A little girl dressed in a bee costume follows a new bee friend to a secret garden. The next day, the bee is gone. She decides to plant her own garden, hoping her friend returns, in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

Dot is a doctor for monsters, but when a sea serpent comes to her for a cure for sadness, Dot doesn’t know what to do. This story is a gentle tale of mental health and the healing power of friendship.

As a fellow French Bulldog, I LOVED this story about Hugo the Frenchie getting stinky and getting into mischief–My two favorite pastimes (besides reading and working at Parnassus, of course)!

A whimsical picture book by musician Laufey, Mei Mei the Bunny struggles with stage fright before her big recital! I absolutely loved the illustrations and the theme of accepting our mistakes and growing from them.

When you’re a kid and feeling blue, the best thing is having a parent comfort you. But what happens when mom or dad is away? Try filling your day with imagination and play! Sometimes our parents leave for a while, but don’t fret, they’ll return with a big hug and smile! (A great picture book for kids struggling with separation anxiety. Happy tears not included, but definitely expected.)

A child discovers the joy of swimming as his wheelchair waits poolside in this beautifully illustrated story of imagination beneath the waves.

Utterly delightful and wonderfully strange. When George stays home sick with a fever of 102, he embarks on a dreamy adventure involving a cricket, a mother mouse, and a 102-bean soup. This is officially an all-time favorite of mine!

Everything you need to know about books! This wonderfully illustrated book is so smart and informative that people of all ages should take a look to learn a little something new about what’s sitting on their shelves.

For Aunty Koko and Ayla, Earth Day is every day! Like ripples in the water, they know that caring for our planet sets off a chain reaction. Katie Yamasaki’s poetic language and vivid illustrations provide a soothing respite of a story for kids to fall into, while showing the importance of cleaning up litter and protecting the natural world.

This is a beautiful true story of an elephant sanctuary in Thailand and a human who played his piano for the elephants, bringing joy and healing through music.

Happy Swimming Season to all who celebrate! This is the perfect book to welcome the warm weather and get excited for fun-filled, sun-filled days at the beach.

Many of us wanted to be astronauts as kids, but do you know who helped make that dream possible? Keep the space fun going with this book about the Gallaudet Eleven: a group of deaf men recruited by NASA to help study motion sickness. Without them, we wouldn’t have walked on the moon! Perfect for kids in the throes of an Artemis II obsession, and a great reminder that our disabilities can double as our superpowers!

Simon of Athens escapes from the underworld after two-thousand years and appears in a bathroom stall in a modern-day middle school. He’s assisted by a resilient seventh grader and some new friends, but the underworld wants Simon back. Will his friend group be strong enough to resist the powers of darkness? Fans of Percy Jackson will enjoy this hero’s journey where kindness rules.

While spending summer on Soggy Stump reservation, Anura lands a job at the tribal library! Tasked to create an archive, they meet new froggy friends and find creative ways to preserve the nation’s interests. Along the way, Anura learns that action and community care can be a form of archival work too. This cozy, colorful comic is the perfect way to kick off summer!

Animorphs remains one of the most compelling science fiction series for children of all time, and now it’s back in print! It’s time for a whole new generation of readers to fall in love with the epic, intergalactic struggle of five kids accidentally tasked with saving Earth from mind-controlling alien invaders.

With his brainiac little brother in tow and his day camp flooded, for Felix Frank, the dog days of summer seem endless, and time spent in Blissfield, MA feel anything but. That is, until an afternoon of board games with Felix’s neighbor, Marigold, turns into a summer-long scavenger hunt! Literary icon Meg Wolitzer teams up with her son, musician Charlie Panek, for this fun new mystery rooted in STEM and sound design!

Wombat is not a wombat – even though she kind of looks like one. She is a very brave, very patient dog. And she’s waiting: waiting for the scary California wildfires to be over, waiting to find her forever person. She’s learning that if you wait long enough, things can turn out happy in the end.

The Sweet Spot follows Trip, a 12 year old boy whose only goal for the summer is to win the Little League championship. But with his Dad suddenly deployed overseas and a girl now on his team, it just seems like nothing is going right. Forced to step up his game on the field and at home, will Trip salvage the summer? Much like the work of Mike Lupica, The Sweet Spot is a great book for aspiring athletes.

In Siannerra––a land divided into guilds––Vale is struggling to survive. After gaining apprenticeship with a clockmaker, members of the elite destroy their workshop. Chaos ensues, leading the Guildless to go on strike, advocating for respect, safety, and care for all. Will the workers be successful and granted fair pay or will Siannerra say goodbye to the Guildless? (A stand-alone companion to Ink Girls!)

The village surrounded by the Wall is all 17-year-old apothecary Rose has ever known. The Wall protects her community and their way of life, and to be chosen as a sacrificial harvest to the Wall is an honor. When a villager is harvested for all the wrong reasons, the cracks start to show in the perfect facade, and Rose must question if her home was ever safe at all. This dystopian fantasy is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games.

16-year-old Ellen Poe Reynolds is being haunted by her alleged ancestor: a master of American horror, Edgar Allan Poe. (So essentially, she’s living my dream life.) Code-breaking hijinks, spine-tingling mystery, and Peterfreund’s attention to history told through teenage sarcasm are elements to write home about forevermore, while the found family she creates will tug at the strings of your tell-tale heart.

A changeling imposter princess and the stolen heir-to-the-throne butt heads in this romantasy graphic novel. The art is STUNNING! Add a great plot and slow burn sapphic romance, and what more could you want?

Smartphones have hijacked our childhood and teenage years––as a member of Gen Z, I know this firsthand! How can we regain control of our lives? This nonfiction book with graphic novel elements is a great way to hear from real teens who are choosing an unplugged life! Supported by stats and testimonials, Haidt prioritizes moderation, health, and fun with friends over scaring us about the dangers of tech.

Cuando el torre de bloques de Taylor se cae, él no sabe cómo sentirse. Muchos animales diferentes intentan ayudar a Taylor. Por ejemplo, la gallina quiere hablar con Taylor y el oso quiere enfadarse, pero Taylor no. Entonces, un conejo va y lo ayuda exactamente como lo necesita. Este libro es perfecto para niños que necesitan ayuda para nombrar sus emociones y escuchándolos.

Sprout Book Club: May Selection

Spark Book Club: May Selection

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