News & Reviews

Otherwise Known as Judy the Great

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

Mar 26

Louisa Learns to Write

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

Mar 21

Rachel Carson's Wonder-Fitted World

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

Mar 20

Revolutions are Made of Love

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

Mar 19

Mary Oliver, Holding On To Wonder

Calkins Creek (Astra Books for Young Readers) (pub. 10.14.2025) 48 pages Ages 7 -10 A uthor: Erin Frankel Illustrator: Jasu Hu C haracter: Mary Oliver O verview : " Young Mary Oliver was enthralled by nature. In the forest, she wondered about the birds and the lilies and the water in the stream—about all the things that cannot speak yet somehow spoke to Mary. She wondered, too, about poetry, about how words pieced together filled her with light and how some poems felt like

Feb 11

And She Was Loved

Toni Morrison's Life in Stories A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Little, Brown Books for Readers (pub. 1.7.2025) 48 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor: Andrea Davis Pinkney Illustrator: Daniel Minter C haracter: Toni Morrison O verview : " From imaginative child to visionary storyteller, Toni Morrison was a fiercely inspiring writer that helped change the world. This poetic picture book is part love letter and part biography, praising the power of this Nobel Prize winner. With i

Feb 5

Outside In and the Inside Out

a story about Arnold Lobel A TRUE TALE WITH A C HERRY O N T OP Viking Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House) pub. 9.23.2025 40 pages Ages 4 - 8 A uthor and illustrator: Emmy Kastner C haracter: Arnold Lobel O verview : " Arnold Lobel was many things: a quiet observer, an avid reader, and the kind of man who kept a gorilla suit in his closet, just in case. Above all else, Arnold was an artist and a storyteller. And he infused pieces of himself in the characters he cre

Dec 4, 2025