Social Emotional Learning/Friendship LB School January 2024 Newsletter
Social Emotional Learning/Friendship LB School January 2024 Newsletter
"This story encourages young people to focus on the similarities that connect us in one human family. Highly recommended for all collections." —School Library Journal
"Two pen pals delight in their differences and commonalities…. Bright, mixed-media illustrations visually emphasize difference as a means of connection." —Kirkus Reviews
A pen pal picture book companion to the award-winning and bestselling Same, Same but Different—set in the United States and Tanzania—that celebrates the value of compassion, curiosity, and a global community.
Tulsi and Vanessa live on separate continents—one in the mountains in North America, and the other beside the sea in Africa. By exchanging letters, they learn that they both have prankster brothers, love music, and collect treasures from nature. Their daily sights and sounds may be different, but their feelings about their experiences hold many similarities.
This thoughtful story celebrates the connections between two kids who live worlds apart. Together they rejoice in their shared love of family, friends, and community.
How do you say goodbye to a beloved pet?
Is it quiet? Is it lonely? Is it sad?
Or can it be wonderful?
Family dog Bailey has been sleeping more and eating less. And her human best friend knows the time has come to say goodbye. So together they sit under their favorite blanket, go on their favorite walk, and visit their favorite spot, choosing joy over sadness. Although Bailey will be gone soon, she will never be forgotten.
With evocative art and bittersweet text, Kelly Wu’s debut picture book is a tender portrait of a special bond, imbued with the love that gives grief its power and the comfort that memories hold. The perfect book to help with discussions of grief and loss.
When Little Hedgehog hears about a mysterious Friend Ship that can help her no longer feel lonely, she sets off on a quest to find it.
Hedgehog imagines a ship filled with friends of all kinds! How lovely!
She braves the open seas in a boat of her own to track the ship down, and along her journey, she meets other lonely animals eager to find the Friend Ship as well. They search north. They search south. They search east.
Hedgehog and her new friends can't find the Ship anywhere! Until she realizes she knows just where the Friend Ship is. . .
This comforting tale by Kat Yeh, with charming illustrations by Chuck Groenink, proves that sometimes, what you're searching for is right in front of you.
In this bright and heartwarming book, Ani Castillo reminds us that even when we can’t visit or see our favorite people, they will always be a part of our lives.
When a young girl isn’t able to leave her home, she reflects on what she misses. Is it going to the beach or visiting a city? Seeing a movie or going out to dinner? No! It’s not the places she misses, it’s the landscape inside the people she loves. In this heartfelt and joyful ode to caring, community and connection, a young girl learns what matters most.
With Ani Castillo's uplifting text and vibrant illustrations, this charming picture book about what makes your favorite places really special will be cherished for years to come.
Some people dream of perfect waves, fancy castles, or piloting a plane. Others dream of someone to laugh and play with all day long. Some just dream of having a meal for the next day.
And little Miguel? As he and Abuelito work in the hot Oaxacan sun, selling cold coconuts and macrame dream catchers to earn a few coins, Miguel has only one simple wish—to have his parents by his side. But how can he keep the faith when the truth is that dreams don’t always come to pass?
Marcelo Verdad’s poignant tale of hope and resilience shows how living in the here and now can be a journey every bit as beautiful as a dream.
A Spanish edition, El atrapasueños, is also available for purchase.
Today, Nuna doesn't feel quite right. So, she pays a visit to the Color Monster: an emotions doctor who helps diagnose big, challenging feelings. After he recognizes and gives a name to what we feel, this kind and gentle Monster (with the help of his emotions toolkit!) leads Nuna and readers down a path of mindfulness, self-healing, and mental well-being.
This vibrant companion to the international bestseller The Color Monster includes two giant foldout pages featuring more than 30 effective, accessible, and practical tools for soothing strong emotions—strategies for readers of all ages to calm and center hearts and minds. Drawing from her background in art therapy and featuring her endearing, standout artwork, Anna Llenas brings the bestselling Color Monster series to a whole new level with a story both reassuring and transformative. Backmatter for caregivers about understanding emotional regulation is included.
Read all three books about The Color Monster!
The Color Monster
The Color Monster Goes to School
Dr. Color Monster and the Emotions Toolkit
On the first day of elementary school, Abuela soothes Gloriana’s nerves by telling her stories from their family home in la República Dominicana. But as soon as Gloriana enters the classroom, the tropical scenery crumbles and la música is replaced with English phrases she does not understand. When other kids approach her to play at recess, she freezes, uncertain about how to exist between her two homes, or how to make new friends between her two languages. Abuela recognizes echoes of her own immigration journey on this challenging day at school, and she gently guides Gloriana towards newfound confidence. This beautifully painted, imaginative picture book celebrates the magic of existing in-between, and the transformative power of self-soothing to build confidence.
An essential read for fans of The Queen of Kindergarten.
In this highly anticipated follow-up to the national bestseller The Magical Yet, the Curious Why will help you to see that you’re only bored if you choose to be! Includes a special, sparkly cover!
If it’s one of those days, never fear: Your new friend the Curious Why will show you that there’s always something new to discover about the world around you! Do you want to know where the dinosaurs went? How crayons are made? Or what makes a bee sting? With lively verse by Angela DiTerlizzi and vibrant illustrations by Lorena Alvarez Gómez, this companion to the bestselling The Magical Yet will open young minds to a remarkable world of possibilities, and remind readers that it’s much easier than they think to have fun. All they need is a little curiosity!
And don’t miss companion title The Magical Yet, a rollicking, rhyming, inspirational picture book for every child who is frustrated by what they can’t do…YET!
Reuben the bear's got donuts for everyone in his scout troop, but his friends are all staring at something else: there's a wet spot on Reuben's pants, and it's in a specific area. "WHO WET MY PANTS?" he shouts, and a blame game starts. His buddies try to reassure him there was no crime. Just an accident. It could happen to anyone! But as all the clues begin to point in Reuben's own direction as the culprit, Reuben must come to terms with the truth.
Who Wet My Pants? isn't a potty-training book. It's a witty and wise story about embarrassment and anger, empathy and acceptance, and ultimately…forgiveness.
Don’t miss these other funny books by Bob Shea!
Chez Bob
Pizza for Birds
Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great
Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime
The Scariest Book Ever!
In the era of social media, communication feels both more anxiety-producing, and more inescapable, than ever before. This clever, comforting picture book debut explores the challenges and joys of self-expression and social connection.
Using an imaginative visual metaphor to bring to life how we send out (ping!) and receive (pong!) communications, Ani Castillo’s words and pictures will empower and inspire anyone who has experienced the fear of sharing themselves with the world.
With an artful, accessible package, an eloquent message, and a lot of heart, here is a new classic to bring courage and comfort to humans of all ages.
Dear weird toes, crooked nose, stressed out, left out, freaked out
Dear missing parts, broken hearts, picked-on, passed up, misunderstood,
Dear everyone, you are cordially invited, come as you are, this party’s for you
Welcome to Pity Party, where the social anxieties that plague us all are twisted into funny, deeply resonant, and ultimately reassuring psychological thrills.
There’s a story about a mood ring that tells the absolute truth. One about social media followers who literally follow you around. And one about a kid whose wish for a new, improved self is answered when a mysterious box arrives in the mail. There’s also a personality test, a fortune teller, a letter from the Department of Insecurity, and an interactive Choose Your Own Catastrophe.
Come to the party for a grab bag of delightfully dark stories that ultimately offers a life-affirming reminder that there is hope and humor to be found amid our misery.
Twelve-year-old Maren is sure theater camp isn’t for her. Theater camp is for loud, confident, artsy people: people like her older sister, Hadley—the last person Maren wants to think about—and her cinema-obsessed, nonbinary bunkmate, Theo. But when a prank goes wrong, Maren gets drawn into the hunt for a diamond ring that, legend has it, is linked to the camp’s namesake, Charlotte “Charlie” Goodman, a promising director in Blacklist Era Hollywood.
When Maren connects the clues to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, she and her new friends are off searching through lighting booths, orchestra pits and costume storages, discovering the trail and dodging camp counselors. But they’re not the only ones searching for the ring, and with the growing threat of camp closing forever, they're almost out of time.
In this riveting mystery, an old photo found in a box of Nancy Drew books could be the key to unraveling a family secret—perfect for fans of Wendy Mass and Trenton Lee Stewart.
Maizy always assumed she knew everything about her grandmother, Jacuzzi. So when a box full of vintage Nancy Drew books gets left at her mom’s thrift store, Maizy is surprised to find an old photo of her grandmother and two other women tucked beneath the collection. Stranger still, when Maizy shows the photo to Jacuzzi she feigns ignorance, insisting the woman is someone else. Determined to learn the truth — and inspired by the legacy of Nancy Drew — Maizy launches her own investigation with the help of new friends, Nell and Cam. What they discover not only points to the origins of the iconic series, but uncovers a truth from the past that will lead to self-discovery in the present, connecting three generations of women.
This intergenerational mystery filled with literary history, friendship, and family secrets delivers a captivating tribute to the world’s most famous girl detective.
An Indie Next Pick
An Amazon Top 20 Children's Book of the Year
A Barnes and Noble Most Anticipated Book
A Common Sense Selection for Families
"Sisterhood of Sleuths reminded me of everything I loved about the Nancy Drew books, and introduced me to a new heroine worth rooting for!" —Jennifer A. Nielsen, New York Times bestselling author of The False Prince
★ "A rewarding choice for young readers."—Booklist, starred review
★"Cornbread and Poppy are endearing characters, poised to join the ranks of other memorable early reader sets of best friends old and new, including James Marshall's George and Martha."—Bookpage, starred review
★ "Delightful."—Kirkus, starred review
Caldecott medalist Matthew Cordell debuts his first early reader series about two best friends who are as different from each other as can be.
Cornbread LOVES planning. Poppy does not. Cornbread ADORES preparing. Poppy does not. Cornbread IS ready for winter. Poppy…is not. But Cornbread and Poppy are the best of friends, so when Poppy is left without any food for the long winter, Cornbread volunteers to help her out. Their search leads them up, up, up Holler Mountain, where these mice might find a new friend…and an old one. Celebrating both partnership and the value of what makes us individuals, young readers will find this classic odd-couple irresistible as they encounter relatable issues with humor and heart.
Publishing simultaneously in hardcover and paperback.
Writing with effortlessly engaging prose, Wolo showcases the interweaving layers of Ghanaian culture to create a prismatic, multifaceted world in which two young girls, against all odds, are able to find each other.
When Faiza, a Muslim migrant girl from northern Ghana, and Abena, a wealthy doctor’s daughter from the south, meet by chance in Accra’s largest market, where Faiza works as a porter or kaya girl, they strike up an unlikely and powerful friendship that transcends their social inequities and opens up new worlds to them both.
Set against a backdrop of class disparity in Ghana, The Kaya Girl has shades of The Kite Runner in its unlikely friendship, and of Slumdog Millionaire as Faiza’s life takes unlikely turns that propel her thrillingly forward. As, over the course of the novel, Abena awakens to the world outside her sheltered, privileged life, the novel explores a multitude of awakenings and the opportunities that lie beyond the breaking down of barriers. This is a gorgeously transporting work, offering vivid insight into two strikingly diverse young lives in Ghana.
A rollicking, rhyming, and inspirational picture book for fans of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! andevery child who is frustrated by what they can’t do…YET!
Each of us, from the day we’re born, is accompanied by a special companion—the Yet. Can’t tie your shoes? Yet! Can’t ride a bike? Yet! Can’t play the bassoon? Don’t worry, Yet is there to help you out.
The Magical Yet is the perfect tool for parents and educators to turn a negative into a positive when helping children cope with the inevitable difficult learning moments we all face. Whether a child or an adult, this encouraging and uplifting book reminds us that we all have things we haven’t learned…yet!
As featured on Good Morning America!
Eleven-year-old Simon Barnes dreams of becoming a world-famous rapper that everyone calls Notorious D.O.G. But for now, he's just a Chicago fifth grader who's small for his age and afraid to use his voice.
Simon prefers to lay low at school and at home, even though he's constantly spitting rhymes in his head. But when his new teacher assigns the class an oral presentation on something that affects their community, Simon must face his fears.
With some help from an unexpected ally and his neighborhood crew, will Simon gain the confidence to rap his way to an A and prove that one kid can make a difference in his 'hood?
Dwayne Reed is a Chicago teacher, whose viral back-to-school music video "Welcome to the 4th Grade" took the internet by storm. His debut novel, Simon B. Rhymin' , inspires young readers everywhere to use their voices to create change within their communities.
READ MORE ABOUT SIMON AND HIS CREW:
Simon B. Rhymin' Takes a Stand
Simon B. Rhymin' Gets in the Gam
With his colorful illustrations, playful humor, and inclusive storytelling, beloved author Todd Parr has long been a favorite among young readers and caregivers. His books promote an essential message of love and acceptance that is inspiring, empowering, and accessible.
Kindness is listening.
Kindness is saying sorry.
Kindness is helping things grow.
★ “Exceptional…. Rich with facts around goldfinches and music, vivid descriptions, unique characters, and carefully crafted suspense.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “Perfect for readers who, like Mirabelle, are sometimes spellbound by music.” —Booklist, starred review
A musically gifted bird, a piano-playing boy, and a real-life mystery involving three artistic geniuses
Welcome to the world of Mirabelle, a young goldfinch who loves to sing and dreams of becoming a musical star. She lives with her family in the backyard of a piano teacher, and she is quickly intrigued by Mr. Starek's newest pupil. Michael Jin is an eleven-year-old keyboard sensation, but lesson after lesson, he refuses to play. With the prestigious Chopin Festival looming at summer’s end, how will he be ready in time? Mirabelle is responsible for Michael’s breakthrough—to her own astonishment, she sings the Chopin piece he is beginning to play at the piano. It is their first duet.
Thus begins a secret adventure that will take Mirabelle and Michael further than they ever imagined—in music, in friendship, and in solving the mystery of a lost piano that could be worth millions. A house full of treasures holds the clues. There, Mirabelle, Michael, and their friend Emily will make an important discovery that links the great composer Frederic Chopin, the trailblazing author George Sand, and the French Romantic painter Eugene Delacroix.
A fast-paced, history-rich mystery will have young readers hooked as they root for boy and bird in this beautifully told novel, full of emotion and suspense.
A Bank Street College Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
"A sure bet for Elephant and Piggie fans who are ready for the next step up or want to make the move to comics." —Booklist
Meet Baloney! He's the star of this book, along with his best buddies: empathetic Peanut the horse, sensible Bizz the bumblebee, and grumpy Krabbit—he'd rather not be here, but what can you do?
In this graphic novel for newly independent readers, Baloney and friends step into the spotlight and embody all the charm of childhood in three short tales and three mini-comics that invite readers to join the fun! Giggle with Baloney as he performs some questionable magic, give him a boost when a case of the blues gets him down, cheer him on as he braves the swimming pool, and at the end, learn to draw all the characters with clear step-by-step instructions!
"Kids will gobble up Baloney!" —Ben Clanton, creator of Narwhal and Jelly series
"Porcine-ly-perfect" —Laurie Keller, Geisel Award-winning author of We Are Growing!
Don't miss these other books about Baloney & Friends:
Baloney & Friends: Going Up!
Baloney & Frirends: Dream Big!
Meet Noa and the worst Teddy EVER in this sweet, funny debut about the unrecognized heroes in our lives, for fans of Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson. A Spanish edition, El peor Teddy del mundo, is also available for purchase.
Noa LOVES Teddy. But Teddy is ALWAYS tired! Why is Teddy always too sleepy to play with Noa during the day? It turns out that Teddy has a good reason, and Noa is in the dark about what’s happening behind the scenes at night…when Teddy works tirelessly to protect his little boy from a colorful ensemble of unwelcome nighttime visitors!
At once laugh-out-loud funny and endearing, Marcelo Verdad's outstanding debut picture book explores how expectations don’t always allow us to see others for who they truly are, and how sometimes what we want isn’t always what we need.
Read all three books about The Color Monster!
The Color Monster
The Color Monster Goes to School
Dr. Color Monster and the Emotions Toolkit