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Before she was a record-breaking, world-famous gymnast, 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 her and her sister Adria. Simone was also introduced to gymnastics that same fateful year, launching a lifelong passion fueled by remarkable talent, sacrifice, and the undying support of her family.

The celebrated author of Ezra Jack Keats Award winner Nell Plants a Tree and a Caldecott Honor artist come together for a poetic picture book introduction to Juneteenth and its origin.

Oh, how you would dance! How you would sing! How you would celebrate!

With lyrical text from Anne Wynter and radiant artwork from Jerome Pumphrey, this poetic picture book explains the history behind Juneteenth celebrations. So Many Years simultaneously acknowledges the history of slavery in the US as well as the astonishing Black resilience that has led to an enduring legacy of Black joy.

Baby’s loud. Baby’s messy. Sometimes Baby really smells. Maybe Baby just doesn’t know the rules? Good thing it’s big sister time—she can show Baby how to be the best baby ever!

Told through the eyes of a big sister,this charming hardcover picture book empowers older siblings by showing them that they have very important roles to play in introducing their family’s new baby to the world.

From cleaning up messes to learning to share, big sister will teach the new baby everything any baby needs to know. After all, big sister was a baby once, too—and she was really good at it. 

It’s Big Sister Time! shows every girl how awesome it is being a big sister. Because as we all know, being a sister RULES!

From multi Grammy-award winning artist and songwriter Victoria Monét comes a lyrical picture book that's perfect for children with separation anxiety, while also offering some healing for hard working parents.

I’ll always be your moon
You’ll always be my star

Just keep me in your heart and
I’ll be everywhere you are

In this melodic picture book from chart-topping musical sensation Victoria Monét, a gentle moon comforts a young star as night ends and they separate. Paired with the whimsical and imaginative art of Alea Marley, Everywhere You Are reminds us that even when someone isn’t right next to us, their love still carries on in our hearts.

You have within you infinite promise. How big will YOU dream? This striking companion to I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams celebrates Black female achievement and is perfect for fans of I Am Enough, Little Leaders, and She Persisted.

"Magnificently compelling....Lets Black girls know each time they turn the page that all of their dreams are possible." ―Angela Bassett, Award-winning Actress and Producer

I AM dope!

My crown shines bright

in all its glory.

When I dream big,

I can do anything!

In this inspiring tribute to Black girl pride and excellence, a young child discovers her place in a radiant heritage. As she meets twelve extraordinary Black women―historic and contemporary heroines who have blazed a trail for her own future success―she internalizes their strength and sets out to change the world in her own way.

Just like them, she can reach her dreams. And readers will discover that they can reach theirs too.

This sweet little picky eater will steal your heart as he learns to appreciate how his parents nourish him!

Little Sebastian has a lot of opinions when it comes to food, so his parents call him their own baby food critic! He even has a personal rating system, from one to five binkies, and he’s prepared to knock off a binky or two if his food is too gooey, doesn’t smell quite right, or is touching other food. When a restaurant outing throws him for a loop, a one-binky review seems inevitable . . . but then his parents save the day and Sebastian realizes the special ingredient they’ve been adding to every meal—one that definitely deserves five binkies!

Meet Chase and his amazing chef-dad, Courtney Lindsay, the real-life culinary genius who will whisk you away on a mouthwatering journey! Dive into the kitchen with this father-son duo as they whip up a healthy, vegan, kid-approved recipe that is as fun to make as it is to eat. With a focus on kitchen safety and foundational prep skills, ''Chase the Chef'' is a book that invites kids of all ages to roll up their sleeves and become kitchen superstars

Set over 24 hours, meet rattlesnakes, vipers, and black mambas in this kids’ nonfiction book by TikTok star and snake expert Christian Cave. Journey around the world to follow the lives of these cold-blooded reptiles as they hunt, hide, and fight their way through their day. Biologist and conservationist Christian Cave tells the story of the world’s most amazing venomous snakes in the style of a nature documentary, including gentle science explanations of topics such as camouflage and skin shedding that are perfect for future biologists. Witness incredible moments including: • A paradise flying snake soaring through the air to escape a predator • A king cobra defending her eggs from a mongoose • A spider-tailed viper using its tail to catch birds! Beautifully illustrated by Rebecca Mills and packed with animal facts, Snakes (A Day in the Life) encourages kids to look at the roles these incredible legless predators play in ecosystems across the globe, and why it’s important we protect them.

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Multi award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford delivers a message of perseverance, dignity, and honor in this picture book biography of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Whatever she did, wherever she was, Ketanji Brown Jackson rose to the top.


From the time their daughter was born, Ketanji Brown’s parents taught her that if she worked hard and believed in herself, she could do anything. As a child, Ketanji focused on her studies and excelled, eventually graduating from Harvard Law School. 

Years later, in 2016, when she was a federal judge, a seat opened on the United States Supreme Court. In a letter to then-President Barack Obama, Leila Jackson made a case for her mother—Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Although the timing didn’t work out then, it did in 2022, when President Joe Biden nominated her. At her confirmation, Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black female Supreme Court justice in the United States.

Lyrical text by renowned author Carole Boston Weatherford and evocative illustrations by Ashley Evans combine to make this an inspirational and timely read.

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A little girl learns Jamaican recipes and self-confidence from her Granny in this warm, sweet picture book debut.

Shelly-Ann lives with her Granny on the beautiful island of Jamaica. When Shelly-Ann becomes hungry, she asks her Granny for something to eat. Granny tells her “Gyal, you betta can cook!” and teaches Shelly-Ann how to get in touch with her Jamaican roots through the process of cooking.

As Shelly-Ann tries each recipe, everything goes wrong. But when Granny is too tired to cook one morning, Shelly-Ann will have to find the courage to try one more time and prepare the perfect Jamaican breakfast.

Accompanied by Ken Daley's vibrant, sun-soaked artwork, Sadé Smith's debut picture book Granny's Kitchen is the perfect readaloud for budding chefs everywhere.

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A sweet rhyming picture book that reminds young readers that to make their dreams come true—“a spoonful of faith is all it takes!”—from debut author-illustrator Jena Holliday. An encouraging and hopeful picture book, perfect for anyone nervous about activities such as going back to school.

Layla wakes up nervous to go to her new school, so she looks to Mama to help her feel better. The mother and daughter duo head to the kitchen and combine all the necessary ingredients—kindness, hope, warm hugs, and prayers—to create a new tradition of confidence and happiness.

Written and illustrated by Jena Holliday, this tender picture book serves as a boosting reminder to trust in God, to have faith, but most importantly, to believe in your ability to turn a bad day around.

A fun metaphor for transforming your mood, A Spoonful of Faith is Jena’s playful rendition of turning comfort food into soul food. Share this family-friendly book for Easter, Mother's Day, or anytime a spoonful of faith is needed.

Meet Henley, an all-around good kid, who hates to read. When he's supposed to be reading, he would rather do anything else. But one day, he gets the scariest homework assignment in the world: find your favorite book to share with the class tomorrow.

What's a kid to do? How can Henley find a story that speaks to everything inside of him?

This stunning and empowering picture book from a New York Times bestselling and ALSC Children’s Literature Legacy Award–winning author and an acclaimed illustrator celebrates a Black mother’s hopes and dreams for her daughter.

As I cradle you, look in your eyes,
your gaze says softly,
I want to know everything.
I promise to show you all that I can.

This love letter from mother to daughter inspires young girls to follow their dreams, no matter what challenges life may bring. Young readers will be reminded that love and support from home will follow them as they venture out into the world.

A young Black girl overcomes self-doubt and embraces her unique superhero princess identity in this energetic and empowering book from the author of I Will Swim Next Time.

Halima can't decide who to dress up as for her friend's birthday party. Should she be a princess like Elsa, or a sort-of superhero like Pippi Longstocking? "You can't be either," her friends tell her, "because you don't look like them."

Mama assures Halima can be whoever she wants to be, and together they discover more strong, brave women to look up to. Can Halima find the confidence to become her own unique superhero princess?

Heartfelt and uplifting, Halima's story encourages pride and self-expression in young readers, and introduces them to inspiring women of colour from around the world. African-diaspora mother Emily Joof is the author of I Will Swim Next Time. Åsa Gilland's vibrant and lively illustrations are full of fun.

Inspired by acclaimed chef Eric Adjepong’s own childhood, Sankofa is the powerful story of a young boy’s culinary journey 400 years into the past to reconnect with his African roots and find his own place in America.

What if home was a place you’ve never been? For Kofi, a first-generation Ghanaian American boy, home is a country called Ghana. But it’s a place he’s never been. When tasked to bring a dish that best represents his family’s culture to school for a potluck lunch, Kofi is torn. With the help of his Nanabarima (grandfather), Kofi learns the hardship and resilience his family has endured—and how food has always been an integral part their story and culture. Sankofa is a reminder that food can transport you to a place called home—even if you’ve never been.

Do aliens exist? Are UFOs real? The race is on to discover alien life in the universe!

This book will sort myth from fact to bring you the real science behind the search for alien lifeforms. Space expert Joalda Morancy will take readers on a tour of the solar system (and beyond), onboard new NASA missions searching for the most likely alien hiding places—from icy moons of Jupiter to the clouds of Venus. Along the way kids will find out about:

• The robots sent to Mars to look for Martians
• What really goes on at Area 51
• Ways to spot an advanced alien civilization (hint—look for dim stars)

They may seem as fanciful as wizards and monsters, but this book will show that scientists not only believe that aliens exist—but that it’s only a matter of time before we find them.

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An inspiring picture book biography of groundbreaking journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells, as told by her great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster.

Ida B. Wells was an educator, journalist, feminist, businesswoman, newspaper owner, public speaker, suffragist, civil rights activist, and women’s club leader. She was a founder of the NAACP, the National Association of Colored Women, the Alpha Suffrage Club, and the Negro Fellowship League. Born in 1862, Ida challenged the racist and sexist norms of the late nineteenth and early twenthieth centuries through her writing and speaking. Faced with criticism and threats to her life, she never gave up.
Long overlooked, Ida's life and work shine in this picture book, timed for the 160th anniversary of her birth. This extraordinary true story is told by her great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster, who has been recognized for her activism and fight for contemporary racial justice, and is beautifully brought to life by Coretta Scott King Award Honoree artist Laura Freeman.

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her debut picture book—a tour de force that uses the principles of Kwanzaa to talk about the history of African Americans. This lyrical, powerful tribute is sumptuously illustrated by rising star Loveis Wise.

The People Remember tells the journey of African descendants in America by connecting their history to the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It begins in Africa, where people were taken from their homes and sold. They spoke different languages and had different customs. Yet they were bound and chained together and forced onto ships sailing into an unknown future. Ultimately, all these people had to learn one common language and create a culture that combined their memories of home with new traditions that enabled them to thrive in this new land. 

Sumptuously illustrated, this is an important book to read as a family—a story young readers can visit over and over again to deepen their understanding of African American history in relation to their own lives and current social justice movements. By turns powerful and revealing, this is a lyrical narrative that tells the story of survival as well as the many moments of joy, celebration, and innovation of Black people in America.

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Melody, the littlest sea princess, is not content just to sing in the choir of mermaids like her sisters. She is an explorer who wonders about what lies above the water's surface . . . especially the young girl she has spied from a distance. To meet her requires a terrible sacrifice: she trades her beautiful voice for a potion that gives her legs, so that she may live on land instead. It seems like a dream come true at first. But when trouble stirs beneath the ocean, Melody faces another impossible choice -- stay with her friend, or reclaim her true identity and save her family.

A flightless fairy befriends a human girl and discovers her magic in this enchanting picture book from the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Parker Looks Up.

Lily is a young fairy determined to learn to fly just like the others who soar on shimmering, jeweled-colored wings, but she’s worried her own colorless wings will never lift her off the ground. Then she meets a young girl named Willow who helps her not only discover her special magic, but the truly magical gift of friendship.

From the award-winning creators of Ice Cream Man and Good Things comes a journey through the mystical world of the Louisiana Bayou. Follow along as a young boy learns about the environment and the history of the bayou while on a boat ride with his grandpa. This stunning picture book features sidebars with fun facts and snippets of a poem woven throughout the narrative.

The bayou’s calling out to me.
“Come back, my son,” it says. “Come see.”
What holds me back, I do not know,
But I promised, and so I’ll go.

While Troy is on vacation in Louisiana, his grandpa has promised to take him down to the bayou. Grandpa explains that the bayou is not only a shallow, slow-moving, muddy river—but also so much more.

When the time finally comes, Troy and Grandpa climb into Uncle Joe’s pirogue and set off on a unique adventure that stirs up Grandpa's memories and Troy's imagination. Grandpa shares stories about their enslaved ancestors who escaped to the bayou, the ghosts who rise from the moss, and a chorus of creatures that sing around them.

At the end of the day, Grandpa gives Troy a notebook so that he can write about everything the bayou has taught him, or even compose beautiful poems like Grandpa’s. Troy discovers that there is so much to learn about the legends, history, flora and fauna, and yourself, down on the bayou.

Award-winning author Glenda Armand's inviting and informational text along with illustrator Alleanna Harris's lush illustrations capture the young protagonist's imaginative perspective, the lovely bond between a grandfather and grandson, the power of poetry, and the beauty and history of the bayou.

A picture book bursting with life and flavors about a son and his father cooking up a beloved dish that originated in West Africa—jollof recipe included!

Early in the morning while the sun is still rising, a young boy wakes his father for something special—it’s Jollof Day!

With clanging pots and pans, lots of chopped tomatoes and onions, and a secret blend of spices, this father and son dance to the music of kitchen noise while something delicious burbles on the stove.

With bouncing text that begs to be read aloud and exuberant illustrations full of momentum, Jollof Day is a celebration of the dishes that bring a family together.

A young biracial girl looks around her world for her color. She finally chooses her own, and creates a new word for herself―honeysmoke.

Simone wants a color.

She asks Mama, “Am I black or white?”

“Boo,” Mama says, just like mamas do, “a color is just a word.”

She asks Daddy, “Am I black or white?”

“Well,” Daddy says, just like daddies do, “you’re a little bit of both.”

For multiracial children, and all children everywhere, this picture book offers a universal message that empowers young people to create their own self-identity.

Simone knows her color―she is honeysmoke.

An Imprint Book

"This will appeal to so many biracial kids looking for a way to embrace every part of themselves." ―NBCNews.com

"A terrific addition to the WeNeedDiverseBooks canon, where it joins such books as Selina Alko's I’m Your Peanut Butter Big Brother and Taye Diggs' Mixed Me!." ―Booklist

Since life first arose on Earth, nearly all dinosaurs, mammals, insects, and birds that have ever existed have gone extinct. In this voicy, full-color illustrated encyclopedia, hear from the animals themselves what happened to them!

If your species happens to be alive right now, you should feel very lucky.

You probably know about the downfall of the dinosaurs and how the dodo bird met its doom. But you might not have heard about the other weird and wonderful creatures throughout the eons that just didn’t make it.

But that doesn’t mean all these stories are sad; extinction is just a part of the long, long history of life on Earth. And some of the ways these species died out are actually pretty silly . . .

In this fully illustrated encyclopedia, you’ll hear from the creatures who have faced extinction throughout the years—and learn what survival of the fittest means for those on evolution’s bad side.

Nearly a million copies sold in Japan!

In his sophomore picture book, NBA superstar Stephen Curry encourages kids to embrace the differences that make them extraordinary! It’s the first day of school for Zoe, a young girl with hearing loss who dreams of playing on her school’s soccer team. But, self-conscious of her hearing aids, Zoe is too nervous to try out. With the help of and perspectives from new friends, what begins as a bumpy, anxiety-filled start for Zoe, soon transitions into an eye-opening experience about what it means to be different—and what it means to be extraordinary. I Am Extraordinary teaches kids how to look inside themselves to find self-acceptance and the confidence to achieve any goal.

The stunning new picture book by presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Christian Robinson—available in Spanish

Te dicen que esto
no va a funcionar.
¿Pero cómo lo sabrás
si nunca lo intentas?

Amanda Gorman, poeta inaugural presidencial y autora #1 superventas del New York Times, y Christian Robinson, ganador de los premios Caldecott Honor y Coretta Scott King Honor, han creado un mensaje de esperanza eterna.

A veces el mundo se siente roto. Y los problemas parecen demasiado grandes para solucionarlos. Pero de alguna forma, tenemos el poder de cambiar las cosas. Con un poco de fe, y con la ayuda de un amigo, juntos podemos encontrar la belleza y crear un cambio.

Con un texto íntimo e inspirador, e ilustraciones poderosamente impresionantes, Algo, algún día nos enseña que hasta los gestos más pequeños pueden tener un gran impacto.

Join us to celebrate the release of Juneteenth with Houston based author, Van Garrett

EVENT DEETS

WHEN: Saturday, May 6, 2023

WHERE: Kindred Stories (2304 Stuart Street, HTX, 77004)

HOW: RSVP ONLY to reserve your littles seats or RSVP WITH BOOK to support our programming and the author. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

A lyrical picture book about our newest national holiday, Juneteenth follows the annual celebration in Galveston, Texas—the birthplace of Juneteenth—through the eyes of a child coming to understand their place in Black American history in a story from three Texan creators.

A young Black child experiences the magic of the Juneteenth parade for the first time with their family as they come to understand the purpose of the party that happens every year—and why they celebrate their African American history!

The poetic text includes selected lyrics from “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the unofficial Black National Anthem, and the vibrant art illuminates the beauty of this moment of Black joy celebrated across the nation. This vibrant adventure through the city streets invites young readers to make a joyful noise about freedom for all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Van G. Garrett is the author of Kicks, his debut picture book. An acclaimed poet, he won the Poetry Question National Chapbook Contest for Scrap and the Best Book of African American Poetry from the Texas Association of Authors for 49: Wings and Prayers. He is a musician and visual artist.

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From parents and actors Jazmyn Simon and Dulé Hill comes a picture book filled with beautiful, inspiring affirmations reminding kiddos of their infinite wonder. Perfect for children of any age!

I am worthy. I am loved. I am enough.
Every child, no matter their age, needs to know how loved they are and, more importantly, should love themselves. In this gorgeously illustrated book of affirmations, young readers are told how cherished, deserving, and gifted they are.

In their tender picture book, actors Jazmyn Simon and Dulé Hill tell children about the magic of self-love and standing firm, regardless of outside voices and doubt. Children will feel their confidence grow as they repeat the encouraging words on the page, take in the warm illustrations, and learn to believe in themselves!

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Celebrate the love between a child and caring adult with this soulful poetic lullaby

Are you a lover of rhythm and blues? Shoo-be-do-wop along with your little ones, as you introduce them to the legendary music of the Motown era. Enjoy a jazzy drift into dreamland, filled with sentiment and heart, as together, child and caring adult can share their musical love in this bedtime lullaby—along with interesting background information about Motown legends!

Baby love,

Little bitty precious one,

I was born to love you.

What else is there to do?

You are the sunshine of my life.

Morning, noon and night

All I do is thank God for you.