Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
Body: Hair

The artwork. The chase scene. The well-to-do disregard for someone else's body. Miller perfectly captures the frustration that people of color experience when up against the grubby fingers of intrigued strangers. A perfect book for discussing bodily autonomy/integrity and sticking up for yourself--and an extra star is given for keeping my 2-year-old engaged.

Age: Toddler-Preschool
Country: Burkina Faso

Awash in oranges and yellows, Princess Gie Gie is master of many things but cannot control the length which her mother and her must travel to fetch water. Someday, someday she will find a way... Verde presents a story based on the childhood experience of Georgie Badiel, an advocate and philanthropist to build wells and provide access to clean drinking water in several African countries. This may be Reynolds' best illustrations yet, full of movement, emotion, and a beautiful blend of watercolors.

Age: Preschool-Kindergarten

Be careful of those lemurs, this book cautions. They may never leave you alone once they take a fancy to you. Simple and fun with humor in the text and pictures. As the boy tries to get further and further away from the lemurs, he realizes that he is lost. With the help of his new travel buddies, the lemurs retrace their steps back home with the boy. Not only are the lemurs pretty adorbs but this story has a sweet metaphor to younger children idolizing older children, be they cousins, neighbors, or siblings.

Age: Toddler-Kindergarten
Animals: Mouse, Tiger

One stubborn little mouse has no doubt in his mind that he is a tiger. Even when an actual tiger appears, the mouse talks the tiger into submission. Solid backgrounds, humor, and a cast of characters will make this perfect for an all-ages storytime.

Age: Preschool-1st grade
Body: Hair
Concept: Days of the week
Identity: Jamaican writer, Caribbean American illustrator

Jamilla loathes doing her hair with mom because it hurts, it's a pain, and it's not like other girls' hair at her school. Mom goes on to talk about all the marvelous transformations that her hair can do, suggesting a new hairstyle for each day of the week. Each spread features a different day and Jamilla is happily engaging with her world at the museum, farmer's market, library, playground, zoo, and grandma's house. Vibrant acrylic illustrations pair with the joyous celebration of African American hair.

Age: 8th grade-high school
Identity of protagonist: Mixed, Chinese mother, white father
Identity of author: Taiwanese American (first gen)
Location: Taiwan
Tough Issues: Suicide, depression

First line: " My mother is a bird. This isn't like some William Faulkner stream-of-consciousness metaphorical crap. My mother. Is literally. A bird."

GORGEOUS (light) magical realism depicts a teenage girl reeling from the recent suicide of her mother and coping with the unrequited love of her best friend. Truly a masterful look at death, rejection from those you love the most, passion for art (drawing for Leigh, piano for her mother), remembrance, and young love. The Taiwanese setting adds to the uniqueness of the book, especially from the perspective of an Asian American traveling to visit a family she has never met.

Age: Infant-Toddler
All about me: Trip to the doctor

After trips to swim class and storytime, baby Leo now visits the doctor for a checkup in this third book in the series. Such a delightful series about common baby activities.

Age: Preschool-2nd grade
Location: Apartment complex

Along the way to her seventh-story apartment, a red-haired girl describes the people that live behind each door on each floor. Each apartment serves as its own search-and-find with a wealth of images, objects, and interactions that children will pour over. And the end twist is perfection.

Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
All about me: Getting sick

It's the pitts when dragons get sick. A young girl consults a doctor's manual with expert tips. Kids will love watching the girl be a caring parent to her misbehaving sick dragon.