★   ★   ★

ALBEE, Sarah. Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn’t. illus. by Chris Hsu. Charlesbridge. ISBN 9781623544324.
Gr 1-4–Across civilizations and eras, which the riotous art makes no attempt to present in traditional order, zero’s backstory is a loss that no one knew was missing. This book blazingly challenges children to a new thought—a time before zero and what its invention meant.

ALZNAUER, Amy. The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice. illus. by Anna Bron. Candlewick. ISBN 9781536229479.
Gr 1-4–Tessellating shapes fascinated Marjorie Rice as a child, and her interest never let up; she was recognized as a mathematician despite her lack of degree. Fantastic kaleidoscopic mosaics take on the subject of tiling, showing children that curiosity will take them everywhere.

ARMENDIA-SÁNCHEZ, Nydia. Frida Kahlo’s Flower Crown. illus. by Loris Lora. Abrams. ISBN 9781949480351.
Gr 1-3–Lora (this month’s cover artist) brings vibrant color and sharply articulated shapes to the abbreviated but dense vision of Frida Kahlo’s childhood. Key life events (polio, a streetcar accident) are covered, but the emphasis is on the spirit and exhilaration of the artist at the story’s center.

BLACKBURNE, Livia. Dreams to Ashes. illus. by Nicole Xu. Lerner/Carolrhoda. ISBN 9798765627228.
Gr 2-5–For classroom use or group sharing, the story of the Los Angeles massacre in 1871 when 18 Chinese men were killed. It is rendered in merciless text and heightened, atmospheric paintings; this time of great violence and hatred reveals harsh facts that are still true today.

BLUMENTHAL, Karen & Jen McCartney. Revolutionary Mary. illus. by Elizabeth Baddeley. Roaring Brook. ISBN 9781626723115.
Gr 3-5–A compelling biography of the only woman to have her name on the Declaration of Independence, this book charms through dynamic, action-filled scenes of the era and the determined heroine none of us knew. It’s ripe with lessons on the printing press, society at the time, and the birth of a nation.

BROCKENBROUGH, Martha. A Gift of Dust. illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal. Knopf. ISBN 9780593428429.
Gr 3-6–The drift of Saharan dust trails across these gorgeously illustrated pages, as Brockenbrough and Martinez-Neal poetically traverse the majesty and reach of something people seldom consider: the dust that floats and bobs in sunlight, its origins, and its roles across the ages.

CHIN, Jason. Hurricane. Holiday House/Neal Porter. ISBN 9780823458493.
Gr 1-4–Working in matter-of-fact prose that delivers like a dramatic procedural, Chin maps out the path of the hurricane and its impact on a town, covering its aftermath and offering tons of back matter to inform and inspire reader interest.

CUSOLITO, Michelle. In the World of Whales. illus. by Jessica Lanan. Holiday House/Neal Porter. ISBN 9780823453429.
K-Gr 4–Cusolito and Lanan pull readers into the somber, magnificent true story of a Belgian free diver who witnessed the birth of a sperm whale. It’s a rare and painterly glimpse of an ordinary event writ large and stately.

FAGAN, Kirbi. The Big Empty. Lerner/Millbrook. ISBN 9798765627242.
K-Gr 3–The land of sagebrush is home to some, nourishment for all, and looks like nothing—but Fagan finds that its beauty and lure is everything. The glorious pages invite readers to reconsider the meaning of home and take a look at nature.

HARRIS, Quartez. Go Tell It. illus. by Gordon C. James. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316483933.
Gr 2-5–Endpapers feature books lined up with tenements and brownstones as a monumental metaphor for the impact of reading on James Baldwin’s life. Bring this into any classroom and connect the dots for children on this unlikely legend, gigantic talent, and American hero.

HEVRON, Amy. Poo Pile on the Prairie. S. & S./Beach Lane. ISBN 9781665935029.
K-Gr 2–Hevron summons readers into the pages to learn about poo, which becomes its own ecosystem over the months; this is an astounding visit to elegant natural processes.

HURLEY, Kamalani. Kaho’olawe. illus. by Harinani Orme. Lerner/Millbrook. ISBN 9798765605011.
PreS-Gr 4–In the years 1941–1993, Kaho’olawe was regularly bombed, an “empty” island target for the U.S. military; however, its residents always understood its value and fought for it. Lyrical text and magnificent mural-like art combine in a palette that glows as the years unfold.

JENKINS, Steve & Robin Page. Toes, Teeth, and Tentacles. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316456692.
Gr 1-4–A counting book of a different stripe, scale, and ridge; the Jenkins-Page collaboration continues to delight with idiosyncratic and riveting takes on the natural world.

LAROCCA, Rajani. Some of Us. illus. by Huy Voun Lee. Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano. ISBN 9780316571753.

K-Gr 4–With scenes of people of every background and from every corner of the globe, this warm hug of a book offers children a look at the prickly challenges and grace notes on the path from immigrant to naturalized citizen.

LAROCHE, Giles. Extreme Places: The Most Remote Homes on Earth. HarperCollins/Clarion. ISBN 9780358690184.
Gr 3-6–Charming houses of all ilk, on all terrain, show children how the word home can mean shelters dotting a glacier or an island from a volcano; this book is laudatory for reminding readers that these locations represent the many facets of how we live on this planet.

LEUNG, Julie. A Banquet for Cecilia. illus. by Melissa Iwai. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780759557413.
Gr 1-5–A fairy-tale start—a childhood in an old palace in Beijing—and historic events of the 20th century led Cecilia Chiang to open a Chinese restaurant and change the way we eat.

SLIVENSKY, Katie. I, Rock. illus. by Steph Stilwell. S. & S./Beach Lane. ISBN 9781665940368.
Gr 1-4–Stilwell’s illustrations take on the ridiculous task of allowing a rock to do all the talking in this fact-based book on the four-billion-year-old story of geology. Slivensky cracks wise as she nudges children to consider the noble rock.

SLICE, Jessica & Caroline Cupp. This Is How We Talk. illus. by Kayla Harren. Dial. ISBN 9780593529935.
PreS-Gr 2–A comprehensive glimpse of the obvious, lesser-known, and downright surprising ways humans communicate; a range of body sizes, skin colors, abilities, support equipment, and dress stresses that expression belongs to everyone.

SMITH, Nikkolas. The History of We. Penguin/Kokila. ISBN 9780593619681.
Gr 1-5–In sculptural paintings, the story of humans; it reads like an anthem as well as a poem. Searing, unforgettable connections will have children combining in one thought the unity of our origins as well as our diversity.

STEWART, Melissa. From BAM! to BURP! illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns. Charlesbridge. ISBN 9781623544461.
Gr 1-4–The story of the carbon atom that led to, well, everything we know, told with humor, intelligence, and fun. Atoms never disappear; they just move from one object or creature to another; Stewart’s brilliant approach ensures readers will find it enthralling.

THAI, Chi. The Endless Sea. illus. by Linh Dao. Candlewick. ISBN 9781536239607.
Gr 1-4–A memoir of a child’s beyond-perilous journey with her family from post-war Vietnam to a new life in the United States. Devastating global events unfold with the grace of a fugue through cinematic, emotional illustrations. History executed large and small, for everyone.

ZEIGER, Danna. Rewriting the Rules. illus. by Josée Bisaillon. Lerner/Millbrook. ISBN 9798765647271.
Gr 1-4–A biography of Kathleen Friel, born with cerebral palsy, who rewrote the book on how brains can be rewired, earning a Ph.D. The art renders the angles of her limbs and body and makes plain the mountains she moved with her passion to know more.