Are You There God? It's Me, Juanita : NPR

Books Can Help Kids Learn About What Happened On 9/11. Here Are Some Good Ones

Catie Dull/NPR

Review

The 20th Anniversary Of The 9/11 Attacks

Books Can Help Kids Learn About What Happened On 9/11. Here Are Some Good Ones

September 9, 2021 • On 9/11, it was impossible to connect the dots for adults, nevermind children. Here are some books that can help kids try to understand that fateful date 20 years later.

This Sweet, Mid-Grade Story Is Perfect For Budding Romance Fans

Scholastic

Review

This Sweet, Mid-Grade Story Is Perfect For Budding Romance Fans

August 30, 2021 • If your kids aren't quite old enough for classic teen love stories, Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai is a just-right read with a heroine who still spends Saturday nights playing board games with her family.

These 3 Books Will Help Your Kids Get Over Their Summer Reading Blues

Clash, by Kayla Miller, Something Stinks! by Jonathan Fenske, and Maya and the Robot, by Eve L. Ewing NPR hide caption

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NPR

These 3 Books Will Help Your Kids Get Over Their Summer Reading Blues

July 29, 2021 • You don't have to be an Olympian to hit a wall — by late July, nothing's exciting anymore, not even the blow-up pool. We've got three books that can help your kids get their reading groove back.

'Cardboard Kingdom' Is About So Much More Than Just Cardboard

The Cardboard Kingdom: Roar of the Beast, by Chad Sell Knopf Books for Young Readers hide caption

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Knopf Books for Young Readers

Opinion

'Cardboard Kingdom' Is About So Much More Than Just Cardboard

June 28, 2021 • Chad Sell's new Cardboard Kingdom book is, at least on the cover, about kids who make beasts and monsters out of cardboard — but really, it's about little kids who aren't quite ready to be big.

Give 'The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection' A Buzz, You'll Bee Charmed

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Review

Give 'The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection' A Buzz, You'll Bee Charmed

May 29, 2021 • In Ben Brashares and Elizabeth Bergeland's charming new picture book, a discontented young boy finds a new way to carry on his family's legacy of awesomeness — and without hurting any bugs.

The Ant-icipation Is Over: 'Juan Hormiga' Is Here!

Elsewhere Editions

Review

The Ant-icipation Is Over: 'Juan Hormiga' Is Here!

April 18, 2021 • Gustavo Roldán's tale of an adventurous (if nap-prone) ant — newly translated into English — has everything you could want: silliness, adventure, daring, a cliffhanger, and a fun, satisfying ending.

'The Tree In Me' Is A Blooming Good Spring Read

Penguin Kids

Review

'The Tree In Me' Is A Blooming Good Spring Read

March 28, 2021 • As spring finally gets springing, our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles recommends The Tree in Me, a pink-splashed, exuberant celebration of kids enjoying nature.

In 'Nubia: Real One,' Trying To Be A Hero When Society Thinks You're A Threat

Nubia: Real One, by L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smith DC Comics hide caption

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DC Comics

Review

In 'Nubia: Real One,' Trying To Be A Hero When Society Thinks You're A Threat

February 21, 2021 • Nubia has been many things over decades of comics: Wonder Woman's sister, her rival, a guardian of the underworld. Now, L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smith have re-imagined her as a Black American teenager.

Philomel

'She Persisted,' Now In Chapter Book Form, Brings History To Life

January 30, 2021 • Chelsea Clinton has turned her She Persisted series of picture books into a new series of chapter books, written by prominent kids' authors. The new books really take readers inside historical lives.

Candlewick

The Kids' Books That Helped 2020 Go By — And A Few To Look Forward To

December 29, 2020 • As the year draws to a close, our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles looks back at some of the books that helped her family get through 2020 — and ahead to some exciting titles for next year.

Neal Porter Books

Finding A Voice And Coming To Terms With A Stutter In 'I Talk Like A River'

November 28, 2020 • Jordan Scott is a poet, a master of words, and a stutterer. His new kids' book, gorgeously illustrated by Sydney Smith, chronicles his childhood journey towards coming to terms with his stutter.

Holt Books for Young Readers

'Flamer' Offers Real Hope — Not Just Rainbows — To Queer Kids

October 22, 2020 • Mike Curato's new young adult graphic novel Flamer follows a teenager struggling with self-hate and all the different parts of his identity — being a Catholic, a Boy Scout, and being gay.

You Can't Send Your Kids To Dance Class Right Now, But You Can Read Them 'Bunheads'

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Review

You Can't Send Your Kids To Dance Class Right Now, But You Can Read Them 'Bunheads'

September 27, 2020 • Renowned ballerina Misty Copeland's new kids' book Bunheads draws on her own childhood experiences — if your kids love dance, it's just the thing to keep them going until classes come back.

'I Promise' This Is A Message Book Your Kids Will Love

HarperCollins

Review

'I Promise' This Is A Message Book Your Kids Will Love

August 18, 2020 • Kids' books columnist Juanita Giles says message books are often nutritious and boring — but LeBron James's new I Promise combines beautiful art with real emotional impact that her kids loved.

Take 'The Unadoptables' Home For A Rollicking Adventure

Viking Books for Young Readers

Review

Take 'The Unadoptables' Home For A Rollicking Adventure

July 12, 2020 • Hana Tooke creates a memorable villain, Matron Gassbeek, who menaces the feisty orphans of The Unadoptables in the grand tradition of awful authority figures like Miss Trunchbull and Viola Swamp.

Neal Porter Books

Say 'Hello, Neighbor' To This Charming Picture Book About Mister Rogers

May 30, 2020 • Our kids' books columnist reports that amidst the messes and fights that result from kids in lockdown, Matthew Cordell's gentle new picture book biography of Mister Rogers has the power to soothe.

Will Your Kids Love Your Favorite Childhood Reads? Let's Find Out

Dover Children's Classics

Review

Will Your Kids Love Your Favorite Childhood Reads? Let's Find Out

April 30, 2020 • With few new books coming in, our kids' books columnist turns to the favorite reads of her childhood — beginning with the 19th-century classic Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.

'Ordinary People' Books Can Help In This Extraordinary Time

Dial Books

Review

'Ordinary People' Books Can Help In This Extraordinary Time

March 31, 2020 • Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles reports that, stuck at home with her family, she's turned to a series by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos, for stories about relatable heroes.

Yearling

Not Too Rude, Not Too Tame, 'Jake The Fake' Is A Just-Right Read

February 21, 2020 • Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles says she was at her wits' end trying to find a funny (but not mean-funny) book for her son, a budding humorist. Jake the Fake Keeps It Real was just the thing.

Eating Crow With 'Miss Peregrine' — And Enjoying It

Quirk Books

Review

Eating Crow With 'Miss Peregrine' — And Enjoying It

January 28, 2020 • Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles says she avoided the Miss Peregrine series for years because it seemed too creepy — but now she regrets all the time the books spent untouched on her shelf.

Roaring Brook Press

A Holiday Feast Of 'Fry Bread'? Yes, Please!

December 30, 2019 • Our kids' books columnist, Juanita Giles, gave her daughter Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story for Christmas; she says the book's depiction of food and history mirrors her family's experiences.

Don't Like Harry Potter? Come To The 'Dork' Side

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Review

Don't Like Harry Potter? Come To The 'Dork' Side

November 26, 2019 • Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles has a secret: Her kids don't care about Harry Potter. But they do like Mike Johnston's relatably hapless boy wizard Wick, star of Confessions of a Dork Lord.