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Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! Do you have any Fourth of July plans? We’ll probably go somewhere to see fireworks, but we haven’t decided where yet.
Today, I review four picture books for Disability Pride Month, plus two fantastic new releases. I had so many newish disability-themed children’s books to recommend that next week I’ll focus on middle grade.
New Releases
Everyone Loves Career Day but Zia by Jenny Liao & Dream Chen
It’s career day at school and everyone’s parents are coming into Zia’s class to talk about their cool jobs; everyone except Zia’s Mama, who is a seamstress. Mama can’t take off work, and she doesn’t speak English. However, with a little extra thinking, Zia comes up with a unique way for her mama to attend career day, with Zia translating. And Zia wears one of the beautiful dresses Mama sewed. The family are Chinese Americans. This is a wonderful picture book about the difficulties immigrant families might face.
The Pumpkin Seed’s Secret: A Life Cycle Poem by Hannah Barnaby & Cédric Abt
This lyrical picture book follows a pumpkin’s growth, from a tiny seed to a sprout poking through the ground, to vines wrapping along the ground. The warm illustrations depict a chipmunk scurrying under vines, a bee getting nectar from a pumpkin flower, and a father and son tending the garden. It’s a sweet, simple read.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
July is Disability Pride Month, so I’ve rounded up four excellent picture books with disabled characters written by disabled authors. Next week, I’ll round up some middle grade with disabled characters.
You’re So Amazing by James Catchpole, Lucy Catchpole, & Karen George
Joe of What Happened to You? fame returns in the latest book by James Catchpole, though this time, he teams up with his wife, Lucy. These books are such great reflections of what it’s like to be a disabled kid. Joe, who has one leg, is trying to play with his friend Simone, but everyone at the park keeps stopping him to tell him how amazing he is. Even though he’s doing really normal stuff. He thinks his friend Simone is pretty amazing, but no one ever tells her that. All this talk about how inspiring he is kind of makes Joe want to hide and stop playing. This is a great book to start some important conversations with kids.
Butterfly on the Wind by Adam Pottle, illustrated by Ziyue Chen
This is a beautiful picture book about a Deaf girl who feels nervous before a performance. She creates butterflies in the wind that connect with other Deaf children around the world. As she prepares to perform, all the butterflies come back to her, reminding her of the Deaf community and their support. This is written and illustrated by Deaf creators. It’s such a magical read.
Come Over to My House by Eliza Hull, Sally Rippin, & Daniel Gray-Barnett
This is such a joyful, kid-friendly picture book about having play dates with disabled kids and/or their disabled family members. The sing-song rhyming story invites young readers inside seven children’s homes. Mei Li has cerebral palsy, Prisha’s Mum is blind, and Hugo and his dad have a form of dwarfism. Back matter has each child introduce themselves and say a little more about their disability or their family member’s disability.
The Scooter Twins by Dorothy Ellen Palmer & Maria Sweeney
Twins Melanie and Melvin are turning eight and will receive their own mobility scooters. Melanie is ecstatic; she can’t wait to zip and zoom and have more independence. But Melvin is scared of falling or people looking at him. To find the money for the scooters, their grandmother, who is their primary caregiver, has to sell things around the house, including one of their mom’s paintings. I love how this picture book shines a light on inequities in the healthcare system while still being child-friendly and fun.
Bookish Good
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Have you ever made shirts with your kids? We bought some fabric markers and cheap solid shirts from Michaels (they were like $5) and my kid loves drawing pictures on them and having shirts she designed. You can use old shirts too! We stick a piece of cardboard on the inside of the shirt to keep the marker from bleeding through.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, X @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury
