News & Reviews

How Septima Clark Led the Civil Rights Movement to Justice A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Quill Tree Books (Harper Collins) (pub. 1.27.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthors: Yvonne Clark-Rhines with Monica Clark-Robinson    Illustrator: Abigail Albano-Payton C haracter: Septima Clark O verview : " Septima Clark was born poor, Black, and a girl. Being  one  of those things in 1898 was hard, but all three meant that access to education was going to be a fight. But with stron

A Story About America A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Viking Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House) (pub. 2.24.2026) 40 pages Ages 4-8 A uthor and Illustrator: Veronica Mang C haracter: Aaron Copland O verview : " Aaron Copland was born in Brooklyn in 1900 at the dawn of a new generation. In a community of immigrants, he had a front-row seat to the many ways that the United States was growing and changing. During this electrifying time, Aaron began making music a

A Poetic Ode to Judy Blume A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Christy Ottaviano Books (Little Brown Young Readers) (pub. 2.17.2026) 48 pages Ages 6 -1o A uthor and Illustrator: Selina Alko C haracter: Judy Blume O verview : " Judy Blume is known for fearlessly discussing topics that were once considered taboo. As a young girl, Judy was not encouraged to share her feelings, so instead she invented stories as a way to understand the world around her. Growing up Jewish, during

Barack Obama's First Presidential Seder A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Crown Books for Young Readers (pub. 3.4.2025) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor: Richard Michelson    Illustrator: E.B. Lewis C haracters: President Barack Obama and Seder guests O verview : " In 1800, President John Adams held the first formal Christmas dinner at the newly built White House. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes observed Easter with a public “Egg Roll." But it wasn’t until 2009 that a US

Louisa May Alcott Creates Little Women A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Calkins Creek (Astra Books for Young Readers) (pub. 1.20.2026) 40 pages Ages 7 -1o A uthor: Kate Hannigan    Illustrator: Sofia Moore C haracter: Louisa May Alcott O verview : " Louisa May Alcott wrote the beloved classic Little Women , but she started out as just a little girl scribbling in her journal. Born into the middle of a spirited, creative group of sisters, Louisa was always up for explorati

How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover Changed the Environmental Movement A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Calkins Creek (Astra Books for Young Readers) (pub. 3.11.2025) 40 pages Ages 7 -10 A uthor: Kate Hannigan    Illustrator: Katie Hickey C haracter: Rachel Carson O verview : "Rachel Carson wasn’t always the  Rachel Carson, renowned environmental activist. From her earliest years, Rachel had a passion for nature—to her, it was a fairyland, and she loved to write a

Patrick Kelly Designs His Dreams A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Abrams Books for Young Readers (pub. 1.13.2026) 48 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor: Eric Darnell Pritchard    Illustrator: Shannon Wright C haracter: Patrick Kelly O verview : " Patrick Kelly was one of the most influential fashion designers of the twentieth century, but growing up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, he didn’t see many boys who liked to sew. That didn’t stop him from sitting down at his grandma’s table and

The HIdden Discoveries of Eunice Newton Foote, the First Climate Scientist A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Henry Holt and Compay (MacKids) (pub. 4.16.2026) 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor: Rebecca Donnelly    Illustrator: Mercè López C haracter: Eunice Newton Foote O verview : " In an era when few women practiced science, Eunice Newton Foote dared to search for answers to a mystery that no one else had solved. A visionary scientist, suffragist, and mother, Eunice conducted a

The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Carolrhoda Books (Lerner) pub. 11.4.2025 40 pages Ages 7 -11 A uthor: Sun Yung Shin & Melina Mangal    Illustrator: Leslie Barlow C haracter: James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs O verview : " James Boggs was a worker from rural Alabama in the segregated South. Grace Lee Boggs was a philosopher from urban Rhode Island and New York City. Both found their life’s work, and each other, in Detroit. James

The First Woman to Stand on Top of the World A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N  T OP Union Square Kids (pub. 2.10.2026) 48 pages Ages 5 and up A uthor: Elyssa Gavin    Illustrator: HifuMiyo C haracter: Junko Tabei O verview : " Fourteen climbers from the Ladies Climbing Club in Japan begin their climb up Mount Everest. Junko Tabei, a mountain climbing pioneer—the woman who formed the group —faces many hardships as she leads them: frigid temperatures, gusting winds, an avalanche,