A Dozen Children's Books I'm Anticipating in 2015

from  The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage.

Alko, Selina. (2015). The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage. Illustrated by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books. (Picture book story about the Loving family whose legal suit was heard by the Supreme Court and overturned Virginia’s state law that prohibited interracial marriage.)

Barton, Chris. (2105). The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch. Illustrated by Don Tate. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books For Young Readers.  (Picture book biography about the John Roy Lynch, the first African American Congressman. I also love Don Tate’s art work.)

Burgess, Matthew.  (2015). Enormous Smallness: A Story of E.E. Cummings. Illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo. Brooklyn, NY: Enchanted Lion Books. (Picture book biography about poet, e.e. cummings.)

Delaunois, Angèle. (2015).  Magic Little Words. Illustrated by Manon Gauthier. Toronto, ON: Owlkid Books. (Picture book featuring important words, like please, that are illustrated through collage.)

Engle, Margarita. (2015). Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music. Illustrated by Rafael López. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers. (Inspired by the life of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers.)

Gourley, Robin (2015). Talkin’ Guitar: A Story of Doc Watson. New York: Clarion Books. (Picture book biography about Doc Wilson.)

from Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Facts.

Grimes, Nikki. (2015). Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Facts. Illustrated by Michele Wood. New York: Orchard Books. (Grimes’ imagined discourse between Tubman an Anthony that is informed by historical facts.  The illustrations are deep, beautiful, moving.) [Grades 3-6]

Janeczko, Paul B. (2015). The Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. (An anthology of poems that are inspired by objects the poets valued, noticed.)

Thompson, Laurie Ann. (2015). Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. Illustrated by Sean Qualls. New York: Schwartz & Wade. (Picture book story about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah who disabled, cycled across Ghana to illustrate the message that being disabled dos not mean you are limited.)

from Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century. 

Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2014).  Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century. Illustrated by Raúl Colón. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.  (Picture book biography about African-American opera singer, Leontyne Price. Signature Raul Colon illustrations.)

Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2015). Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America. Illustrated by Jamey Christoph. Park Ridge, IL: Albert Whitman & Company. (Weatherford’s picture book biography told in verse about Gordon Parks focusing on his work as a photographer documenting segregation.)

Wilson, Mary. (2015). The Singer in the Stream: A Story of American Dippers. Illustrated by Katherine Hocker. Yosemite Conservancy. (Nonfiction picture book about American dippers—small gray birds who live their lives near mountain streams.)