A Caldecott Honor Book * A Huffington Post Best Picture Book about Family * An NYPL 100 Books for Reading and Sharing * A 100 Scope Notes Top 20 Book of the Year In this magical picture book, a young boy spends an overnight visit with his nana and is frightened to find that the city where she lives is filled with noise and crowds and scary things. But then Nana makes him a special cape to help him be brave, and soon the everyday sights, sounds, and smells of the city are not scary-but wonderful. The succinct text is paired with watercolor illustrations that capture all the vitality, energy, and beauty of the city.

Children's literacy advocate John Schu and Caldecott Honor recipient Lauren Castillo celebrate the power of finding the perfect book - in a story that's relevant now more than ever. This is a word on a page. This is a page in a book. This is a book on a shelf ... waiting. With a seahorse kite in hand, a child heads out with Dad to the library. On the way they stop at a park, joining lots of people, some of whom are flying kites, too. At the library, a person toting a big pile of books hands over a story on a favourite subject: the seahorse. All around, there are readers poring over books, each with their own questions, ideas to explore, hopes for the future, and imaginations ready to spark. With a warm, lyrical text and tenderly expressive illustrations, John Schu and Lauren Castillo invite us to imagine the myriad of ways that books can foster connection and understanding - and how they can empower children through their own passions to transform the world.

In this timeless picture book, a new reader trudges through deep snow with a mysterious suitcase in tow. He has something important to share with his faithful companion, who bolts ahead to wait at the top of a tall hill. Our small hero climbs higher and higher, until finally, he is there, too. Then he opens his suitcase-click, click-and soon the only sound in the world is the sound of the reader reading their very favorite book to the very last page...the very last word. Amy Hest's spare evocative text is a true celebration of new readers and good friends everywhere, while Lauren Castillo's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, with their bold saturated colors against winter white, perfectly capture the wonder and delight of this magical day.

Children’s literacy advocate John Schu and Caldecott Honor recipient Lauren Castillo celebrate the power of finding the perfect book. This is a word on a page. This is a page in a book. This is a book on a shelf ... waiting. With a seahorse kite in their hand, a child heads out with Dad to the library. On the way they stop at a park, joining lots of people, some of whom are flying kites, too. At the library, a person toting a big pile of books hands over a story on a favourite subject: the seahorse. All around, there are readers poring over books, each with their own questions, ideas to explore, hopes for the future ... and imaginations ready to spark. With a warm, lyrical text and expressive illustrations, John Schu and Lauren Castillo invite us to imagine the myriad of ways that books can foster connection and understanding – and how they can empower children to transform the world.

A warmhearted story about a young girl who finds a way to bring together the two things that make her most happy- soccer and her family.
Nothing makes Sierra happy like soccer. Her shoes have flames as she spins the ball down the spread-out sea of grass. But nothing makes her sad like soccer, too, because the restaurant where her auntie works is busy on game days and she can't take time off to watch Sierra play. On game days, her auntie helps Sierra get ready and tells her, "Play hard and have fun." And Sierra does, but she can't help wishing she had someone there to root for her by name, and not just by the number on her uniform. With honesty and rare subtlety, author Maribeth Boelts and illustrator Lauren Castillo portray an endearing character in a moving, uplifting story that touches on the divides children navigate every day- and remind us that everyone needs someone to cheer them on from the sidelines.