News & Reviews

How Stephen Sondheim Made Musical Puzzles Come Alive A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Calkins Creek (Astra Books for Young Readers) (pub. 4.21.2026) 48 pages Ages 7 - 10 Author: Erin Frankel Illustrator: Stacy Innerst Character: Stephen Sondheim Overview: "Before he became a noted lyricist and composer, Stephen Sondheim was a boy filled with curiosity—a boy who loved figuring out how things worked. After his parents’ divorce scattered the pieces of his life, he found comfo

How One Curious Woman Connected Carbon Dioxide and Climate Change A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Quill Tree Books (Harper Collins Publishers) (pub. 1.13.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Jen Bryant and illustrator: Amy June Bates Character: Pauline Baynes Overview: "From a young age, Eunice Foote’s natural curiosity led her to learn more about how the world worked. What makes milk turn to butter? Why can I see my breath when it’s cold? Why are there different kinds of

How Harriet Tubman Rescued Her Brothers A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Abrams Books for Young Readers (pub. 1.13.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Glennette Tilley Turner Illustrator: Laura Freeman Character: Harriet Tubman Overview: "Harriet Tubman was always a keen observer. She learned to use the North Star for a compass, to tell time by the stars, and to find her way by natural signs as well as any hunter could. She could navigate dense forests, locate waterways in t

The B. B. King Story A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins) (pub. 1.27.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Alice Faye Duncan Illustrator: Carl Joe Williams Character: B.B. King Overview: "At twelve years old, Riley B. King borrowed fifteen dollars from his boss to buy a used guitar. Before long, he was playing his music for jubilant crowds all over the world. Blues Boy chronicles B. B. King’s inspiring journey from his childhood in the Jim Crow So

A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster) (pub. 2.24.2026) 48 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Jane Kurtz Illustrator: Giselle Potter Character: Mary Morland Overview: "While other little girls were sipping tea perched on their chairs, Mary Morland was given the freedom to spend her time outside exploring. After her mother died, her father sent her to live with a professor who taught Mary how to examine plants, animals, rocks, and fossils. She soaked up

Audiobook Inventor Dr. Robert B Irwin and a New Way to Read A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster) (pub. 2.24.2026) 32 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Jenny Lacika Illustrator: Ashanti Fortson Character: Robert B. Irwin Overview: "Robert Benjamin Irwin loves to learn and explore. But when he’s five, his eyes grow red and painful from fever, and he loses his sight. Since he can no longer see, Robert focuses instead on what he can do: d

The Story of Choreographer Agnes de Mille A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster) (pub. 3.31.2026) 48 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Claire Wrenn Bobrow Illustrator: Ilaria Urbinati Character: Agnes de Mille Overview: "In a dusty California town, Agnes de Mille dreams of becoming a dancer. She gallops to New York, then London, performing a show here, a dance there, combining old steps with new. But no one knows what to make of Agnes.

The Story of Joan Baez A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster) (pub. 2.24.2026) 48 pages Ages 4 - 8 Author: Monica Brown Illustrator: Molly Mendoza Character: Joan Baez Overview: " From a young age, Joan Baez knew she wanted to make the world a better place. The daughter of immigrants from Mexico and Scotland, she learned values of compassion and advocacy from her parents. As Joan learned about people in need around the world, she sang to make

The Colorful Story of Cyndi Lauper A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Atheneum Books for Young Readers {Simon & Schuster) (pub. 4.21.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 Authors: Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville Illustrator: Brigette Barrager Character: Cyndi Lauper Overview: "Before Cyndi Lauper was the larger-than-life icon we know today, she was a boisterous little girl who had a hard time fitting in. But she knew she had something amazing to share with the world. She just ne

The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the-Pooh A TRUE TALE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP Henry Holt and Company (pub. 3.31.2026) 48 pages Ages 4-8 Author: Annette Bay Pimentel Illustrator: Faith Pray Character: Winnie-the-Pooh collaborators Overview: " How a Bear Became a Book tells the story of how writer, illustrator, and editor came together to craft Pooh's first adventure. But deeper than that, this book introduces our youngest readers to how stories begin and where they ca