Octopus Stew

By Eric Velasquez 

*Age Range: 4 - 8 years

*Grade Level: Preschool - 3

*Hardcover: 40 pages

*Publisher: Holiday House

*Language: English

*ISBN-10: 082343754X

*ISBN-13: 978-0823437542

What do you do when an octopus captures Grandma? Put on your superhero cape and rescue her! Two stories in one from award-winning Afro-Latino artist Eric Velasquez.

The octopus Grandma is cooking has grown to titanic proportions. "¡Tenga cuidado!" Ramsey shouts. "Be careful!" But it's too late. The octopus traps Grandma!

Ramsey uses both art and intellect to free his beloved abuela.

Then the story takes a surprising twist. And it can be read two ways. Open the fold-out pages to find Ramsey telling a story to his family. Keep the pages folded, and Ramsey's octopus adventure is real.

This beautifully illustrated picture book, drawn from the author's childhood memories, celebrates creativity, heroism, family, grandmothers, grandsons, Puerto Rican food, Latinx culture and more.

With an author's note and the Velasquez family recipe for Octopus Stew!

Review

"Pura Belpré and Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe honor winner Velasquez will surprise primary grade readers with a story that is as fascinating and hilarious as it is absurd. The English text intertwines with Spanish phrases that provide a multicultural approach and validates the boy's family background. The vibrant paintings, done in oils, strike the eye with large and expressive characters. . . . A hilarious read-aloud that could be read during a storytime."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

"Realistic oil paintings bring to life the action and excitement of encountering a giant octopus. Important cultural notes are detailed in the story and pictures through emphasis on art, storytelling, musical instruments, and more. Spanish dialogue mixes fluidly into the primarily English text, with a glossary providing definitions and pronunciations of Spanish terms. Happily, Velasquez also includes a recipe for octopus stew."—Booklist

"A delightful modern tall tale sure to entertain and inspire readers to share (and embroider) their own stories." —Kirkus Reviews

"Oil paintings by Velasquez (Looking for Bongo) have a lush, generously sculptural feel—a heightened comic realism that's perfect for this domestic tall tale, its multi-armed nemesis, and the wonderful gatefold twist that occurs at the action's height." —Publishers Weekly

Eric Velasquez' awards include the John Steptoe / Coretta Scott King Award for new talent, a Pura Belpré Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a Carter G. Woodson Award.

For Holiday House, he both wrote and illustrated Looking for Bongo, and he illustrated Ol' Clip-Clop: A Ghost Story by Patricia C. McKissack (Anne Izard Storyteller's Choice Award Winner, Georgia Children's Book Award, Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year--Outstanding Merit) and New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer (Jane Addams Peace Association Children's Book Award, Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award).

The son of Afro-Puerto Rican parents who encouraged music and storytelling, Eric grew up in Spanish Harlem, New York. As a child, he loved superheroes, comics and drawing, much like the boy in Octopus Stew.

He teaches illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology and lives in New York.

Each Tiny Spark

By Pablo Cartaya

•             Age Range: 10 - 12 years
•             Grade Level: 5 - 6
•             Hardcover: 336 pages
•             Publisher: Kokila (August 6, 2019)
•             Language: English
•             ISBN-10: 0451479726
•             ISBN-13: 978-0451479723

From award-winning author Pablo Cartaya comes a deeply moving middle grade novel about a daughter and father finding their way back to each other in the face of their changing family and community.

Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It's hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters: a time when her family was whole and home made sense. When Dad returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal. Instead, it unravels.

Dad shuts himself in the back stall of their family's auto shop to work on an old car. Emilia peeks in on him daily, mesmerized by his welder. One day, Dad calls Emilia over. Then, he teaches her how to weld. And over time, flickers of her old dad reappear.

But as Emilia finds a way to repair the relationship with her father at home, her community ruptures with some of her classmates, like her best friend, Gus, at the center of the conflict.

Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya is a tender story about asking big questions and being brave enough to reckon with the answers.

Review

*"A pitch-perfect middle-grade novel that insightfully explores timely topics with authenticity and warmth." 

—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*"[A] layered, culturally rich novel." 

—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Hand to tween fans of realistic fiction."

—School Library Journal


"Plenty of kids will relate to [Emilia's] passion and perseverance."

—Booklist

Juana and Lucas: Big Problemas

By Juana Medina

Series: Juana & Lucas

Hardcover: 96 pages

Publisher: Candlewick

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1536201316

ISBN-13: 978-1536201314

When her mami meets someone new, Juana worries that everything will change in a humorous, heartwarming follow-up to the Pura Belpré Award–winning Juana & Lucas.

Juana’s life is just about perfect. She lives in the beautiful city of Bogotá with her two most favorite people in the world: her mami and her dog, Lucas. Lately, though, things have become a little less perfect. Mami has a new hairdo and a new amigo named Luis with whom she has been spending a LOT of time. He is kind and teaches Juana about things like photography and jazz music, but sometimes Juana can’t help wishing things would go back to the way they were before. 

When Mami announces that she and Luis are getting married and that they will all be moving to a new casa, Juana is quite distraught. Lucky for her, though, some things will never change — like how much Mami loves her. Based on author-illustrator Juana Medina’s own childhood in Colombia, this joyful series is sure to resonate with readers of all ages.

Review

Medina's cartoon-style illustrations done in ink and watercolor are vibrant and full of movement, beautifully capturing the full range of Juana's conflicting emotions as Luis becomes a part of their lives. Juana's big problema will resonate with many readers, who will look forward to hearing more about this spunky Colombian girl's life. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Medina’s illustrations are a wonderful addition to Juana’s first-person narration, truly bringing her emotions and quirkiness to life. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text but are italicized so that monolingual young readers will get their meaning through context cues. Medina’s charming follow-up to her Pura Belpré Award–winning Juana & Lucas (2016) doesn’t disappoint.

—Booklist

Book 1

Juana & Lucas

by Juana Medina

Juana loves many things — drawing, eating Brussels sprouts, living in Bogotá, Colombia, and especially her dog, Lucas, the best amigo ever. She does not love wearing her itchy school uniform, solving math problems, or going to dance class. And she especially does not love learning the English. Why is it so important to learn a language that makes so little sense? But when Juana’s abuelos tell her about a special trip they are planning—one that Juana will need to speak English to go on—Juana begins to wonder whether learning the English might be a good use of her time after all. Hilarious, energetic, and utterly relatable, Juana will win over los corazones — the hearts — of readers everywhere in her first adventure, presented by namesake Juana Medina.

Dreamers

By Yuyi Morales 

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
• Grade Level: Preschool - 3
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Neal Porter Books (September 4, 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823440559
• ISBN-13: 978-0823440559

Also en Español 

Caldecott Honor-book artist and five-time Pura Belpré Award winner YUYI MORALES tells her own immigration story in this picture-book tribute to the transformative power of hope . . . and reading.

In 1994, 25-year-old YUYI MORALES traveled from her home in Xalapa, Mexico, to the San Francisco Bay Area with her two-month-old son, Kelly, in order to secure permanent residency in this country. Her passage was not easy and she spoke no English whatsoever. But due in large measure to help and guidance provided by area children's librarians, she learned English as her young son learned to read, through the picture books they shared together. In spare, lyrical verse and the vibrant images for which she has become legendary, Yuyi has created a lasting testament to the journeys, both physical and metaphorical, that she and Kelly have taken together in the intervening years. Beautiful and powerful at any time, but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamers becomes uncertain, this is a story that is both topical and timeless.

About the Author

Born in Xalapa, Mexico, where she currently resides, YUYI MORALES lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she still maintains close relations with booksellers and librarians. Professional storyteller, dancer, choreographer, puppeteer, and artist, she has won the prestigious Pura Belpré Award for Illustration five times, for Just a Minute (2003), Los Gatos Black on Halloween (2006), Just in Case (2008), Niño Wrestles the World (2013) and Viva Frida (2014), also a Caldecott Honor Book. She also illustrated Sherman Alexie's Thunder Boy Jr., a New York Times Bestseller.