English & Spanish 4-8 years Immigration Single-Parent Family New Beginnings NYC Animals Cat-sitting José Pelaez, Lynn McGee, & Bianca Diaz summary Our story opens with a young girl and her mother arriving to NYC from the Dominican Republic, ready to begin a new life for themselves. Initially staying with relatives, the pair is looking forward…
Tag: single-parent family
Amara and the Bats
English 4+ Environmental Activism BIPOC Narratives Community Single-Parent Family Nature Pint-Sized Professor Bats Emma Reynolds summary Amara looooves bats! She’s enamored by their fuzzy flying hamster-like bodies and flappy wings. Amara, her mom, and brother Samir love to watch them fly around at the park near their home. When the family moves to a new…
Astronaut Training
english 3-7 years STEM Space Single-Parent Family BIPOC Protagonists Aneta Cruz & Olivia Aserr summary Pressing question…do they get donuts in space? I, like many other kids, always wanted to float around in zero gravity. But hang out on the ISS? Not without donuts, and I don’t think that’s an unreasonable stance. This story is…
Amari and the Night Brothers
Written & Illustrated by: B.B. Alston For ages: MG Language: English Topics Covered: Black Protagonists Women in STEM Fantasy Magic Single Parent Families Bravery Courage Summary: Ya’ll, especially after this past summer filled with gross transphobic tweets from JKR, I’ve been on the hunt for a Harry Potter replacement. Let me tell you, I’ve found…
Birdsong
Written & Illustrated by: Julie Flett For Ages: 3 years and up Language: English & some Cree Topics Covered: Indigenous Voices, Own Voices, Intergenerational Stories, Single-Parent Families, Moving, Nature, Seasonal Changes, Drawing. Summary: Katherena is a young Cree girl who moves with her mother from a little house by the sea into a little house…
Juana & Lucas
Written & Illustrated by: Juana Medina For Ages: 5 years and up Language: English & Spanish Topics Covered: Latinx Families, Own Voices, Colombia, Growing Up, Single Parent Families, Language Learning, Pets. Summary: I loved this book! Juana is such a fun character and her humorous narrative style felt like a quirky family member was telling…
My Maddy
Written By: Gayle E. Pitman Illustrated by: Violet Tobacco For Ages: 4 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Family, Intersex, Gender Neutral Pronouns, Parents, Single-Parent Families. Summary: This book is gorgeous, and perfect for representation of non-binary, trans, and Intersex parents. Our main character is a young child, narrating about the parent who they…
Martin McLean, Middle School Queen
Written By: Alyssa Zaczek Cover Art by: Risa Rodil For Ages: YA Middle Grades Language: English & some Spanish Topics Covered: LGBTQ, Family, Growing Up, Self-Confidence, STEM, Self-Expression, Friendship, Crushes, Latinx Families, Interracial Marriage, Single Parent Families. Summary: So when I said earlier in the summer that the best part of 2020 so far was…
Becoming Brianna [released 5/5]
Written & Illustrated by: Terri Libenson For ages: 8-12 years Language: English, some Hebrew. Topics Covered: Jewish Culture, Judaism, Bat Mitzvah, Growing Up, Friendship, Anxiety, Bravery, Family, Single-Parent Families, Divorced Parents, Financial Strain, Own Voices. Summary: Brianna is about to have her bat mitzvah, and she can’t quite seem to remember why she let her mom guilt her into it….
Sunny
Written by: Jason Reynolds Cover Art by: Vanessa Brantley Newton For ages: YA Middle Grades (mention of maternal death) Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Growing Up, Sports, Black Culture & Identity, Track & Field, Dance, Single Parenthood, Friendship, Homeschooling, Resilience, Own Voices. Summary: This is the third in Jason Reynolds’ Track series, this time about team member Sunny. We find out that…