Nikki Grimes, A Cup of Quiet
Recommended for ages 3-6
Award-winning writer Nikki Grimes teams up with illustrator Cathy Ann Johnson for a cheerful celebration of small moments, hushed noises, and the quietly powerful love that a child and her grandmother share. When she visits her grandparents’ house each June, a little girl loves putting on puppet shows, baking banana bread, and playing tea party, but when Grandma says she’s “just thirsty for / a cup of quiet,” her granddaughter fills up an invisible cup with bee buzz, lizard scuttle, and the sound of soft wind so Grandma can have a sip. Kids will enjoy watching the cup of quiet grow and imagining what other tiny noises they might be able to collect with a caregiver they love.
Jane Kurtz, Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros: A True Story
Recommended for ages 4-8
Young animal lovers will learn a lot from this nonfiction picture book about Clara, a rhinoceros who became an international sensation. Born in India in the 1700s and orphaned at a young age, Clara eventually found herself in the care of a Dutch sea captain who decided to bring her to Europe and show her off as a scientific wonder. Since few Europeans had seen a rhinoceros before, many of them held misconceptions about Clara and her kind, but Clara’s Grand Tour encouraged people to use tools of science, art, and compassion to begin thinking differently about large animals. In a thoughtful endnote, author Jane Kurtz acknowledges the ethical concerns that Clara’s story may raise for modern readers and shares information about ongoing efforts to protect rhinoceros species from extinction.
Greg Pizzoli, Earl & Worm: The Bad Idea and Other Stories (Earl & Worm #1)
Recommended for ages 4-8
Plenty of early reader series feature two animal characters who become fast friends despite their differences… but for Earl (an owl) and Worm (a worm), there are a lot of differences. When cheery extrovert Earl moves into the treehouse next door to Worm’s apple, Worm is skeptical. She does not like change. She wants to drink tea and read her book in peace without anyone playing music outside, or coming over to borrow some sugar, or stealing her home décor ideas, or composing bad rhymes. But Earl is sweet and persistent, and it’s a joy to watch these two unlikely friends begin to understand each other. Greg Pizzoli’s text and artwork are both genuinely funny; I dare you not to laugh at the sight of a cranky worm holding a glass of lemonade with her tail. Two more Earl & Worm books will publish later this year.
Rachel Chivers Khoo, The Magician Next Door
Recommended for ages 7-10
The Magician Next Door is the second middle grade novel from UK author Rachel Chivers Khoo, and like last year’s The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice, it’s full of magical fun. Callie has just moved from London to Northern Ireland with her dad, but she misses her friends and the home she’s always known. Still, her new part of the world isn’t as quiet as it first appears. When a magician named Winnifred crashes her traveling house into Callie’s garden, Callie and her neighbor Sam find themselves launched into a kid-friendly adventure. With illustrations aplenty, this would be a great choice for a newly confident reader or a family readaloud.
Betty C. Tang, Outsider Kids (Parachute Kids #2)
Recommended for ages 9-12
Author and illustrator Betty C. Tang grew up as a “parachute kid,” a child whose parents send them to live by themselves in a foreign country where they may have a chance at a safer, happier future. The characters in Tang’s fascinating graphic novels are parachute kids, too: In 1981, ten-year-old Feng-Li and her older brother and sister arrive in California and have to make a life for themselves while their parents remain in Taiwan. The three kids navigate school, friendships, romance, and learning a new language along with the complexities of being undocumented young people on their own. Outsider Kids, the second in Tang’s ongoing series, can be read as a standalone work, but I think most readers will want to check out the opening entry, Parachute Kids, as well.