Kids Book Index
Sarah Aroeste, illustrated by Taia Morley
A Sephardic family marks a baby’s early milestones with the Ladino expression “Mazal bueno!” They celebrate the child’s first grin, laugh, crawl, solid food, independent standing, and first word. Parents encourage the baby through each new accomplishment, and the refrain returns as a shared family response. The story follows the baby’s growth through these small, joyful moments at home.
This book appears on 1 reading list across 1 edition.
Very Good HatsEmma StraubAn unseen narrator considers what can count as a hat. Familiar headwear appears alongside towel turbans and flower crowns, but the book expands the idea further: acorn caps can sit on fingertips, and a pot lid or a house roof can be considered a hat. Through digital art and paper collage, it inventories ordinary and inventive forms of headwear and objects. The result is a playful exploration of how many hat possibilities can be found in everyday surroundings.Under FiveLexile Text Measure AD630LATOS Book Level 4.1On the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
When the Stars Came HomeBrittany Luby, illustrated by Natasha DonovanOjiig moves from the country to the city with his Anishinaabe mother and white father. In the unfamiliar urban environment, he misses the country landscape and its star-filled night sky. His mother makes a patchwork quilt while sharing stories about Ojiig’s ancestors. The completed quilt, with a large star at its center, offers comfort, and a visit from his grandparents helps Ojiig begin to feel warmer toward his new home.Picture BooksOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of MnoominBrittany Luby, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis- SteckleyIn this bilingual Ojibwe-English picture book, a young Anishinaabe narrator prepares to sow wild rice, or mnoomin. The child observes the marsh ecosystem where it grows, including mayflies, pike, eagles, muskrats, moose, herons, and bats. When it is time to harvest, the family offers tobacco, gathers rice in a canoe, and leaves stalks that do not release their seeds easily. Some rice is saved for sowing; the rest is dried, processed, winnowed, and cooked.Picture BooksOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details