Category Archives: Children

Spring Reads

Celebrate spring with some of these suggested books for little ones!

Flowers & Trees

Wildflowers Grow by Amber Hendricks
I Found Hope In A Cherry Tree by Jean E. Pendziwol
What’s Inside a Flower? by Rachel Ignotofsky

Wildflower by Melanie Brown
What will grow? by Jennifer Ward
Albert’s Tree by Jenni Desmond

Rain & Rainbows

In the rain by Elizabeth Spurr
The Rainbow Snail by Karin Akesson
Hello, puddle! by Anita Sanchez

This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson
I Love You Like Yellow by Andrea Beaty
The Hidden Rainbow by Christie Matheson

Bugs and Insects

A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston
Look, It’s Raining by Mathieu Pierloot
Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi

A Way with Wild Things by Larissa Theule
Rumble and Roar by Sue Fliess

Books For Kids – Women’s History Month

Check out our list of titles celebrating National Women’s History Month. View our previous lists 2021 | 2022

Call Me Miss Hamilton: One Woman’s Case for Equality and Respect by Carole Boston Weatherford

This picture book biography in verse tells the story of Mary Hamilton, an African American woman and Civil Rights activist, who was found to be in contempt of court when she would not respond to questions from an Alabama judge who used only her first name, while calling white people “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” or “Miss.” The NAACP took her case, which appealed all the way to the US Supreme Court, which ruled in Mary Hamilton’s favor.

Listen : How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion by Shannon Stocker

A nonfiction picture book biography celebrating Evelyn Glennie, a deaf woman, who became the first full-time solo percussionist in the world.

The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs by Chana Stiefel

https://lmac.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/scotchplains/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:2654451/one“Thirty-five years after Nazis destroyed her beloved shtetl of Eishyshok, Poland, Yaffa Eliach recovered thousands of precious photographs preserved by relatives and survivors to recreate her community at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Susan Gal’s expressive illustrations bring to life this true story of love and remembrance.” – ALA

Warrior Princess: The Story of Khutulun by Sally Deng

An empowering and informative picture book biography about Khutulun, the great-great-granddaughter of Genghis Khan, and how she defied the expectations of her time to become commander of the Khan’s army.

Phenomenal AOC: The Roots and Rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezby by Anika Denise

An inspiring biography of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from Pura Belpre Honor-winning creators Anika Aldamuy Denise and Loris Lora! In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest congresswoman in America. How did this young Puertoriquena become an unstoppable force in politics? Find out in this accessible and engaging book for young readers. AOC’s remarkable story begins in her childhood Bronx home and comes full circle the moment AOC became America’s youngest Congresswoman. Ocasio-Cortez’s empowering journey reminds us that everyone, regardless of their age, race, creed, wealth, or zip code, is capable of being a voice for change.

The Girl Who Built an Ocean: An Artist, an Argonaut, and the True Story of the World’s First Aquarium by Jess Keating

“Jeanne Villepreux-Power began her career as a dressmaker, sewing beautiful gowns for the Parisian aristocracy. But her heart longed for more, and when she moved to the seaside, she became fascinated by the ocean’s mysteries. She filled her pockets with seashells and specimens, and filled her notebooks with oservations about coral and crustaceans and all manner of marine life. The argonaut interested her most of all, but Jeanne’s observations of this shy creature were confounded by its tendency to swim away when approached. Jeanne wanted a way to bring a piece of the ocean home with her, and that’s she came to build the world’s first aquarium–an invention that would pave the way for countless scientific discoveries in the years to come” – From Publisher

One Wish: Fatima Al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University by M. O. Yuksel

Fatima al-Fihri loved to learn. She wanted to know everything, like how birds flew, why the sky was blue, and how flowers grew. But more than anything, she wanted a school for all, where anyone could study and become whatever they wanted. This true-lifeportrait of an extraordinary Muslim woman shows the importance of never giving up on your dreams and how we all have the power to change the world for the better.

She Persisted: Diana Taurasi by Monica Brown

When Diana Taurasi was a girl, professional women’s basketball didn’t exist in the US. But she worked hard to create opportunities for herself, winning championships throughout college and eventually going on to play for the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercuryand winning multiple Olympic gold medals.

Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson by Sandra Nickel

Joanne Simpson made groundbreaking-or should we say cloudbreaking-discoveries about weather and how it worked. Born in Massachusetts in 1923, she became interested in clouds while sailing in Cape Cod. As a young adult, she went to the University of Chicago and began studying and then teaching meteorology. After the war, women were expected to go back to being homemakers, but Joanne instead received her Masters Degree and began a PhD program. She decided to focus on tropical cumulous clouds, even though at the time no one thought that clouds affected the weather-they thought they were just a byproduct. Though the scientific establishment–mostly men–tried to stop her at every turn, her stubborn determination prevailed. She was the first woman in the United States to receive her PhD in meteorology, and her discoveries still affect how we think about clouds and the weather today!

The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner by Marissa Moss

As a female Jewish physicist in Berlin during the early 20th century, Lise Meitner had to fight for an education, a job, and equal treatment in her field, like having her name listed on her own research papers. Meitner made groundbreaking strides in thestudy of radiation, but when Hitler came to power in Germany, she suddenly had to face not only sexism, but also life-threatening anti-Semitism as well. Nevertheless, she persevered and one day made a discovery that rocked the world: thesplitting of theatom. While her male lab partner was awarded a Nobel Prize for the achievement, the committee refused to give her any credit. Suddenly, the race to build theatomic bomb was on-although Meitner was horrified to be associated with such a weapon. “A physicist who never lost her humanity,” Meitner wanted only to figure out how the world works, and advocated for pacifism while others called for war.

Pirate Queens : Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas by Leigh Lewis

A collection of fact-filled profiles, poetry, and illustrations of women pirates who made their mark on the high seas. Each profile includes an original poem presented against a backdrop of full-color art by illustrator Sara Woolley Gomez. The profile is followed by information about the real life and times of these daring women.

Books for Kids – Black History Month

Check out our lists of recommended picture books, chapter books, non-fiction, and biographies to celebrate Black History Month and beyond. View our previous lists 2021 | 2022

Picture Books

Chapter Books & Graphic Novels

Non-Fiction & Biographies

Books on Mindfulness – Kids & Teens

Here a few titles that explore emotions, feelings and more for children and teens.

Picture Books

Non-Fiction Titles for Children & Teens

Cozy Winter Books

Cozy up to some of these fun titles selected by our Youth Services Department

Picture Books about Snow

A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett
Winter is Here by Keven Henkes
We Want Snow! by Jamie A. Swenson
Bears in the Snow by Shirley Parenteau
Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda
I’m a Little Snowman by Hannah Eliot

Yummy Picture Books about Soup and Stew!

Soup Day by Melissa Iwai
Lentil Soup by Carole Tremblay
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles

Every Color Soup by Jorey Hurley
Rainbow Stew by Cathryn Falwell
Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez

Favorite Children’s Books of 2022

Looking for some new books to share with your child? Here are some of our favorite titles that have come out in the last year!

Picture Books

Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds
Perfectly Pegasus by Jessie Sima
Oona and the Shark by Kelly DiPucchio
Big Dreams, Small Fish by Paula Cohen

Juvenile Fiction

Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly
Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros
Odder by Katherine Applegate
Bhai For Now by Maleeha Siddiqui

Juvenile Graphic Novels

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
PAWS: Gabby Gets it Together by Nathan Fairbairn
Rainbow the Koala by Remy Lai
Freestyle by Gale Galligan
Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Your TOP books (From July – September)

Check out your most popular books from July through September!

New Books

#2 Creepy Crayons by Aaron Reynolds
#3 Mrs. Stoker is a Joker! by Dan Gutman
#4 Jessi’s Secret Language by Chan Chau

Picture Books

#1 Push! Dig! Scoop! by Rhonda Gowler Green

Honorable Mentions (4th place ties)

Early Readers

#1 Attack of the 50-foot Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

#2 Let’s Go for a Drive! by Mo Willems
#2 I’m a Frog! by Mo Willems

Honorable Mentions (3rd place ties)

Graphic Novels

#1 Kristy’s Big Day by Gale Galligan
#1 Boy-Crazy Stacey by Gale Galligan
#2 Drama by Raina Telgemeier
#2 The Dark Secret by Tui Sutherland

Honorable Mentions (3rd place ties)

Fiction Books

#1 Miss Daisy is Crazy by Dan Gutman
#1 The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
#2 Ms. Jo-Jo is a Yo-Yo! by Dan Gutan

Honorable Mentions (3rd place ties)

Community Love

This November we are thankful for our wonderful community! These titles highlight the impact of wonderful communities and the people that create them!

Picture Books

Last stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
Windows by Julia Denos
Grow by Cynthia Platt
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates
It Takes a Village by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Nonfiction

Juvenile Fiction

Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles
The Doughnut Fix by Jessie Janowitz
Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Five Things About Ava Andrews by Margaret Dilloway

November is Native American Heritage Month

Check out some of the below titles to recognize November as Native American Heritage Month.

Nonfiction

Picture Books

Berry Song by Michaela Goade
Nimoshom and His Bus by Penny M. Thomas
The First Blade of Sweetgrass by Suzanne Greenlaw
A Day With Yayah by Nicola I. Campbell
We All Play by Julie Flett
Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child

Chapter Books

The Case of Windy Lake by Michael Hutchinson
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis
Mary and the Trail of Tears by Andrea L. Rogers
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
Fancy Pants by Dawn Quigley