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Image for "A Snow Day for Amos McGee"

A Snow Day for Amos McGee

Philip C. Stead

Description

A cozy tale of winter hope and joy, from award-winning and New York Times-bestselling duo Philip and Erin Stead, perfect for fans of The Snowy Nap and The Mitten.

Amos McGee, the friendly zookeeper, loves spending time with his good friends no matter the season. When snow in the forecast never arrives, he decides to head home and hope it comes another day. But when overnight a surprise snowfall blankets the town in fluffy white, what shall his lovable squad of animals do? Visit Amos and play in the snow, of course!

Amos and his familiar companions are back for this delightfully snowy tale—the latest follow-up to the Caldecott Medal winner A Sick Day for Amos McGee.

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Image for "Moon Song"

Moon Song

Michaela Goade

Description

Cuddle up with this celebration of winter and explore the wonders of nature's light with Moon Song from Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade.



On an island at the edge of a silvery sea, when the moon rises and night falls, a girl spins a story for her worried cousin to help him find comfort in the wintery dark. She invites him to see moonlight glittering in the forest, bioluminescence sparkling by the shore, and northern lights blazing in the sky. In the dark of the night, the whole world sings.



Celebrated Tlingit creator Michaela Goade, who brought us a summer's celebration in the Caldecott Honor Award‑winning Berry Song, invites us to discover the wonder and comfort of a winter's night through a magnificent Moon Song.

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Image for "The Polar Bear and the Ballerina"

The Polar Bear and the Ballerina

Eric Velasquez

Description

How does a bear go to the ballet? A polar bear escapes into New York City in this heartfelt picture book from award-winning Afro-Latino artist Eric Velasquez.

A wordless story of unlikely friendship that celebrates art and its ability to connect us. However, this picture book also opens a conversation about alienation and empathy. Who is kept out of the theater? How can we welcome them in? A deeply personal story, author Eric Valqueuez sees himself in this tale.

When dancers have a photoshoot at the Central Park Zoo, a young, African American ballerina and a polar bear form a special friendship. When his new friend leaves her scarf behind, the polar bear must venture through Central Park and out into Manhattan to return it before her performance at the Lincoln Center.

However, the theater goers eye the strange bear with suspicion. When the ushers won't let him inside, the ballerina comes to his rescue and welcomes him in. The polar bear has dreamed of seeing the ballet, and now he gets to be a part of it in the most surprising way.

The wordless narrative is told through expressive and detailed oil paintings. On the endpapers, readers learn more about these loveable characters with illustrations of zoo signage about polar bears and a magazine article about the young ballerina.

Eric Velasquez, author-illustrator of Bank Street Best Book of the Year Octopus Stew, brings a dream-like magic to this tale of empathy and kindred spirits.

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Image for "The Winding Willow"

The Winding Willow

Will Hillenbrand

Description

Join brave young mouse Hubert Cumberbun on a fantastical wintertime adventure in this epic companion to Will Hillenbrand's acclaimed picture book The Voice in the Hollow that also includes a double gatefold surprise.

Hubert Cumberbun is on his way home. . . well, a way home! Wind obscures his path. Shadows flicker. And Hubert finds a mysterious tree, filled with enticing lost and found treasures. There's his brother's runaway shoe! His father's umbrella! The key to their house! 

Now, Hubert will have to brave the surreal snowy landscape and the hungry owl who lives there to bring his found trinkets home. Holding on tight to his umbrella, he daringly soars above the wintery world below... and makes it back in time to share a delicious loaf of cinnamon bread with his family.

A companion to Will Hillenbrand's The Voice in the Hollow, The Winding Willow is a fantastical journey for fans and newcomers alike. Sparse text and epic artwork meld to create a timeless tale sure to warm families' hearts on even the coldest winter nights.

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Image for "Weiwei's Winter Solstice"

Weiwei's Winter Solstice

Michelle Jing Chan

Description

This captivating picture book introduces the customs and traditions of an important Chinese holiday in a story that bursts with color and light to warm even the darkest days of winter.

It's Dongzhì, the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Weiwei's family has moved to a new place, where instead of hummingbirds, palm trees, and chrysanthemum bushes, all she sees is a blanket of snow. This frozen place feels nothing like home.

But Dongzhì is all about finding warmth through togetherness, even in the depths of winter. With her family by her side, maybe Weiwei can do more than just endure the cold. 

Like the chickadees that sing and the méihua that bloom, can she open her heart and embrace the season? 


Informational back matter provides further context about the holiday and its history, along with a recipe for tang yuan, a traditional Dongzhì treat.

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Image for "The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze"

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze

Derrick Barnes

Description

LONGISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • Newbery Honoree Derrick Barnes tackles timely issues of race and prejudice in this powerful, nuanced novel about an accomplished Black boy who strives to be seen for who he is.

“A novel that is empowered, empowering, and incredibly human. You won't be the same after reading it.”—Erin Entrada Kelly, two-time winner of the Newbery Medal

★ “Bold, extraordinary storytelling: not to be missed.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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.

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Image for "The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls"

The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls

Judith Rossell

Description

A whimsical, adventure-filled mystery about a young orphan at the edge of society who finds herself at the center of a city's secrets. For fans of The Swifts and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

"I was hooked from the beginning … Move over Lemony Snicket!" —Karen Foxlee, award-winning author of Lenny’s Book of Everything

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, NPR


Maggie Fishbone is not expecting much when she’s sent to the Midwatch Institute for Orphans, Runaways, and Wayward Girls—the last resort after causing a ruckus at the orphanage where she was living. Except . . . the Institute isn’t some dreadful, dreary place like she thought.

Instead it’s full of curious girls training to solve mysteries, fight bad guys, and keep the city safe. In between fencing lessons and discovering all the shortcuts in the building, Maggie finds herself making friends at the Midwatch and finally feeling like she’s home. And when a woman goes missing, Maggie’s off on her first assignment, with each step leading her deeper into the secrets of the city.

With gorgeous black-and-white illustrations and pages of “Useful Things Every Girl Should Know” (like how send messages in morse code and how to shout extremely loudly), The Midwatch is a whimsical, adventure-filled mystery from internationally bestselling author-illustrator Judith Rossell.

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Image for "The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez"

The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez

Jasminne Paulino

Description

A powerful debut novel in verse about a neurodivergent seventh grader who dreams of traveling to the stars one day.

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

“This story is about a boy who is certain of his own magic in the midst of the doubtful adults around him. A kid who knows not even the sky, but the stars are the limit. Which makes Paulino's debut...extraordinary.” —Jason Reynolds, author of National Book Award finalist Look Both Ways and Newbery Honor Book Long Way Down

Seventh grader Alex's favorite things to do are watching YouTube videos of rocket launches with his Papi and spending hours on the NASA website reading about astronauts and planets. He even dreams of going to space one day himself, and knows he'll have to study hard in order to get there.

But Alex is in his grade's SC (self-contained) classroom, which means doing the same dull worksheets every day and reading books his sister read back in the third grade. Worst of all, being in SC means nobody thinks he's ready to join Ms. Rosef's mainstream science class—the class Alex knows will be the first step on his path to NASA.

When his teacher says "not yet" for the millionth time, Alex decides it's time to make a change. Now he's ready to try everything he can to get the people in his life—his teachers, his parents, and the kids at school—to understand that he, Alex Ramirez, is capable of the extraordinary.

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Image for "The Experiment"

The Experiment

Rebecca Stead

Description

"Many twists await in this fast-moving and optimistic story by one of today’s most inventive writers for readers ages 8-12." --The Wall Street Journal

From the Newbery Medalist and national-bestselling author Rebecca Stead, here is a bold story that will appeal to fans of A Wrinkle in Time and The First State of Being.

Nathan wants to help his people, but first he has to figure out who they are...

Nathan never understood what was "fun" about secrets, probably because he’s always had to keep a very big one. 

Although he appears to be a typical sixth-grader (with parents, homework and a best friend, Victor), Nathan learned at an early age that his family is from another planet. Now, their time on Earth may be coming to an end. 

Nathan, his parents and nine other families are part of an experiment that suddenly seems to be going wrong. Some of the experimenters, including Nathan's first crush, Izzy, are disappearing without a word. After his family is called back to the mothership, Nathan begins to question everything he’s been taught to believe about who he is and why he's on Earth.

The Experiment is a fast-paced coming-of-age novel that asks universal questions about how we figure out who we want to be, and whether it’s ever too late to change.

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Image for "Lost Evangeline"

Lost Evangeline

Kate DiCamillo

Description

This captivating original fairy tale set in the world of The Puppets of Spelhorst and The Hotel Balzaar features an exclusive color illustration and gilded edges on the first printing.

When a shoemaker discovers a tiny girl (as small as a mouse!) in his shop, he takes her in, names her Evangeline, and raises her as his own. The shoemaker's wife, however, fears that Evangeline has bewitched her husband, so when an opportunity arises to rid herself of the girl, she takes it. Evangeline finds herself far from her adopted father and her home, a tiny girl lost in the wide world. But she is brave, and she is resourceful, and with the help of those she meets on her journey--including a disdainful and self-satisfied cat--she may just find her way again. Return to the magical land of Norendy in this third original fairy tale by renowned storyteller Kate DiCamillo, perfect for savoring alone or for reading aloud with someone you love. Graced with exquisite black-and-white illustrations by Sophie Blackall, this timeless story of a girl and her father will make you believe in the impossible.

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