Geography & Cultures

This loving guide to nurturing strong, confident, and resilient Black children contains 1000 carefully crafted affirmations. It's a treasure trove of positivity designed to uplift young Black minds and hearts.

Some kids have one job: to be a kid! Cecilia has two. When she isn't on the soccer field scoring goals, she's accompanying her parents to all kinds of grown-up places, like the DMV, the accountant's office, and the auto shop. She helps them translate from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish. It’s an important job, and it can even be fun. It’s also hard work. Sometimes Cecilia's second job is so much responsibility, it feels like she'll split in two! Is it time for Cecilia to blow her whistle and call for a time-out?

Listen to the sound of survival, courage, and democracy—the soundtrack of America. Hear Billie Holiday's raspy, mournful voice, and tap your foot to Louis Armstrong's trumpet. Scream with James Brown and bop your head to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Can you spot the 80+ references to artists like Robert Johnson, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, and Beyonce?

Hace mucho tiempo—a long time ago—there lived a beautiful young woman named Adelita. So begins the age-old tale of a kindhearted young woman, her jealous stepmother, two hateful stepsisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity: a beautiful rebozo—shawl. With the rebozo in place of a glass slipper, this favorite fairy tale takes a delightful twist. This is a Cinderella story like no other.

One question must be answered before Afia can slip into a peaceful sleep: What does love look like? With the companionship of her loving papa, Afia journeys to find love and learns that it is the warmth of the sun’s hugs, the brook’s soothing song, and other mesmerizing gifts of nature. But Afia’s quest also teaches her that she may not have to go too far to see the emotion at the heart of the world’s wonders.

From imaginative child to visionary storyteller, Toni Morrison was a fiercely inspiring writer that helped change the world. This poetic book is part love letter and part biography, praising the power of this Nobel Prize winner. With its tender refrain, readers will know how much Morrison's stories -- and their own -- mean to the world. She was loved -- and so are they!

This gripping, accessible novel by celebrated Ukrainian Canadian author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch follows two sisters as they struggle to survive the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Just thirteen-years-old, Kusiima has no time for school, sports, or hanging out with the other boys in his African village. With no father or mother to take care of him, he works long hours to support his grandmother and sickly baby sister. Then one day, Kusiima's life suddenly changes when he travels into a nearby protected forest.

Come on an adventure with Amaya in the captivating city of New Orleans. Discover the magic that hides around every corner, and meet the wonderful locals and mystical creatures that call this place home. Immerse yourself in the enchanting tale of a young girl in a city filled with wonder.

Rachel thinks she will feel like Queen Esther when she rides an elephant draped in fancy fabric through the streets of Rangoon. Then she notices the old elephant's bruised and cracked feet, and she doesn’t feel so royal. So when Rachel wins the gold Purim crown at the synagogue celebration, she has an idea about how she can help the elephant.

Iris and Isaac are NOT FRIENDS. Off they stomp, in a big huff, as far away from each other as possible. And as they stomp, they see funny, strange and wonderful things. If only they were together to share them …

Jesse & Tom is a children's book sharing the story of Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi overcoming society's racial barriers to become America's first African American Naval Pilot. In the naval aviator's locker room, Jesse Brown meets Tom Hudner for the first time and they bond as friends for life. On December 4, 1950, Capt. Tom Hudner crashed his corsair aircraft risking court martial to save his shipmate, Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown.

Ten-year old Issa has an opportunity to meet the mayor of Chicago. He has a very important list he wishes to deliver, but he is very, very nervous. Can he summon the courage to deliver his message?

Even long ago, there was day and night. The day was full of light and warmth, and people and animals alike rejoiced in the rays of the sun. But what happens when people get greedy and take the Night for granted? What will become of the Earth and those who dwell upon it? Katherine Jumbe masterfully brings the world of the Malawian savanna to life, telling a rhythmic tale perfect for bedtime.

As a kid, Barrington Irving moved from Jamaica to Miami and played football—his ticket to success, he thought. But then Captain Gary Robinson swooped into his life. Barrington had never seen a Black pilot before. Captain Robinson showed Barrington a jet, a cockpit, and what it was like to actually fly a plane—WHOAAA! After that, Barrington had big plans, and two words: Let's Fly!

Yvonne Clark had an engineering spark—an instinct for figuring out how things worked. Broken lamp? She screwed, rewired, and wrenched until…light! Wrecked radio? She twisted, snipped, and hammered until…music! Clogged furnace? She picked, plucked, and cleared until…heat! When she grew up, Yvonne’s problem-solving power took her to NASA, where fellow engineers had a serious problem with the Saturn V rocket’s F-1 engine: It had hot spots—high temperatures in the engine. Can Yvonne Clark and her engineering spark solve the problem?

As school begins in 1963, Cooper Dale wrestles with what it means to “shine” for a black girl in a predominantly white community near Pittsburgh. Set against the historic backdrop of the Birmingham church bombing, the Kennedy assassination, and Beatlemania, Radiant is a finely crafted novel in verse about race, class, faith, and finding your place in a loving family and a complicated world.

Today’s the day! Rosa will take the stage next to her mami and play along with her popular mariachi band. But as they fasten the shiny botonaduras and tie the moños on their charra suits, Rosa begins to worry. What if the audience doesn’t like her? Is she ready to perform? With her “mamiachi” and madrinas by her side, Rosa’s stage fright is soothed away by the sound of trumpets, guitars, and violins.

Polar bear pups learn everything from their mom, except when they teach her how to hug.

Norman, a narwhal, goes on a deep dive to see his friends. Join him in this cute story with carefully leveled text.

Heidi uses her hooves for many things. Leveled text helps young listeners understand why a reindeer's hooves are so important.

Swim alongside a young orca and his pod. With engaging text, young listeners can be a part of the pod too.

Harper depends on the ice because she needs it to grow. Follow a young harp seal as she matures in this story with leveled text.

Owen's feathers help him do many wonderful things. Listeners learn why a snowy owl's feathers are important with leveled text.

Frosty shows listeners her typical day as an Arctic fox. With engaging text, young listeners can join in on the fun.