When perusing my book shelves, I noted a slim little spine, crammed in a mass of book galleys, way up high on the shelf.  I was curious. What was that little yellow sliver wedged between so many mammoth-sized volumes? I pulled it out for closer inspection.

Look Up! is Korean author and illustrator Jung Jin-Ho’s tiny treatise on perspective and the power of point of view.

Using simple black line drawings, readers are invited into the street from an unusual vantage point, a birds-eye view of a terrace overlooking a city street. An initial spread reveals feet placed on the footrests of a wheelchair. The occupant of the wheelchair appears to be gazing on the scene below. As time passes and activity takes place in the street, the lone observer leans over the edge of the roof imploring, "Look up!" "Look up!" "I'm here! Look at me!"

Finally a passerby does indeed look up. He calls to the girl peering down from above.  She explains that she can't come down and that she can only see the tops of heads. The boy offers her another perspective. He lies down on the cobblestones below so that she can view him in his entirety. Soon others join, lying horizontally and offering the girl in the wheelchair a new view.  As other bodies take this supine position, the strictly black and white landscape makes a subtle change: trees begin to blossom in shades of pink. A bicyclist rides by, sporting a bouquet of colorful balloons.  And on top of the roof, a potted plant begins to sprout tender green leaves.

Penelope Rex is about to enter a new phase in her reptilian life. This young dinosaur is going to Kindergarten. She’s got a new backpack decorated with ponies and she carries her lunch: three hundred tuna sandwiches and a juice box. Naturally she is anxious. What will her classmates be like? Will she make new friends? Upon arrival she is surprised to learn that all her classmates are ... Children!  Penelope reacts immediately, swallowing all the delicious children in an enormous gulp. With furniture in disarray and a shoestring dangling from her mouth, Penelope appears to be somewhat chagrined by what she has just done.

Minh Lê has created a tribute to the miraculous power of art, imagination, and love. Readers meet a young Asian American boy sent to spend time with his grandfather. This is difficult for both because they appear to have little in common. Grandfather speaks only Thai. Grandson speaks only English.

Using a graphic novel format, Dan Santat opens with a series of wordless panels, as the young man is unwillingly deposited on his grandfather's doorstep. Images highlight the contrasting cultures, with wordless panels progressing into panels with separate speech balloons in Thai and English. Things are not going well for either one.
Until...
The boy gives up talking and begins to draw.
Observing what is happening, Grandfather hurries to find his own drawing implements. With his first brush stroke, a new world opens.

In the process of drawing together, the two form a connection that is able to break down barriers and overcome obstacles.

​Bradford offers a refreshingly different riff on the time-honored classic tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and in the process breaks the fourth wall in a unique fashion. Characters move off script and step outside the book’s pages.
At the outset, a charming but slightly self-absorbed young Goldilocks welcomes readers into the volume containing her story. Unfortunately Papa Bear, who inadvertently becomes the story's main character, becomes flustered and can't deliver his scripted lines.

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs
by Mo Willems

Somebody and the Three Blairs
by Marilyn Tolhurst ill Simone Abel

Goldilocks and the Three Bears
by James Marshall

Eight-year-old Zazi and six-year-old Ziwelene discover an old photograph. Their grandmother Zindzi Mandela,  the youngest child born to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and President Nelson Mandela, recognizes the photo immediately. It is a picture of her father. Through a series of questions, the great grandchildren learn about their heritage, their great grandfather's legacy, and the struggle to dismantle apartheid and win the freedom for all peoples in South Africa.
The deprivation, pain, and imprisonment Mandela endured are explained. However, Grandmother lovingly frames the story in a positive light, pointing out the strength and dignity of her father and his firm resolve to remain true to his principles. 

Grandmother continues, relating Mandela's release from prison and his subsequent South African presidency, as well as his tireless efforts to champion equality and justice for all.
The children are encouraged to honor him by volunteering and working to create a better world.

Ambassador Zindzi Mandela, with her grandchildren Zazi and Ziwelene have written a personal and powerful tribute to Mandela's life and legacy.   Grandad Mandela is an exquisite volume and a treasure for children throughout the world. 

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson​

A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagar 

There's a new little inventor in Kid Lit and her name is Izzy Gizmo. She maintains a massive collection of various pieces and parts. Always on the lookout for new and creative invention ideas, she designs such items as a spaghetti eating contraption and a mechanized teapot. Unfortunately, many of these brilliant ideas do not work out. It is only when she recognizes the need to help a crow with a broken wing that Izzy's efforts succeed.

Everything about this book is a delight! The title is spelled out in stylized letters resembling gears and parts. Wide-eyed Izzy: sporting round spectacles, pencil behind the ear, and held aloft with a bizarre contraption is the epitome of our plucky young heroine. End papers created from relief images of moving parts echo the theme. Then there's Izzy's ever-present tool belt and her boots. How could I forget the boots?

Pip Jones’ rhyming text is lively, making this picture book an excellent read aloud. Words such as “tweak" "glitch" "piston" "circuits" and "sprockets” provide opportunities for discussion and exploration.

Sara Ogilvie's illustrations capture the enthusiasm, discouragement, and determination of young Izzy. However, grandpa often steals the show. His long-suffering patience with Izzy and her string of inventions, allowing himself to be the object of her study, is priceless. His optimism after his granddaughter shaves a large swath down the middle of his head, is a testament to the power of his love. When Izzy gets discouraged, his never-failing confidence in her ability to solve a problem spurs her on.

The Most Magnificent Thing
​by Ashley Spires

Mary Had a Little Lab
​by Sue Fliess  ill by Petros Bouloubasis

Ada Twist, Scientist
​by Andrea Beaty ill by David Roberts

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
​by Mark Pett, Gary Rubinstein

It's April 30.  That means its time to celebrate the joy of sharing books with youngsters. The amazing Pat Mora has developed an annual celebration of books for children everywhere.  It is based on the the traditional Mexican holiday, El día delos niño, the celebration the child. Mora expanded on this concept and has developed a festival honoring the joy of books and literacy for children and their families.
Join the celebration!

Looking for resources to help you celebrate?  Pat Mora and ALSC have created a booklet packed with ideas to help keep the bookjoy going all year along.  Find crafts, games, downloadable posters, ways to involve families and much more.

Try this sample of  picture books and middle grade readers. 
​Bonus: many are bilingual or have both Spanish and English editions.

A day of reading, singing, and dancing call for a grand finale. Cap off the day of festivities with paletas. Frozen treats made with fresh fruit come in a variety of flavors. This recipe uses strawberries and mangoes.  But combinations are limited only by one's imagination and available fruit.  Easy to make.
Está buenísimo.

Look at the smug expression on the face of this young lion. Here is one cub who exudes self-confidence, convinced that I'm the Best! He sets off into the wild to proclaim his prowess to other members of the animal kingdom, announcing to each that he is: the loudest, the fiercest, the prettiest, etc.
Each boast from the lion is met with the retort, "oh really?" Eventually he comes to the realization that there are other animals who have some superior attributes.
All ends well. His younger brother arrives and after a playful romp, admiringly announces that his older brother is "the best."
A delightful picture book that celebrates the unique qualities that make each individual special.

Here is a sample of von Kitzing's  fun interactive activities.

Did you know that there are two additional Little Lion titles? This trio of tales follow this cub who has a major attitude. He taunts boldly Can't Catch Me! and seeks a nighttime playmate when he asks Are You Sleeping?
​Triple reading pleasure.

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story is an inspiring retelling of the life, courage and important contributions of Chester Nez.
Joseph Bruchac organizes Nez's story chronologically, using descriptive names of Navajo months as page headings.
In October 1929, Month of Small Wind, an eight-year-old boy named Betoli leaves his family home to attend boarding school. Immediately he is stripped of his Navajo name and given the English name of Chester. The school's objective is to help Navajo children "survive in the white man's world." They accomplish this by systematically removing and erasing all traces of Navajo language, religion, and culture.

While Chester successfully masters the English language, he loves and longs for the language and traditions of his people. He makes a concerted effort to retain his Native tongue and his connection Navajo heritage.

In 1941, during the Month of Crusted Snow, tenth grade student Chester Nez resolves to serve his country. Along with a group of Navajo men who speak both English and Navajo, he develops an unbreakable code developed to relay information in the Pacific Theater during World War II. This code becomes a key communication component used by the U.S, military.

Using simple, yet powerful language Bruchac conveys the majesty and enduring strength of Navajo religion, traditions, and language. The book makes it clear that pride in his heritage and a determination to retain his identity and language is a defining aspect of Chester Nez’s character.

Illustrations by Liz Amini-Holmes boldly fill each page with images that are both realistic and highly symbolic. Large black birds flying off with strands of his shorn locks is graphically arresting. Likewise, the two-page spread with a praying altar boy facing a boy praying outside a Hogan stand in stark contrast to each other.

The Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Tribal Empowerment Library located near El Paso in west Texas, actively works to keep alive the language and cultural of these indigenous Native Americans. Representatives from the Texas Library Association visited the tribal library to learn more.

Claire Messer is back! This time she’s brought the dog. Meet Robert Exelby Perdendo.
A large dog with a very large name. But wait. Take a look at the dog featured on the cover. This doggo is a canine with some serious side-eye. What's with that?

Readers discover that he has absolutely no interest in leaving the house. When he hears the command "Walkies!" No thank you. He is NOT interested.
Hence, his owner calls him Lazybones.
But here's the interesting part. He puts forth considerable effort to escape notice and uses his ingenuity to avoid the leash.

Things change when on a walk he meets a dog who likes to play hide-and-seek. Lazybones is a master at hiding, Now a walk outside becomes a game that he wants to play.

As with her previously published picture book Grumpy Pants, Messer’s signature illustration style introduces an animal with a distinctive personality. The hand-crafted linoleum prints feature a limited color pallet, strong graphic design elements, and uneven color application of ink, giving the images depth as well as added visual interest.
There are several charming little details waiting to be discovered: ​Park scenes feature a variety of dog breeds that are fun to identify. Careful observers will also note that a certain penguin makes a cameo appearance.