason, the love that surrounds this boy’s family table is palpable and neverending. From a golden anniversary to Juneteenth, a special wedding to a new baby sister, here is a family that never forgets to come together and celebrate what it truly means to be there for each other.
Heartfelt illustrations complement the lyrical text in this poignant picture book that reveals how Gullah Geechee culture contributes to a family’s love, and reminds us the importance of building community one gathering at a time.
The Everybody Experiment
Author: Lisa Moore Ramee
Eleven-year-old Kylie’s friends seem so much more mature than she is. And with middle school just a summer away, she’s worried her friends might leave her behind, especially because she keeps embarrassing them.
So Kylie applies her scientific brain to solve the problem and comes up with the Everybody Experiment:
Hypothesis: Kylie Stanton will be mature if she does what everybody else does.
Experiment: This summer, when all of Kylie’s friends do something, she will do it too.
Suddenly it’s a whole new grown-up world for Kylie, with parties, unsupervised excursions, and boys. But the more research Kylie puts into the Everybody Experiment, the more she begins to wonder how she can do what everybody else does . . . without letting go of herself.
The Enchanted Bridge
Author: Zetta Elliott
Getting three baby dragons back home was just the beginning. Now Jaxon is on a mission to help all magical creatures from Dragons in a Bag! But things in the magical realm are more complicated than they seem in the fourth book in the critically acclaimed series.
With their new special abilities, Jaxon and his friends are not the ordinary kids they used to be. No longer destined to become a witch, Jax finds himself caught up in a secret plan involving the Guardian of Palmara’s mysterious twin brother, Ol-Korrok. As the ambassador to the realm of magic, Jax must convince Sis that magical creatures should be free to return to the human world.
But to reach Palmara, Jax and his friends must cross Ol-Korrok’s enchanted bridge connecting the two realms. Is Ol-Korrok really the ally he pretends to be? Or has Jax set in motion a plan that will endanger both realms?
It takes strength to build a bridge. But sometimes even the strongest bridges must be burned.
The Dream & the Hope: The Historic Rise of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Nation's
- Author: Garen Thomas/ Lori Rozsa
Before becoming the first black woman on the Supreme Court Ketanji Brown Jackson was a bright and happy kid with big dreams and determination. Guided by her parents, whose own stories influenced her, and who helped her navigate the obstacles she might face as a Black child, Ketanji’s spirit, drive, and belief in herself blossomed. She was popular in school and excelled in academics, debate, and theater, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Over the decades, she’d run up against a backdrop of people and Supreme Court rulings that sometimes opened doors for her . . . and sometimes shut them. By remaining true to herself and fighting for what’s right, Ketanji became an inspiration to children everywhere, accomplishing her lifelong goals and ascending to the nation’s highest court, where she now helps decide the direction of our country.
The Door of No Return
Author: Kwame Alexander
11-year-old Kofi Offin dreams of water. Its mysterious, immersive quality. The rich, earthy scent of the current. The clearness, its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets…
Kofi has heard the call on the banks of Upper Kwanta, in the village where he lives. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. Some say he moves like a minnow, not just an ordinary boy so he’s hoping to finally prove himself in front of Ama and his friends in a swimming contest against his older, stronger cousin.
But before this can take place, a festival comes to the villages of Upper and Lower Kwanta and Kofi’s brother is chosen to represent Upper Kwanta in the wrestling contest. Encircled by cheering spectators and sounding drums, the two wrestlers from different villages kneel, ready to fight.
You are only fine, until you are not.
The match is over before it has barely begun, when the unthinkable–a sudden death–occurs…
The river does not care how grown you are.
As his world turns upside down, Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life. What happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.
The Dividing Sky
Author: Jill Tew
A cunning teen memory merchant falls for the handsome rookie officer on her tail in this swoony dystopian romance that's “one to watch” (Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods)
In 2364, eighteen-year-old Liv Newman dreams of a future beyond her lower-class life in the Metro. As a Proxy, she uses the neurochip in her brain to sell memories to wealthy clients. Maybe a few illegally, but money equals freedom. So when a customer offers her a ludicrous sum to go on an assignment in no-man’s-land, Liv accepts. Now she just has to survive.
Rookie Forceman Adrian Rao believes in order over all. After discovering that a renegade Proxy’s shady dealings are messing with citizens’ brain chemistry, he vows to extinguish the threat. But when he tracks Liv down, there’s one problem: her memories are gone. Can Adrian bring himself to condemn her for crimes she doesn’t remember?
As Liv and Adrian navigate the world beyond the Metro and their growing feelings for one another, they grapple with who they are, who they could be, and whether another way of living is possible.
The Days After Christmas
Author: Maggie C. Rudd
In the days after Christmas
When you wake up in your bed
And holiday memories
Float through your head…
After the bustle of the holiday season, grandparents wave goodbye and it's time to pack up the sparkly ornaments. The house feels too quiet. What do you do when the excitement and festivities are over?
The fireplace may be a perfect place to read new books with a cup of hot cocoa and some snuggles with Mom and Dad. And leftovers might still be pretty tasty. Upon reflection, the memories of the Christmas season can bring smiles, not sadness – and a hopefulness that there’s still so much to look forward to.
The Crossover Tie-in Edition
Author: Kwame Alexander
"With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering," announces dreadlocked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court.
But Josh has more than basketball in his blood. He's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander. Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.
The Complete Children's Bible
Author: Janice Emmerson
Lead your child into a lifetime love of the Bible with this colorful storybook. With nearly 300 beautiful two-page illustrations to capture even the youngest child's imagination and heart, this vast collection of the Bible's most-loved stories is just right for sharing together or reading alone throughout the day.
The Complete Illustrated Children's Bible is the perfect picture and storybook for young ones and an ideal first reader your children will treasure.