Books You May Have Missed 2021: Early Readers and Picture Books

A seek-and-find picture book that portrays everyday altruistic efforts. Shriver's text invites readers to notice more than 50 heroic deeds in 10 illustrations. A hospital scene shows "Ten Hidden Heroes working night and day, nursing others back to health until they are okay," including medical staff members reading an X-ray and taking blood pressure. Other images highlight people reading to children, working at a food bank, building homes for those...

"Ada knows that the best place for star-gazing is on the island in Maine where she vacations with her grandparents. By day, she tracks osprey in the trees, paddles a kayak, and hunts for shells. But she's most in her element when the sun goes down and the stars blink to life. Will the fog this year foil her plans, or will her grandfather find a way to shine a spotlight on the vast puzzle of the universe ... until the weather turns?"--

"Ozzy loves attention. And the person she wants it from most of all is her music teacher, Ms. Bomba. So when it's time to choose an instrument for the school recital, Ozzy picks the biggest, loudest, most attention-grabbing one of all: the DRUMS! It's hard to stay on beat, though, when all you want to do is stand out. But getting in tune with her classmates--with a little help from her favorite teacher--just might turn out to be even better than a...

Illustrations and easy-to-read, rhyming text celebrate the littlest things one needs to be happy, and the beauty of sharing with others when one has more than enough.

"America, do you love me? A single question from a single child multiplies across the country with every page turn, inviting in more and more children of color--and their questions"--

"When the ships of the harbor aren't feeling well, the hospital ship Hope comes to the rescue"--

Arthur helps a sad and forgful elephant rediscover his memory by distracting him with fun and games.

A rhythmic read-aloud tale for cool cats of any species depicts a young boy and his relatably mischievous feline, whose days are marked by clawed furniture, sun patches, and stolen sips of water, before the cat curls up on the boy's head to sleep at bedtime.

"Barnaby is a blue budgie who thinks he's really something special. He's the pride and joy of the lady who owns him--until he's not. One day, the lady comes home with another bird, a smaller, yellow budgie. And Barnaby won't have it. He protests, makes a nuisance of himself, and then one day, after being scolded by the lady, Barnaby flies out the window and away. Outside of his gilded cage, Barnaby discovers a wider, wilder world. At first he considers...

This confidence-building book for young girls--particularly those from a diverse community or heritage--is inspired by a real girl, Jayla Rose, who lives in central California.