Books You May Have Missed 2021: Elementary and Middle Grade

"Bodies, bodies! Big and small, short and tall, young and old--Every BODY is different! The Bare Naked Book has been a beloved fixture in libraries, classrooms, and at-home story times since its original publication in 1986. Now, this revised edition is ready to meet a new generation of readers. The text has been updated to reflect current understandings of gender and inclusion, which are also showcased in the brand-new, vibrant illustrations by Melissa...

"Birds around the world have so many amazing kinds of beaks! There are short beaks and long beaks, straight beaks and curved beaks, flat beaks and even spoon-shaped beaks. But what do all of these beaks do? Discover how beaks of different shapes and sizes are adapted to help birds sip nectar, make nests, battle for mates, and more!" -- Amazon.com. "A non-fiction exploration of the different kinds of beaks birds have and what they use them for."--...

When nine-year-old Clem's father dies in the Port Chicago Disaster he is forced to navigate his family's losses and strunggles in 1940's Chicago.--

Dylan just moved to a new house, with no friends, and a mother who doesn't have time for him. Luckily, he has his grandad. Together, they are Red Rocket and Kid Cosmo, who save the universe every day with the power of imagination! But one day, Dylan learns that his grandad is suddenly gone... to a "better place." Now, Kid Cosmo will have to save the day, all by himself.

"From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland comes a nonfiction picture book celebrating dancers of color who have influenced her on and off the stage. As a young girl living in a motel with her mother and her five siblings, Misty Copeland didn't have a lot of exposure to ballet or prominent dancers. She was sixteen when she saw a Black ballerina on a magazine cover for the first...

In the late 19th century, there wasn't much hope for premature babies-- until Dr. Couney developed the incubator. The device was so new and strange, hospitals rejected it. So Dr. Couney set up a sideshow at Coney Island, taking care of the tiniest newborns as part of a display to convince the public that incubators worked. Thousands of babies grew into healthy children as Boardwalk Babies, including Dr. Couney's own premature daughter. Many of those...

In Chennai, india, after spending his whole life in jail with his mother, who is serving time for a crime she did not commit, nine-year-old Kabir is suddenly released and has to figure out how to survive on his own in the outside world.

"A powerful memoir about a Holocaust survivor who was deemed hopeless-and the rehabilitation center that gave him and other teen boys the chance to learn how to live again"--

The journey of the Callery pear tree rescued from Ground Zero and replanted ten years later is presented alongside a wordless story following a girl and her firefighter uncle who is a 9/11 hero. Includes author's notes.

"A picture book about painter Winslow Homer's fascination with waves and the ocean"--