Joan Holub

Daniel Roode

female role models

historical figures

Learn all about influential women who changed history in this engaging and colorful board book perfect for trailblazers-in-training!

Paving the way
to a future that’s bright.
Helping the world
with their skills, smarts, and might. 

Little trailblazers cause great big changes.

In this follow up to This Little President and This Little Explorer, now even the youngest readers can learn all about great and empowering female trailblazers in history! Highlighting ten memorable women leaders who paved the way, parents and little ones alike will love this girl power primer full of fun, age-appropriate facts and bold illustrations.

This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer

Jessica Hische

Tomorrow I’ll be all the things I tried to be today- Adventurous, Strong, Smart, Curious, Creative, Confident, &amp;amp;amp; Brave. And if I wasn’t one of them, I know that it’s OK. Adventure through a world filled with positive and beautifully hand-lettered words of widsom, inspiration, and motivation. As this book reminds readers, tomorrow is another day, full of endless opportunities–all you have to do is decide to make the day yours.

Tomorrow I'll Be Brave

Tomie dePaola

This enthralling modern fairy tale from Caldecott and Newbery Honor winner Tomie dePaola and debut illustrator Doug Salati celebrates the greatest power of all: love.

In a small kingdom along an ancient road, a bell rings out. The beloved king has died, leaving his magnificent and powerful Imperial Robe to his heir, the young prince.

But when the prince’s jealous older half-brother steals the Imperial Robe, slashing it to bits, the prince can no longer rule—and the small kingdom is in great danger. Now the young prince must find another source of power and of strength—and he finds it in a surprising place.

In a Small Kingdom

Sandra Magsamen

Have you ever felt like you’re just too small to do important stuff in the world at all? Well, take a closer look, and then you’ll see that the smallest of things are as AMAZING as can be! Little things are capable of giant accomplishments. Bees, butterflies, and little children too may seem small but are actually full of great strength and incredible potential! Each one is unique, and capable of making big changes in the world.

Not So Small at All

Benjamin Scheuer

Jemima Williams

Guess How Much I Love You meets Someday in this gentle read-aloud picture book that shows us that with just the right amount of care and support, even the smallest of seeds can grow to stand one hundred feet tall.

Thanks for the love that you’ve shown me
Right now I’m so very small
But with water and light
I will keep gaining height
And then one day I’ll stand at a hundred feet tall

Hundred Feet Tall is a tender ode to the power of unconditional, immutable love. Because no matter how small you are now, with patience and persistence, with encouragement and devotion, you, too, will someday grow strong.

Hundred Feet Tall

Mike Litwin

Jennifer Fosberry

Isabella imagines she is a variety of prominent women throughout history, including Sally Ride, Annie Oakley, Rosa Parks, and Marie Curie.

My Name is Not Isabella

Kersten Hamilton

Valeria Petrone

With the tremendous success of RED TRUCK in board book format and anticipation around YELLOW COPTER in board to match, we’re thrilled to complete the primary-colored series about vehicles who save the day by bringing BLUE BOAT into board, too! When a family on a sailing outing gets stuck in a surprise storm, there is only one boat tough enough to handle the rocking waves and howling winds: Blue Boat! Now even the youngest readers can cheer on this “rough, tough tugboat.”

Blue Boat

Jocko Willink

Jon Bozak

New York Times-bestselling author Jocko Willink delivers a second powerful and empowering Way of the Warrior Kid book about finding your inner strength and being the best you can be, even in the face of adversity in Marc’s Mission.

Marc's Mission

Josie Angelini

family problems

Fifth grader Annie is just like every other girl in her small suburban town. Except she’s starting to realize that she isn’t.

Annie is the youngest of nine children. Instead of being condemned to the bottom of the pecking order, she wants to carve out place for herself in the world. But it’s hard to find your destiny when the only thing you’re good at is being cheerful. Annie is learning that it’s difficult to be Annie, period, and not just because her clothes are worn-out hand-me-downs, and she suffers from a crippling case of dyslexia, but also because there are secrets in her life no one in her family is willing to face.

In Snow Lane, Josie Angelini presents a story about a resilient girl who, in spite of many hardships, can still find light in the darkest of places.

Snow Lane

Courtney Dicmas

Nobody has ever been able to catch The Great Googly Moogly – a giant and terrifying fish of legend. But Stella aims to do just that. Armed with fishing gear and differing baits, she sets out every day to realise her dream, whatever the weather. But what will she do if she succeeds?Courtney Dicmas’s latest book features a strong and spirited character determined to achieve her goal, but it also reflects our responsibilities to other creatures, and our place in the natural world.

The Great Googly Moogly

Maggie Testa

Style Guide

Catboy, Owlette, and Gekko must learn to work together in this 8x8 storybook that comes with three masks to punch out and wear, based on an episode of PJ Masks, the hit preschool series airing on Disney Junior! When Night Ninja steals all the sports equipment from Sports Day to make his Ninjalinos super strong, it’s up to the PJ Masks to get it back! There’s only one problem: Gekko is determined to prove that he’s the strongest, so he won’t let Catboy and Owlette help. Gekko learns that teamwork can make a strong hero even stronger! After the story, kids will love the three punch-out masks of Catboy, Owlette, and Gekko that they can use to have their own heroic adventures! PJ Masks © Frog Box / Entertainment One UK Limited / Walt Disney EMEA Productions Limited 2014

Super Team

Stephanie Miles

David Miles

Nothing nurtures a child more than the reassuring warmth of loving words and positive touch. Mommy Loves Me is the adorable board book that comes with a hug! Two plush arms hug the front cover and give the child a surprise hug at the end of the book. Inside, with beautiful illustrations and simple text, Mommy Loves Me depicts a mother showing the size and strength of her love for her child with concrete examples. How much? “More than all the sprinkles on our ice cream sundaes. More than all the stars above our summer cottage. More than the longest hug that ever was.”

Mommy Loves Me

K. A. Holt

Timothy is on probation. It’s a strange word—something that happens to other kids, to delinquents, not to kids like him. And yet, he is under house arrest for the next year. He must check in weekly with a probation officer and a therapist, and keep a journal for an entire year. And mostly, he has to stay out of trouble. But when he must take drastic measures to help his struggling family, staying out of trouble proves more difficult than Timothy ever thought it would be. By turns touching and funny, and always original, House Arrest is a middlegrade novel in verse about one boy’s path to redemption as he navigates life with a sick brother, a grieving mother, and one tough probation officer.

House Arrest

Diane De Anda

Sue Cornelison

When a father is taken away from his family and facing deportation, his family is left to grieve and wonder about what comes next. Maricela, Manuel, and their mother face the many challenges of having their lives completely changed by the absence of their father and husband. Moving to a new house, missed soccer games and birthday parties, and emptiness are now the day-to-day norm. Mango Moon shows what life is like from a child’s perspective when a parent is deported, and the heartbreaking realities they have to face, but Maricela learns that her love for her father is sustained even though he is no longer part of her daily life.

Mango Moon

Norman Jorgensen

James Foley

A victorious story about a boy with a wild imagination, this humorous and pertinent narrative not only addresses the serious issue of bullying, but also highlights a moving relationship between grandfather and grandson. Josh is a nervous kid, and he is especially nervous about the kids who bother him at school and in the skate park. With his helmet and sword, and joined by his trusty Scottish terrier Wolverine, Josh finds new strength when the ancient Viking gods unite with him to thwart the neighborhood bullies.

The Last Viking

Wynne Kinder

Teach your kids how to focus their thoughts and notice the world around them with this fun mindfulness kids activity book. Mindfulness activities are a great way to teach children about their thoughts and feelings and how to understand them–while having fun at the same time. This book is packed with activities–make a mindfulness jar, learn how to appreciate food with mindful eating, and get out into nature and explore the outside world. An illustrated journal section at the back of the book encourages children to make notes about their own thoughts and feelings Calm: Mindfulness for Kids has everything you need to know about focusing your child’s mind to help them enjoy and appreciate things that they take for granted every day, while boosting their confidence and self-esteem. Children are guided through each activity, to make sure they achieve maximum enjoyment and awareness. All children will learn and react to each activity in a different way and parent’s notes give advice on how to encourage children to embrace mindfulness in the modern world. Each specially designed activity is flexible for each child’s needs and inspires them to seek calmness and tranquility in all situations. Calm: Mindfulness for Kids shows that supporting a child’s positive mental health doesn’t need to be expensive, time-consuming, or difficult. Activities help children to de-stress, focus, and get moving while having fun.

Calm: Mindfulness for Kids

Debbie Gonzales

Rebecca Gibbon

No chasing! No stretching or straining! And never, ever sweat. These were the rules girls were forced to play by until Title IX passed in 1972. And it was a game-changer. A celebration of the strength, endurance, and athleticism of women and girls throughout the ages, Play Like a Girl keeps score with examples of women athletes from the late 1800s up through the 1970s, sharing how women refused to take no for an answer, and how finally, they pushed for a law to protect their right to play, compete, and be athletes.

Girls with Guts!

Obert Skye

A schoolwide event inspired by the Hunger Games and a girl with the strength of Katniss Everdeen (plus a scaly mermaid tail)—is Rob Burnside in store for even more trouble than usual? Find out in Book 4 in Obert Skye’s middle grade Creature from My Closet series. Rob Burnside’s life is in ruins. After his escapades with Pinocula and his resulting outrageous lies, everyone is fed up with him. Rob needs help. And his science laboratory closet is there to give him a hand. Meet Katfish, a mashup of Katniss from the Hunger Games and the Little Mermaid. This girl is strong as nails and sports a tail. Everyone at Rob’s school is excited about an upcoming riff on the Hunger Games created by Principal Smelt: the Fun-ger Games. Rob is less excited because the principal and his mom have roped him into participating. But Katfish is sticking around to help Rob out with girl advice, Fun-ger Games tips, and how to get people to stop hating him. What could go wrong? Praise for Katfish: “Drawing from The Wimpy Kid school of adolescent humor, scenes like a drenching water balloon mishap, a food fight at the family dinner table, and a clever parody of ‘The Fun-ger Games,’ should appeal to reluctant and enthusiastic readers alike. The line drawings are reminiscent of doodles middle school boys draw when they should be taking notes. Engaging cartoons, quick dialogue in speech squares, and generous white space break up text segments, make this book an inviting, independent read.” —Children’s Literature Read the Creature in My Closet series: Wonkenstein Potterwookie Pinocula Katfish The Lord of the Hat Batneezer

Katfish

Beth Turley

In the tradition of Crenshaw and The Thing About Jellyfish, ten-year-old Hannah copes with the bullies at school and troubles at home through the power of stories in this sweet and sincere debut. Tenacious. That means strong-willed. My mother calls me that. I wish I felt the same way. If this were a story, I would discover I was a direct descendent of a famous soldier who won countless battles and protected hundreds of people. This resilience running through my veins wouldn’t be damaged by the notes; it would fight off bullies and prevent my parents from yelling at each other. But this is not a story. This is real life. My life as ten-year-old Hannah Geller, who is the only girl in fifth grade to have little red bumps on her face, is unable to let the sad thoughts escape her mind, and leaves heads-up pennies wherever she can to spread good luck. And who also finds magic in the most unlikely of places.

If This Were a Story

Sharon Draper

When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth-grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town.

Stella by Starlight

Katherine Halligan

Sarah Walsh

Move aside history—it’s time for herstory. Celebrate fifty inspiring and powerful women who changed the world and left their mark in this lavishly illustrated biography compilation that’s perfect for fans of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and She Persisted. Throughout history, girls have often been discussed in terms of what they couldn’t or shouldn’t do. Not anymore. It’s time for herstory—a celebration of not only what girls can do, but the remarkable things women have already accomplished, even when others tried to stop them. In this uplifting and inspiring book, follow the stories of fifty powerhouse women from around the world and across time who each managed to change the world as they knew it forever. Telling the stories of their childhood, the challenges they faced, and the impact of their achievements, each lavishly illustrated spread is a celebration of girl power in its many forms. From astronauts to activists, musicians to mathematicians, these women are sure to motivate young readers of all backgrounds to focus not on the can’ts and shouldn’ts, but on what they can do: anything!

Herstory

Brad Meltzer

As a young man in India, Gandhi saw firsthand how people were treated unfairly. Refusing to accept injustice, he came up with a brilliant way to fight back through quiet, peaceful protest. He used his methods in South Africa and India, where he led a nonviolent revolution that freed his country from British rule. Through his calm, steady heroism, Gandhi changed the lives of millions and inspired civil rights movements all over the world, proving that the smallest of us can be the most powerful.

I Am Gandhi

Jane Yolen

Susan Guevara

A collection of fifteen traditional tales from various parts of the world, with the main character of each being a fearless, strong, heroic, and resourceful woman.

Not One Damsel in Distress

Nicky Johnston

Dimity Powell

death, grief, and bereavement

dads

It’s handy having a dad who can fix just about anything. A young girl believes her father is the king of fixing things. But following the death of her mother, she discovers that broken hearts are not as easy to repair as damaged toys and cracked teapots. Together, she and her father find a way to glue back the pieces of her lives. The Fix-It Man is a poignant picture book that explores how a child can cope with the loss of a parent (in this case, the young girl’s mother). Repairing damaged emotions is not as straightforward as gluing a broken kite back together or sewing up a torn toy. And grief affects all members of a family, with each responding in their own way to the loss. By sticking with her father, the young girl is able to strengthen her resilience and ability to cope with one of life’s harshest experiences. The author was encouraged to seek publication for this story after receiving the endorsement of several grief counsellors who work with children and who recognised the need for a book such as this.

Top 10 Strength Books

Strength