A young Syrian American girl remembers the beauty and joy of her home in a gorgeous picture book that is perfect for fans of Watercress. I come from the City of Jasmine, where delicate blossoms spill from homes, balconies. Sweet scents dance in the wind, filling air, calming hearts. Inspired by her own childhood in Damascus, Syria, Nadine Presley’s lyrical picture book offers a sincere view of the city and is brought to life with breathtaking illustrations by Heather Brockman Lee, which brim with wonder and love.

In this moving picture book on the importance of hope, a small bird—nestled in a dusty crack in the Western Wall—feels a deep shift within, setting her on a path to overcoming her fear of change.One day, Sparrow wakes up feeling different. Her world is on the brink of change and she knows that she must prepare. As she flies from one familiar corner of her life to the other—from the fruit stand to the top of the bell tower—she searches far and wide for the thing that will help her get ready for whatever tomorrow may bring.Here is a soul-stirring picture book about change and how to embrace it with the help of hope—as demonstrated by a sweet sparrow embarking on the great journey of life.

In the thrilling finale to the epic fantasy series filled with gods and monsters of Shinto mythology, a twelve-year-old girl with divine heritage risks everything to save her family—and the world—from the vengeful goddess of the underworld.Momo Arashima is half goddess and half human—torn between two worlds. But with her friends Danny, Ryleigh, Jin and Niko by her side, she’s finally starting to find a place where she belongs. Too bad none of that matters when Izanami, the treacherous goddess of death, threatens the life of someone Momo loves and forces her into a terrible bargain.Izanami is after the Jewel of the Heart, an artifact that will help her finally escape the land of the dead…and she wants Momo to get it for her. Along with her friends, Momo must face fire demons, fanged mermaids, and spiders as big as horses. But even if they succeed, what will Momo do? Sacrifice the person most precious to her, or hand over the Jewel and unleash Izanami on the world?

A nonfiction picture book biography of astrophysicist Wanda Díaz Merced and how losing her sight didn’t stop her from studying the stars.An inspiring true story of a woman scientist of color that’s a riveting intersectional read for STEM fans ages 6-9.Growing up in Puerto Rico, Wanda Díaz Merced wanted to learn everything she could about the stars. But in college she started losing her sight. How could she study what she couldn’t see?Wanda found a way. She learned to hear the stars using sonification, which converts data into sounds. Listening to those chimes and drumbeats, she made new discoveries about the universe.Today Wanda is a leading advocate for inclusive science. She and her friend Amy S. Hansen collaborated on this book to inspire children to follow their curiosity no matter the challenges. As Wanda urges, “Never give up!” Wanda Hears the Stars is the perfect picture book biography to inspire any STEM-minded future scientist!

An instant New York Times bestseller! Reality proves more epic than fantasy in this family road trip story starring a reluctant young hero and his curmudgeonly grandfather.Gonzalo Alberto Sánchez García has never considered himself the hero of his own story. He’s an observer, quietly snapshotting landscapes and drawing the creatures he imagines emerging from them. Forced to spend the summer with his estranged grandfather, Alberto William García—the very famous reclusive author—Gonzalo doesn’t expect to learn that heroes and monsters are not only the stuff of fantasy.But that’s precisely what happens when Gonzalo’s CEO mother, Veronica, sends Alberto on tour to promote the final book in his fantasy series for children and Gonzalo must tag along, even though he feels no connection to his grandfather or the books. Together, they embark on a cross-country road trip from Mendocino to Miami in a classic 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass S convertible named Mathilde. Over the course of ten epic days on the highway, they will slay demons, real and imagined; confront old stories to write new ones; and learn what it truly means to show up for your family.

Fourteen-year-old Kimathi has a comfortable life in the suburbs of western Kenya—until a contentious election explodes into violence. His father is killed, his house is destroyed, and he and his mother and sister must flee. They find themselves in a camp for internally displaced persons, who’ve been driven from their homes but haven’t left their country. Kim struggles to adapt to his new reality: living in a tent, facing prejudice at the local school, and struggling to get basic supplies. His family even has to buy water by the jug, paying high prices controlled by a ruthless gang of water sellers. Gradually, Kim makes friends at the camp and starts to rebuild his life. Together, he and the other kids hatch a plan to get the camp a reliable water supply―along with some hope.

A laugh-out-loud, edge-of-your-seat time-travel adventure perfect for fans of The Last Last-Day-of-Summer and City Spies from New York Times bestseller, Krystal Sutherland.Twins Pearl and Patrick are no ordinary twelve-year-olds. They’re geniuses, hiding in plain sight, who pull heists all over the world to further their scientific and historical research. Their criminal activity, including grand theft auto and espionage, has made them a regular nuisance to both the CIA and MI5. But it’s all been worth it. They’ve finally achieved their greatest triumph: time travel. Pearl’s Chrono-Loop can take the twins anywhere in time! Their first stop: ancient Egypt, where they even get to see King Tut!But when they return home, they’re arrested by TIME—The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry—a secret organization charged with maintaining the timeline. Turns out Pearl and Patrick didn’t invent time travel, after all—that happened two hundred years ago! And what Pearl did in ancient Egypt—killing a mosquito—could have rewritten history as we know it if not for TIME agents stepping in.Punishment for disrupting the timeline is 100 years in the Eternal Abyss. But TIME, impressed by the pair, offers them a chance to become agents. Unfortunately, they fail their entrance exam and instead are banned from ever attempting time travel again. Pearl is furious, and when she’s offered another chance at time travel by a rival organization, she takes it! Too late, she realizes she’s been tricked and unwittingly plays a part in replacing the timeline they know with a nightmarish scenario.Now Pearl and Patrick must clean up the mess they’ve made. But to restore the timeline, they have to go back to the beginning—to Lion Rock—to convince the real inventor of time travel to help them save time and the world.In this electric time travel adventure steeped in unexplored Sri Lankan history, these whiz kids use their book smarts and a healthy dose of girl power to fight the ultimate villain.

Discover the meaning of Dia de Muertos and learn how children all around the world celebrate this festival.Pancho and his family are inviting you to celebrate with them! Join in as they prepare in the lead-up to the festival, setting up the ofrendas, finding photographs of beloved family members, decorating with flowers, cutting out skull patterns, cooking tamales and enjoying a wonderful day with all the family. Along the way, you’ll learn all about the significance and history of the festival, brought to even more life with:Instructions to make your own papel picadoA recipe to make delicious pan de muerto A fun quiz to try out all your knowledge In this immersive exploration of Dia de Muertos, kids join a family as they celebrate. Seen through the eyes of young children celebrating themselves, this is a simple and exciting way to introduce little ones to this special period.In the Celebrations & Festivals series, you are invited into a family’s celebrations as you explore the magic and excitement of religious and cultural festivals around the world.

Food, family, love, and laughter make for the perfect recipe in this sweet picture book from acclaimed author Shauntay Grant.Taking place over the course of a summer day, we follow a young girl as she and her family gather at her nana’s house for a get-together where lessons are shared, food is prepared, and lifelong memories are created. Told in African proverbs, Where There Is Love explores the importance of familial bonds and their lasting impact while presenting proverbs to inspire readers long after the story ends. Throughout the book, Nana’s house provides a safe space for our protagonist to make mistakes, learn lessons, and most importantly, find and feel love. This gorgeous picture book provides that same comforting space for readers page after page.

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief meets One Thousand and One Nights in this “action-packed, fantastically imaginative” (BCCB) middle grade fantasy from Rick Riordan Presents author Sarwat Chadda about a girl with the magical power to control the elements with her song.In a land ruled by fierce winged warriors known as eagle garudas, twelve-year-old Nargis is just a poor, lowly human, a Worm who hates the garudas that killed her parents. But even though she can’t fly—and her childhood attempt left her walking with a crutch—she is far from powerless. Nargis is a spirit singer: able to coax small bits of wind, water, fire, and earth to do her bidding through song…well, sometimes. When Nargis loses control of her power in a high-stakes kite fight, she is exiled. Cast into the desert, she discovers Mistral, an injured boy who turns out to be an eagle garuda, the prince of her enemies! He’s on a mission to take back his throne from a terrible vulture garuda. In spite of their mutual distrust, the two have no choice but to forge an unlikely alliance if they want to escape the desert alive. And as Nargis and Mistral battle dangerous assassins, befriend crafty sky pirates, and sneak into the mysterious sky castle of Alamut, Nargis discovers she carries a family secret, one that could bring Monsoon’s rains back to the desert, but only if she’s willing to risk her life in the bargain…