Portrait of a Portraitist: A Review of Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun

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Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun 
Written by Jordana Pomeroy 
Published by Getty Publications 
Ages 12-14 
Available July 29, 2025 

Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun was destined to become an artist. Born in France on April 16, 1755, her father saw her artistic potential and encouraged her to create art. Before she turned 20, she gained admittance to a prestigious union of painters called the Academy of Saint-Luc, building her reputation as a talented portraitist. She was forced to flee France during the revolution because of her loyalty to the monarchy. Elisabeth traveled through Europe with her daughter and her daughter’s governess, supporting them with her portraits of prominent figures, like Catherine the Great. After 12 years, Elisabeth was able to safely return to France, though she continued to love travelling throughout Europe and painting portraits. Elisabeth died at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy as a trailblazing woman in Europe’s aristocratic art world. 

Pomeroy’s extensive knowledge of art and history, gained from her years of experience as a curator of many art museums, shines through in this biography. Pomeroy creates a detailed portrait of the artist and her work by drawing heavily on Elisabeth’s own memoir. She includes personal details about Elisabeth and her relationships while carefully reminding readers that Elisabeth’s perspective is just one side of the story. Pomeroy also masterfully incorporates other important historical people, events, and practices, such as information on wet nursing. This helps develop Elisabeth’s world and allows readers to better understand the society that she lived in. Images of Elisabeth’s famous paintings are included, as well as other work from other artists, showing readers both Elisabeth’s beautiful work and the work of her contemporaries and influences. Pomeroy includes notes, an index, and selected sources for further reading, as well as a brief “cast of characters” for quick reference at the beginning of the book. Overflowing with fascinating art history, this inspirational biography is great for highlighting the impact of women in the arts.  

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re celebrating cultures from all around the world! These books feature a wide variety of cultural traditions that bring people and families together, from Brazil to Korea to Iran. Our feature pick is A Festa for Luana, by Joana Pastro and illustrated Duda Oliva. Luana is excited to spend the summer visiting her grandparents in Brazil, and she arrives just in time for the Festa Junina — a monthlong festival of celebration. As she reckons with what it means to be Brazilian and American, Luana comes up with her own special ways to combine and celebrate the two cultures. Paired with Oliva’s vibrant soft pastel illustrations, A Festa for Luana captures the warm feeling of being at home within a family and a culture.

Check out more books about world cultures below!

Down on the Bayou
Glenda Armand
Illustrated by Alleanna Harris
Random House Children’s Books/Crown Books for Young Readers
Available now!

A Festa for Luana
Joana Pastro
Illustrated by Duda Oliva
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Picking Tea With Baba
Xu Bin
Translated by Shan Chen
Illustrated by Yu Yin
Charlesbridge
Available now!

Rose Weaves a Garden
Rashin Kheiriyeh
Random House Children’s Books/Anne Schwartz Books
Available now!

Shoes Off, Please
Helena Ku Rhee
Illustrated by Myo Yim
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now!

Working Harder and Smarter: A Review of Tenacious Won’t Give Up

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Tenacious Won’t Give Up
Pam Vaughan
Illustrated by Leanne Hatch
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Ages 3-7
Available June 24th, 2025

All of the kids in Tenacious’ neighborhood are having a Wheel Parade, and Tenacious wants to lead the charge on her bicycle. Once she sets her mind on something, she never backs down, and this is no different. But riding her bike is different than any challenge she’s ever faced before – even trying her hardest, she can’t seem to stop herself from crashing. When her sister, Sage, encourages her to work her “smartest” instead, Tenacious discovers that hard work and problem solving can go hand in hand.

The tale of Tenacious’ tenacity shows that trying a new approach can be just what we need to get past a hurdle. Vaughan’s story is fast-paced and engaging with a core message about perseverance and flexibility, with plenty of alliteration and onomatopoeia that make the story an exciting read aloud. Hatch’s illustrations are full of movement, capturing Tenacious’ bike rides in heavily textured full-page pictures.

Tenacious Won’t Give Up could be a wonderful motivator for readers facing a tough challenge, especially those who are learning to ride a bike.

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re taking a trip outside to explore the outdoors and observe the world around us. Whether you’re listening for bird calls, searching for a giant sea creature, or watching a murmuration of starlings, there is always something amazing to discover in nature. In this week’s feature, A Forest Song by Kisten Hall and illustrated by Evan Turk, readers take a journey through the forest, noticing and appreciating the world around them. Hall utilizes the words of other famous poets in this cento poem to inspire young kids to think deeply about their natural world and observe the beauty that surrounds them. Featuring lines from writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Oliver, and Lucy Maud Montgomery, Hall’s poem beautifully illustrates the vast wonders of the forest. Turk’s stunning gouache illustrations pair perfectly with Hall’s poetry, using bright colors to bring the forest to life. With whimiscal poetry and immersive illustrations, A Forest Song will inspire readers to step outside and soak in the world around them.

Check out more books that showcase the outdoors below!

A Forest Song
Written by Kirsten Hall
Illustrated by Evan Turk
Published by Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now

The Pony and the Starling
Written by Jennifer McGrath
Illustrated by Kristina Jones
Published by Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
Available now

The Search for Carmella: What Mystery Lurks in the Deep?
Written and illustrated by Chloe Savage
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now

A Sky That Sings
Written by Anita Sanchez & George Steele
Illustrated by Emily Mendoza
Published by Lee & Low Books
Available now

Wave Warrior and the Reef Rescue
Written by James Sellick
Illustrated by Patrick Corrigan
Published by The Quarto Group/Ivy Kids
Available now

Story of Survival: A Review of The Rebel Girls of Rome

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The Rebel Girls of Rome 
Written by Jordyn Taylor 
Published by HarperCollins Publishers/Harper 
Ages 14-18 
Available July 8, 2025  

Nineteen-year-old Lilah just finished her first year of college and is still trying to figure out how to survive after her mother’s death. When she receives a mysterious message about a lost family heirloom, she feels excited about the idea of learning more about her family’s history. Lilah grew up thinking that her grandfather, Ralph, was the only member of his family who survived when the Nazis invaded Rome. Now, Lilah has an opportunity to discover if his sister, Bruna, might have survived, too. Despite Ralph’s refusal to speak about his family and childhood, Lilah convinces him to travel to Italy with the hope of discovering what happened to Bruna. Alternating chapters between Lilah’s perspective in the present day and Bruna’s in the 1940s, this story of rebellion and resistance highlights the strength necessary for survival and the importance of telling your story. 

Jordyn Taylor seamlessly weaves together two perspectives separated by 80 years and two generations to create an emotional and touching story of survival and forgiveness. She explores themes of grief, guilt, and generational trauma through Lilah’s grief for her mother and the survivor’s guilt that Ralph and Bruna struggle with for their whole lives. Bruna’s story is compelling and heartbreaking, detailing the reality of living in occupied Rome. Taylor adds an uplifting layer through Ralph and Bruna’s heartfelt reunion and Lilah’s relationship with her grandfather deepening as she learns more about him. She also incorporates aspects of LGBTQ+ history and women’s history in Italy, both showcasing the multi-layered oppression Bruna faced and commenting on the progress that still needs to be made today. In the author’s note, Taylor explains how much of the novel is based on facts, like the missions carried out by resistance groups, and how much is fiction. Both captivating and touching, The Rebel Girls of Rome showcases the power that love has to help people survive and bring people back together, even after 80 years. 

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, love is in the air! Whether on the streets of Paris or in the halls of the university, these teen romances are all about the feeling of finally finding that special someone. Our feature pick is Brielle and Bear: Volume 1 by Salomey Doku. At Once Upon a Time University, Brielle Da Rosa spends her days working in the campus bookstore and daydreaming. When she meets rugby team co-captain Bear, it seems like she may finally be living out her very own fairytale romance. As they get closer, Brielle discovers that there’s more to Bear than meets the eye, and that he’s keeping secrets from everyone, including her. With a wide cast of diverse and colorful characters, this graphic Beauty and the Beast retelling invites readers into a world of fantasy and romance, with a heaping helping of university drama sprinkled on top.

Check out more romances for teen readers below!

All Paths Lead to Paris
Sabrina Fedel
Random House Children’s Books/Delacorte Romance
Available June 17th, 2025

Brielle and Bear: Volume 1
Salomey Doku
Random House Children’s Books/RH Graphic
Available now!

The Education of Kia Greer
Alanna Bennett
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

A First Time for Everything
K.L Walther
Sourcebooks/Sourcebooks Fire
Available now!

Solving for the Unknown
Loan Le
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Please, Love Me: A review of America’s Not-So Sweetheart

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America’s Not-So Sweetheart
Blair Hanson
Page Street Publishing
Age 14+
June 17, 2025

Who says a villain can’t change? But who’s to say he wants to? Teenage Alec Braud won his season of the reality show Campfire Wars by playing a dirty game of lies and manipulation, securing the $250,000 prize to help his family’s struggling wildlife rehabilitation center. Nicknamed Aleconda for his slippery behavior and an on/off showmance with the season’s golden boy, Joaquín Delgado, he left the show to vitriol from the fandom. When Joaquín invites him on a Midwestern road trip to complete a photography project for his art school application, Alec jumps at the chance to repair their relationship and rehab his reputation. An invitation to a Campfire Wars convention in New York sidetracks their plans and helps Alec see he’s not the only bad guy in town—other seasons’ villains, the shows production staff and even Joaquín prove just as devious.

Blair Hanson brings the drama in this LGBTQ+ YA romance, his debut. The emotions are messy and overly complicated, even for seventeen-year-old boys, and the relationship between the protagonists is weighted with angst. Alec’s self-doubt and neediness temper his sketchy behavior enough to have you rooting for his redemption arc, while Joaquín’s cool-kid bravado will make readers wonder if he really is too good to be true. Told from Alec’s perspective, he is the more fully drawn character, while other are a bit flat. Themes of diversity and representation (questionable in the Campfire Wars universe), integrity, healthy relationships, and the toxicity of reality TV are all woven into the plot but are often overshadowed by Alec’s desperation to prove himself worthy of love from his boyfriend, his parents, and the public. His final decision to stand up for himself as-is and his right to a healthy relationship, help to redeem both him and the plot. Just like reality TV, America’s Not-So Sweetheart is an attention-grabbing, if melodramatic, entry to the summer romance genre.

Butler Bookshelf

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One of the best ways to learn about the experiences of other people is to read biographies. Whether they’re an athlete, scientist, musician, or poet, a person’s biography is sure to expose readers to different ways of life and help them build empathy for others. This week, the Butler Center has created a list of some of our favorite biographies for young readers published so far this year, like Edie for Equality: Edie Windsor Stands Up for Love written by Michael Genhart and illustrated by Cheryl Thuesday. This biography tells the story of Edie Windsor, a lesbian woman who helped pave the path for marriage equality for same-sex couples. Edie was born in 1929, and in 1963, Edie met the love of her life, Thea Spyer. Edie and Thea spent many decades together, eventually marrying in Canada in 2007, two years before Thea passed away from health complications. After Thea passed, the government tried to stop Edie from inheriting her property and money because it didn’t recognize their marriage as legal. With the help of her lawyer, Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan, Edie successfully sued the United States government. Her lawsuit was the first step in overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, a law that was eventually completely voided in 2022 with the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act. Through Edie’s hard work, activism, and her love for Thea, important steps were made towards marriage equality for all people in the United States. Genhart expertly intertwines Edie’s personal story with LGTBQ+ history, which helps readers understand the world Edie was living in and how she eventually came to become an important LGBTQ+ activist. Paired with Thuesday’s vibrant and colorful mixed-media illustrations, Edie’s world comes to life to inspire readers to stand up for themselves and those they love. Genhart also includes extensive backmatter detailing the history of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, the DOMA, and the United States Supreme Court. Both inspiring and informative, Edie for Equality is a great addition to any library collection.

Check out more inspiring biographies below!

Birdlore: The Iridescent Life of Florence Merriam Bailey
Written by Jess Keating
Illustrated by Devon Holzwarth
Published by Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Edie for Equality: Edie Windsor Stands Up for Love
Written by Michael Genhart
Illustrated by Cheryl Thuesday
Published by Lee & Low Books
Available now!

Harry Styles (Little People, Big Dreams)
Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Illustrated by Lizzie Knott
Published by The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

The Totally Awesome World of Caitlin Clark: Learn All There Is To Know About Your Favorite All-Star
Written by Sara Weiss
Published by The Quarto Group/becker&meyer!kids
Available now!

Woods & Words: The Story of Poet Mary Oliver
Written by Sara Holly Ackerman
Illustrated by Naoko Stoop
Published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Beach Lane Books
Available now!

Not Alone: A Review of Another

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Another
Paul Tremblay
HarperCollins Publishers/Quill Tree Books
Ages 8-12
Available July 22nd, 2025

Casey Wilson is in 6th grade, and he’s lonely. The COVID pandemic has forced his school into a hybrid schedule that keeps him separated from his classmates, and the Zoom Incident earlier this year has pushed away his friends. So when his parents get a call on their new landline from someone claiming to be the father of one of his friends, they jump at the chance for Casey to have someone to spend time with. But Morel, the boy who gets dropped off at his house, isn’t someone Casey has ever met before – in fact, he’s barely even a boy, with his clay-like skin and smooth mannequin face. But Casey’s parents accept Morel with open arms, so he figures he should too. It’s nice to have a friend, for a while. Until it seems like his parents are becoming so obsessed with Morel that they forget Casey even exists. And Morel starts changing, too, into something (or someone) oddly familiar…

The middle grade debut from horror author Paul Tremblay, Another delivers on eerie atmosphere and thrill-laced mystery without a reliance on gore or violence. Gradually building over several days and nights, the tension in Casey’s story ramps up with every chapter – all coming to a head when he has his final confrontation with the mysterious man claiming to be Morel’s father. Tremblay weaves the threads of suspense throughout the book into a satisfying conclusion with clear messages about self-confidence and individuality, and the scariness ebbs away to allow for a happy ending with just enough left unanswered to keep readers wondering what happens next. Later in the book, fungus-based body mutation cements itself as a central tenant of the story, although descriptions are vague enough not to upset more squeamish readers. Illustrations (not final in the advance copy used for this review) add to the creepy air of the book, but may be too scary for some sensitive readers.

Suspenseful and scary, Another is a great fit for young fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps. Readers familiar with horror will find familiar touchstones of the genre in Casey and Morel’s story, while also being treated to a fresh spin which covers subjects familiar to them such as online learning and school-based anxiety.

Butler Bookshelf

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This week’s Butler Bookshelf is all about being transported to new worlds with fantastical characters and creatures. In Lily the Pond Mermaid by Lucy Fleming, young readers have a look inside Lily’s world as she takes care of her pond and all the creatures who live in it. Lily spends her days helping damselflies and dragonflies strengthen their wings, finding yummy algae for snails, taking care of the butterflies’ plants, and protecting tadpoles from the hot sun. Occaisionally, Lily has to protect her pond from strange metal objects and save her friends from harmful traps. Even though Lily loves her job, her worries keep her up at night. After a big storm, Lily knows it’s time to speak up and ask her friends for help caring for the pond. Once she and her friends work together, Lily understands the importance of asking for help when you most need it. Told in simple text and whimsical, full-color digital illustrations, Lucy Fleming brings attention to pollution and seeking help when you need it. Lily’s determination to care for her pond will inspire young readers to work in their own ways to protect their environments from threats like pollution. Readers will also see the importance of leaning on others and asking for help when life gets too overwhelming as Lily learns that she doesn’t have to work alone. This sweet story about community and care will be a perfect fantastical addition to any picture book collection.

Check out more fantasy books for all ages below!

The Dragon’s Apprentice
Written by James Riley
Published by Labyrinth Road
Available now!

Fateless
Written by Julie Kagawa
Published by Harper
Available July 15, 2025

Lily the Pond Mermaid
Written and illustrated by Lucy Fleming
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!T

Tidemagic: Isla Flit and the Impossible Key
Written by Clare Harlow
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Wee Unicorn
Written and illustrated by Meg McLaren
Published by Charlesbridge
Available now!