BILDNER, Phil. Glenn Burke, Game Changer: The Man Who Invented the High Five. illus. by Daniel J. O’Brien. Farrar. ISBN 9780374391225.
Gr 1-5–Black man, gay man, star baseball player, and terminally ill man—this is the large, multi-faceted life of underrated American sports hero Glenn Burke. Bildner hooks the story with its many turns, while O’Brien’s illustrations crackle with gameplay and simmer with tragedy. A must-be-told story.

BOLLING, Valerie & Kailei Pew. I See Color: An Affirmation and Celebration of Our Diverse World. illus. by Laylie Frazier. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063234260.
K-Gr 4–Pairing with Frazier’s gravitas-filled portraits, a narrator intones a list of colors—often matching that of skin—found in BIPOC figures and their allies. This palette has the clarity of a bell, ringing out with names that will expand readers’ understanding of history and the people who make it.

DAY, Nicholas. Nothing: John Cage and 4’33”. illus. by Chris Raschka. Holiday House/Neal Porter. ISBN 9780823454099.
Gr 1-5–John Cage’s much-maligned, historically heralded musical piece featuring a silent piano upended music with the rascal-boldness of Marcel Duchamp’s calling a urinal art. In this story about the first time 4’33” was played, Raschka uses zany colors and confetti forms to invite children to listen.

GADZEKPO, Darryl & Ella Phillips. From Plant to Plate: Turn Home-Grown Ingredients Into Healthy Meals! illus. by Alan Berry Rhys. DK. ISBN 9780744096996.
Gr 2-5–With an embrace of environmental justice and a look-at-me graphic treatment that will make gardeners of the dirt-averse, this book gives farm-to-table a twist and young readers will be eating it up. The shared buckets of Earth-care and self-care through nutrients create an unforgettable circle-of-life volume.

HOYT, Megan. A Grand Idea: How William J. Wilgus Created Grand Central Terminal. illus. by David Szalay. HarperCollins/Quill Tree. ISBN 9780063064744.
K-Gr 4–This glimpse of what it takes to build a train station should qualify such places as world wonders. One man had the vision that brought together communities, cleared pollution, created jobs, and unified a network of railways into an underground gem. Szalay’s entertaining scenes bring all points home. Riveting.

KIM, Cheryl. Wat Takes His Shot: The Life & Legacy of Basketball Hero Wataru Misaka. illus. by Nat Iwata. Lee & Low. ISBN 9781643796031.
K-Gr 4–Facing obstacle after obstacle, Wataru Misaka had a consistent passion—his love of basketball. This book covers a period in history where a small-framed, basketball-loving Japanese American broke through racism, WWII, loved ones incarcerated in internment camps, and more for a life universally acknowledged
as a slam-dunk.

LEBOX, Annette. Mother Aspen: A Story of How Forests Cooperate and Communicate. illus. by Crystal Smith. Groundwood. ISBN 9781773069357.
K-Gr 3–“Short and sweet,” said one committee member, while another found this “a perfect combination of information, artwork, and emotional impact.” A wonderful introduction to the importance of forest biodiversity and the amazing world of trees.

LEUNG, Julie. Mr. Pei’s Perfect Shapes: The Story of Architect I.M. Pei. illus. by Yifan Wu. HarperCollins/Quill Tree. ISBN 9780063006300.
PreS-Gr 3–Imagery and text coalesce to share the story of Pei’s iconic works—among them the Louvre’s glass pyramid—with a smooth, encompassing narrative and energetic illustrations that capture the architect’s emotions and creative spirit.

MACK, Jeff. Time to Make Art. Holt. ISBN 9781250864666.
K-Gr 2–For story hours or art classes, this appealing, inquisitive, and informative work will bonk readers over the head with humor but precisely conveys the age-old concept of “what is art.” Many artists and their styles are included along with the nods to famous artwork and back matter that fills in what may be unfamiliar to children.

MCDANIEL, Breanna J. Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller. illus. by April Harrison. Dial. ISBN 9780593324202.
K-Gr 4–“In the land of misinformation, this is a beautiful homage,” declared the committee. This is an important story of an important Black American librarian, Augusta Baker, who left a powerful legacy. The illustrations are joyful, and the language leaps off the page with positivity and inspiration.

MEDINA,Belen. Daughter of the Light-Footed People. illus. by Natalia Rojas Castro. S. & S./Atheneum. ISBN 9781665931427.
Gr 1-4–Bold colors of a canyon in Mexico match the story of an unsung Indigenous heroine. Lorena Ramírez, a Rarámuri athlete who won ultramarathons in traditional clothing and shoes, is lauded with strength and stamina in this picture book biography. The visuals are excellent and full of movement.

ROSENSTOCK, Barb. The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure. illus. by Jamey Christoph. Knopf. ISBN 9780593374351.
Gr 3-6–Lyrical language and stunning illustrations convey the history and importance of the Great Lakes. Scientific information is memorably relayed, but this book also excels in delivering the sense of majestic beauty this important, physically massive freshwater feature holds.

SPIRO, Ruth. How to Explain Robotics to a Grown-Up. illus. by Teresa Martínez. Charlesbridge. ISBN 9781623543198.
Gr 2-5–For makerspaces or classroom theory, this STEM title is both accessible and unique, empowering children and utterly inclusive in its design. Tech terms are clearly explained and readers will be itching to get building.

STONE, Tanya Lee. Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA. illus. by Gretchen Ellen Powers. Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano. ISBN 9780316351249.
Gr 3-6–Franklin, born to a Jewish family, was pivotal to the discovery of DNA in particular and science in general, in an era when women did not receive the same accolades as men. Compelling writing, lots of science, and a jaw-dropping story of the book’s origins amplify the galling history surrounding the casual misogyny behind the theft of a scientific find.

SWANSON, Jennifer. Up Periscope! How Engineer Raye Montague Revolutionized Shipbuilding. illus. by Veronica Miller Jamison. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316565486.
Gr 1-5–In exhilarating, energetic art, this book tells the nearly unbelievable true story of the tenacity and the perseverance of a Black woman, Raye Montague, who made a remarkable difference in the engineering of the times.
Accessible and visually interesting.

WINTER, Jonah. It Happened in Salem. illus. by Brad Holland. Creative Eds. ISBN 9781568463902.
Gr 4 Up–With haunting art and a tragic topic, this skews toward tweens and teens, especially if taught with Arthur Miller's The Crucible. The Salem witch trials presented are eerily pertinent to current events, with a justifiably creepy vibe and a second-person “you” aimed right at readers. Cinematic spreads deliver a lesson and possibly nightmares. Provocative and essential.

YASUDA, Anita. Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains. illus. by Yuko Shimizu. HarperCollins/Clarion. ISBN 9780063242418.
Gr 2-5–Portrayed with stunning visuals that will connect with readers, this is the inspiring, well-researched story of Junko Tabei, a Japanese citizen driven to become the first woman to reach the summit of Everest.