9 Great Picture Books Coming in December

The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez, illustrated by Lauren Semmer

After the Snowfall by Richard Lo

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang, illustrated by Charlene Chua

Dear Earth…from Your Friends in Room 5 by Erin Dealey, illustrated by Luisa Uribe

Ice! Poems about Polar Life by Douglas Florian

Little Blue Truck’s Valentine by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Quiet Down, Loud Town! by Alastair Heim, illustrated by Matt Hunt

Snoozie, Sunny and So-So by Dafna Ben-Zvi, illustrated by Ofra Amit, translated by Annette Appel

A Year of Everyday Wonders by Cheryl B. Klein, illustrated by Qin Leng

2021 NCTE Charlotte Huck Awards

The winners of the National Council of Teachers of English’s Charlotte Huck Award have been announced. The award is given for excellence in writing of fiction for children that has “the potential to transform children’s lives by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder.” Here are the award recipients for 2021:

WINNER

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

HONOR BOOKS

A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Quintessence by Jess Redman

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom; illustrated by Michaela Goade

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Alice’s Farm by Maryrose Wood

The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Braver by Suzanne Selfors and Walker Ranson

Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Hike by Pete Oswald

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller