We have new books coming in all the time with them on display right as you enter the Trove.  Here’s some of our recent favorite new titles!

For Wee Ones

Play Games With Me by Kat Chen and Lorraine Nam
(Birth to 3 Years-Old)
Library Catalog

“Let's play! This lively board book follows Alex, a small Black child, who engages readers by asking questions like, ‘What's your name? What a great name! Would you like to play some games with us?’ This title can help children who are anxious in social situations, allowing them to practice responding to questions alongside Alex. The bright illustrations are very appealing to children. This title will help children grasp some of the tools they need to make friends. VERDICT Developing social-emotional skills is crucial for this age range, making this book a first purchase for libraries.” –School Library Journal

How Do You Hug? by Kathryn Jewitt and Danielle Mudd
(Birth to 3 Years-Old)
Library Catalog

“This delightful touch-and-feel book is a hug-palooza, filled with equal parts softness and sweetness. Featuring a variety of animals, it beautifully describes how each one hugs. For instance, a spread with two giraffes and two mice hugging is paired with the text, ‘A looooong, loopy hug…or a teeny-tiny one?’ Bold illustrations and simple palette make this book especially appealing to the youngest patrons. VERDICT Despite some possible wear-and-tear issues, this title is sure to be popular on all board book shelves.” –School Library Journal

When Grandmas Cook by Margot Mustich and Alette Straathof
(Birth to 3 Years Old)
Library Catalog

“The language of cooking goes global. ‘When grandmas cook for us, they make us happy. And that makes them happy.’ The opening lines of this board book capture the essence of this title. Children are invited into the kitchens of grannies from different cultures, including the U.S., Mexico, Italy, India, and Nigeria. Each page captures the grandmothers’ love and warmth for their families, while also introducing readers to each culture’s word for grandmother and a favorite comfort food. On one page, for instance, a South Korean halmoni makes mandu, or dumplings, for her family. On the table, the tools and ingredients for making this Korean dish are labeled, among them daepa (scallions) and baechu (cabbage). On another page, a Ukrainian babusia prepares borscht (“a scrumptious soup you can eat hot or cold”) using a kivsh (ladle) and a kastrulya (large pot). Though the text is somewhat on the advanced side for board-book audiences, little ones will enjoy poring over the illustrations, guided by loving caregivers; the use of accurate terms results in a rich reading experience. The soft illustrations depict characters diverse in terms of skin tone, hairstyle, and clothing. Children are shown assisting with the cooking, making for loving family settings where everyone is included in food preparation. A vibrant survey of traditional foods from all over the world, laced with multigenerational love.” –Kirkus Reviews

For Younger Readers

My Olive Tree by Hazar Elbayya
(Preschool to 3rd Grade)
Library Catalog

“A Palestinian child learns why olive trees are so special. Salam’s Sido (Arabic for Grandfather) explains that olive trees are ‘strong and resilient, and their roots run deep in this land.’ The trees connect the entire community, from Samir, the farmer who picks the olives, to Teta Dalal, who serves them to her visitors each afternoon. Salam plants an olive tree, too, and waits weeks for it to grow. Salam and Sido are thrilled to see a small sprout emerging. But one day soldiers arrive, destroying everything—including the tiny olive tree. Sido comforts Salam, and at his urging, their friends and neighbors plant more trees: ‘Just like the olive trees, we are part of this land,’ he says. ‘And just like the olive trees, when they try to break us, we grow back stronger.’ Elbayya’s simple, direct language pairs well with her sepia-toned, loose-lined cartoons, capturing Salam’s childish exuberance, the relationship between grandfather and grandchild, and the resilience of the community. Though tinged with a whimsical flair—the sun smiles as Salam plants the tree, a helpful little bird appears throughout—the scenes turn grim as the soldiers arrive. While the author’s note expands on the significance of olive trees to the Palestinian people, neither the backmatter nor the story itself explains who the soldiers are or why they’ve come; with historical context from educators or caregivers, however, this tale could be a starting point for further discussion. A moving tale about the power of community and love.” –Kirkus Reviews

This is How We Play: A Celebration of Disability and Adaptation by Jessica Slice, Caroline Cupp and Kayla Harrin
(Preschool to 3rd Grade)
Library Catalog

“Whether they ‘sing, learn, sign’ or ‘stim, dance, crawl,’ families who are diverse in terms of ability—all based on real people—enjoy a fun-filled day. A grandpa cheers as a child who uses a prosthetic leg plays basketball; a child explores the boardwalk with Mama, who drives a mouth-controlled wheelchair; kids play puppets with an aunt who appears to be developmentally disabled and lives independently with a nurse’s help—all amply demonstrating the refrain: ‘With love and adaptation, this is how we play!’ A father signs a bedtime story, and the families’ busy day winds down: ‘With love and adaptation, this is how we… // ZZZZZ….’ Though the rhyming text occasionally feels forced, Slice and Cupp, themselves disabled, realistically acknowledge challenges while keeping an upbeat, reassuring tone. They note that sometimes ‘bodies are not much fun. / They hurt and ache—can’t jump or run.’ The accompanying image shows a child and an adult who uses a walker and takes medication; the two, on ‘days like this…love to cuddle. / Read our stories, nap and snuggle.’ Harren’s detailed portrayals of myriad physical, sensory, and developmental conditions warmly embrace disability’s broad spectrum, and characters’ faces radiate love and enthusiasm. Backmatter includes a glossary of depicted conditions (unfortunately describing Braille as a language rather than a writing system) and tips for caregivers on addressing disability with children. Characters are racially diverse. A wonderfully inclusive celebration of disability and family.” –Kirkus Reviews

The Night Market by Seina Wedlick and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
(Preschool to 3rd Grade)
Library Catalog

“Wearing a cape and carrying a bag of golden coins offered by two adults, a brown-skinned child explores a night market’s marvels with the reader as companion. Guiding the protagonist through the market’s offerings (‘Try a bite,’ ‘Take a whiff’), sensate prose from Wedlick (Naming Ceremony) details the smell of fresh primroses, the taste of roasted nuts, the song of a nightingale, the sight of parading peacocks, and more. In dreamlike paintings from Mukodiri Uchendu (We Could Fly), warm orange torches and glowing pink lanterns illuminate the child’s discoveries across an indigo night. Each scene bustles and brims with activity as readers take in masked dancers, stilt walkers, and glowing jellyfish, among other sights. Once dawn arrives, and the activity slows, the child has one coin left—enough for entrance to the next market. Bewitching and surreal, it’s a work invested in both autonomous childhood adventures and fresh perceptions. Creators’ notes about Nigerian night market traditions conclude.” –Kirkus Reviews

Fiction

Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos by Tracey Baptiste
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog

“It's the summer before sixth grade, and Misty and her mother have recently moved from Trinidad to live with family in Brooklyn. Despite Misty's outgoing and determined nature, she feels like an outsider, attempting to adapt to her new environment and missing her old home, particularly with her father still in Trinidad due to visa issues. One day, while searching for craft supplies in the basement, Misty and her cousin Aidan stumble upon a magical entity made from sequins, feathers, and other assorted materials. The discovery surprises the children but is less startling to the adults, who reveal that their family descends from a lineage of mokos: healers, protectors, and seers with special powers to safeguard their community. As the next generation of mokos, Misty, Aidan, and their cousin Brooke are assigned the duty of protecting the Brooklyn Carnival. Their new roles are soon challenged by a mysterious force threatening both the celebration and those who celebrate it. Baptiste's fast-paced narrative skillfully blends humor, history, and heart. Readers familiar with her Jumbies series and other works rich in Caribbean lore will find this story both entertaining and resonant, celebrating family, community, history, and the power of storytelling.” –Horn Book Magazine

Jamie by L. D. Lapinski
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog

“When the schools are gender-segregated after fifth grade, which one is a nonbinary kid supposed to choose? Jamie Rambeau’s a pretty happy kid, growing up in Nottingham, England. It’s not until it comes time to enroll in middle school that they realize they’ll have to pick either the boys’ school or the girls’ school to attend. Almost everyone Jamie previously thought was an ally suddenly seems suspect. Even their affirming, supportive parents want them to ‘just PICK ONE… Stop attention-seeking.’ If that’s how it’s going to be, Jamie decides, they’re just going to have to  ‘speak up’ —and they do. All the adults are quite willing to be supportive of a trans student, as long as they can fit that student’s gender into one of two tidy slots. So Jamie begins an activism campaign, which eventually leads to a news helicopter, a police interrogation, and (most importantly) qualified success. Olly, Jamie’s exuberantly gay older brother who enjoys wearing makeup and dresses, is an affectionate, funny delight. Their best friends, Daisy Adewumi and Ash Choudhary, whose own problems Jamie ultimately learns to acknowledge and respect even if they at first see them as not being ‘real problems,’ are supportive and clever. Between chapters, Jamie provides clear, accessible definitions of concepts and terms related to the book’s central themes. Jamie is cued white; there’s ethnic diversity in the supporting cast. Excels at being educational without sacrificing charm, humor, or excitement.” –Kirkus Reviews

The last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog

“In this rip-roaring series launch from Reintgen (the Celia Cleary series), dragons are the living embodiment of celestial bodies; Earth is only habitable because its dragon, Gaia, sacrificed herself. A century before the tale’s start, people headed for Mars, assuming its dragon, Ares, would be similarly selfless. Ares refused, however, sparking a war that ended when the dragons of Mars’s moons killed Ares. With his dying breath, Ares turned Mars’s plants, animals, and weather against humans. Now Martian society is nearing collapse, and orphaned 13-year-old Lunar Jones must risk his life salvaging scrap to support himself. While hiding from murderous rivals, Lunar finds a secret bunker that’s home to juvenile dragon Dread and a squadron of kids training to be his flight crew. Dread has the potential to help save Mars—and wants resourceful Lunar to be the crew’s new captain. Reintgen’s latest balances fraught interpersonal drama with expertly choreographed action and gleefully imaginative worldbuilding. The keenly rendered, racially diverse cast boasts jocularity, heart, and derring-do, enthralling readers while illustrating the revolutionary power of forgiveness and teamwork.” –Publishers Weekly

Nonfiction

As Edward Imagined: A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts by Matthew Burgess, art by Marc Majewski
(Grades 1-4)
Library Catalog

For children intent on marching to the beat of a different drummer and needing some encouragement to keep that beat, there could hardly be a better example (if not, perhaps, role model) than Edward Gorey–who, “when fame came calling,” Burgess writes in his admiring summation, “chose creative freedom above all.” Here in three free-form acts, the author retraces Gorey's long, productive career from first drawing at a year-and-a-half and first novel at five (“about a vampire named…DRACULA. MUA-HA-HA-HA!”) to his role as costume and set designer for an award-winning Broadway smash “about a vampire named… DRACULA. MUA-HA-HA-HA!” and final move with his many rings and cats to Cape Cod. Pointing along the way to some of his visual, literary, and theatrical creations, all characterized by a “deliciously sinister sense of humor,” the narrative closes with celebrations of both his innate independence and his enduring, endearing oddball sensibility. Majewski evokes both with scenes in loosely brushed acrylics of a child with a distant gaze growing into a bearded icon in a shaggy fur coat, then lounging in a cluttered studio among cats, books, peculiar puppets, and vaguely menacing monsters or figures in Edwardian dress. VERDICT Required reading for independent spirits–not to mention any future fans of Lemony Snicket, Tim Burton, or practically any other modern writer or artist of Gothic bent. – School Library Journal

Tales of Ancient Egypt: Myths & Adventures from the Land of the Pyramids by Hugo D. Cook, art by Sona Avedikian
(Grades 3-5)
Library Catalog 

Discover amazing true stories and breathtaking myths from ancient Egypt in this book by TikTok Egyptologist Hugo D. Cook, featuring stunning illustrations from Sona Avedikian. Everyone knows the story of Tutankhamun, but the ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for more than 3,000 years–which means there are loads more amazing tales to be told! Egyptologist and TikTok star Hugo D. Cook (aka Hugo the Egyptologist) has scoured ancient texts and translated hieroglyphs to bring readers stories of love, betrayal, and royal scandal featuring pharaohs, priests, gods, and goddesses. The book combines historical stories, including the time Cleopatra hid in a sack to be smuggled into a palace to meet Julius Caesar, with rip-roaring myths, like the Cinderella story of a peasant girl who married the pharaoh when he found her slipper. Told with great fun and impeccably researched, readers will slip into a tomb at night with a band of mischievous tomb robbers and witness epic battles featuring elephants and ostriches. Interspersed through the stories are pages explaining the history of ancient Egypt on the banks of the Nile, from how pyramids were built to a step-by-step guide to wrapping a mummy. – Publisher Marketing

A Dinosaur a Day: 365 Incredible Dinosaurs to Take You Through the Year by Miranda Smith
(Grades 3-6)
Library Catalog

What is your birthday dinosaur? This intriguing presentation describes 366 species of dinosaurs from around the world, one for every day of a leap year. From Eoraptor to Ruyangosaurus, this abundance of prehistoric reptiles (and a few early birds) is presented with illustrations, fast facts, and a short informational paragraph apiece. The album opens with introductions to dinosaurs and their world and closes with a spread that explains their demise, along with “nearly three-quarters of all animal and plant species on Earth at the time.” The day-by-day presentation doesn't appear to follow any organizational underpinning, although occasional clusters feature groups of six dinosaurs who have something in common–for example, February highlights “speedy dinosaurs” and “insect eaters,” while July has categories labeled “meat-eating dinosaurs” and “sea reptiles.” The attractive illustrations, from vignettes to double-page spreads, are bright and engaging and provide some sense of each animal's habitat. There are no sources for the information nor any explanation for the colors the artists have assigned them. The likely audience for this collection consists of very young dinosaur enthusiasts, who will revel in the variety of creatures that have been discovered. Remarkable for the number and variety of dinosaurs displayed. – Kirkus Reviews

The Tinkering Workshop: Explore, Invent & Build with Everyday Materials by Ryan Jenkins
(Grade 3-6)
Library Catalog

A rich source of inspiration and playful learning … Whether you're an educator, parent, grandparent or simply curious, this book not only sparks a passion for tinkering with common materials, but also cultivates creative, innovative thinking to solve real-world challenges.– Cate Heroman, early childhood consultant and author of Making and Tinkering with STEM: Solving Design Challenges with Young Children

Graphic Novels

Lost in the Future by Damian, art by Alex Fuentes
(Grades 2-6)
Library Catalog

A school field trip to the Knights Templar castle ruins goes awry for four friends and their archenemy in this whirlwind graphic novel series starter by Spanish author Damián. As students run to the buses to escape sudden treacherous weather, class bully Piero plays a nasty trick on classmates Sara, Mei, Driss, and Arnold with calamitous results, sending all five tweens toppling into a cistern. In his frantic attempts to escape rapidly rising water levels, Piero accidentally opens a time portal that hurtles the group into a jungle filled with bizarre beasts and man-eating plants. After they're saved by Antione, a Knights Templar descendant whose ancestors fled the Spanish Inquisition, the group traipses through various dangers on their way to meet with the Ancients, who purportedly have the power to get them home. Conflict surrounding the characters' body types and abilities–Piero disparages Arnold for his weight and refers to Sara, who walks with crutches, as “a cripple”–sours the rambunctious energy of this wild adventure. Fuentes (GenPet) uses a wide-ranging palette, from hot pinks to doom-and-gloom browns, to accentuate the action and fit the mood, making for a visually pleasing tale of magic, mystery, and time travel. – Publishers Weekly

Growing Pangs series by Kathryn Ormsbee, art by Molly Brooks (Grades 3-6) Library Catalog*Starred Review* Katie and Kasey are BFFs to the max–they both love musicals, they read the same books, they even share a special best friend necklace that's not like anyone else's. It's when they both go away to summer camp that the trouble begins. Kasey is not amused when Katie begins making new friends. And Katie begins to hear buzzing noises in her head that manifest when she's anxious. Signified by bees buzzing around her head, the anxiety only dissipates if she taps her fingers, unties and reties her shoelaces, or does what the bees otherwise tell her to do. Compounding the anxiety she feels at her changing relationship with Kasey is worry about getting braces, landing a part in a play, and an upcoming operation. When people begin to notice her tics, her fear of being called a weirdo only makes things worse. This thoughtfully told semi-autobiographical account never trivializes obsessive compulsive disorder, nor does it make mental illness into a bogeyman. The story stays true to this child's experience, and the art, with its many levels of perspective, gives equal attention to the high points of Katie's life while skillfully depicting her lows. An excellent companion to Raina Telgemeier's Guts (2017) and Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham's Real Friends series. – Booklist The Weirn Books series by Svetlana Chmakova (Grades 4-8) Library CatalogAilis Thornton and her cousin Na'ya live in the small New England town of Laitham, home to night things like vampires, werewolves, and weirns (witches born with an astral, a lifelong bound demon guardian). A mysterious new being starts appearing near the old all-weirn school whose students went missing 70 years ago. When the mysterious creature shows up more often, sometimes getting uncomfortably close to others, and a mean classmate acts uncharacteristically kind, Ailis and Na'ya know that trouble lies ahead. Chmakova returns to the supernatural Nightschool world, first seen in her 2008-10 high school manga series, in this first of a related but standalone new middle grade series. Although centered on nonhuman characters, the story focuses on typical adolescent experiences: having a crush, growing apart from friends, and wanting to fit in. The children are empowered and join forces to fight for themselves, but are never left without the support of their loved ones. Background characters vary by supernatural species but of the human-passing, there is some diverse representation–Na'ya is multiracial, and main antagonist Patricia Chong presents as Asian. Chmakova maintains her signature anime-influenced style, as seen in the “Berrybrook Middle School” series, and adds a touch of whimsy through visual worldbuilding around the eerie, desolate woods. The purples, blues, and grays hint at a perpetual dusk, while the characters embrace cheery colors and strong emotions. VERDICT Relationships take center stage in this sweet, not-too-scary coming-of-age story that feels like a young read-alike to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. – School Library Journal