A Michael L. Printz Honor BookA Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor BookArnold Adoff Poetry Award for TeensSix Starred Reviews -- ★Booklist ★BCCB ★The Horn Book ★Publishers Weekly ★School Library Connection ★Shelf AwarenessA Booklist Best Book for Youth * A BCCB Blue Ribbon * A Horn Book Fanfare Book * A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book * Recommended on NPR's "Morning Edition" by Kwame Alexander"This powerful story, told with the music of poetry and the blade of truth, will help your heart grow."--Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Shout"[A] testimony and a triumph."--Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way DownIn her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night - and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki's notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards - ordinary and extraordinary - of her life.

Robert F. Sibert Honor Award winner A Junior Library Guild Selection A 2020 Outstanding Science Trade Book A New York Public Library Best of 2019 A 2020 Best STEM Book by NSTA and CBCFor fans of the “Who Was” series, this lively, accessible, and full-color chapter book biography shows how a self-taught scientist was the first to observe the microbial life in and around us. By building his own microscope, Antony van Leeuwenhoek advanced humanity’s understanding of our oft-invisible world around us. Microbes are everywhere: in the soil and oceans, in snow, and inside our bodies. But in Antony van Leeuwenhoek’s time, people believed that what they saw with their own eyes was all that existed in the world. How did a simple tradesman—who didn’t go to college or speak English or Latin like all the other scientists—change everyone’s minds? Proving that remarkable discoveries can come from the most unexpected people and places, this eye-opening chapter book, illustrated with lively full-color art, celebrates the power of curiosity, ingenuity, and persistence.

Splash! A spunky little girl plays a spirited game of hide-and-seek with water, in this gorgeously illustrated nonfiction picture book.A Robert F. Sibert Honor BookAn ALA Notable Children's BookHey, water! I know you! You're all around.Join a young girl as she explores her surroundings and sees that water is everywhere. But water doesn't always look the same, it doesn't always feel the same, and it shows up in lots of different shapes. Water can be a lake, it can be steam, it can be a tear, or it can even be a snowman. As the girl discovers water in nature, in weather, in her home, and even inside her own body, water comes to life, and kids will find excitement and joy in water and its many forms. This latest work from award-winning author/illustrator Antoinette Portis is an engaging, aesthetically pleasing nonfiction picture book, complete with accessible backmatter on the water cycle, water conservation, and more.A School Library Journal Best Book of the YearA Bank Street Best Book of the YearSelected for the CBC Champions of Change Showcase

Winner of the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book MedalA 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Picture Book Honor Winner“A wonderful and sweet book . . . Lovely stuff.” ―The New York Times Book Review Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family, vibrantly illustrated by Pura Belpre Award winner and Caldecott Honoree Juana Martinez-Neal. Fry bread is food.It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.Fry bread is time.It brings families together for meals and new memories.Fry bread is nation.It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.Fry bread is us.It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.A 2020 Charlotte Huck Recommended BookA Publishers Weekly Best Picture Book of 2019A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2019A School Library Journal Best Picture Book of 2019A Booklist 2019 Editor's ChoiceA Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book of 2019A Goodreads Choice Award 2019 SemifinalistA Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of 2019A National Public Radio (NPR) Best Book of 2019An NCTE Notable Poetry BookA 2020 NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young PeopleA 2020 ALA Notable Children's BookA 2020 ILA Notable Book for a Global Society 2020 Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year List