2021 Back to School Promotion

My Friend / Mi Amigo: Let’s Be Friends! / Seamos Amigos! by René Colato Laínez, illus. Nomar Perez

It’s the first day of school and two students who speak two different languages, Joe and José, meet for the first time. As the two get to know each other, whatever Joe says in English, José says in Spanish. The students learn to paint together, embracing both their similarities and differences along the way in this bilingual picture book.

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Star Striker: Game On! by Mary Amato

Cut from the soccer team, 13-year-old Albert Finney’s dreams of playing soccer are over . . . on Earth that is! The Zeenods from the Fŭigor Solar System have different plans. Albert accepts the position of star striker on the Zeenods’ intergalactic team. However, as threats against his life from mysterious forces begin to mount, he quickly learns that the rules of soccer in outer space are the least of his worries.

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Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

★ “This companion to Caldecott Honor book Green . . .  and its sequel, Blue . . ., explores the color red as symbol of our conflicted responses to nature. . . . Lush illustrations, sensitive interconnections, and subtle visual clues unite all three outstanding volumes.”ーKirkus Reviews 

Anger and love. Fear and passion. A young fox’s journey to find its family explores and illustrates the different ways we view the color red.

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You Are a Reader! / You Are a Writer! by April Jones Prince, illus. Christine Davenier

Two books in one! From plotting, to pondering, to writer’s block, the start-to-finish journey of writing is documented in this unique story. Turn the book around and the story of the reader comes to life as well.

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Not Little by Maya Myers, illus. Hyewon Yum

★ “Charming.” ーShelf Awareness

Dot is used to both children and adults underestimating her for her size. However, she takes on her greatest challenge yet as a bully finds a new target in herself and her new classmate Sam. Dot may be small, but she’s certainly not little!

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Jadie in Five Dimensions by Dianne K. Salerni

Jadie Martin has gotten used to life in different dimensions. Abandoned at a young age and later rescued by interdimensional beings known as the Seers, Jadie acts as their agent of positive change. However, things aren’t always as they seem and four dimensions may not be enough to uncover all the secrets of her past.

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I Want an Apple by David L. Harrison, illus. David Catrow

I want an apple. Smart brain, help me find one. Sniffy nose, smell the apple. Bright eyes, help me see it.

Legs, feet, arms, teeth, tongue, tummy . . . and long intestine too . . . all snap into action when a child decides she wants an apple. A clever and humorous introduction to body parts and their function.

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Stitch by Stitch by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illus. Elizabeth Zunon

In 1832, a 14-year-old Elizabeth Keckly was enslaved and sent to work as the sole servant for a prominent Virginia family. Despite grueling work and harsh treatment, Elizabeth fostered incredible talent in dressmaking. Elizabeth’s journey from enslavement and forced silence to activism and recognition as the personal modiste of Mary Todd Lincoln comes to life with precise narration and ornate illustrations.

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Salt Magic by Hope Larson, illus. Rebecca Mock

From the creators of the New York Times best-selling Compass South comes a striking, new graphic fairy tale: when a jealous witch curses her family’s well, it’s up to Vonceil to set things right in an epic journey that will leave her changed forever.

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Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

“Gail Gibbons has taught more preschoolers and early readers about the world than any other children’s writer-illustrator.”—The Washington Post

The incomparable Gail Gibbons’s trove of beloved books for science fans includes the new and updated edition of her best-selling classic which introduces young readers to the fascinating and colorful process of how caterpillars become butterflies.

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