“Brown in Warm, Black is Bright” by Sarah L. Thomson, illustrated by Keith Mallett (Little, Brown and Company, ages 4 – 8)
This is a goosebump-inducing beauty of a book. It takes negative color associations and turns them upside down in a sweet melody of words and pictures, giving all children a rich appreciation of Black joy.
“Amara’s Farm” by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Samara Hardy (Peachtree Books, ages 3 – 7)
Find the pumpkins (and all the other items) on Amara’s Farm and then cozy up with a slice of Molasses Pumpkin Bread made from the recipe in the book – a great read to get little ones ready for the season.
“If Your Babysitter is a Bruja” by Ana Siqueira, illustrated by Irena Freitas
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, ages 4 – 8)
With some bilingual vocabulary and a magical bruja of a babysitter, this book is bound to be a Halloween favorite for years. It is decidedly not scary, but filled with bright, fun illustrations that are perfect for October story times.
“Nina Soni: Halloween Queen” by Kashira Sheth, illustrated by Jenn Kocsmiersky (Peachtree Books, ages 7 – 10)
How is Nina Soni going to celebrate Halloween? Kids who love this series will want to keep up with the fourth installment and cherish it in October and beyond.
“Hero for the Hungry: The Life and Work of Norman Borlaug” by Peggy Thomas, illustrated by Sam Kalda (Feeding Minds Press, ages 10 – 15)
Published by a project of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, this biography of Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug tells the tale of how Borlaug worked to end world hunger through plant science. It gives young readers more than information – it includes a call to action for all to do their part in feeding the hungry.
