Welcome to the online presence of the Butler Children's Literature Center, housed within Dominican's School of Information Studies, Crown Library room 214. Here, we celebrate the best in books for youth and those who delight in sharing them. For Fall 2026, BCLC will offer collection access to the Dominican community and general public during posted open hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9am-4pm, and by appointment with the Curator. Contact Jen Clemons at butler@dom.edu or jclemons@dom.edu to make arrangements.
This week’s Butler Bookshelf features recently released and coming soon titles! Abdul’s Story is a colorful story about how Abdul, with a little help from his teacher, learns that it’s okay to make mistakes when writing stories. Written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Illustrated by Tiffany Rose. Check it out along with the other titles below!
Abdul”s Story Written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and Illustrated by Tiffany Rose Published by Salaam Reads Available today!
Always Jane Written by Jenn Bennett Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Available today!
A Spring Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom Written by Angela Ferraro-Fanning and Illustrated by Anneliesdraws Published by Ivy Kids Available now!
Professor Figgy’s Professor Figgy’s Weather & Climate Science Lab for Kids Written by Jim Noonan Published by Quarry Books Available April 12th
So This Is Ever After Written by F.T. Lukens Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books Available today!
Trigger Written by N. Griffin Published by Atheneum Available today!
Miss Quinces Kat Fajardo Scholastic May 3, 2022 Ages 8 to 12
This coming of age graphic novel follows Suyapa Gutierrez, a young Latin-American girl who reluctantly journeys to Honduras for her summer vacation, only to receive an unwelcome surprise. Learning that she has to draw a comic over the summer break, Suyapa believes that her trip to Honduras will lead to boredom with no cell service or friends. However, during her stay in Honduras, Suyapa’s mom surprises her by planning a quinceañera. Reluctantly, Suyapa begins to enjoy the planning of the party and her Latina heritage. Blindsided by a close death in the family, but determined to honor the family, Suyapa perseveres and ultimately does have fun participating in the quinceañera. In the end, she completes her travelogue comic, giving insights into her trip and the importance of her cultural heritage.
The novel contains text that is mainly in English with some Spanish words throughout, but they can be interpreted easily in the contents of the English dialogue. As Suyapa’s family in Honduras only speaks Spanish, the speech bubbles reflect that language when the text is a different color. As speaking Spanish is important to Suyapa’s family and quinceañera traditions, this distinction is important as Suyapa begins the novel refusing to speak it but gradually ends up only speaking Spanish. The plot is fast-paced as Suyapa’s Honduras trip does happen within a month of time, which influences the fast development of the characters, especially the main character. Suyapa is portrayed as journeying through girlhood to womanhood as she transitions from disinterested in her family and Latin American roots to becoming culturally appreciative. The novel is efficient in its progression of actions within panels and its simplistic illustrations, moving from a darker scheme to vibrant colors engaging readers in the cultural heritage of Honduras and the traditions of the quinceañera. Miss Quinces will appeal to young readers looking for a fast-paced novel and those who struggle with the weirdness of identity and the cultural importance of traditions.
It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit Justin A. Reynolds Scholastic Press April 5th, 2022 Grades 4 to 6 In Justin Reynolds’ love letter to the stories of his childhood, we follow Eddie. This charming and quick-witted 12-year-old black boy has been grounded on the most important day of the year, Beach Bash. In vain, he sweet talks his stepdad into vouching for him, but Eddie made a deal with his mom. If he takes care of himself, he can do what he wants over the summer. So, Eddie is stuck doing the laundry he hasn’t done in a month and a half, wearing the only clean clothes he has left, his bathing suit. Reynolds’ writing, through the delightful narration of Eddie, twists and turns through memories, tangents, side notes, and assurances that it’s better, in Eddie’s words, “to take your time, to take the scenic route, to take chances.” This style keeps the story feeling fast-paced, fun, and light, making even the task of doing the laundry entertaining. Fortunately, Reynolds doesn’t push that statement too far as Eddie’s house has a blackout, making it impossible to finish his chores. Instead, Eddie ventures out into the quiet suburban neighborhood where he meets up with his friends: Xavier; the wet blanket who was in the middle of giving himself a haircut when the power cut out; Sonia, Eddie’s best friend and the smart one; Trey, the star athlete; and Sage, the precocious younger sister of Trey. Getting into the type of shenanigans 12-year-olds dream about when they are free of parent supervision—candy mountain included. But it’s not all fun and games. The streetlights kick on, the sun sets, but no one in the entire neighborhood returns home. The group of 5 friends must overcome challenges and learn a little about themselves. This novel revels in its dialog, narration, and character interaction. This focus affects the plot as the story barely begins by its last page and ends on a cliffhanger with the group driving off to see what happened at Beach Bash.
A fun, fast-paced, and character-focused novel that is more like the first act than the complete story.
This week’s Butler Bookshelf features recently released and coming soon titles! These include It Starts With a Bee by Aimee Gallagher. A poetic look into the world of bees. The colorful illustrations by Jennie Webber show the journey bees take to help the flowers you love, and the fruits and vegetables you eat, grow. Check it out along with the other titles below!
Blue Badger Written by Huw Lewis Jones and Illustrated by Ben Sanders Published by Happy Yak Available Now!
Don’t Call me a Hurricane Written by Ellen Hagan Published by Bloomsbury Available July 19th, 2022
It Starts With a Bee Written by Aimee Gallagher and Illustrated by Jennie Webber Published by QED Publishing Available April 5th, 2022
The Loophole Written by Naz Kutub Published by Bloomsbury Available June 21st, 2022
A Taste of Magic Written by J. Elle Published by Bloomsbury Children’s books Available August 30th, 2022
You Are Not Alone Written by The Alphabet Rockers and Illustrated by Ashley Evans Published by Sourcebook eXplore Available now!
Our World is a Family: Our Community Can Change the World Miry Whitehall and Jennifer Jackson Illustrated by Nomar Perez March 8, 2022 Sourcebooks Explore Ages 3+
We know that young children have lots of questions. Our World is a Family is a simple and sweet explanation of immigration for the youngest and most curious among us. Where might the new people in our neighborhood come from? Why and how do they leave their homes for new ones? Whitehall and Jackson gently explore these questions, and perhaps more importantly, the complex emotions involved in their answers. Vignettes of everyday activities provide examples of before and after homes, and how we can all make a community feel like a more inclusive and welcoming new home. Mini language lessons spread throughout the text provide examples of our similarities and differences. We all say “hello” and here is how—hello, ni hao, jambo, bonjour. And while a language note for each might have been helpful, the bright and joyful spreads are a delight. Superimposed over a map of the world, the diverse cast of children and adults is introduced as a vibrant and varied rainbow of humanity. Perez utilizes a combination of simplistic figures over a more structured and well-drafted backdrop, a juxtaposition that adds softness and humanity to the characters. An author’s note directs adult readers to a resource site to support honest and age-appropriate conversations about migrants and refugees.
A simple explanation for the universal truth that no matter where we come from, we all want to feel welcome where we are.
Join us Thursday, March 31, 2022 for the 10th Annual Butler Lecture with Aisha Saeed.
The Butler Children’s Literature Center will host a live (and live-streamed) event with bestselling author and founding member of We Need Diverse Books, Aisha Saeed. Saeed will discuss the power of books in her own life and how books are the key to helping the young people in our lives see their way through. She will speak to our current moment as well as provide book recommendations for all ages. A book-signing with the author will follow the lecture.
Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 6 p.m. Presented Online and in-person at Lund Auditorium Dominican University This event is free and open to the public, with registration required.
This lecture series is generously funded by the Butler Family Foundation.
Aisha Saeed is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of books for children. Her books, including the middle grade novel Amal Unbound (Penguin), the young adult novel Yes No Maybe So (co-written with Becky Albertalli), and the anthology Once Upon an Eid (co-edited with S.K. Ali) received multiple starred reviews. Amal Unbound was selected as a Global Read Aloud for 2018 and was the winner of the South Asian book award. Her picture book, Bilal Cooks Daal (Simon and Schuster) received an APALA honor. Aisha is also a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books™. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her family. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram via @aishacs.
Please visithttps://www.dom.edu/arts-mindsfor the latest vaccine and masking information for attending in-person events at Dominican’s Performing Arts Center.
This week we are featuring several books that are available Today!Right now! On the bookshelf you will find The Katha Chest. This picture book follows Asiya, a young girl learning about her aunts’ and grandmother’s memories through playing with their handmade quilts made from their worn saris. A beautifully illustrated tale about loving the memories you make and the ones that make them with you. Check it out along with the other titles below!
The Book that Did Not Want to Be Read Written and Illustrated by David Sundin Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Available Today!
The Katha Chest Written by Radhiah Chowdrury and Illustrated by Lavanya Naidu Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Available Today!
Listen to the Language of the Trees: A Story of how Forests Communicate Underground Written by Tera Kelley and Illustrated by Marie Hermansson Published by Source Books Available Today!
My Own Way: Celebrating Gender Freedom for Kids Written by and Illustrated by Joana Estrela Published by Wide Eyed Available Today!
Once Upon a Tim Written by Stuart Gibbs and Illustrated by Stacy Curtis Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Available Today!
Turning Written by Joy L. Smith Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Available Today!
Goodnight, Butterfly Ross Burach Scholastic Press March 3, 2022 Pre-k to 3rd grade
In the third installment of Ross Burach’s Butterfly series, the titular Butterfly is awakened in the middle of the night by Porcupine as they are eating their breakfast. Initially, Butterfly is ecstatic at the new experience of being awake at night, learning about what it means to be nocturnal through word play and asking more questions than poor Porcupine can handle. The art shows this through an abundance of brightly colored images in Burach’s signature naïve style of mixed media art. However, as Butterfly tires, the fast pace of the early pages slows down significantly. The puns and traditional wordy jokes of the front half are replaced by sight gags, like Butterfly accidentally mistaking Porcupine for a pinecone. Questions from Butterfly peter out, even if Butterfly is still trying to make night time adventures for the pair to get into, and Porcupine is able to give some advice about falling to sleep. Burach shows the switch in tone using the color of the space between illustrations from a white to the more calm colors of lavender and indigo towards the end of the book. Burach’s use of framing and pace in service of comedy is impeccable. In early jokes, he uses cluttered dialogue and page turns to build tension while releasing it through punchlines. These are given room to breathe by the switch to a single, simpler composition for a spread. While the jokes are less set up later in the story, to aid in winding down, the page turns are still used to hide silly fun, like Butterfly using a book as a bed. In the last few pages, Butterfly finally decides to stop fighting sleep and Porcupine encourages them to think about calming ideas, teaching readers that if you want to go to sleep, it’s better to focus on calm ideas instead of questions you cannot answer. A colorful and funny addition to any bedtime book collection, just be careful, it might be too much fun to fall asleep to.
Valentine’s Day is coming up soon! This week’s Butler Bookshelf celebrates the holiday with books about Valentine’s Day as well as books about love itself, in all forms. Love Grows Everywhere by Barry Timms and Tisha Lee showcases love between families, neighbors, friends, romantic partners, and more through a family that grows and sells plants in their local community. Check it out along with the other titles below!
Valentine’s Day Jitters Written by Julie Danneberg and Illustrated by Judy Love Published by Charlesbridge Available now!
All the Right Reasons Written by Bethany Mangle Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books Available February 15, 2022
Glimpsed Written by G.F. Miller Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Available now!
Bananas for You! Written by Sabrina Moyle and Illustrated by Eunice Moyle Published by Abrams Available now!
Rebel Boys and Rescue Dogs, or Things That Kiss with Teeth Written by Brianna R. Shrum Published by Sky Pony Available now!
Love Grows Everywhere Written by Barry Timms and Illustrated by Tisha Lee Published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books Available now!
Isla to Island Alexis Castellanos March 15, 2022 Atheneum Books for Young Readers Ages 10 and up
This wordless graphic novel follows Marisol, a young girl sent alone to the US when her homeland of Cuba becomes increasingly unsafe. When she first arrives in New York, she is miserable. The winter weather is nothing like what she is used to, and she does not understand anyone around her. As time passes, she comes to realize that home does not have to be restricted to one place. Marisol loves plants and teaches herself English by checking out books about nature from her school’s library. Her foster parents notice this interest and show her areas of New York that are reminiscent of home, even in the winter, like a botanical garden. As time passes and the seasons change, Marisol comes to see the same vibrant nature she loved in Cuba come to life in her new home. The story ends as she finally works up the courage to introduce herself to her peers at school, closing with an epilogue shown through photos the depicts her parents arriving in the US and Marisol herself eventually starting a family in the US.
The book is primarily wordless, with text being used at the start and ending to label photos that set the scene. As art is the primary storytelling vehicle, movement through the story occurs with varying paneling formats. The style of the art itself is simply with uncomplicated backgrounds making the story easy to follow. When Marisol first arrives in New York, the art becomes black and white, with occasional splashes of color when she sees things that remind her of home. Through this initial lack of color, the visuals embody how terrible Marisol feels. Over time, the color returns to the illustrations, initially through the plants that Marisol sees and books she reads that make her feel at home again. By the end, the illustrations are once again in full color. Back matter provides additional context to the wordless story. This includes an explanation of Operation Peter Pan, the real-life program that brought Cuban children to the US, along with an author’s note and list of historical sources for those who want to do further reading on the topic. Isla to Island presents a touching narrative about the immigrant experience without the use of text, which allows it to have appeal to young readers who may be overwhelmed by lengthy books about this important topic.
