2021 Newbery Award winner
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller is a fantasy and folklore novel published in 2020. This book is for ages 8-12. This book is about Lily Reeves, Sam Reeves, and their mother moving in with the girls' grandmother when she falls ill. A magical tiger from her grandmother's Korean folktales arrives, which causes Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long ago, Halmoni (the grandmother) stole something from the tigers, and now they want it back. Halmoni stole stories in the form of stars and hid them away in secret jars. These stories were dangerous, so Halmoni took them to protect herself and others. One of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal - to return what her grandmother stole in exchange for her health. Unfortunately, Halmoni doesn't make it, and in the end, after freeing and listening to the stolen stories, Lily tells a new story in her grandmother's final moments. This novel has many themes: loss, grief, history, identity, and storytelling. Halmoni's stories help Lily discover not only who her grandmother was but herself as well, and the lesson learned is that it's up to her to create her own story.
2018 Caldecott Award winner
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell is a picture book published in 2017. This book is for ages 3-7. This story is about a girl and a wolf pup. A girl in a red hood finds an abandoned wolf pup on her way home from school in the snow. Instead of returning home, the girl helps the pup to find his family. Despite her fear, she reunites him with his mother. The girl makes her way home but her long journey to return the wolf has made her exhausted. She collapses in the snow and the wolfpack finds her. The wolves surround her and alert her parents of her location by howling. The parents find her and the family returns home. This story is beautiful because it is told entirely by pictures. The only words in the book are to describe sounds coming from the wolves or the girl. For example "puff" and "howl." The themes covered in this book are kindness and compassion.
2023 Coretta Scott King Award Illustrator Honor
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas is a graphic fiction novel published in 2022. This book is for ages 7-11. Bree is moving from Brooklyn to Florida because her dad has accepted a new job. Bree is nervous about moving, making new friends, and starting at a new middle school. She wanted to join Math Puzzles, but the only elective left with open spots is Swim 101. Bree doesn't know how to swim so she begins to skip class to avoid anyone finding her secret. Bree ends up meeting a swim coach at her apartment and learns how to swim. She discovers that she is great at swimming and joins the school's swim team. As a new member of the Manatees, Bree makes friends with her teammates and she even places at her first swim meet. Unfortunately, the Manatees must keep winning or their pool will be sold to a frozen smoothie chain. Bree works with her team to beat their swim rivals from a private school. In the end, the Manatees win the state championship and save their pool. This book touches on the topic of how historical and systematic forces such as segregation have led to a lack of access to pools for Black Americans. It also touches on themes of friendship and community.
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