Lesléa Thompson's board books Mommy, Mama, and Me and Daddy, Papa, and Me. I just reviewed these for a collection I did for school. Not only are the soft, mixed medium illustrations beautiful and fun, the theme is same-sex parenting without making a "big deal" out of it. The parents and child in each book do things like go to the playground, play pretend, and get tired out from a busy day. A lovely, gentle way to promote diversity and send the message that families are about love.
Dogs by Emily Gravett. For me, her books (The Odd Egg, Spells, Wolves...) are always winners, but this one takes the cake. I love dogs so I'm a little biased, but what I love best about her books is that she manages to have a twist- even with a tiny amount of words. That and her dogs have such intense, amazing personalities I'd adopt all of them immediately, allergies or not.
Ella Kate Ewing grew to be over 8'4", and at a time when giantism was virtually unknown, she overcame her fears and shyness as a child, and traveled the world to exhibit at museums, and in shows. I love the author/illustrator team of Kate and M. Sarah Klise- they never fail to disappoint.(check out the Regarding the... series for further proof!)
Older kids love picture books too, and I think Richard Michelson's Busing Brewster would be perfect for older elementary students and other students who have some background in what "busing" means. Younger kids, however, will directly relate to Brewster's fears about going to a new school. I believe this book was originally written a while ago (I'll have to check the author's note) but its timeliness is spot on.
Since I'm interning in the children's section of a public library, I see a lot of wonderful new and older books pass under my nose. I try and stop to read all the new ones, and if an older book (older than six months- our "new shelf" only goes back that far!) looks appealing, I'll stop and read that, too. These are just a few of the more recent books I've seen that I've loved.
I know my boss would laugh at how many picture books I actually read while I'm working. I'm a quick shelver, so I think it's okay to pause every once and while.
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