A boy says farewell to a loved one as he imagines her walking on into her next journey, a moving and superbly illustrated story about loss and hope by Fry Bread author Kevin Noble Maillard and illustrated by acclaimed, award-winning artist Rafael López. When a young boy’s grandmother walks on, he wonders where she’s gone.Did she go to the market to buy ripe melons? Or maybe she’s in the garden, watering her herbs?It feels like she’s somewhere far away, so the boy finds new ways to share stories about his day, hoping she can hear him.Even her house feels like it’s waiting for her return. Then as the boy approaches the kitchen, the scent and memories of her cooking assure him that no matter where she is, her love will always be close by.Because when someone walks on, they stay with us. They grow in our hearts and guide us as we walk in their footsteps.Award-winning author of Fry Bread, Kevin Noble Maillard, breathes life and love into this intimate picture book about loss, with illustrations from renowned, best-selling artist, Rafael López.

How does a bear go to the ballet? A polar bear escapes into New York City in this heartfelt picture book from award-winning Afro-Latino artist Eric Velasquez. A wordless story of unlikely friendship that celebrates art and its ability to connect us. However, this picture book also opens a conversation about alienation and empathy. Who is kept out of the theater? How can we welcome them in? A deeply personal story, author Eric Valqueuez sees himself in this tale. When dancers have a photoshoot at the Central Park Zoo, a young, African American ballerina and a polar bear form a special friendship. When his new friend leaves her scarf behind, the polar bear must venture through Central Park and out into Manhattan to return it before her performance at the Lincoln Center. However, the theater goers eye the strange bear with suspicion. When the ushers won’t let him inside, the ballerina comes to his rescue and welcomes him in. The polar bear has dreamed of seeing the ballet, and now he gets to be a part of it in the most surprising way. The wordless narrative is told through expressive and detailed oil paintings. On the endpapers, readers learn more about these loveable characters with illustrations of zoo signage about polar bears and a magazine article about the young ballerina. Eric Velasquez, author-illustrator of Bank Street Best Book of the Year Octopus Stew, brings a dream-like magic to this tale of empathy and kindred spirits.

A great American sport and Native American history come together in this true story for middle grade readers about how Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner created the legendary Carlisle Indians football team, from New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Award recipient Steve Sheinkin.“Sheinkin has made a career of finding extraordinary stories in American history.” ―The New York Times Book ReviewA Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor BookA New York Times Notable Children’s BookA Washington Post Best BookUndefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team is an astonishing underdog sports story―and more. It’s an unflinching look at the U.S. government’s violent persecution of Native Americans and the school that was designed to erase Indian cultures. Expertly told by three-time National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin, it’s the story of a group of young men who came together at that school, the overwhelming obstacles they faced both on and off the field, and their absolute refusal to accept defeat.Jim Thorpe: Super athlete, Olympic gold medalist, Native AmericanPop Warner: Indomitable coach, football mastermind, Ivy League gradBefore these men became legends, they met in 1907 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where they forged one of the winningest teams in American football history. Called “the team that invented football,” they took on the best opponents of their day, defeating much more privileged schools such as Harvard and the Army in a series of breathtakingly close calls, genius plays, and bone-crushing hard work.This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.“Along with Thorpe’s fascinating personal story, Sheinkin offers a thought-provoking narrative about the evolution of football and the development of boarding schools such as the Carlisle Indian School.” ―The Washington PostAlso by Steve Sheinkin:Bomb: The Race to Build―and Steal―the World’s Most Dangerous WeaponThe Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & TreacheryMost Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam WarThe Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil RightsWhich Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About Westward ExpansionKing George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About the American RevolutionTwo Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About the Civil WarBorn to Fly: The First Women’s Air Race Across America

An assassin in the world’s deadliest wheelchair and his devoted sister carve an ultra-violent path to recovery across a slick, dystopic landscape in this action manga for fans of Chainsaw Man, Battle Angel Alita, and Dorohedoro!Living on Gui Cheng Island, called “the most dangerous city in the universe,” is no easy task. Genetic doping is common for gangs to gain ultimate power. Shizuka, a young girl, takes on the most dangerous of assassin jobs, but she’s not the one doing the killing. Rather, it’s her brother, Nagi, a strong assassin who took a bullet to protect his sister, leaving him in a comatose state and having to use a wheelchair. However, Shizuka has figured out the key to waking her brother up: he must be faced with killing intent! Thus begins a violent journey of recovery, battling the most dangerous foes!

From Pura Belpré Honor author Gloria Amescua comes a sweet picture book integrating Spanish words and celebrating the family and music that connects us all.Every night, when the sun says buenas noches, a mother sings a special lullaby to her baby boy: ¿Dónde está mi corazón? Aquí, aquí, aquí en mis brazos. As he gets older, the boy asks for his song over and over until it’s forever in his heart. When the boy grows up and moves away, he teaches the song to his daughters. And now that Abuelita is coming for a visit, the girls plan a surprise for her: they are going to sing her song, “La canción del corazón.”

Little by little, drop by drop Kailash Satyarthi devoted his life to battling international child labor and exploitation. In 2014 his work earned him a Nobel Peace Prize alongside Malala Yousafzai.”My only aim in life is that every child is free to be a child.”Kailash Satyarthi has fought injustice his whole life. As a young boy, he raised money so poor children could attend school. When he was a teen, he combatted caste discrimination by sharing a meal with “untouchables.” And as an adult, he fought against child labor and for increased education, ultimately rescuing hundreds of thousands of children worldwide. In 2014, he was recognized for his efforts, winning a Nobel Peace Prize alongside Malala Yousafzai. This inspiring picture book shows that anyone can strive for change in their community that make a big difference around the world.

What is a pencil? A forest transformed. In this beautifully illustrated wordless picture book, young readers can follow a pencil’s life cycle from tree to factory to store shelf and back to tree.Even the simplest tool contains multitudes. Once a living tree, then a manufactured commodity, a pencil in the hands of a young artist becomes the key to a rich imaginative world. In this expansive, gorgeously illustrated story, creator Hye-Yun Kim asks us to see and appreciate the full value—and infinite possibilities—of the pencil, as well as other seemingly mundane objects around us. This powerful aid teaches readers essential visual literacy skills and celebrates the creative process.

The cow says ‘moo’ the chicken says ‘cluck’ and the pig says … ‘Dazzlehands!’ As hard as the farmer tries, pig won’t go ‘oink’. Instead, pig gets all the animals moving to: ‘Train hands, rain hands, fly-it-like-a-plane hands. Bursting with the razzle, gotta liberate these DAZZLEHANDS!’

A funny, relatable middle school drama about two Colombian American girls who have always been BFFs—until sixth grade turns everything upside down.Luchy Zapata is starting middle school, and she’s muy excited. She and her two best friends, Cami and Mateo, will finally be at the same school. Luchy and Mateo will be in art class together, and she and Cami can try out for the same soccer team! As long as they’re all together, Luchy can handle anything.But Cami has been acting weird ever since she got back from visiting family in Colombia. She’s making new, “cool” friends who just seem mean. And suddenly, everything about Luchy and Mateo is too immature for her.Luchy is determined to help Cami remember how special their friendship is. They’ve been BFFs their whole lives, and that can’t just disappear in a poof of glitter! But…what if Cami doesn’t even want to be friends anymore?

House of Roots and Ruin meets The Darkest Part of the Forest in this gorgeous dark fantasy debut steeped in Norse mythology that follows a teen who accidentally awakens an imprisoned draugr and must follow him into a deadly magical forest to rescue her grandmother.Never go beyond the stave church.Within Tiveden Forest, bloodthirsty monsters known as draugr lurk behind every tree, and secrets run through the soil like twisted roots. When her grandmother vanishes into the forest, Astrid won’t let Crohn’s disease get in the way of finding her. But in searching for her lost loved one, Astrid soon uncovers an even greater mystery:A conflict that’s haunted her village and family for generations.An ancient blood oath her ancestor made to protect them.A deadly draugr imprisoned for centuries…who Astrid accidentally awakens.Newly revived, Soren first mistakes Astrid for her ancestor, his ex-lover turned enemy. Astrid can’t tell if he would rather kill her or kiss her. But Soren knows the forest better than anyone, and Astrid quickly realizes that she’ll need his help to rescue her grandmother.The deeper they venture into Tiveden, the closer Astrid gets to the cold, alluring Soren and the truth behind her grandmother’s disappearance. To save her home, a dark ritual must be performed before Midwinter—and only Astrid can fulfill her ancestor’s blood oath…or break it.That is, if Soren—or the forest—doesn’t break Astrid first.