books ages 8-12

From the creator of the bestselling Bad Girls Throughout History!

Celebrated illustrator and author Ann Shen shares her striking study of history's most iconic styles, and the women who changed the world while wearing them.

From the revolutionary bikini to the presidential pantsuit, this book explores 50 fashions through bold paintings and insightful anecdotes that empower readers to make their own fashion statements.

• Hardcover
• 128 pages

Meet Ella Fitzgerald, First Lady of Song who once said, "It's not where you come from, but where you're going that counts."

Ella Fitzgerald grew up near Harlem, in New York, where she was surrounded by music and dance. After winning first prize in a talent competition at the Apollo Theater, she went on to tour the world with her pioneering voice. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the singer's life.

Looking for coffee table books that do more than look great on your table? Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World, delivers on both counts. Featuring 100 women who made history and made their mark on the world, it's a book you can be proud to display in your home.

• Hardcover
• 224 pages

Meet David Bowie, the starman who dazzled audiences with his music.

As a child, young David had a head full of songs and ideas. He was inspired by the pop and mod scenes in Britain to pick up the saxophone. After earning his stripes in some of the coolest bands in London, David splashed onto the solo scene. His songwriting talent and musical skill made him one of rock and roll's all-time greatest artists. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the musician's life.

A 2019 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

From the beloved author and artist behind Bad Girls Throughout History comes this lushly illustrated book of goddesses from around the world. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess whose love overcame mortality. Mazu, the Chinese deity who safely guides travelers home. Lakshmi, the Hindu provider of fortune and prosperity. These powerful deities and many more are celebrated in gorgeous artwork and enlightening essays that explore the feminine divine and encourage readers to empower themselves. Ann Shen's signature watercolors make Legendary Ladies a unique, gift-worthy homage to the mighty women within.

• Hardcover 
• 128 pages

Meet Frida Kahlo, the world-renowned painter.

When Frida was a teenager, a terrible road accident changed her life forever. Unable to walk, she began painting from her bed. Her self-portraits, which show her pain and grief, but also her passion for life and instinct for survival, have made her one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the artist's life.

• hardback, 32 pages
• 9.5in x 7.6in
• ages 4-9

The latest installment in the New York Times bestselling Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series, featuring 100 immigrant women who have shaped, and will continue to shape, our world.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World is the third book in the New York Times bestselling series for children. Packed with 100 all-new bedtime stories about the lives of incredible female figures from the past and the present, this volume recognizes women who left their birth countries for a multitude of reasons: some for new opportunities, some out of necessity.

Readers will whip up a plate with Asma Khan, strategize global affairs alongside Madeleine Albright, venture into business with Rihanna, and many more. All of these unique, yet relatable stories are accompanied by gorgeous, full-page, full-color portraits, illustrated by female artists from all over the globe.

Age range: 5-10 years old

Told in a lively, illustrated biography form to deliver its cutting-edge science in the most compelling way, here is the story of Earth, from the chaotic Hadean eon with its huge oceans of molten rock to today’s Cenozoic era, aka the Age of Mammals (and that includes us humans). Learn about the Great Oxygenation Event.

Meet some of the planet’s wildest life-forms, like Megatherium—a sloth as big as an elephant. Watch the continents separate, crash together, and reform. Get an eyewitness view of Earth’s major mass extinction events, including the asteroid strike that doomed the dinosaurs. And catch up on the basics, like why the sky is blue and how glaciers shape the land. It’s the ultimate biography of the best home in the galaxy. Fully illustrated and packed with facts!

• Ages 10 & up 

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic, edited by award-winning journalist Lilly Workneh with a foreword by #BlackGirlMagic originator CaShawn Thompson, is dedicated to amplifying and celebrating the stories of Black women and girls from around the world; features the work of over 60 Black female and non-binary authors, illustrators, and editors; is designed to acknowledge, applaud, and amplify the incredible stories of Black women and girls from the past and present; and celebrates Black Girl Magic around the world. 

Amongst the women featured from over 30 countries are tennis player Naomi Osaka, astronaut Jeanette Epps, author Toni Morrison, filmmaker Ava DuVernay; aviator Bessie Coleman, Empress Taytu Betul, journalist Ida B. Wells, and many other inspiring leaders, champions, innovators, and creators.

• Ages 8-12 

Long ago a strong wind blew. It blew people, like seeds, to a new land.

The wind blew in a girl and her clan, where herds of mammoths still wandered the frozen tundra. It later blew a boy and his family across frigid waters, and they spread across the new land. Over time, the wind continued to disperse newcomers from all directions. It blew in men who hoped to find gold, and slave ships, and immigrant families. And so it continued, for generations and generations. Here is a moving and tender picture book that beautifully examines centuries of North American history and its people.

• Ages 4-8

New York Times bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Raissa Figueroa would like to introduce Oona—the big wide sea’s littlest mischief-maker.  

Oona and her best friend Otto love to search for treasure…and often find trouble instead. Messy trouble. Tricky trouble. Even shark-related trouble. That’s never stopped them before, though!

After all, no proper treasure hunt is without some adventure. But when the grandest treasure yet is stuck in a deep, dark rift, Oona’s not sure if she can dive right in. What might be waiting for her in those unknown waters?

• Ages 4-8
• Hardcover

A #1 New York Times bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards picture book winner! This is the perfect gift for mothers and daughters, baby showers, and graduation.

This gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another comes from Empire actor and activist Grace Byers and talented newcomer artist Keturah A. Bobo.

We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it.

• Ages 4-8
• Hardcover

A New York Times Besteller!

From Academy Award–winning actress Lupita Nyong’o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within.

Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.

In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.

• Ages 4-8
• Hardcover

Book nerds rule! And what better gift than a book that celebrates bookishness?

Charming, affectionate, and unabashed in its celebration of book nerdiness, this little love letter is for every avid reader. Every page is packed with bright, playful, intricately detailed illustrations by Holly Maguire, and wonderful mottoes, definitions, relatable moments, and more.

When Neil Armstrong stepped off the ladder of the lunar module, Eagle, he famously spoke of “one small step for man.” But Armstrong would not have reached the moon without the help of women. Today, females across the earth and above it—astronauts and mathematicians, engineers and physicists, test pilots and aerospace psychophysiologists—are pushing the boundaries of human knowledge, helping us to understand the universe and our place in it. Galaxy Girls celebrates more than four dozen extraordinary women from around the globe whose contributions have been fundamental to the story of humankind’s quest to reach the stars.

• Ages 8-12

Welcome to the world of Sleuth & Solve: History, a collection of 20 clever mysteries where the clues are in the details and crafty twists put readers' wits to the test.

These mind-bending mini-mysteries transpire across eras and civilizations, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance to the French Revolution and beyond.

Sleuth & Solve encourages readers of all ages to practice deduction, inference, and logical reasoning to crack each case—and develop critical thinking skills at the same time.

• A history-themed collection of interactive, inference-based mysteries
• Makes a perfect gift for puzzle lovers and super-sleuths of every age
• Requires keen observation, strong logic, and lots of creative thinking

Read the clues, work on solving them, and then lift the flap to reveal the answer to each mystery.

Readers may play alone or with friends, collecting points for cracking each case and determining whose sleuthing skills reign supreme.

• Ages 8-12

“We want to have a word with you!” Max shouts at the moon. “Face-to-face, man-to-Man in the Moon. We need you to stay where you are!”

Max and Ely are best friends, but each night the moon marks the passage of time, closer and closer to the day Ely will go to the hospital. But the determined friends have a plan: they’ll build a rocket, launch to the moon, and keep it from moving. In this poignant story of grief and healing, Max learns that time will keep ticking and loss is inevitable, but memories last forever, and the ones we love will always be with us, certain as the moon will wax and wane.

• ages 5-8 
• 32 pages

ABOUT HAIR LOVE

“I love that Hair Love is highlighting the relationship between a Black father and daughter. Matthew leads the ranks of new creatives who are telling unique stories of the Black experience. We need this.”
     – Jordan Peele, Actor & Filmmaker

It’s up to Daddy to give his daughter an extra-special hair style in this ode to self-confidence and the love between fathers and daughters, from Academy-Award winning director and former NFL wide receiver Matthew A. Cherry and New York Times bestselling illustrator Vashti Harrison.

Zuri’s hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it’s beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he’ll do anything to make her — and her hair — happy.

Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair — and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere.

Ages: 4-8 years

Michael Storrings, the illustrator and creator of widely collected city-themed Christmas tree ornaments, brings to life only-in-New-York events that mark the four seasons, as well as the subtle changes in textures and colors, that each different season brings to favorite spots in the city. Storrings's delightful watercolors capture the energy and excitement of unique New York City events, including the Easter Parade, the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks, the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, and New Year's Eve in Times Square.

He also turns his attention to beloved and well-visited spots such as Central Park, the High Line, Museum Mile, and the beach at Coney Island, presenting these and other landmarks as they change with the seasons. And, each gorgeous illustration is accompanied by a richly entertaining description of the place or the event. An elegant and delightful keepsake, New York in Four Seasons is sure to please fans of Michael Storrings and makes a perfect gift for anyone who's fallen in love with New York City.

• 80 pages