There are traditional youth organizations with badges, bake sales, and award ceremonies. But what about those who don't fit neatly into a group structure?  is there a place for them?

Meet four girls who appear to have little in common. Lane DiSanti, artist and instigator, lives with her wealthy grandmother while her parents work out an impending divorce. Ofelia Castillo, aspiring journalist  struggles under the watchful eye of over-protective Cuban American parents.  Cat Garcia feels pressure from her close-knit family to participate in a local contest. She'd rather spend her time birdwatching. Gourmet chef Aster Douglas lives with her African American grandfather, a researcher and retired college professor.  Her widowed mother is overseas.

It began in 2001. Eoin Colfer published a story about a twelve-year-old boy named Artemus Fowl, the world's greatest criminal mastermind.

Time has passed and in the intervening years Fowl has fathered fraternal twins Myles and Beckett. In many respects it is difficult to believe that the eleven-year-old boys are siblings. Myles is the epitome of an intellectual detail-oriented techno-geek. Beckett seems wildly random, bouncing around, delighting in life. He is also a trans-species polyglot, communicating with animals and fairies.

There's so much going on here:
Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye, The Duke of Scilly, criminal mastermind extraordinaire will stop at nothing to obtain venom from a miniature-sized troll. The venom promises eternal life. He enlists the aid of a nun, Sister Jeronima Gonzalez-Ramos de Zárate of Bilbao who speaks English with a heavy dose of Spanish. and the Myishi Corporation to help him obtain the troll and gain everlasting life.
Unfortunately for him, Beckett happened upon the troll first, promptly naming him Whistle Blower. 

Bold graphic design. Vibrant color. Strategically placed traditional symbols.  Chinese New Year Colors is a visual treat. Take a look inside:
​The left-hand page splits to display a color word written three different ways: English, Chinese in the Latin alphabet,  and Chinese characters, inverting the color scheme on the bottom half of the page.

Bilingual alphabet book in ​English, Mandarin Chinese in the Latin alphabet, and  Chinese characters.

Written and illustrated by Rich Ho, young readers learn about Chinese opera and the value of persistence.

Travel the world with this year's award winners.  Pairing these picture books with a map of the world would make an interesting learning experience for young readers. Note: Books with a connection outside the continental United States are designated with a global icon. 

Christian Robinson lives in San Francisco, California in a converted warehouse. Another is published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Fun Fact: Leo: A Ghost Story was recognized a 2015 Best Illustrated Children's Book.

Brian Cronin was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland.  He now lives in New York. The Lost Cousins is published by Viking Books for Young Readers. Fun Fact: Cronin has created several Lost titles including The Lost Christmas, The Lost Picnic, The Lost House.

Isabelle Arsenault is a Canadian illustrator living in Montreal, Quebec. Just Because is published by Candlewick. Fun Fact: Migrant (2011) and Jane, the Fox, and Me (2013) are New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books.

Beatrice Alemagna is from Bologna, Italy. Child of Glass is published by Enchanted Lion Books. Fun Fact: Alemagna's On a Magical Do-Nothing Day is a 2017 New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book.

Visit this year's award-winning  artists at work.

View the New York Times New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books from  2018 and 2017.  

Adult moose and a young mooseling sporting a shirt with the numeral four (hinting perhaps four years of age?) want to share a story. But where? A search is underway. Readers will recognize a familiar pattern.
One seat too big. The next too small.
Another too old. Followed by one that is too new.
The rhythm breaks with queries such as "Should the perfect seat make you this dizzy?" when big moose's hat goes flying off his head and "Are you okay down there?" when moose is beneath the bridge .

With gentle humor, the author sends the pair on a search for a solution to their problem. Eventually, the perfect solution falls right into their laps.  
Lots of explore on each page. Gordon chooses to focus on the central characters by sketching supporting cast members with a blue-grey outline. A bird flits from page to page. The map featured on the end pages warrants attention.  There is a street to "nowhere interesting" and a Nessie-like creature floats in the middle of a lake that is "quite wet." 

"Can you read to me?" is an invitation to explore. Lê shows readers that reading brings delightful and unexpected discoveries.

​Looking for a follow-up activity?
After reading The Perfect Seat, bear and I went in search of the best spot for reading.
Invite young readers to select a favorite book and the best place to be while reading. Create a photo gallery of perfect places to read favorite books. Be sure to caption the photo with the book title. Credit the author and illustrator as well. Note: If privacy is a concern, use a stuffed critter for the photo shoot.
​
What's your perfect seat?

Thirteen-year-old Patricia "Sweet Pea" DiMarco is experiencing some significant changes. Her parents have agreed to an amicable divorce and will live on the same street in similar houses to minimize their daughter's discomfort with this new family dynamic.
She is simultaneously negotiating a falling-out with her former best friend and the repercussions from thoughtlessness toward her new best friend. This girl is headed for a world of hurt.
Then there's her neighbor, the eccentric advice columnist Miss Flora Mae who leaves town and asks Sweet Pea to forward advice requests and then deliver the answers to the newspaper editor. Sweet Pea succumbs to temptation and reads letters addressed to Miss Flora Mae. She decides to dispense her own advice and sets up an elaborate scheme to impersonate Miss Flora Mae in print. Sometimes the plan works. Sometimes it doesn't. How she extricates herself from a situation of her own making, salvages damages friendships, and rebuilds trust makes for a humorous, heartwarming tale.

Stacey Lee addresses racism, worker's rights, immigration, and women's suffrage from a unique perspective: a Chinese girl living in Atlanta Georgia in the late 1800s.
​Seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan loses her job as a milliner and must return to the demeaning life of a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. She and immigrant Old Gin secretly live in a tunnel beneath a newspaper printer's shop. She faces discrimination on several fronts. She’s an orphan, female, and Chinese .

An intelligent and resourceful young woman, she is determined to protect Old Gin and rise above her current circumstances. She finds a way, pseudonymously penning a local newspaper's advice column "Dear Miss Sweetie." Many questions are of the mundane sort: unruly children, troubled marriages, making a hat fit properly. She doesn’t stop there. Under the cloak of anonymity, she speaks out forcefully on racial and gender inequality. Her column is a success and newspaper subscriptions skyrocket.

King Shaka: Zulu Legend continues the fascinating story of this historic figure, Introduced in Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince. As with the first volume, Molver sets the work of historical fiction within the context of a storyteller capturing the rapt attention of her audience as she continues her tale.
​This format emphasizes the importance of an oral language tradition, the epic "larger than life" stature of King Shaka, and mythological elements in this graphic novelization.

With his rise to power King Shaka united many of the local clans resulting in the Zulus becoming a dominant force throughout south Africa. Shaka maintained an elaborate system of governance which provided protection and assistance while allowing local chiefs some autonomy over their own lands.
​It was during his reign that white settlers arrived on Zulu soil. Attempts to establish relationships between the Zulu and the British were difficult and less than successful.

Molver paints Shaka as a conflicted man. The demands of ruling, fighting attacks from neighboring clans, negotiating the arrival of white settlers, receiving conflicting advice from those he trusted took their toll.

Finding the balance between the roles of conqueror and protector, between uprooting treachery and honoring family loyalty were part of King Shaka's ongoing governing challenges. His leadership strengths outweighed his missteps.

Rich back matter enhances the work. Sections include: "The Story Continues," "How Accurate is This Story?" "The Historical Setting of King Shaka's Time," "The Challenges of Leadership," "Zulu Political Structures," "The Role of Women," "Siblings," "The Royal Homestead," "Zulu Culture and Beliefs," "Language and Naming," "Questions and Ideas for Going Deeper," "Glossary," and "Pronunciation Guide."

Learn about the Shaka’s early life and his rise to power in Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince.