We’re celebrating our Asian American authors, illustrators, and creators this month (and every month)! Keep reading to discover new books and revisit your favorites!
Discover books & resources for AAPI Month →
These books for kids and teens sensitively deal with tough topics and big emotions. Perfect for SEL units, these stories normalize mental health issues, promote the importance of self-care, and provide more resources for young readers who are struggling to process big emotions like anger, sadness, anxiety, and loss. Share these stories with young readers to let them know they are not alone.
Find books for Mental Health Awareness Month here →Watch our MacKids School & Library Spring 2024 Preview Event where we preview upcoming picture books, middle grade, and young adult titles! You’ll hear from talented creators, including authors Scott Hoying and Mark Hoying (How Lucky Am I?), Hanh Bui (Ánh’s New Word), and Jas Hammonds (Thirsty: A Novel).
Hear our special debut keynote, author and former collegiate athlete Elvira K. Gonzalez, talk about her moving young adult memoir, Hurdles in the Dark. Also, don’t miss live special guest Loren Long, New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, discuss his new picture book The Yellow Bus. Click here to watch these exciting interviews and hear about a selection of next season’s books!
Timestamps:
3:26 – Keynote Speaker, Elvira K. Gonzalez
15:18 – Young Adult
28:32 – Middle Grade
37:15 – Chapter Books
40:25 – Picture Books
50:33 – Q&A with Loren Long and Kate Meltzer
We’ve put together a roundup of titles to get you excited about National Poetry Month, including new 2024 titles coming soon such as How Lucky Am I?, What Can a Mess Make?, and May You Love and Be Loved! Read about more books by clicking them below!
Find more poetry recommendatioNS here →Browse all of our March new releases, including new picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, and paperback books!
Browse all of our February new releases, including new picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, and paperback books!
Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild
illustrated by Charlene Chua
Ages 4 to 8
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild and Charlene Chua is a touching picture book about friendship and the courage it takes to share your feelings.
Only one person
makes Violet’s heart skip
Of all the kids in Violet’s class, only one leaves her speechless: Mira, the girl with the cheery laugh who races like the wind. If only they could adventure together! But every time Violet tries to tell Mira how she feels, Violet goes shy. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Violet is determined to tell Mira just how special she is.
Charlene Chua’s luminous watercolors bring to life this sweet and gentle picture book about friendship, love, and the courage it takes to share your heart.
Learn more about Love, violet →
Betty Before X
By Ilyasah Shabazz with Renee Watson
Ages 10-14
On Sale Now!
Betty Before X is a powerful middle-grade fictionalized account of the childhood activism of Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X’s wife, written by their daughter Ilyasah Shabazz.
In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t quite feel like home. She believes her mother loves her, but she can’t shake the feeling that her mother doesn’t want her. Church helps those worries fade, if only for a little while. The singing, the preaching, the speeches from guest activists like Paul Robeson and Thurgood Marshall stir African Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports black-owned businesses. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now know as Dr. Betty Shabazz is born.
Inspired by Betty’s real life—but expanded upon and fictionalized through collaboration with novelist Renée Watson—Ilyasah Shabazz illuminates four poignant years in her mother’s childhood with this book, painting an inspiring portrait of a girl overcoming the challenges of self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers today.
DOWNLOAD THE Farther Than The Moon TEACHER’S GUIDE HERE→Happy New Year! Browse all of our January new releases, including new picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, and paperback books!
