Happy New Year and welcome to the first Butler Bookshelf of 2021! We are so glad to have a copy of This Book Is Anti-Racist Journal, a companion to This Book Is Anti-Racist, written by Tiffany Jewell and illustrated by Aurélia Durand. The journal provides information as well as new reflections and prompts to help go deeper into one’s anti-racist journey. The toolkit gives space to learn and grow with activities centered around identity, history, family, your universe, disruption, self-care, privilege, and art. For more great reads, check out the list below!

LOVE
Written by Corrinne Averiss and illustrated Kirsti Beautyman
Published by words & pictures
Available January 19!

A Year Full of Celebrations and Festivals: Over 90 fun and fabulous festivals from around the world!
Written by Claire Grace and illustrated Christopher Corr
Published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

American As Paneer Pie
Written by Supriya Kelkar
Published by Aladdin
Available now!

This Book Is Anti-Racist Journal: Over 50 activities to help you wake up, take action, and do the work
Written by Tiffany Jewell and illustrated Aurélia Durand
Published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available February 2!

Prince: Little People, Big Dreams
Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Cachetejack
Published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available January 19!

We Are The Supremes (Friends Change the World)
Written by Zoë Tucker and illustrated by Salini Perera
Published by Wide Eyed Editions
Available January 12!

My Creepy Valentine
Written and illustrated by Arthur Howard
Published by Beach Lane Books
Available now
Ages 3-7

Young witch Mitzi loves all holidays–except Valentine’s Day. It’s too schmoopy and lovey-dovey for her tastes. What is the appeal in writing Valentine’s cards to your classmates? But then she meets Spencer. Spencer can do so many great things: spurt milk out of his nose, wiggle his ears while hanging upside down, and construct giant Lego animals! Mitzi decides to write her first Valentine to Spencer. She tries her hardest, “Roses are red. Violets are blue. If a boa constrictor squeezed you, you’d be blue too.” But that doesn’t seem quite right. Instead, she opts for, “Lizards like to slither. Black cats like to doze. I’d like to see you with a spider up your nose.” Mitzi hops on her broom to deliver the Valentine to Spencer’s home, air mail style. She tells her dear cat Hoodwink how excited she is for Spencer’s reply. But at school the next day, Spencer does not even look at her. Sad and disappointed, Mitzi disappears in a poof. Her family tries to cheer her up with bedtime stories and midnight snacks. Then Hoodwink noses his way into Mitzi’s room and gives her a loud purr: one of the very best Valentines she could ask for! Arthur Howard’s Mitzi is an emotive, thoughtful, and delightful young witch—gentle illustrations show off her creepy world and preferences, but in a nonthreatening way that invites curiosity rather than fear. Howard’s blend of colored pencil and watercolor creates a soft yet vibrant look, filled with rich and humorous details related to Mitzi’s witchy world. Mitzi is almost always pictured with her dear cat, Hoodwink, except during school. Her friendship and family connections are real and sweet. Her affection for Spencer is demonstrated in tangible and recognizable ways, and her efforts at composing a Valentine that is true to her feelings are admirable. Encouraging animals and friends off-set Mitzi’s disappointment that Spencer seems to not reciprocate her feelings. The best message of all is that Mitzi is cheered up by her forever friend, Hoodwink the cat; Spencer’s returned Valentine’s Day card is a postscript.

This week on the Butler Bookshelf, we cannot wait to read Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover), a new picture book by Helen Yoon. In Sheepish, a wolf dreams of tasty sheep — tasty sheep sandwiches, tasty sheep tacos! — and comes up with a disguise to infiltrate a herd of sheep. But soon the wolf is part of the community, helping out the sheep, and reading bedtime stories to lambs. Perhaps sheep aren’t so tasty after all, the wolf thinks. For more great reads, check out the list below!

Bedtime for Albie
Written and illustrated by Sophie Ambrose
Published by Candlewick Press
Available January 12, 2021

The Broken Raven (Shadow Skye Trilogy, Book 2)
Written by Joseph Elliott
Published by Walker Books
Available January 12, 2021

Wakey Birds
Written and illustrated by Maddie Frost
Published by Templar
Available January 12, 2021

No! Said Rabbit
Written and illustrated by Marjoke Henrichs
Published by Peachtree Publishing
Available March 1, 2021

Welcome To Your Period!
Written by Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Lang, and illustrated by Jenny Latham
Published by Walker Books
Available January 12, 2021

Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover)
Written and illustrated by Helen Yoon
Published by Candlewick Press
Available January 12, 2021

This week on the Butler Bookshelf, we want to immerse ourselves in a new picture book by Sili Recio and illustrated by Brianna McCarthy, If Dominican Were A Color. With a gorgeous palette and lyrical rhyme scene, If Dominican Were A Color invites readers to celebrate the beauty that is the Dominican Republic. For more great reads, check out the list below!

B Is for Ballet: A Dance Alphabet (American Ballet Theatre)
Written by John Robert Allman and illustrated by Rachael Dean
Published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Stay Curious!: A Brief History of Stephen Hawking
Written by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer, illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Rescatando palabras: José Alberto Gutiérrez y la biblioteca que creó
Written by Angela Burke Kunkel and illustrated by Paola Escobar
Published by Schwartz & Wade
Available now!

Grumpy Monkey Up All Night
Written by Suzanne Lang and illustrated by Max Lang
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

If Dominican Were A Color
Written by Sili Recio and illustrated by Brianna McCarthy
Published by Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Welcome to Bobville: City of Bobs
Written by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Bob Staake
Published by Schwartz & Wade
Available now!

This week on the Butler Bookshelf we’re jumping into action with Nathan Bryon’s and Dapo Adeola’s new picture book, Rocket Says Clean Up! When Rocket goes to visit her grammy and grampy at their island home, she encounters a baby sea turtle tangled in plastic on the beach. When she brings the turtle to Grampy, who runs an animal sanctuary, he shows Rocket all of the ways plastics are harming the islands–Rocket is sad and is moved to take action. For more great reads, check out the list below!

My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World
Written by Rebecca Bond and illustrated by Salley Mavor
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Rocket Says Clean Up!
Written by Nathan Bryon and illustrated by Dapo Adeola
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Elbow Grease: Fast Friends
Written by John Cena and illustrated by  Howard McWilliam
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Fern and Otto: A Story About Two Best Friends
Written and illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
Published by Schwartz & Wade
Available now!

Tiny Monsters: The Strange Creatures That Live On Us, In Us, and Around Us
Written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Helga Makes A Name For Herself
Written by Megan Maynor and illustrated by Eda Kaban
Published by Clarion Books
Available now!

This week on the Butler Bookshelf, we’re reimagining the Tooth Fairy myth in Tyler Clark Burke’s The Last Loose Tooth. In Burke’s new picture book, Lou is the last baby tooth in the mouth, crowded out by the adult teeth. When it’s his time to leave and join his fellow baby teeth friends, he connects with the Tooth Fairy so he can make his way to the Land of Teeth. For more great reads, check out the list below!

The Last Loose Tooth
Written and illustrated by Tyler Clark Burke
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Starcrossed
Written and illustrated by Julia Denos
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Quiet Down, Loud Town!
Written by Alastair Heim and illustrated by Matt Hunt
Published by Clarion Books 
Available now!

Space Matters
Written by Jacque Lynn and illustrated by Lydia Nichols
Published by Clarion Books
Available now!

Solid, Liquid, Gassy! (A Fairy Science Story)
Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Night Walk to the Sea: A Story About Rachel Carson, Earth’s Protector
Written by Deborah Wiles and illustrated by Daniel Miyares
Published by Schwartz & Wade
Available now!

This week on the Butler Bookshelf, we’re looking forward to a new, winter picture book by Saumiya Balasubramaniam and illustrated by Eva Campbell. In Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White, a little girl and her mother walk home after school. It is snowy, and the little girl misses the colors of other seasons. What follows is a conversation between mother and child, exploring and appreciating all that winter has to offer. For more great reads, check out the list below!

Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White
Written by Saumiya Balasubramaniam and illustrated by Eva Campbell
Published by Groundwood Books
Available now!

A Polar Bear in the Snow
Written by Mac Barnett with art by Shawn Harris
Published by Candlewick
Available now!

Pretty Funny For A Girl
Written by Rebecca Elliott
Published by Peachtree Publishing Company
Available now!

A Ben of All Trades: The Most Inventive Boyhood of Benjamin Franklin
Written by Michael J. Rosen and illustrated by Matt Tavares
Published by Candlewick
Available now!

My Rainy Day Rocket Ship
Written by Market Sheppard and illustrated by Charly Palmer
Published by Denene Millner Books
Available now!

The Bad Chair
Written and illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova
Published by Groundwood Books
Available now!