December 3, 2022
It has been a terrific year for young people’s literature. This week, The Center’s expert children’s bookseller, Ann Rollins, recommends her favorites for holiday gift-giving.
Happy reading,
Melanie Fleishman
Buyer, The Center for Fiction Bookstore
Featured Books
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Grumpy Monkey Are We There Yet?
By Suzanne & Max Lang
Published by Random House
Board Book • How can you not laugh and wait to see what’s gonna happen next on the road to ‘somewhere’ with Monkey and friends!
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Too Early
By Nora Ericson & Elly MacKay
Published by Abrams Books
Picture Book • Love, love this story of a lovely morning experience of sunrise and surprise shared with a parent.
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I Don't Care
By Julie Fogliano, Molly Idle & Juana Martinez-Neal
Published by Holiday House
Picture Book • I wish I had this book when I was little with the important lesson that friends can be different in how they look, from their hair to their shoes.
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Sallie Bee Writes a Thank-You Note
By Susan Verde, Courtney Sheinmel & Heather Ross
Published by Abrams Books
Picture Book • It’s great to see a book like this for the youngest readers! Kids love getting letters and mail, why not Grandmas too!
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An Elephant & Piggie Biggie! Volume 5
By Mo Willems
Published by Hyperion
Early Readers • These two best friends from different worlds figure out how to care for each other’s feelings. Five Biggie adventures in one book!
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City Under the City
By Dan Yaccarino
Published by Astra
Early Readers • My new favorite book! A simple story in pictures about a boy trying to find his lost family while learning there is a whole other wonderful world below the ‘1984’-esque life he escaped from.
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Waking Beauty
By Rebecca Solnit & Arthur Rackham
Published by Haymarket
Middle Grade • What happens when girls get to do some things that boys traditionally do? In this story a princess wakes up from her slumber in a different new world.
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Swim Team
By Johnnie Christmas
Published by HarperCollins
Middle Grade Graphic Novel • Who wants to learn to swim? This is a fun, colorful story to share with your BFF. Bree shows you it’s okay to be afraid of water and how to have fun learning something new!
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Victory. Stand!
By Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes & Dawud Anyabwile
Published by W.W. Norton
Young Adult Graphic Novel • So glad to see this story told in a graphic novel for today’s teens who stand up for people, fairness, sports, and free speech
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Akata Woman
By Nnedi Okorafor
Published by Penguin Young Readers
Young Adult • With a mix of sci-fi and African culture, older teens get ready to be transported to a world of difference and familiarity!
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