November 8-14 is Children’s Book Week, an annual celebration that is now held twice each year, in May and November. Established in 1919, it is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country, now celebrating its 102nd anniversary with over 2,000 participating schools, libraries and bookstores in all 50 states.
Here are some new children’s books worth knowing about:
It’s been a year since Peter and his pet fox, Pax, have seen each other. Once inseparable, they now lead very different lives. Pax and his mate, Bristle, have welcomed a litter of kits they must protect in a dangerous world. Meanwhile, Peter—newly orphaned after the war, racked with guilt and loneliness—leaves his adopted home with Vola to join the Water Warriors, a group of people determined to heal the land from the scars of the war.
When one of Pax's kits falls desperately ill, he turns to the one human he knows he can trust. And no matter how hard Peter tries to harden his broken heart, love keeps finding a way in. Now both boy and fox find themselves on journeys toward home, healing—and each other, once again.
This is the sequel to Pax, a popular book for young readers and their families.
From celebrated Indigenous author Thomas King and award-winning Métis artist Natasha Donovan comes a powerful graphic novel about a family caught between nations.
Borders the story of a boy and his mother whose road trip is thwarted at the border when they identify their citizenship as Blackfoot. Refusing to identify as either American or Canadian first bars their entry into the US, and then their return into Canada. In the limbo between countries, they find power in their connection to their identity and to each other.
Borders explores nationhood from an Indigenous perspective and resonates deeply with themes of identity, justice, and belonging. Now available in hardcover, coming in paperback January 2022.
Norman Didn't Do It!: (Yes, He Did) written and illustrated by Ryan Higgins
Ryan Higgins, the author of the Mother Bruce series, delivers a contemporary tale of friendship.
Norman is a porcupine. Mildred is a tree. Norman and Mildred are best friends. Just the two of them. And only the two of them. But when a surprise pops up, life will never be the same again. Who is this new visitor and can Norman and Mildred make a new friend?
A funny story based on a real-life crow from renowned naturalist and author Jean Craighead George, with illustrations from long-time collaborator Wendell Minor. (This is an update, with new research provided by Twig George and T. Luke George)
A young boy finds a baby crow abandoned, cold, and hungry. He takes him home, hoping to nurse him back to health. His grandpa disapproves—he thinks that crows are pests and thieves! The boy knows that the crow he names Crowbar is capable of learning more than how to eat, caw, and fly. But can he prove it?
As Crowbar grows, the boy teaches him how to speak and Crowbar teaches the boy just how clever crows can be. With his innate intelligence, Crowbar will show he is smarter than anyone could imagine.
It Fell from the Sky by Terry Fan, illustrated by Eric Fan
From the creators The Night Gardener and Ocean Meets Sky comes a whimsical and elegantly illustrated picture book about community, art, the importance of giving back—and the wonder that fell from the sky.
It fell from the sky on a Thursday.
None of the insects know where it came from, or what it is. Some say it’s an egg. Others, a gumdrop. But whatever it is, it fell near Spider’s house, so he’s convinced it belongs to him.
Spider builds a wonderous display so that insects from far and wide can come look at the marvel. Spider has their best interests at heart. So what if he has to charge a small fee? So what if the lines are long? So what if no one can even see the wonder anymore?
But what will Spider do after everyone stops showing up?
Melvin Robinson wants a strong, smooth, He-Man voice that lets him say what he wants, when he wants—especially to his crush Millie Takazawa, and Gary Ratliff, who constantly puts him down. But the thought of starting high school is only making his stutter worse.
And Melvin's growing awareness that racism is everywhere—not just in the South where a boy his age has been brutally killed by two white men, but also in his own hometown of Spokane—is making him realize that he can't mutely stand by.
His new friend Lenny, a fast-talking, sax-playing Jewish boy, who lives above the town's infamous (and segregated) Harlem Club, encourages Melvin to take some risks—to invite Millie to Homecoming and even audition for a local TV variety show. When they play music together, Melvin almost feels like he's talking, no words required. But there are times when one needs to speak up.
When his moment comes, can Melvin be as mighty on the outside as he actually is on the inside?
This powerful story is based on the author's own family experience with racial integration in Spokane, Washington in the 1950s.
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