The City of Ember is a post-apocalyptic novel by Jeanne DuPrau that was published in 2003. The story is about Ember, a post-apocalyptic underground city threatened by aging infrastructure and corruption. The young protagonists, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, follow clues left behind by the original builders of the City of Ember, to safety in the outside world.
Elvira Woodruff is an American children's writer known for books that include elements of fantasy and history.
Kwame Alexander is American poet, educator, publisher, Emmy® Award-winning producer, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of 40 books, including poetry, memoir, and children's fiction. His mission is to change the world, one word at a time.
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters is a 1994 children's book by Patricia McKissack and Frederick McKissack. It is about the preparations and workings around the Christmas season on a slave plantation in 1850s Virginia.
Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt is a 2008 picture book by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. It is about a young girl, Baby girl, who, growing up amongst the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama, makes her first quilt.
The Runaway Wok is a children's picture book written by Ying Chang Compestine and illustrated by Sebastia Serra. Published in 2011 by Dutton Children's Books, the story follows a boy named Ming and his adventures with a magical talking wok who grants wishes. The story portrays the rich family as evil and the poor family as heroic.
Big Cat, Little Cat is a 2017 children's picture book written by Elisha Cooper. It was published by Roaring Brook Press, a subsidiary of Macmillan Books. In the story, a large, white cat welcomes a new black cat into a family. The white cat then dies, and the cycle begins anew when the family adopts a new kitten. Cooper was inspired to write the story after his family experienced a similar situation. Critics praised his illustrations, for their ability to help further the story's messages and themes. These monochromatic illustrations were different than the style Cooper normally employed when illustrating a book. The book was well-reviewed, and received a 2018 Caldecott Honor.
The Rough Patch is a 2018 picture book by Brian Lies. An idea of Lies' for more than ten years, when it was published it was well received and was named a 2019 Caldecott Honor book. The story tells of a fox named Evan whose dog dies. Evan then experiences various emotions while grieving before adopting a new dog at the end of the book. The book was praised for Lies' mixed media illustrations, in particular the way he used light and shadow.
Mother's Day Surprise is a 2010 children's picture book by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Kathi Ember. It is about Violet, a snakelet who, upon seeing other young animals making and gathering gifts to give to their mothers on Mother's Day, is initially unsure what she, without arms, legs or teeth can give. Happily, Violet works out what she can do, and on the day contorts herself into the shape of a love heart, much to the delight of her mother.
A Father's Day Thank You is a 2007 children's picture book by Janet Nolan and illustrated by Kathi Ember. It is about Harvey, a bear cub, who, unlike his siblings, does not know what to give his dad for Father's Day until receiving all sorts of help from him comes up with a card of appreciation.
The Poet X, published March 6, 2018 by HarperTeen, is a young adult novel by Elizabeth Acevedo. Fifteen-year-old Xiomara, also known as "X" or "Xio," works through the tension and conflict in her family by writing poetry. The book, a New York Times bestseller, was well received and won multiple awards at the 2019 Youth Media Awards.
Daisy Gets Lost is a 2013 children's picture book by Chris Raschka. It is a sequel of the 2011 book A Ball for Daisy and is about Daisy chasing a squirrel, becoming lost in a forest, but then being reunited with her owner.
We Are Water Protectors is a 2020 picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade. Written in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, the book tells the story of an Ojibwe girl who fights against an oil pipeline in an effort to protect the water supply of her people. It was published by Roaring Brook Press on March 17, 2020. The book was well received. Critics praised its message of environmental justice, its depiction of diversity, and the watercolor illustrations, for which Goade won the 2021 Caldecott Medal, becoming the first Indigenous recipient of the award. The book also received the 2021 Jane Addams Children's Book Award winner in the Books for Younger Children category.
Baby Bedtime is a 2013 children's picture book by Mem Fox and illustrated by Emma Quay. The book, published in America by Beach Lane Books, and published in Australia by Penguin Books Australia, is about an adult elephant getting her baby ready for bed.
Tell Me About Your Day Today is a 2012 children's picture book by Mem Fox and Lauren Stringer. It is about a boy discussing the day's events with his favorite stuffed toys.
Hello, Baby! is a 2009 children's picture book by Mem Fox and illustrated by Steve Jenkins. In this book the narrator asks the reader whether they are various animals.
Lulu Gets a Cat is a 2017 children's picture book by Anna McQuinn and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw. It is about a little girl called Lulu who wants a cat, shows her initially reluctant mother that she is ready by reading about cats at the library and treating her toy cat Dinah as if it is real, and then adopts a cat who she calls Makeda.
Mama Cat Has Three Kittens is a 1998 children's picture book, written and illustrated by Denise Fleming. It is about a mother cat and her three kittens: Fluffy and Skinny who are well behaved, and imitate their mother, and Boris, who naps until the other three rest when he becomes boisterous.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre is a picture book written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Published on February 2, 2021, by Carolrhoda, it tells the history behind the Tulsa race massacre in verse.
Going Down Home with Daddy is a 2019 picture book written by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Daniel Minter. It tells the story of a young boy who attends a large family reunion at his great-grandmother's house and struggles to prepare a contribution to the family celebration. Inspired by Lyons's visit to a family gathering in rural Georgia, the book was published by Peachtree Publishing on April 1, 2019. The acrylic illustrations incorporate Adinkra symbols representing various concepts in Ghanaian culture. Critics praised the book's themes of family culture and heritage as well as Minter's illustrations, for which it received a Caldecott Honor in 2020. It also received the 2019 Lupine Award in the Picture Book category.
