Rebecca Reads: Rox's Secret Code

Rebecca Reads: Rox's Secret Code by Mara Lecocq and Nathan Archambault

A coding adventure about a brilliant inventor and her runaway robot, Rox's Secret Code aims to inspire the next generation of female leaders in STEM!

Rox is happy to spend the whole day on her laptop inventing awesome robots, but her dad wants her to clean up! When the Chorebot she designs gets a mind of its own and tries to organize the whole city, Rox and her neighbor Amar race to recode Chorebot in time to save the day.

Great for Pre-K through 2nd grade

By Mara Lecocq and Nathan Archambault

Illustrations by Jessika von Innerebner

Tech led by Rodolfo Dengo

Rebecca Reads: The Way I Feel

Rebecca Reads: The Way I Feel by Janan Cain

Feelings are a normal part of life for children as well as adults, believes author Janan Cain, who wanted kids both to understand the concept of emotions and be able to express their feelings with words.

Illustrations and rhyming text portray children experiencing a range of emotions, including frustration, shyness, jealousy, and pride. Feelings are neither good nor bad, they simply are. Kids need words to name their feelings, just as they need words to name food, clothes, toys, people, etc. Strong, colorful, and expressive images go along with the verses to help children connect the word and the emotion.

Great for Pre-K, K, 1st grade, 2nd grade

By Janan Cain
Illustrations by Janan Cain

Rebecca Reads: The Invisible String

Rebecca Reads: The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

"That's impossible", said twins Jeremy & Liza after their Mom told them they're all connected by this thing called an Invisible String. "What kind of string"? They asked with a puzzled look to which Mom replied, "An Invisible String made of love." That's where the story begins.

Specifically written to address children's fear of being apart from the ones they love, The Invisible String delivers a particularly compelling message in today's uncertain times that though we may be separated from the ones we care for, whether through anger, or distance or even death, love is the unending connection that binds every person on the planet to everyone else. Parents and children everywhere who are looking for reassurance and reaffirmation of the transcendent power of love, to bind, connect and comfort us through those inevitable times when life challenges us!

By Patrice Karst
Illustrations by Geoff Stevenson

Rebecca Reads: She's Got This

Rebecca Reads: She's Got This

From gold-medal-winning Olympic gymnast and bestselling author Laurie Hernandez comes a picture book about chasing your dreams and never giving up.

Even Olympians have to start somewhere. And in this charming illustrated book, Laurie Hernandez tells the story of Zoe, a little girl who dreams of flying—and becoming a gymnast.

When Zoe sees a gymnast on TV, she realizes that gymnastics is just like flying. But when she first goes to class and falls off the balance beam, she discovers that following her dreams is harder and scarier than she thought.

Through this heartwarming and inspirational story, featuring vibrant art from Nina Mata, Laurie imparts important lessons she learned on her way to Olympic glory: You always have to get back up and try again, and you always have to believe in yourself.

By Laurie Hernandez

Illustrations by Nina Mata

Rebecca Reads: Mary Wears What She Wants

Rebecca Reads: Mary Wears What She Wants

From the award-winning creator of My Dad Used to Be So Cool and Tough Guys Have Feelings Too comes a charming picture book inspired by the true story of Mary Edwards Walker, a trailblazing 19th-century doctor who was arrested many times for wearing pants.

Once upon a time (but not that long ago), girls only wore dresses. And only boys wore pants.

Until one day, a young girl named Mary had an idea: She would wear whatever she wanted. And she wanted to wear pants!

This bold, original picture book encourages readers to think for themselves while gently challenging gender and societal norms.

By Keith Negley
Illustrations by Keith Negley

Rebecca Reads: I Hate Everyone

Rebecca Reads: I Hate Everyone

I Hate Everyone paints an honest picture of the complex emotional lives of children.

"I hate everyone." In your worst mood, it's a phrase you might want to shout out loud, even if, deep down, you don't really mean it. Set at a birthday party, this disgruntled, first-person story portrays the confusing feelings that sometimes make it impossible to be nice, even—or especially—when everyone else is in a partying mode. A gorgeous, poetic contemplation, sure to elicit a reaction from readers. A worthy successor to Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

By Naomi Danis

Illustrations by Cinta Arribas

Rebecca Reads: The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps

Rebecca Reads: The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps

Acclaimed picture book biographer Jeanette Winter has found her perfect subject: Jane Goodall, the great observer of chimpanzees. Follow Jane from her childhood in London watching a robin on her windowsill, to her years in the African forests of Gombe, Tanzania, invited by brilliant scientist Louis Leakey to observe chimps, to her worldwide crusade to save these primates who are now in danger of extinction, and their habitat. Young animal lovers and Winter's many fans will welcome this fascinating and moving portrait of an extraordinary person and the animals to whom she has dedicated her life.

The Watcher was named a Best Book of the Year by the Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and the Bank Street College of Education.

By Jeanette Winter

Illustrations by Jeanette Winter

Rebecca Reads: This is My Room! (No Tigers Allowed)

Rebecca Reads: This is My Room! (No Tigers Allowed)

Jojo’s ready for her first night all alone in her very own room, but a menagerie of animals have other ideas.

Jojo can’t wait to spend the night in her very own bed in her very own room. There’s just one problem though—there are intruders in her new room! A lion, a bear, and a very persistent tiger seem to think this is THEIR room, not Jojo’s. Is Margaret right? Is Jojo not quite ready to spend the night on her own? Or can Jojo find a way to show that trespassing tiger just who’s boss in HER room?

By Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Illustrations by Alexandria Neonakis

Rebecca Reads: Giant Tess

Rebecca Reads: Giant Tess

Tess has a BIG problem.

She’s a giant with an enormous wish to be like everyone else in the city of Myth-hattan. When she gives up on ever fitting in, she meets a friend just her size, and the two team up for a daring rescue. Can these misfits save the day—and the big city parade?

This reassuring and heartwarming tale will empower young readers struggling to find acceptance, and it reminds us that there’s a hero within every one of us.

By Dan Yaccarino

Illustrations by Dan Yaccarino

Rebecca Reads: Dress Like a Girl

Rebecca Reads: Dress Like a Girl

A playful and fashionable slumber party takes an empowering turn in this gorgeous picture book, perfect for fans of Princesses Wear Pants and Rosie Revere, Engineer! In these beautifully illustrated pages, a diverse cast of slumber party participants considers the most time-honored traditions for how to dress. If a lady should wear white in summertime, then how about donning a spacesuit? If team colors are apropos at sporting events, why not wear helmets and play ball?

Uplifting and resonant, and with a variety of interests ranging from sports to science to politics, this book is sure to inspire any young girl, instilling the idea that the best way to dress like a girl is the way that makes you feel most like YOU!

By Patricia Toht

Illustrations by Lorian Tu-Dean

Rebecca Reads: Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes

Rebecca Reads: Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes

Juno Valentine’s favorite shoes don’t light up. They don’t have wheels. They are, to be perfectly honest, the tiniest bit boring. But they’re still her favorite muddy-puddle-jumping, everyday-is-an-adventure shoes. One day, when they go missing, Juno discovers something amazing: a magical room filled with every kind of shoe she could possibly imagine!

Juno embarks on an epic journey through time and space, stepping into the shoes of female icons from Frida Kahlo and Cleopatra to Lady Gaga and Serena Williams. Each pair of shoes Juno tries brings a brand new adventure―and a step towards understanding that her very own shoes might be the best shoes of all.

A story that’s equal parts fashion fairy-tale and guide to girl power.

A New York Times Bestseller!
Featured in Oprah Magazine's Holiday Gift Guide

By Eva Chen
Illustrations by Derek Desierto

Rebecca Reads: How to Code a Sandcastle

Rebecca Reads: How to Code a Sandcastle

From the computer science nonprofit Girls Who Code comes this lively and funny story introducing kids to computer coding concepts.

All summer, Pearl has been trying to build the perfect sandcastle, but out-of-control Frisbees and mischievous puppies keep getting in the way! Pearl and her robot friend Pascal have one last chance, and this time, they’re going to use code to get the job done. Using fundamental computer coding concepts like sequences and loops, Pearl and Pascal are able to break down their sandcastle problem into small, manageable steps. If they can create working code, this could turn out to be the best beach day ever!

By Josh Funk

Illustrations by Sara Palacios

Rebecca Reads: Margaret and the Moon

Rebecca Reads: Margaret and the Moon

A true story of one of the Women of NASA!

Margaret Hamilton loved numbers as a young girl. She knew how many miles it was to the moon (and how many back). She loved studying algebra and geometry and calculus and using math to solve problems in the outside world.

Soon math led her to MIT and then to helping NASA put a man on the moon! She handwrote code that would allow the spacecraft’s computer to solve any problems it might encounter. Apollo 8. Apollo 9. Apollo 10. Apollo 11. Without her code, none of those missions could have been completed.

By Dean Robbins

Illustrations by Lucy Knisley.

Rebecca Reads: Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?

Rebecca Reads: Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?

Every inquisitive child wonders what it is really like to be a genuine princess. At the heart of Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? lives an energetic, spirited, and contemporary child who has lots of important questions for her mom. Do princesses ride tricycles, climb trees, do chores, or have to eat the crusts of their bread? The mother's voice is timelessly reassuring as she answers her daughter's questions and advises her that being like a princess has to do with what we are on the inside.

By Carmela LaVigna Coyle. Illustrations by Mike Gordon and Carl Gordon.

Rebecca Reads: Malala's Magic Pencil

Rebecca Reads: Malala's Magic Pencil

Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Malala Yousafzai's first picture book, inspired by her own childhood. As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true.

By Malala Yousafzai. Illustrations by Kerascoët.

Rebecca Reads: Miss Rumphius

Alice made a promise to make the world a more beautiful place, then a seed of an idea is planted and blossoms into a beautiful plan.

This beloved classic and celebration of nature—written by a beloved Caldecott winner—is lovelier than ever! Miss Rumphius was inspired by the real life "Lupine Lady," Hilda Hamlin, who spread lupine seeds along the Maine coast, as well as Cooney's own experiences traveling the world.

The National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" in 2007. By Barbara Cooney. Illustrations by Barbara Cooney.

Rebecca Reads: My Travelin' Eye

Jenny Sue's eyes are not the same as other people's eyes. Her right eye looks in one direction, while her left eye sometimes wanders. Jenny Sue has a travelin', lazy eye. Although it makes her different, it also helps her see the world in a special way.

My Travelin' Eye is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. By Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw. Illustrations by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw.

Rebecca Reads: A Family is a Family is a Family

When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways — but the same in the one way that matters most of all.

As one by one, her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them — family of every shape, size and every kind of relation — the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, her family is special.

A warm and whimsical look at many types of families written by award-winning author Sara O’Leary. By Sara O'Leary. Illustrations by Qin Leng.

Rebecca Reads: The African Orchestra

An exploration of the sounds of Africa through poetic words and illustrations. Starting with the natural noises of insects, creatures, wind and water, adding in African musical instruments, and ending with “the song of the stars”. A great introduction to how books can take us anywhere in the world. By: Wendy Hartmann Illustrations: Joan Rankin

Rebecca Reads: Heather Has Two Mommies

Heather’s favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, and two pets. And she also has two mommies. When Heather and her classmates all draw pictures of their families at school, not one drawing is the same. It doesn’t matter who makes up a family, the teacher says, because "the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love one another." By: Lesléa Newman Illustrations: Diana Souza