THE MORE YOU GIVE
A modern-day response to The Giving Tree, this lyrical picturebook shows how a family passes down love from generation to generation, leaving a legacy of growing both trees and community. Once there was a wide-open field, and a boy who loved his grandmother, who loved him back. The boy’s grandmother gives him many gifts, like hugs, and Sunday morning pancakes, and acorns with wild and woolly caps. And all her wisdom about how things grow. As the boy becomes a father, he gives his daughter bedtime stories his grandmother told him, and piggyback rides. He gives her acorns, and the wisdom he learned about how things grow. His daughter continues the chain, then passing down gifts of her own. Here is a picture book about the legacy of love that comes when we nurture living things–be they people or trees.
THE MORE YOU GIVE Written by Marcy Campbell, Illustrated by Francesca Sanna, Published by Penguin Random House (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers)
MERCI SUAREZ CAN’T DANCE
Seventh grade is going to be a real trial for Merci Suárez. For science she’s got no-nonsense Mr. Ellis, who expects her to be a smart as her brother, Roli. She’s been assigned to co-manage the tiny school store with Wilson Bellevue, a boy she barely knows, but whom she might actually like. And she’s tangling again with classmate Edna Santos, who is bossier and more obnoxious than ever now that she is in charge of the annual Heart Ball.
One thing is for sure, though: Merci Suárez can’t dance–not at the Heart Ball or anywhere else. Dancing makes her almost as queasy as love does, especially now that Tía Inés, her merengue-teaching aunt, has a new man in her life. Unfortunately, Merci can’t seem to avoid love or dance for very long. She used to talk about everything with her grandfather, Lolo, but with his Alzheimer’s getting worse each day, whom can she trust to help her make sense of all the new things happening in her life? The Suárez family is back in a touching, funny story about growing up and discovering love’s many forms, including how we learn to love and believe in ourselves.
MERCI SUAREZ CAN’T DANCE Written by Meg Medina, Published by Candlewick Press
APPLESAUCE DAY
From tree to table, this story shows how one family comes together to make applesauce.
Applesauce Day is here! Maria and her family visit an apple orchard and pick apples. Then it’s time to turn the apples into applesauce. Every year they use a special pot that has been in the family for generations. Follow along as everyone helps to make delicious applesauce.
APPLESAUCE DAY by Lisa J. Amstutz, Illustrated by Talitha Shipman, Published by Albert Whitman & Company
GRANNY’S VINTAGE CAMERA
Kass eagerly saves for a JazzCam Instant camera, in the meantime, she uses her Granny’s Vintage Camera. Kass knows it’s old and misplaces it often. Will Kass learn that old doesn’t mean useless? Or will she misplace the very thing her Granny values?
MAIZY CHEN’S LAST CHANCE
Packed with surprises, heart, and stories within stories, this irresistible novel from an award-winning author celebrates food, fortune, and family.
Welcome to the Golden Palace!
Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota . . . until now. Her mom’s plan is just to stay for a couple weeks, until her grandfather gets better. But plans change, and as Maizy spends more time in Last Chance (where she and her family are the only Asian Americans) and at the Golden Palace–the restaurant that’s been in her family for generations–she makes some discoveries. For instance:
But the more Maizy discovers, the more questions she has. Like, why are her mom and her grandmother always fighting? Who are the people in the photographs on the office wall? And when she discovers that a beloved family treasure has gone missing–and someone has left a racist note–Maizy decides it’s time to find the answers.
- You can tell a LOT about someone by the way they order food.
- And people can surprise you. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes in disappointing ways.
- And the Golden Palace has secrets.
Need more book recommendations?
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Bethany Edwards is an elementary educator as well as a reading and literacy specialist. On Biracial Bookworms, she focuses on multiracial and multicultural resources for teaching literacy skills using reading, travel, and learning multiple languages. Additionally, she offers online and self-paced courses for parents and caregivers on Biracial Bookworms Academy.
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