Mama’s Library Summers

Melvina Noel, illus. by Daria Peoples. Cameron, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-949-48023-8

Two sisters spend their summer taking in books featuring African American figures in Noel’s transportive first-person telling, which, per an author’s note, is based on memories from “a time when schools did not teach Black history.” For the narrator’s Mama, “summer vacation means reading books—lots of them!” In mixed-media illustrations that focus on the protagonists and the individuals they read about, Peoples captures the brown-skinned family’s drive to the library, where the children head in to choose their reads (“Only books about Black people, Mama’s directions”). Upon their return home to “disappear into our books,” the narrator is shown engaging with luminaries including Harriet Tubman, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Martin Luther King Jr. Later, “Mama holds book review contests... Winner gets an extra slice of Mama’s homemade sweet potato pie.” It’s a celebratory love letter to libraries, literature, and the significance of representation. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 5–7. (Mar.)

“ROOOOOOAAAARR... CHOO”s keep coming. Phoenix’s subsequent attempts to help (“Take this blanket”) and Dragon’s firm rebuttals (“Dragons never quit”) lead to hilarious results. When Dragon’s fiery sneezes finally cause trouble for Phoenix, who “can’t keep going without a little rest,” Dragon embraces a reframe that turns out better for both. Caldecott Medalist Santat’s signature-style art brings Cheng’s dynamic friendship to life in this rollicking readaloud about two folkloric friends learning their own limits—and each other’s. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)