Reading Rainbow
The next generation is in for a new kind of story. Bonus, reading has a healthy side effect: cracking a book for just six minutes can reduce stress by 68 percent, according to a study from the University of Sussex.
BEDTIME STORIES: If your kiddos’ bedtime is before 8 p.m., try these
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
By author Rob Sanders and illustrator Steven Salerno, this cute and essential groundbreaker is aimed at 5- to 8-year-olds. It tells the inspiring true story of the LGBT Pride flag. "Pride beautifully tells the history of both Uncle Harvey's dream and his collaboration with Gilbert Baker (the flag's designer, who passed away last year) to create a global symbol of equality and inclusion," says Harvey Milk Foundation founder (and Milk's nephew) Stuart Milk. (RHCBooks.com)
Little Royal: A Fish Tale
Writer and illustrator Chelo Manchego came to the U.S. at 18 from El Salvador -- saying it can be "a dangerous situation" for LGBT people in his native country -- and spent years living in a Buddhist temple by the Los Angeles River, where he still teaches art to kids. Today, at 25, Manchego is out and recently published his second children's book, Little Royal. Aimed at kids 4 to 8, the book delivers important messaging about ego, entitlement, and "our responsibility to act with humility and compassion." (PenguinRandomHouse.com)
Absolutely Alfie Chapter Book Series
After Sally Warner's enormously successful and critically acclaimed Ellray Jakes series (centered around an African-American boy), she's created a spinoff about his spunky younger sister, Alfie. (PenguinRandomHouse.com)
GROWING PAINS: Older kids and teens
Lumberjanes: The Moon Is Up
Mariko Tamaki and Brooklyn Allen have teamed up once again for the latest in the GLAAD award-winning series, which continues following five teen girls as they solve mysteries and encounter bizarre creatures at summer camp. (AbramsBooks.com)
Dear Rachel Maddow
In Adrienne Kisner's Dear Rachel Maddow, a high school girl deals with school politics, her first serious girlfriend, and life after her brother's death, by drafting emails to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow for a school project. This funny and heartfelt debut for 13- to 18-year-olds is a timely, accessible way to talk to young people about activism, civic engagement, and our rights as Americans. (US.Macmillan.com)
Nothing Happened
Molly Booth's Shakespearean update (based on the Bard's Much Ado About Nothing) tells the tale of two teens at summer camp, navigating the perils of love, lust, and sexual identity. (BooksDisney.com)
Every Day
In a wonderfully strange and surreal Groundhog Day-ish tale, best-selling author David Levithan brings to life the story of "A," a teen who wakes up every morning in a different body (often with a different gender or race). Every Day is now a movie (with 15 different actors playing the role).(PenguinRandomHouse.com)
Love, Penelope
In this unusual illustrated book for 8- to 12-year-olds, readers are immersed in the world of 10-year-old Oakland, Calif.-based basketball fan Penelope through letters she writes to a yet-to-be-born sibling about the NBA finals and marriage equality. (AbramsBooks.com)
The Jigsaw Jungle
When Claudia receives a mysterious envelope containing a puzzle piece and a cryptic message, it sets her on an unexpected treasure hunt to find her missing father. The book is a gripping middle school adventure from Kristin Levine, which tackles a parent's coming-out. (PenguinRandomHouse.com)
Ship It
In this modern tale, author Britta Lundin (a writer on the CW's teen drama Riverdale) delves in the world of Comic-Con fandom, viral videos, and all the feels that come with being a teen fan desperate to see queer relationships -- even where they may not exist. (Freeform.go.com)
The Prince and the Dressmaker
This charming fable by Jen Wang centers on young Prince Sebastian and a secret that bonds him with his best friend, the royal tailor, Frances. You see, the prince is rather fond of wearing beautiful dresses, which his faithful friend makes for him in secret -- but Frances's loyalty is put to the test when her own dreams are put into jeopardy. (FirstSecondBooks.com)
