DC Public Library
Wizards Book Of The Month Presented by KPMG
Check out DC Public Library's picks for the Book of the Month. Click the month tab to browse through their title choices. Be sure to grab a library card and check out these books through the links below. Digital and physical copies are available.
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The Truth About Dragons
In a mix of Eastern and Western mythologies, a mother tells her child about two forests inhabited by different, but equally enchanting dragons that coexist within the child’s heart.
Ruby Lost and Found
Thanks to her Ye-Ye’s epic scavenger hunts, thirteen-year-old Ruby Chu knows San Francisco like the back of her hand. But after his death, she feels lost, and it seems like everyone–from her best friends to her older sister–is abandoning her. After Ruby gets in major trouble at school, her parents…
Lei and the Invisible Island
When Kaipo’s essential ʻaumakua pendant disappears, Lei, Kaipo, Ilikea, and newcomer Kaukahi embark on a perilous journey to an invisible island in search of the pendant, where they face challenges from sharks to malevolent spirits determined to thwart their quest.
Windsongs: Poems about Weather
Weather describes our atmosphere. Like whether it’s cloudy, or whether it’s clear. Whether it’s freezing, or frosty, or cool. Whether it’s snowing–today there’s no school! Learn about all sorts of weather all over the world, from a regular rainy day to a hurricane, from fog to frost, from droughts to…
Poetry Comics
From the cloud-gazing hours of early spring to the lost bicycles of late autumn, Grant Snider’s brilliantly illustrated Poetry Comics will take you climbing, floating, swimming, and tumbling through all the year’s ups, downs, and in-betweens. He proves that absolutely everything, momentous or minuscule, is worthy of attention, whether snail shells,…
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet
Poet, writer, and hip-hop educator Tony Keith Jr. makes his debut with a powerful YA memoir in verse, tracing his journey from being a closeted gay Black teen battling poverty, racism, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation college student who finds freedom in poetry. Perfect for fans of…
The Girl Who Heard the Music
Imagine living on a tiny island more than a thousand miles from any other inhabited place! That’s where a girl named Mahani lived-on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. Mahani grew up taking music lessons on the island’s only piano. She had the talent to become a great pianist,…
Who Was Her Own Work of Art? Frida Kahlo
Explore Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s rise to stardom as she travels from Mexico to New York City for her first-ever solo exhibition and sets the art world aflame. A story of independence, determination, and finding beauty within one’s scars, this graphic novel invites readers to immerse themselves into the incredible…
Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes
An evocative picture book biography about the prolific life of Jackie Ormes, whose groundbreaking cartoons became some of the first empowering depictions of Black women in America! Jackie Ormes made history. She was the first Black woman cartoonist to be nationally syndicated in the United States. She was also a…
Jerry Changed the Game
This engaging picture book biography explores how Jerry Lawson, a Black engineer, revolutionized the video game industry. Before Xbox and Playstation and Nintendo Switch, there was a tinkerer named Jerry Lawson. As a boy, Jerry loved playing with springs, sprockets, and gadgety things. When he grew up, Jerry became an…
Ways to Build Dreams
Middle school is just around the corner for Ryan Hart, which means it’s time to start thinking about the future–and not just how to prank her brother, Ray! During Black History Month, Ryan learns more about her ancestors and local Black pioneers, and their hopes for the future, for her…
Kicks in the Sky
Colorful, psychedelic sneakers hang from telephones wires all over the city. Up in the sky, they hang for all to marvel at. But when a few special pairs get knocked down, the kids have to try them on. Soon they’re racing, dancing, learning to fly! These enchanted sneaks are out…
Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race
Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud board book series offers adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way. Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood…
We Dream a World
The granddaughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King delivers a stirring tribute to her grandparents that speaks to children everywhere about her hopes for a new future. In this stirring tribute to Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King, Jr., their granddaughter, Yolanda – a national civil…
Across the tracks : remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre
In Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre, author Alverne Ball and illustrator Stacey Robinson have crafted a love letter to Greenwood, Oklahoma. Also known as Black Wall Street, Greenwood was a community whose importance is often overshadowed by the atrocious massacre that took…
I’m Going to Build a Snowman
When a little boy wakes up to see a blanket of snow covering the world outside, there’s only one thing to do: make a snowman, and not just any snowman–he wants the best snowman ever. But when his perfectly packed and powdery dreams clash with cold, slushy reality, he realizes…
Who Will Make the Snow?
Twin moles, Purr and Craw, are born on the first day of spring. The newest members of their woodland world, they’re curious about everything. What is swimming? Why does mother speak French as she makes pancakes? What does father scrawl in his notebook? Do animals live in the sea? Why…
Alone
Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, this harrowing middle grade debut novel-in-verse from a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town. When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for…
On Powwow Day
This eye-catching, interactive board book is sure to keep toddlers engaged. Count one through ten as you make your way through the day of the powwow, looking for colors, family members, jingle dresses, musical instruments, and tribal citizens in this introduction to a traditional Native event.
Finding my Dance
At four years old, Ria Thundercloud was brought into the powwow circle, ready to dance in the special jingle dress her mother made for her. As she grew up, she danced with her brothers all over Indian country. Then Ria learned more styles–tap, jazz, ballet–but still loved the expressiveness of…
Eagle Drums
As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping–the same mountain where his two older brothers died. When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice:…
THE COQUÍES STILL SING
Co-quí, co-quí! The coquí frogs sing to Elena from her family’s beloved mango tree—their calls so familiar that they might as well be singing, “You are home, you are safe.” But home is suddenly not safe when a hurricane threatens to destroy everything that Elena knows. As time passes, Elena,…
FUNNY BONES: POSADA AND HIS DAY OF THE DEAD CALAVERAS
Funny Bones tells the story of how the amusing calaveras–skeletons performing various everyday or festive activities–came to be. They are the creation of Mexican artist José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada (1852-1913). In a country that was not known for freedom of speech, he first drew political cartoons, much to the amusement…
A Seed in the Sun
A farm-working girl with big dreams meets activist Dolores Huerta and joins the 1965 protest for workers’ rights in this tender-hearted novel in verse, perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia and Pam Muñoz Ryan.Lula Viramontes aches to one day become someone whom no one can ignore: a daring ringleader in…
Readers K-2
Never, Not Ever!
Author: Beatrice Alemagna
Description: A perfect back-to-school book...with a twist! For little kids everywhere who feel anxious leaving home to go back to school.
A Kids' Indie Next Pick!
Never, Not Ever! is the instant classic from Beatrice Alemagna--a laugh-out-loud tribute to little kids everywhere who would prefer not to leave home on the first day of school.
The other animals are marching dutifully to school, but Pascaline could care less. "Never, not ever!" she declares. She's NOT going. And nothing--not even her parents pulling her by her feet--will change her mind.
She shrieks so loudly that her parents shrink down to the size of peanuts--becoming just the right size to fit snugly under Pascaline's wing. Now they can all go to school together!
In Never, Not Ever! award-winning picture book creator Beatrice Alemagna reminds us that small children need their parents to be close by . . . but not too close.
Readers 3-5
I Didn't Do My Homework Because...
Author: Davide Cali
Description: How many excuses are there for not doing homework? Let us count the ways: Giant lizards invaded the neighborhood. Elves hid all the pencils. And then there was that problem with carnivorous plants.... The excuses go on and on, each more absurd than the next and escalating to hilarious heights. Featuring detail-rich illustrations by Benjamin Chaud, this book is guaranteed to amuse kids and their parents, not to mention anyone who has experienced a slacker student moment--and isn't that everyone?
Readers 6-8
Look Both Ways
Author: Jason Reynolds
Description: This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy--
Talking about boogers.
Stealing pocket change.
Skateboarding.
Wiping out.
Braving up.
Executing complicated handshakes.
Planning an escape.
Making jokes.
Lotioning up.
Finding comfort.
But mostly, too busy walking home.
Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.
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