We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade

 

We Are Water Protectors

written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade

Caledcott Medal 

Summary:

        This stunning picture book follows an indigenous girl (Ojibwe) as she recalls her grandmother telling her about a "black snake" that will come to poison their water supply. The book focuses on the sanctity and importance of nature and remaining steadfast in our efforts to preserve the natural supply.

Justification:

        A library should add this book to its collection because it is a beautifully illustrated book that highlights a part of indigenous people's history that kids may not be familiar with. The book received the Caldecott Medal, making the author the first indigenous author to win the award. 

Illustrations:

        This is an absolutely gorgeous book. The colors are vibrant, and the brush strokes sweep off the page. Even if a young child did not quite understand the purpose of the book, I think they would find the artwork mesmerizing. There is no doubt why this book won the Caldecott Medal - it is a visually stunning and groundbreaking book. 

Accuracy:

        Since this book is directly told by a descendant of the Ojibwe tribe, it is safe to say that this is an accurate retelling of the event. I have no doubt that the author's family passed down this narrative as is told in the book.

Style and language:

        This book uses very few words, but the ones that are used pack a lot of meaning. This is a very simply written tale that even the youngest elementary kids could understand. The words on the page are mostly spoken words between the main character and her grandmother, giving younger students something to relate to, even if they may be unfamiliar with the indigenous experience.

Lindstrom, C., & Goade, M. (2023). We are water protectors. Findaway World, LLC. 

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper

 

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper

Coretta Scott King Award

Summary:

        This picture book tells the story of a massacre that occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that has been lost to time. Many people are not familiar with the terrible acts that happened there. This book narrates the story in an easily digestible format, approachable for all ages. 

Justification:

        This is an incredible book to add to a library's collection. First, it won the Coretta Scott King Medal, recognizing outstanding books for children and young adults written by African American authors. It also won the Carter G. Woodson Award and was placed on the honor list for the Caldecott Award. Aside from the awards and accolated it received, it accurately and sensitively tells about an important time in history. 

Illustrations:

        The illustrations in this book are beautifully and purposefully crafted. Many of the pictures have a fuzzy quality to them, evoking the same feeling as an old photograph. Some of the prominent faces in the book almost look like they are old photographs, superimposed onto the image. The Black characters in the book have much more detail than the white characters, which makes sense given the subject matter.

Accuracy:

        Admittedly, I did not know much about this topic before reading the book. Though it was a picture book and only gave a brief overview of the historical event, the information was accurate, as far as I can tell, and well-told for the age group. This would be an excellent book to read to a class that is learning about slavery and the civil rights movement. I can imagine that this would spark some excellent conversations among students. 

Style and language:

        The language used within this book is very appropriate for younger age groups, even though the subject matter is difficult. Several of the first few pages begin with "Once upon a time..." which I imagine would be very comforting for children to see. Even though the subject matter may be unfamiliar, the use of this term grounds kids in something that is familiar. 

Weatherford, C. B., & Cooper, F. (2021). Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. Carolrhoda Books. 

Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes by Traci N. Todd and Shannon Wright

 

Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes

written by Traci N. Todd and illustrated by Shannon Wright

Informational Text

Summary:

        This is a vibrant picture book that details the life of Jackie Ormes, an important figure in the world of journalism who was the first to publish political cartoons with a positive depiction of Black women. Her work had a lasting impact on journalism and the cartoon industry.

Justification:

        An honor recipient of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor, this book is an easy one to justify adding to a collection. Informational picture books are an important way to reach young kids, and this one will surely capture their attention with the colorful and eclectic art style.

Illustrations:

        Wright did a great job illustrating this book. The art style is very colorful and almost looks like different pieces of scrap paper glued into the book. The result is a series of images that look like they are bouncing off the page. 

Characters:

        Though this book is informational, we still get an idea of who Jackie Ormes was and what kind of person she wanted to be. The book paints (or draws) a picture of a woman who won't take no for an answer and is constantly trying to seek ways to improve society around her. She is a big dreamer and role model for kids of all ages. 

Accuracy:

        Though, admittedly, I didn't know anything about Jackie Ormes before reading this book, I did some quick research, and everything in this book appears to be legitimate and accurate. Though surely there are some details left out, this book gives a sweeping overview of Ormes' life in a bite-sized chunk that is palatable to younger children.

Todd, T. N., & Wright, S. (2023). Holding her own: The exceptional life of Jackie Ormes. Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. 

Camp Prodigy by Caroline Palmer

 

Camp Prodigy

by Caroline Palmer

LGBTQIA+

Summary:

        Camp Prodigy follows a young viola student named Nate who attends a life-changing concert and decides to get serious about being a musician. Nate's parents send him to a music-based summer camp where Nate learns more about their gender identity, music, friendship, and what true success looks like.

Justification:

        This is a fantastic graphic novel to include in a library's collection. Graphic novels are only gaining popularity, so seeking diverse books is wise. This one features diversity regarding gender, family structures, and includes characters who are POC. The plot delicately handles many themes that are beneficial for young kids, and manages to discuss them in an easily understandable but still nuanced way. 

Illustrations:

        The art style in this graphic novel is colorful, fun, and exciting! The way the art conveyed character expressions reminded me of the typical manga style. It was really interesting to see in a graphic novel, and the illustrations even made me laugh at times. This graphic novel relies a lot on visual storytelling through the art, which increases students' ability to understand context clues. 

Characters:

        The characters in this book are delightfully real. The sibling relationship between Nate and their brother is charming. The book perfectly depicts the awkwardness of asking an older sibling for advice and the grins and teasing that usually come next. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Nate and Eli. They helped each other through anxiety, practicing, imposter syndrome, and even got annoyed with each other, too, just like real friends do. I loved that both Nate and Eli identified as nonbinary and that Eli was able to give advice to Nate on coming out and being bold.

Setting:

        The camp setting of this novel is so fun and evokes the feeling of summertime. The camp setting felt very authentic. There were multiple panels that showed the kids doing typical camp activities, like tie-dyeing, playing cards, and making crafts with beads. 

Palmer, C. (2024). Camp prodigy. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals) by Eliot Schrefer

 

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals)

by Eliot Schrefer

Printz Honor Book

Summary:

        Queer Ducks (and Other Animals) is a riveting nonfiction that will grip teen readers by fascinating them with information about the animal kingdom and challenging their bias about heterosexuality. Inside the pages of this book, students will find information about animals, sexuality, and how it relates to the humanity in all of us.

Justification:

        Schrefer's book is a great one to include in any nonfiction collection. It is informational in many ways. Yes, it informs the readers about animal sexuality, but underneath it all is this underlying message that homosexuality is natural, it is okay, and it should be celebrated. There is no doubt why it received the Printz Honor Award. 

Reader Response:

        I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had no idea before reading this that homosexuality was so prevalent within the animal kingdom. Society has pushed the standard of men & women as the default for such a long time that no other option existed in my brain. This book was extremely eye-opening and gave me a lot of things to think about in regards to societal norms, internal biases, and my understanding of the natural world. I also really appreciated how the author gave a brief spiel on the different terms he would be using throughout the book, why he chose them, and what they mean. It really highlighted that information can be shared while still being sensitive to the communities that they include, which in this case, is the LGBTQ+ community. 

Schrefer, E., & Zuckerberg, J. (2022). Queer Ducks (and other animals): The natural world of Animal Sexuality. Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. 

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh

 

Every Body Looking

by Candice Iloh

Novel in Verse

Summary:
        Every Body Looking is a novel in verse, memoir-style, about the author’s struggles with growing up in poverty and trying to make something of herself. She struggles with religion, sexuality, and grappling with the fact that she has to fight a system that was designed to oppose her at every direction. 

Justification:
        Having a robust collection of novels-in-verse is extremely beneficial to a library’s collection. Many students that struggle with a full-size novel will appreciate the short and simple nature of this novel in verse, but will enjoy the difficult themes. 

Reader Response:
        This novel is a fairly easy one to read. The prose is simple, the poems are short, and it is broken up into chapters that do not take very long to get through. The novel more than makes up for it in depth of themes, however. This novel is a great experience in stepping into someone else's shoes. Candice, the speaker of the poems, has lived a life completely different from mine, but I found myself relating to some of the issues she deals with in the novel. Being a first-generation student and finding yourself after growing up in a strict environment is extremely difficult. The way Iloh perfectly encapsulated those feelings with such simple phrases was very meaningful to me. This is a great novel for students of all types. This may be a great one to use for reluctant students as an entry-level introduction to poetry. 

Iloh, C. (2020). Every body looking. Dutton Books. 

El Deafo by Cece Bell

 

El Deafo
by Cece Bell
Graphic Novel

Summary:
        El Deafo is a children’s graphic memoir of the author’s experiences growing up deaf in the 70s. She hates being different and struggles to make friends because she is trying so hard to fit in to the hearing world. It isn’t until she embraces being deaf that she makes genuine friendships, which teaches her that being herself is the best way to be.

Justification:
        This is a great graphic novel to include in a library collection. Graphic novels are a format that kids are turning to more and more frequently, so having a collection that features diverse characters is crucial. This novel features disability representation, which helps students develop empathy and learn how to put themselves into the shoes of others. 

Illustrations:
        Cece Bell’s illustrations are colorful, fun, and full of personality. All of the people in the novel are depicted as cartoon bunnies rather than people, which effectively makes them look more similar to each other, and highlights the other differences between the characters, like personality and disability. One aspect of the illustrations that I enjoyed is how Bell visually depicted the moments where the main character either could not hear or could not make out what the other person in the scene was saying. Frequently, speech bubbles were completely empty or full of undiscernible gibberish. This allows the reader to experience, even just for a moment, what it might be like living as a deaf person. 

Style and language:
        Bell’s use of language creates an extremely engaging novel. Appropriate for all elementary grades, the language is easily understood. An important aspect of the style and language is how visual the novel is, and how much of the tone and style is depicted through visual context clues, such as facial expressions, speech bubbles, and setting.

Characterization:
        The characters in this novel are very realistic and there are many personalities to appeal to different kids. The main character, Cece, is one that many kids could relate to, whether disabled or not. Though her deafness is at the heart of many of her struggles, she also struggles with things that every kid might: crushes, friendships, and grades. The other characters in the novel learn how to be a good friend to Cece, which means being receptive to what she needs and listening to how they can alter their approach. 

Bell, C., & Tubert, S. (2023). El Deafo. Listening Library.

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

 

She Drives Me Crazy

by Kelly Quindlen

LGBTQ+/Romance

Summary: 

        Scottie Zajac, high school senior, loses an important basketball game against the school's rival, who just so happens to have her ex-girlfriend on the team, too. Leaving the already-disappointing game, she gets into a fender bender with her archrival, a cheerleader named Irene. Scottie is devastated to learn she must chauffeur Irene to and from school until her car is repaired. This time together gives Scottie the opportunity to devise a fake-dating plan to get back at her ex-girlfriend and gain some popularity for herself and her basketball team, too. 

Justification:

        This is a great LGTBQ+ book to include in a library's collection, especially in areas where books with LGBTQ+ characters might be contested, as this book is absolutely squeaky-clean. The characters only briefly discuss their sexual pasts, and no details are exchanged. There is truly no reason why this should be contested in a high school collection. Additionally, the novel is not all about the coming-out experience. While books about coming out are crucial, just as important are novels about LGBTQ+ characters simply existing. 

Reader Response:

        I had such a great time reading this novel. The characters were sassy, fiery, and sweet, all at once. The characters had wonderfully supportive and affirming family members, and though they did experience some bullying at school related to their queerness, it was not the main conflict of the novel. I found this to be notable because just as much as the LGBTQ+ community needs books that depict a difficult coming-out or stories about those experiencing homophobia, they need wonderful, simple, non-traumatic stories that are just about queer love, too. This book supports all kinds of representation, which I greatly appreciate. One aspect about the main character, Scottie, that I really enjoyed was that she wasn't afraid to challenge her worldview or admit that she was wrong. She starts out the book thinking negatively about cheerleading, thinking that it isn't a true sport and that they are simply doing it for the sake of others. After talking to Irene throughout the semester they spent together fake-dating, she changes her opinion and begins to understand that cheerleading is a difficult sport that takes discipline and practice. She even gets defensive over Irene when she hears others negating cheerleading as a sport. 

        Overall, this is a wonderfully fun novel that celebrates queer love and representation. I would recommend this book to any student, queer or straight alike. The themes of friendship, love, and second chances are universal and applicable to all. 

Quindlen, K. (2021). She drives me crazy. Roaring Brook Press.

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

 

Ghost Boys

by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Historical Fiction

Summary:

        Ghost Boys tells the story of a 12-year-old black boy named Jerome who was wrongfully killed by a police officer who mistakenly perceived him as a threat because of his personal bias. Jerome dies but discovers he is now a wandering ghost, whom no living person can see, except the daughter of the officer who killed him. He interacts with the ghosts of other black boys who were murdered just like him, including that of Emmett Till, who helps him figure out why he is a wandering ghost and what he is supposed to do with this opportunity as a wanderer. 

Justification:

        Librarians are always seeking new books with diverse characters to include in the collection. This is a great one to include because it mixes history with fiction to create an incredibly educational and harrowing tale. Though the themes of death, police brutality, and family relationships are intense, the book is written with a simple prose to be easily understandable by a 6th grade student. 

Characters:

        The characters within this novel are very well-developed and realistic. The dialogue sounds like what you might actually overhear between a conversation made up of seventh graders. Jerome is a sweet kid who acts more grown-up than he is, but you see his childlike nature in the way he gets excited about playing outside. Carlos is also just a sweet young kid who wanted to make a friend, and the friendship depicted between him and Jerome is a testament to how innocent kids are, and how quickly they are to jump into being best friends. 

Style and Language:

        The language within this book is extremely simple. The easy nature of the writing makes this story more accessible to a variety of learners and grade levels. The content within this book makes it a great one to study for upper middle school grades (7th, 8th), but the easy-to-understand writing also makes it a great class study for the lower middle grades, too (5th, 6th). The straightforward writing also highlights the childlike nature and innocence of Jerome, which only makes the book more impactful. 

Setting:

        This book takes us to a variety of different places, and even different planes of existence. We see both Jerome's living and ghostly existence. One of the more fascinating parts of this book is that we get to see how Jerome experiences the same physical locations differently based on his state of life. His home when he is alive is warm, cozy, and comfortable. When he passes on to his ghostly form, his home is cold, lonely, and sad. 

Overall, this is a wonderfully written book that discusses such important topics for middle-school-aged children. I would be hesitant to give this book to a 5th or 6th grader as an independent read without first giving them some information on the themes and topics covered within this book, but as a class novel, this book works well for all grades of middle school, and possibly even upper elementary, as well. 

Rhodes, J. P. (2018). Ghost boys. Little, Brown and Company.