For both the young and the young at heart, a good picture book will entertain. These are some of our favorites for you and your little ones.
Goodnight Goat – Bonnwit Kabrit
Bilingual Children's Book, Creole Children's Book
Bonnwit Kabrit is a lovely bicultural bedtime story for young children everywhere.
- Midwest Book Review
Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist
In this delightful, rhyming bedtime story, children journey across Haiti, saying goodnight to scenes the nation's children would know from their daily lives.
From the calico cat to the pink flowers of the bouganvillea to the sweet goat nestled beneath the starry sky, children will embark on an exciting bedtime journey as one by one they say, bonnwit. Words of Haitian Creole are sprinkled throughout the text to expand children's vocabulary and introduce them to a new language. A helpful pronunciation guide at the back teaches readers how to say the words aloud.
A Sergeant in the House
Multi-Award Winning Picture Book
A Sergeant in the House, tells the story of Lenny who desperately wants a puppy. His father is in the military, the family must move frequently, and Lenny is still very young to care for an animal, so Lenny strikes a bargain: When his daddy becomes a sergeant, Lenny can have a puppy.
When his father is deployed to war, Lenny learns what it means to be responsible, to care for his family, and to help around the house. A dreaded phone call brings the news that Lenny's father has been injured and is being sent home. When Lenny's father explains that this means he'll never become a sergeant, Lenny realizes that what he truly wants is his daddy—puppy or no puppy.
This heartwarming story is a salute to military families across the country, and an encouraging cheer for our nation's heroes.
Pancake Jake and Wally Waffle
A rare sighting of a Waffle boy sends young Pancake Jake on a quest in Breakfast Land: he wants to make friends with the Waffles who have long been the enemies of the Pancakes. With courage and kindness, Jake discovers a long-lost recipe that proves Pancakes and Waffles are actually made of the same ingredients.
The charming illustrations and playful text make for a fun read that will encourage important conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The author is donating a portion of her royalties to The Conscious Kid, an education, research, and policy organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth. The Conscious Kid supports organizations, families, and educators in taking action to disrupt racism in young children.
Detours and Designs
Any other eleven-year-old kid might flip past a hand-drawn picture if they found it in a textbook. But not Drew Daley. When he discovers a detailed drawing tucked away in his science book, his entire life changes. He finds himself seeing everything differently and caring about things in a way he never did before. Drew becomes determined to find the artist, but with the list of names inside the front cover of his book as his only clue, the search isn’t an easy one. He encounters overbearing teachers and bullies, broken windows and promises, and even death and destruction.
On top of all that, Drew has to navigate through fifth grade, where he’s learning some important life lessons: Lies can be more common than the truth, people aren’t always who they seem, and the most complex problems rarely have “right” answers. Through it all, the drawing gives Drew peace of mind and direction. But how far is he willing to go to uncover the identity of the artist?
Grandpa Still Remembers
In the heart of Africa, a young missionary kid's life is changed forever. Impacted by the lessons he learned while hunting birds, leaving home, or chasing girls, Paul Brown shares some unforgettable stories that could change your life.
Enjoy the tale of The dumb African mud frog - don't take the bait, A boy with no real friends - the best friend, Hunting Guinea fowl - a bargain with God, Looking for treasure - yellow paint gold, and many more.
Janjak and Freda Go to the Iron Market
Bilingual Children's Book, Creole Children's Book
In this first book of the bilingual Janjak and Freda series, cousins Janjak and Freda go with their godmother on an exciting adventure to Haiti's famous Iron Market. While there, they make many new friends, taste new fruits, and show the value of helping others when a runaway goat causes havoc in the market.
The colorful text and beautiful illustrations will leave children dreaming up their own adventures. This story is told in such a way that the characters, scenery, and plot will be meaningful to both English speaking children and Creole speaking children.
Rather than a literal translation, the Creole text has been rewritten by Wally Turnbull to provide the most authentic experience for Creole speakers. A Creole pronunciation guide at the back and a page of history about the Iron Market are useful supplements for parents and teachers seeking to broaden their children's world view.
From the author: In writing the Janjak & Freda series my goal was to provide a children's book about the joys, discoveries, and adventures that can come with being a child in Haiti. The majority of the very few children's books about Haiti tackle serious, difficult social issues such as abandonment, street children, and violence. While Haitian children do in many ways experience a harsher childhood than their neighbors to the north, they also feel the same childlike joys of discovery, adventure, and new experiences. They, too, have the special innocence of childhood that radiates from within.
In Janjak & Freda, I strive to share the joys, innocence, and lessons of childhood through the lens of a Haitian child. The book is bilingual so that Haitian children can also share in the stories of Janjak & Freda who are, after all, just like them.
Blueberry Moose
It’s a beautiful summer day in the state of Maine and when Jaxson looks out his window at his tree fort, he expects to see a chickadee, a deer, a bear, or maybe even an American eagle, but what he does see gives him a big, blue shock!
It’s a moose! And it’s blue!
But the REAL surprise comes when Jaxson asks WHY the moose is blue!
Everyone Can Code—Including Kids
What do doctors, firefighters, writers, chefs, farmers, plumbers, and kids have in common? They can all code to solve real-world problems.
“Remember, coding is not
made just for the few.
Everyone can code.
Even kids just like you!”
With rhyming text and colorful illustrations, this fun book encourages children of all ages to explore the wonderful world of coding. With code that helps a plumber identify a clogged sink, alerts a firefighter to a new fire, tells a chef when her food is ready and identifies pests on a farmer’s crop, children will learn practical ways they can make the world a better place through coding.
