Myiesha Speight

Nov 13, 2024 | slj.com | Myiesha Speight |Kara Yorio |Monisha Blair |Kristin Brynsvold

SLJ montage: Getty Images/invincible_bulldog (people) and Getty Images/Olga Ubirailo (book) Writing can be a solitary activity, with many creators having to figure out plot points and character arcs on their own. The authors from this list have taken a collaborative approach to the process. Often using alternating perspectives as a device, these coauthors draw from their own experiences and writing styles to share their characters’ points of view.

Oct 22, 2024 | slj.com | Andrea Davis Pinkney |Myiesha Speight

. Jan. 2025. 48p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780316182362. COPY ISBN PreS-Gr 3–From the moment Toni Morrison drew chalk drawings on the sidewalk, she was a storyteller. Telling the story in verse, Pinkney's beautiful homage to Morrison begins in her birthplace of Lorain, OH. Her childhood was filled with playing with her siblings, hopscotch, and ABCs. Morrison went on to study at Howard University and it was there that she left behind her birth name, Chloe Ardelia for a childhood nickname, Toni.

Dec 7, 2023 | slj.com | Kimberly Olson Fakih |Kerra Mazzariello |John Scott |Myiesha Speight

Three Kings Day, also known as Epiphany, is on January 6 and commemorates the biblical story of the wise men who brought gifts to the newborn baby Jesus. It is mostly celebrated in Latinx communities and marks the end of the Christmas season. Share these three picture books with young readers to teach them more about the holiday. Colón-Bagley, Sheila. La Noche Before Three Kings Day. illus. by Alejandro Mesa. 32p. HarperCollins. Sept. 2023. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780063234321.

Nov 19, 2023 | slj.com | Kimberly Olson Fakih |Kerra Mazzariello |John Scott |Myiesha Speight

TRANSITIONAL BOOKSBailey, Jenn. Henry, Like Always. illus. by Mika Song. Chronicle. ISBN 9781797213897. Gr 1-4–Bailey and Song have created a goes-his-own-way hero in Henry, resistant to conventional paths to learning and participating, possibly neurodivergent, and perfectly creative in his own right. Classroom scenes and spare writing give emerging readers a glimpse of inclusion that truly makes room for everyone. Cordell, Matthew.Evergreen. Feiwel & Friends. ISBN 9781250317179.

Nov 17, 2023 | slj.com | Kimberly Olson Fakih |Kerra Mazzariello |John Scott |Myiesha Speight

A runaway dreidel, parading yokai, and dancing ornaments make these holiday picture books that much more magical. Marshall, Linda Elovitz & Ilan Stavans. The Mexican Dreidel. illus. by Maria Mola. 24p. Kar-Ben. Oct. 2023. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781728449289; pap. $8.99. ISBN 9781728449296. PreS-Gr 2–This Mexican Janucá (Hanukkah) book, imbued with magical realism, tells a sweet story while introducing Mexican Jewish and non-Jewish holiday traditions, as well as Spanish words.