Kids Book Index
Shaun Tan, illustrated by Shaun Tan
A cicada spends 17 years in a workplace where his work goes unappreciated and he faces continual discrimination. When he retires, he changes into a new form and comes into his own. The book presents this transformation through somber gray oil paintings. Its central figure moves from being overlooked in his job to a final change that reshapes how he is seen.
This book appears on 1 reading list across 1 edition.
The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of MulanSherry ThomasIn fifth-century China, Mulan has spent her life preparing for the duel required of every generation in her family. When she takes her brother’s place, she disguises herself as a boy and fights for the emperor. Her path also brings family secrets to light and leads to love. This retelling places the well-known Mulan ballad in 484 A.D. China and follows a young woman trained as a warrior.Twelve to FourteenOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon’s ShadowIlima Loomis, illustrated by Andrea Miller, Amanda CowanAstronomer Shadia Habbal studies the sun’s corona, which can be observed outside certain observatories only during a total solar eclipse. The book follows her global expeditions to gather data during the brief one- to two-minute period of totality. For the August 2017 eclipse, she organized teams at five sites in the western United States to improve their chances of clear viewing. Clouds and other obstacles could prevent imaging, so the teams’ work carries uncertainty as they prepare for the eclipse and capture the corona.Twelve to FourteenLexile Text Measure 980LOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim CrowHenry Louis Gates, JrThis history examines the United States at the end of the Civil War, through Reconstruction, and into the rise of Jim Crow segregation. It explores attempts at national renewal during a period described as pivotal and often misunderstood. The narrative details African Americans’ struggle for emancipation and civil rights while confronting white supremacy. Archival photographs and illustrations accompany this account of Reconstruction and the forces that shaped the period after it.Twelve to FourteenOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details