As Black History Month continues, we’re back with the second of our two blog posts highlighting Black authors, characters, and experiences in our New Book Collection. Last week we took a look at picture books, so this week we’re turning our attention to books for older readers. Spanning fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, these titles are just a selection of what we have available in the Butler Center. Our feature pick this week is Twice Enslaved: Liberty and Justice for Henrietta Wood by Selene Castrovilla, illustrated by Erin K. Robinson. This collection of poetry tells the story of Henrietta Woods, an enslaved woman was granted her freedom and was unjustly kidnapped and re-enslaved. Through Castrovilla’s poems and Robinson’s illustrations, Woods’ life is portrayed from her birth through her freedom and kidnapping, to her eventual successful court case against the man who kidnapped her, all while she continues holding on to hope and a desire for justice.

Check out more Black History Month reads for older readers below!

Coming Home (Adapted for Young Adults)
Brittney Griner with Michelle Buford
Random House Children’s Books/Bright Matter Books
Available now!

Hattie Mae Begins Again
Sharon G. Flake
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Lovely One (Adapted for Young Adults)
Ketanji Brown Jackson
Random House Children’s Books/Bright Matter Books
Available now!

The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay
Ryan Douglass
HarperCollins Publishers/HarperCollins Children’s Books
Available now!

Twice Enslaved: Liberty and Justice for Henrietta Wood
Selene Castrovilla
Illustrated by Erin K. Robinson
Astra Books for Young Readers/Calkins Creek
Available now!

February is Black History Month, and we’re celebrating with two weeks of posts highlighting Black authors, characters, and experiences in our New Book Collection here in the Butler Center. This week, we’re looking at picture books, with our feature pick being Baseball for Breakfast: A (Mostly) True Story by Judy Campbell-Smith and illustrated by Maggie Carroll. Jimmy loves watching the Milwaukee Brewers with Ma and Pop. But when Pop leaves to fight in World War II, Ma starts working overnight factory shifts to support herself and Jimmy in his absence, and Jimmy suddenly has no one to go with him to baseball games in the afternoons and evenings. When Brewers owner Bill Veeck hears about the conundrum, he comes up with a new idea to keep baseball accessible to Jimmy’s family and all the others like them — morning baseball games, with free admission for night shift workers.

Check out more picture books for Black History Month below!

Baseball for Breakfast: A (Mostly) True Story
Judy Campbell-Smith
Illustrated by Maggie Carroll
Charlesbridge
Available now!

Do I Love You? Yes I Do!
Ruth Forman
Illustrated by Raissa Figeuroa
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Little Simon
Available now!

Haircut Day with Dad
Monica Mikai
Random House Children’s Books/Crown Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Hairstory
Sope Martins
Illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Love That Baby Hair!
Alliah L. Agostini
Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud
Charlesbridge
Available March 3, 2026

This week for our Butler Bookshelf, we’re taking a look at realistic fiction for elementary school. Real-life stories often fly off the shelves in a school library, and with everything from early chapter books to more advanced middle grade books to graphic novels, this selection has something for every young reader. Our feature pick is Sweet Valley Twins: Three’s A Crowd: (A Graphic Novel), written by Francine Pascal, adapted by Nicole Andelfinger, and illustrated by Claudia Aguirre. Elizabeth and Jessica have been entertaining readers across several series in the Sweet Valley universe since 1983. In this graphic adaptation of the seventh book in the Sweet Valley Twins series, the two middle schoolers are put off by their friend Mary, who seems to want to come over to their house just to hang out with the twins’ mom. When the truth about Mary’s past and family situation come to light, Jess and Liz have their previous assumptions challenged and see Mary in a new, more empathetic light.

Check out more realistic fiction for elementary readers below!

A Kid Like Me
Norm Feuti
HarperCollins Publishers/HarperAlley
Available now!

Nadia Islam, On the Record
Adiba Jaigirdar
Illustrated by Avani Dwivedi
HarperCollins Publishers/Quill Tree Books
Available now!

Some of Us Are Brave
Saadia Faruqi
HarperCollins Publishers/HarperCollins Children’s Books
Available February 10, 2026

Sweet Valley Twins: Three’s A Crowd: (A Graphic Novel)
Created and Story by Francine Pascal
Adaptation by Nicole Andelfinger
Illustrated by Claudia Aguirre
Random House Children’s Books/RH Graphic
Available now!

Venus Washington and the Lasagna Drama
Maisha Oso
Illustrated by Courtney Lovett
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Leaving 4B
Chambrae Griffith
Illustrated by Amelie Videlo
Beaming Books
Ages 4-8
Available April 21, 2026

4B is perfect, with its hidey-hole and climbing tree and polka-dot wall. But with their family growing bigger, the main character in this picture book has to leave it all behind. The new house, with no hidey-hole or climbing tree or polka-dot wall, seems like it can never compare. But as the family settles into the new house and meets their neighbors, the main character learns that this new home might not be so bad, after all.

Leaving 4B speaks from the perspective of a child, giving voice to all the fears and uncertainties that come with big changes. Griffith gently validates these feelings while also showing how to look for positives in a changing situation. The new house may never be 4B, but, she points out, there are exciting new adventures to be found. Videlo’s illustrations depict a diverse variety of neighbors both old and new, allowing many readers to see themselves in the story.

Moving is something many children will experience, and it’s something they’re likely to have big feelings about. Leaving 4B can open a conversation about those feelings, while also helping a young reader look forward to the good things that can come from a new home.