Once Upon a World: Snow White by Chloe Perkins and #own voices Misa Saburi

In this Once Upon a World title Snow White get’s a Japanese twist with lovely illustrations by #ownvoices Misa Saburi.  Perfect for a fairy tale or culturally Japanese story time.

Aru Shah and the End of Time by #ownvoices Roshani Chokshi

For the upper elementary kids who love Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase here is a Rick Riordan Presents title!  And this one has a female lead.  Aru has a problem telling the truth, but one lie turns out to be true and when she rubs a magic lamp something unlikely really does happen.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects and other Man-Made Catastrophes by #ownvoices Lenore Look and # ownvoices LeUyen Pham

Okay, so I just grabbed one the Alvin Ho books off the shelf as I headed out for the weekend, not knowing what order they went in.  It really didn’t matter.   I giggled a lot reading this darling chapter book about a neurotic Asian American boy and his group of friends.  In addition to Alvin,

One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mann’s and Susan Kathleen Hartung

I purchased this book to do with a leaf story time in the fall.  After the first haiku there isn’t really anything about leafs–but this is a wonderful counting book!  A young Japanese girl wanders through a garden counting.  This is a great introduction to Japanese culture and the art of haiku.

The Pet Dragon by Christoph Nieman

Lin’s pet dragon disappears and she sets off on a journey to find her friend.  The illustrations cleverly integrate Chinese ideograms.  A great story time book for a language, writing, or dragon theme!

The Lonesome Puppy by #ownvoices Yoshimoto Nara

A puppy is so huge that no one can see him.  One day a girl discovers his leg and climbs it.  It’s only when she stumbles and catches herself on his nose that she sees his eyes and realizes what she has found. #OwnVoices acclaimed artist Yoshitomo Nara tells a simple story with dynamic art

Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker and #ownvoices Yoko Tanaka

First a disclaimer, I would never read this book in an average story time–too many words! However, I’m planning a citizen scientist STEM program for upper elementary students this fall.  We will be using ebird.com to report observations of birds and having scientists from the university and park interpreters from the state park come in

I Recommend – Baya, Baya, Lulla-by Megan McDonald and Vera Rosenberry

I wish I discovered this bookbefore I did an onomatopoeia themed story time.    This one would have been a great inclusion. The book is filled with sound words.  A sun-yellow baya bird sings “chiri-ya! chiri-ya!”  and builds a nest, “swishhhh swishhh.”   The book combines the story of a mama and baby with the sounds

A Morning with Grandpa by #ownvoices Sylvia Liu and Christina Foray

This one might be a bit long for the average story time, but could be fun in an interactive yoga/tai chi story time.  The text is sweet and poetic and the illustrations as graceful as the poses.

Mah Jong All Day Long by #ownvoices Ginnie and Beth Lo

This book brings three generations together to play mah jong.  Easy text with short sentences.  Eye catching art. Recommended for family or game themed story times.