Author Archives: bclyp

Butler Bookshelf

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Biographies are a great way to learn about the world and all its diversity. The experiences of other people can be informative, intriguing, and inspiring. This week, the Butler Center is sharing some of these fascinating stories, like William Kamkwamba (Little People, BIG DREAMS) by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara and illustrated by Kirsti Beautyman. William Kamkwamba grew up in Malawi, Africa, on a corn farm. He loved school, but for a while he had to stop when his family couldn’t afford the fees because droughts had affected their farm. After visiting the library, William thought of a way to help his family’s farm: build a windmill to pump water to the corn fields! William’s windmill was a great success, and after a few years, he started telling his story to the world. After college, he started Moving Windmills, a foundation that supports problem-solvers and encourages them to use their education and creativity to improve their communities and the world. Vegara’s text is simple and informative, aptly portraying William and his compassion and care for his community and the environment. She includes a two-page detailed biography about William at the end of the book, as well as recommended further reading. Beautyman’s quaint, full-color illustrations pair well with the text, bringing William’s world to life and showcasing his creativity. William’s story is both heartwarming and interesting, and will be sure to inspire young readers to think outside the box for their communities.

Check out more biographies below!

Bob Marley (Little People, BIG DREAMS)
Written by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrated by Subi Bosa
Published by The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now

Messi Mania: The Ultimate Story of the World’s Greatest Soccer Star
Written by Luis Miguel Echegaray
Published by The Quarto Group/Holler
Available now

The Totally Awesome World of Steph Curry: Learn All There Is To Know About Your Favorite MVP
Written by Neal E. Fischer
Published by The Quarto Group/becker & meyer
Available now

William Kamkwamba (Little People, BIG DREAMS)
Written by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrated by Kirsti Beautyman
Published by The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now

Yves Saint Laurent (Little People, BIG DREAMS)
Written by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrated by Klas Fahlén
Published by The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now

Below the Surface: A Review of Dive 

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Dive 
Written by John David Anderson 
Published by Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins Publishers 
Ages 9-13 
Available August 19, 2025 

Thirteen-year-old Kass feels frustrated with her life. She and her best friend are drifting apart, and her parents’ marriage is strained by money problems. Even Kass’s safe space in the pool as a competitive diver causes her stress as she struggles to master a dive that her teammate, Amber, could perform in her sleep. Disheartened, Kass’s life changes when she finds Miles, a seventeen-year-old high school dropout, dumpster diving near her bus stop. Intrigued, Kass starts taking “lessons” from him on how to scavenge, looking for the value in discarded objects. Along the way, Kass learns the importance of looking past her assumptions to find the deeper story. 

John David Anderson delivers a heartwarming story about looking past appearances to find deeper connections with the people and places around you. Through Kass’s character arc, Anderson explores what it means to test boundaries and make mistakes as a way toward self-discovery. Miles and Amber further propel Kass’s development as they teach her that her assumptions of others aren’t always true. Anderson utilizes cheeky teenage humor to bring levity to the emotional, serious situations that Kass finds herself in, like the effects of her parents’ struggling marriage. The novel is fast-paced, covering only a couple of weeks of Kass’s life, but its impression is long-lasting. Both moving and thought-provoking, Dive by John David Anderson is a mirror for many tweens and young teens trying to figure out where they land in the world. 

Butler Bookshelf

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It’s hard to believe it, but school is just around the corner! This change can be uncomfortable for kids of any age, whether they’re starting school for the first time, going to a new school, or starting a new grade. Books are a great way to help kids learn what to expect when it’s time to hit the books again, so we have put together a list of books for young readers about starting school. These books are great for kiddos that while it’s okay to be nervous about school, there are all kinds of fun things to learn and do there. In No School for Me! (Change Is Hard) by Natasha Yim and illustrated by Cory Reid, Little Turtle is upset about starting preschool. The change is scary, and Little Turtle just wants to stay home. But when Mama Turtle drops Little Turtle off at school, Little Turtle soon learns that change can be fun, too! Little Turtle makes friends and can’t wait to go back to school to eat snacks, make art, and play outside. Yim validates the nervous feelings young readers may have about school by showing Little Turtle’s reluctance, but she slowly shows how fun school can actually be. Reid’s full-color, pastel illustrations pair well with Yim’s text to create a comforting story about all the different ways that change can feel.

Check out more back to school books below!

Getting Ready For First Grade
Written by Vera Ahiyya, The Tutu Teacher
Illustrated by Debby Rahmalia
Published by Random House PICTUREBACK
Available now!

Gus & Sully: Ready for School
Written and illustrated by Steve Light
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

No School for Me! (Change Is Hard) (Chicken Soup for the Soul Babies)
Written by Natasha Yim
Illustrated by Cory Reid
Published by Charlesbridge
Available now!

Today at School: With Yesterday and Tomorrow
Written by Jessica Young
Illustrated by Renee Kurilla
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Trusty Bus
Written by Elizabeth Weiss Verdick
Illustrated by Jeff Harter
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Estrellas: A Review of Wanda Hears the Stars

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Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe
By Amy S. Hansen with Wanda Daíz Merced
Illustrated by Rocío Arreola Mendoza
Charlesbridge
August 19, 2025
Ages 6-9

Once Wanda found the stars, they’re all she ever wanted. Despite childhood diabetes and antipathy toward school, curious and strong-willed Wanda set her sights on college to study astronomy. But when diabetes took her sight, she needed coping mechanisms and creative thinking to continue pursuing her goals. With the aid of recorded radio waves—sonification—Wanda was able to “hear a path to the sky” and continue to explore the stars in new and exciting ways.

In this picture book biography, Amy Hansen follows the story of her friend, colleague, and co-author Wanda Daíz Merced from a childhood in Puerto Rico to a career researching and teaching around the world. The thoughtful text focuses on Daíz Merced’s determination and her doubts, allowing readers to see her vulnerability and witness her triumph in overcoming obstacles like wayfinding in a new place or proving her methods to the scientific community. Spanish quotations, vocabulary, and translations are cleverly woven through the text, especially during scenes set in Puerto Rico, bringing her heritage to vivid life. The lush digital illustrations, in a saturated, blue-dominated color scheme, feature a fluid combination of diverse people and sound-images with cosmic flourishes to complement the astral theme and role of sound in her life. A combination of small vignettes and double-page spreads lets the reader into both intimate moments and large-scale events in her life. Robust backmatter includes a glossary and Spanish translations, author and scientific notes, and extensive lists of sources and resources. As an advocate for STEM education and disability inclusion, Wanda Daíz Merced serves as a champion for diversity in the sciences, while her adaptability and perseverance make her a powerful role model for everyone.

Butler Bookshelf

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This week for our Butler Bookshelf, we’re looking at the Butler Center’s collection of board books about nature. From seasons to weather to animals, these books all introduce very young readers to the great wide world around them. Our feature pick is Baby Loves Meteorology by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Kat Uno. Part of the Baby Loves Science series, this book breaks down big topics like weather and the water cycle, and takes a look at why it rains. Spiro’s text and Uno’s illustrations provide plenty of opportunity for readers to pause and examine what they know about the weather around them.

Check out more board books about the outdoors below!

Baby Loves Meteorology
Ruth Spiro
Illustrated by Kat Uno
Charlesbirdge
Available now!

Beehive
Jorey Hurley
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/LITTLE SIMON
Available now!

Four Seasons In One Day (My First Story Orchestra)
Illustrated by Jessica Courtney-Tickle
The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

River’s Journey
Sally M. Walker
Illustrated by Kim Smith
Candlewick Press/MIT Kids Press
Available now!

Whose Egg is That?
Darrin Lunde
Illustrated by Kelsey Oseid
Available now!

Long Live the Queen: A Review of Red as Royal Blood

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Red as Royal Blood
Elizabeth Hart
HarperCollins Publishers/Harper
Ages 15+
Available November 18th, 2025

Ruby has spent her entire life keeping her head down. As a castle maid, she does her best to be invisible to the royal family of Lumaria (except for Prince Rowan, her friend and chess partner). So when the king dies and names her as his heir, no one is more surprised than Ruby herself. The situation is further complicated when Ruby discovers a note from the king warning that he believes he was murdered — and that Ruby may be next. Thrust into a whirlwind of lies and deceit, Ruby must figure out for herself who she can trust. Who killed the king? What secrets are the remaining members of the royal family hiding? And most importantly, can Ruby survive to see herself crowned queen of Lumaria?

Red as Royal Blood is part romance, part thriller, part fairy tale. As Ruby rapidly adjusts to being thrown headfirst into royal life, she finds herself facing potential danger around every corner while also trying to unravel her own complicated feelings toward her friend Rowan and his brother, Asher, who was set to take his father’s throne. Hart weaves together the dual mysteries of Ruby’s past and the late king’s warning to create an atmosphere that is tense and action-packed — with just enough breathing room to allow for the romantic tension to build on top of it.

For lovers of all things royal, Red as Royal Blood provides a thrilling twist on the princess genre. Readers looking for a love story, a mystery, or a story with a strong and smart leading lady will find something in its pages to scratch that itch.

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re taking a look at books about the movers and shakers of the world. From activists to athletes to everyday people, the subjects of these stories were (and in some cases, still are!) influential in shaping and changing the world around them. Our feature pick is Are You a Friend of Dorothy?: The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped by 2024 Butler Lecturer Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Levi Hastings. Lukoff recounts how, in a time when being gay was dangerous and sometimes illegal, queer people stuck together in many ways, including by identifying themselves to others as “friends of Dorothy.” Who was Dorothy? The American military set its sights on figuring it out. But Dorothy wasn’t a real person — she was an idea, possibly inspired by the movie The Wizard of Oz, and a way for queer people to keep themselves safe. Although Dorothy wasn’t real, the people she protected were, and they used their secret code to find safety and community in a time when they couldn’t always openly be themselves.

Check out more books about people who shaped the world below!

Are You a Friend of Dorothy?: The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped
Kyle Lukoff
Illustrated by Levi Hastings
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Bold Words from Black Men: Insights and Reflections from 50 Notable Trailblazers Who Influenced the World
Curated by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli
Illustrated by Desire Cesar “El’Cesart” Ngabo
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Fight to Win!: Heroes of American Labor (The Young Readers Edition of Fight Like Hell)
Kim Kelly
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Generation Queer: Stories of Youth Organizers, Artists, and Educators
Kimm Topping
Illustrated by Anshika Khullar
Lee & Low Books Inc/TU Books
Available now!

Ida B. Wells: Journalist, Advocate & Crusader for Justice
Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Candace Buford
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/ALADDIN
Available now!

Math and Mooncakes: A Review of Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes (Storytelling Math)

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Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes (Storytelling Math) 
Written by Natasha Yim  
Illustrated by Violet Kim 
Published by Charlesbridge 
Ages 3-6 
Available August 12, 2025 

It’s time to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Luna is excited to celebrate with her family! When her favorite cousin, Mina, comes to Luna’s house, they’re both looking forward to eating the delicious mooncakes that Mina’s mom brought for dessert. While they wait for dinner to cook, the girls play detectives and quickly discover a real-life mystery to solve: someone is stealing the mooncakes one by one! Luna and Mina follow each clue, including handprints, a blue thread, and a lost shoe, to find the thief, ruling out suspects as they go. When they discover Mina’s little brother, Bei-Bei, is the thief, they’re proud that they solved the mystery and can continue celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

Natasha Yim’s newest installment in the Storytelling Math series creates a fun, intriguing story that showcases an important Chinese holiday. Yim’s interactive mystery encourages readers to consider clues alongside the girls to solve the case. At the same time, she showcases the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and how it can be celebrated. Yim explains more in the backmatter, where she tells readers when the festival happens and why, as well as how the reasoning skills in this story are important in math. She suggests other reasoning activities, like figuring out how the eight remaining mooncakes can be shared amongst 10 people. Violet Kim uses gouache, crayon, and colored pencil to create modern cartoon-style illustrations. Their bright, full-color palette brings the mystery and celebration to life. Her illustrations support the text in encouraging paying attention to detail by showing visual hints, like who is wearing blue clothes. Both entertaining and educational, Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes is great for supporting the development of critical thinking and reasoning skills.

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re celebrating books about identity, individuality, and being your authentic self. Our feature pick is So Devin Wore a Skirt by Shireen Lalji, illustrated by Lucy Fleming. Nanabapa’s birthday party is today, and the rest of Devin’s family have picked out their outfits for the party. Devin is going through all of his clothes, but he just can’t find something to wear. When he spots his sister’s skirt lying out, he thinks he’s finally found his perfect outfit. But what will everyone say? At first he tries to hide the skirt, but once his family sees it, he discovers that his family are happy to see him wearing whatever makes him happy.

Check out more picture books about being yourself below!

Alfred Blooms
Carrie Kruck
Illustrated by Carmen Mok
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now!

Kente for Jojo
Bernard Mensah
Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

The Littlest Drop
Sascha Alper
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
Random House Children’s Books/Anne Schwartz Books
Available now!

Many Things at Once
Veera Hiranandani
Illustrated by Nadia Alam
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now!

So Devin Wore a Skirt
Shireen Lalji
Illustrated by Lucy Fleming
The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

2025 Butler Scholar

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Each year, the Butler Children’s Literature Center is proud to offer one aspiring youth librarian additional supports during their MLIS journey. In addition to a financial award. the Butler Scholar is matched with a professional mentor and works with the Butler Center curator on events and the creation of a tool to support other youth librarians.

Kiara Lyons began her career as an English teacher, then worked in college access with underrepresented communities before making her way into library programming. Through her work in libraries, she hopes to create opportunities for people to engage in programming that is representative of the community and that celebrates diverse identities.

For more information about the award or to make a donation to the scholarship fund, please contact the Butler Children’s Literature Center at butler@dom.edu.