Learn how to make syrup the old fashioned way with the help of a friendly bear and her amusingly unhelpful accomplices Dog and Squirrel in this informative comics-style picture book.

Did you know that it takes forty gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup? "How many pancakes can I eat with that gallon?" wonders Dog.

Every step of the process of making maple syrup is covered in this sweet (but never saccharine) informational picture book by Maxwell Eaton III, the creator of the popular "Truth About" series. It begins with Bear assembling the tools she'll need for the project, continues with a discussion of the types of maples found in the area and why sugar maples are best for tapping, then on to drilling, tapping, evaporation and at the end of the process, real maple syrup and best of all, PANCAKES

Along the way there are hilarious asides from increasingly ravenous Dog and Squirrel, making this a book as funny as it is informative. Helpful back matter and suggestions for further reading complete the package.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Former First Lady Michelle Obama had an idea. A big, inspiring, and exciting idea! She would grow the largest kitchen garden ever at the White House. This wouldn't be easy, since she'd never gardened before: Where should she start? What tools did she need? What would she plant?

Everyone needs help when they're learning something for the first time, even the first lady of the United States. So she gathered the help of local students, the White House staff, and even President Barack Obama. Together, they wouldn't just grow a garden--they would inspire a nation!

A brilliant picture book biography about Thurgood Marshall, who fought for equality during the Civil Rights Movement and served as the first Black justice on the Supreme Court, from Coretta Scott King Honor winners Kekla Magoon and Laura Freeman.

Growing up in Baltimore, Thurgood Marshall could see that things weren't fair. The laws said that Black and white people couldn't use the same schools, parks, or water fountains.

When Thurgood had to read the Constitution as punishment for a prank at school, his eyes were opened. It was clear to him that Jim Crow laws were wrong, and he was willing to do whatever it took to change them.

His determination to make sure all Americans were treated equally led him to law school and then the NAACP, where he argued cases like Brown v. Board of Education in front of the Supreme Court. But to become a Justice on the highest court in the land, Thurgood had to make space for himself every step of the way.

Readers will be inspired by Kekla Magoon's concise text and Laura Freeman's luminous illustrations, which bring Thurgood Marshall's incredible legacy and achievements to life.

Preschoolers learn how to prepare their own food with activities that foster fun in the kitchen and promote healthy eating habits. Colorful photo-driven recipes for making fruit wands, noodle bowls, chocolate smoothies, and more encourage kids to discover and expand their tastes and experience the joy and pride that come from making with their own hands the foods they eat.

A lyrical picture book biography of Simone Biles, gymnastics champion and Olympic superstar.

Before she was a record-breaking gymnast competing on the world stage, Simone Biles spent time in foster care as a young child. Nimble and boundlessly energetic, she cherished every playground and each new backyard.

When she was six years old, Simone's family took shape in a different way. Her grandparents Ron and Nellie Biles adopted Simone and her sister Adria. Ron and Nellie became their parents. Simone was also introduced to gymnastics that same year, launching a lifelong passion fueled by remarkable talent, sacrifice, and the undying support of her family.

From her athletic early childhood to the height of her success as an Olympic champion, Flying High is the story of the world's greatest gymnast from author Michelle Meadows and illustrator Ebony Glenn.

With charming, colorful illustrations, this heartwarming picture book in rhyming text asks an age-old question--can we be friends?

Take a journey exploring five unexpected animal friendships! This adorable picture book, based on real-life stories, showcases popular duos like Mzee the tortoise and Owen the hippo and Koko the gorilla and her kittens, as well as lesser-known ones like Kumbali the cheetah and Kago the dog. Includes backmatter.

A list of the unlikely animal friendships from around the world and introduced to young animal fans in Can We Be Friends?:

1. Owen the hippo and Mzee the tortoise (Kenya)

2. Kumbali the cheetah and Kago the dog (Virginia, USA)

3. Themba the elephant and Albert the sheep (South Africa)

4. Koko the gorilla and kittens (California, USA)

5. Ben the dog and Duggie the wild dolphin (Ireland)

This sweet picture book supports children as they learn about empathy and kindness.

Author Bahram Rahman grew up in Afghanistan during years of civil war and the restrictive Taliban regime. He wrote The Library Bus to tell new generations about the struggles of women who, like his own sister, were forbidden to learn.

It is still dark in Kabul, Afghanistan when the library bus rumbles out of the city. There are no bus seats--instead there are chairs and tables and shelves of books. And there are no passengers--instead there is Pari, who is nervously starting her first day as Mama's library helper. Pari stands tall to hand out notebooks and pencils at the villages and the refugee camp, but she feels intimidated. The girls they visit are learning to write English from Mama. Pari can't even read or write in Farsi yet. But next year she will go to school and learn all there is to know. And she is so lucky. Not long ago, Mama tells her, girls were not allowed to read at all.

Brought to life by the pensive and captivating art of award-winning illustrator Gabrielle Grimard, The Library Bus is a celebration of literacy, ingenuity, and the strength of women and girls demanding a future for themselves.

We can fly straight up or down, backwards or forwards, stop and hover, make hairpin turns—at top speed or in slow motion. And we've been on Earth for around 300 million years. Strong graphic art and rhythmic text packed with interesting facts to capture imaginations.

The 21st-century guidebook of life safety skills for teens, their parents, and other caregivers, covering physical safety, sexual consent, social media, your rights with the police, situational awareness, dating violence, smartphones, and more.

"Easy to read and comprehensive on topics of safety, Cristall's volume is an informative read for teens and their parents, but may also prove to be a helpful text for a high-school level health class." (Library Journal)

Young people coming of age today face new risks, expectations, and laws that didn't exist when their parents were young. What They Don't Teach Teens provides teens, tweens, and young adults with up-to-date, realistic strategies to protect themselves against the pitfalls of modern adolescence.

Author Jonathan Cristall, once a troubled teen himself and now a veteran prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles and a sexual violence prevention instructor, works extensively with teenagers and their families to teach physical, digital, emotional, and legal safety skills. Drawing on Cristall's hands-on experience, What They Don't Teach Teens gives parents and other caregivers techniques for talking to their children about these urgent issues.

What They Don't Teach Teens gives sound advice on police interactions and personal safety (your constitutional rights, what to do/not do when stopped by the police while driving, situational awareness, street robberies, gun violence); sexual violence and misconduct (sexual consent, sexual harassment prevention, dating violence, sextortion); and staying safer online (digital footprint and citizenship, cyberbullying, underage sexting, online porn).

A must-read for all families, What They Don't Teach Teens is filled with practical guidance, thoughtful insight, and simple-to-use tips and tactics that will empower young people to make good choices now and into the future.

Leave no stone unturned with Andy Hirsch's Science Comics: Rocks and Minerals, the latest volume in First Second’s action-packed nonfiction graphic novel series for middle-grade readers!

In this volume, join a crystal-crazy fanboy and a famous rock hunter on a geological journey that will take them to the summit of a volcano, deep within the earth, and even into outer space! They'll learn about the unstoppable forces that shape our planet and they might even pick up a gemstone or meteorite along the way.

Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic—dinosaurs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, robots, and more! Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these graphic novels are for you!

Danny Dino is not feeling well. What can he do to protect himself and others from getting sick? Dr. Pterosaur tells Danny Dino and his friends how to prevent the spread of germs and viruses through correct hand washing, and other useful tips. Can you do the seven-step super hand wash just like Danny Dino?

Homes can be square or round or even stand on stilts. But no matter what a home looks like, home is where you are loved. The characters of Sesame Street take readers around the world to learn more about how kids live across the globe.

Discover the wonder and science behind fog in this stunning and immersive nonfiction picture book from award-winning author and photographer April Pulley Sayre.

Damp and drippy, misty and mysterious…fog is fascinating. Step inside this natural phenomenon and see how fog is formed, how it clears away, and why it feels chilly. Young readers will love this lyrical and gorgeously photo-illustrated exploration of these clouds that come to visit.

A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK


Christie Tate had just been named the top student in her law school class and finally had her eating disorder under control. Why then was she driving through Chicago fantasizing about her own death? Why was she envisioning putting an end to the isolation and sadness that still plagued her despite her achievements?

Enter Dr. Rosen, a therapist who calmly assures her that if she joins one of his psychotherapy groups, he can transform her life. All she has to do is show up and be honest. About everything—her eating habits, childhood, sexual history, etc. Christie is skeptical, insisting that that she is defective, beyond cure. But Dr. Rosen issues a nine-word prescription that will change everything: “You don’t need a cure. You need a witness.”

So begins her entry into the strange, terrifying, and ultimately life-changing world of group therapy. Christie is initially put off by Dr. Rosen’s outlandish directives, but as her defenses break down and she comes to trust Dr. Rosen and to depend on the sessions and the prescribed nightly phone calls with various group members, she begins to understand what it means to connect.

Group is a deliciously addictive read, and with Christie as our guide—skeptical of her own capacity for connection and intimacy, but hopeful in spite of herself—we are given a front row seat to the daring, exhilarating, painful, and hilarious journey that is group therapy—an under-explored process that breaks you down, and then reassembles you so that all the pieces finally fit.

Lenin once said, "There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen." This is one of those times when history has sped up. CNN host and best-selling author Fareed Zakaria helps readers to understand the nature of a post-pandemic world: the political, social, technological, and economic consequences that may take years to unfold. Written in the form of ten "lessons," covering topics from natural and biological risks to the rise of "digital life" to an emerging bipolar world order, Zakaria helps readers to begin thinking beyond the immediate effects of COVID-19. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World speaks to past, present, and future, and, while urgent and timely, is sure to become an enduring reflection on life in the early twenty-first century.