Unstoppable John: How John Lewis Got His Library Card
This compelling book tells the story of how Rep. John Lewis encountered Jim Crow laws and worked to protest and change them, revolving around the refusals of libraries to lend books to black citizens, which Lewis encountered in 1956 when he was 16 years old. In the years to come, the book explains — in simplified, elegant, yet straightforward text aside lovely and moving illustrations — how he formed the nonviolent protest groups and became a civil rights leader. The center of this biography is whether blacks could borrow books from public libraries, which is especially poignant given that he became an acclaimed author, and even married a librarian. The biography continues to explain how blacks won the recognition of their rights to become patrons of public libraries everywhere, with even that first library that blocked his entrance giving him his own library card, decades later. This is an inspiring story for all young people — and a must-have for every public library in America.

Esi the Brave (Who Was Not Afraid of Anything)
My kids, like all kids, sometimes feel pretty small in this crazy world we live in. I try to teach them that they are as “big” as anyone else out there, and they will need to take a stance in life. In this colorful and imaginative children’s book, a little girl travels to a masquerade festival, falls asleep during the drive, and awakens to a world filled with colorful “monsters,” her parents apparently taken away by the monsters. The illustrations are outstanding and help capture the surreal experience of the festival. According to Wikipedia, “The Fancy Dress Festival (known locally as Kakamotobi) is a masquerade festival held on Christmas to the first day of January every year by the people of Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana.” Can the little girl find courage enough to face the monsters and get her parents back? This engaging tale helps my children to feel a little braver, while subtly learning that many of our fears are based in misunderstandings. Once we understand, maybe we can all join in the fun — just like Esi the Brave!

Nana’s New Soul Food: Discovering Vegan Soul Food
This is a charming story promoting healthy eating, and creating a “new soul food” that’s both delicious and healthy. It’s told from a child’s point of view, whose grandmother becomes sick and is told by a doctor to eat healthier. The mother and child respond, shopping for healthy and vegetarian options to bring to the grandmother. The painted illustrations are charming and authentic, and the inspiration to the book is laudable, inspiring every reader (including little ones) to find healthier food options as a way to show we love and care for our families.

What the Garden Tells Me
This is simply one of the most beautiful books of the year! My children love paging through this lovely and inspiring book over and over again. A young girl visits a community flower garden in a park, where she names each plant and interprets what their messages are to her (and the world), like the water lilies, growing in muddy water, that remind her “nothing can get in my way when I believe in myself.” Similarly, the Birds-of-paradise reveal that “Paradise can be found wherever you are.” It’s such an elegant and inspiring work!

Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Found His Voice
Some of my children are less verbal than others. The more outspoken ones seem to sometimes talk over the quieter ones, although I don’t want them to feel that their thoughts and opinions aren’t important. This wonderful and inspiring biography of how James Earl Jones overcame his childhood reticence to speak, due to a stutter. Finding it too hard to speak on cue, he decided that he wouldn’t speak at all. Eight years went by until, inspired by a teacher’s introduction to poetry inspired Jones to write a poem himself, about grapefruit. His teacher encouraged him to recite his poem to the class, and the rhythm helped him speak “without pause or repetition, his resonant voice heard for the first time at school.” Could you imagine? James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader himself? The wonderfully illustrated book shows him progressing, performing, and moving forward in his successful life, all due to a love of poetry. It’s been a revelation to one of my quieter children, and I think it might be to others, too. I highly recommend this, especially to libraries of all kinds, everywhere.