Pines and Plains Libraries

"Told through creative language play, and with depth and whimsy, this picture book reminds readers of their own agency and the power they have to direct their own path. Marc Colagiovanni's lyrical text and Peter H. Reynolds's stunning art create an enduring message of strength and perseverance that is both universal and personal, and one that readers will be drawn to over and over again. This first of two new picture books created in collaboration...

"Two years after her parents' surprising and painful split, twelve-year-old Jo and her mom find themselves on the 100-mile hike on the Superior Hiking Trail along Lake Superior's north shore--a journey that Jo had always looked forward to hiking with her dad. It's not a situation that either of them ever predicted they'd find themselves in, yet here they are in the wilderness with their entire lives stuffed into a pair of thirty-pound packs. Along...

After a devastating tornado tears apart her home, thirteen-year-old Quinn struggles to find stability and return to who she was before, finding she has to rebuild herself.

Peanut the chipmunk really wants to fly his homemade kite, but it keeps ending up on the ground--but Peanut refuses to give up, and with the help of his animal friends the kite will fly.

Every Sunday, Yoomi enjoys favorite foods and activities in Koreatown but when things go wrong, Daddy encourages her to try new things and she still has a wonderful day.

"Examines the impact of the 1959 Cuban Revolution on four children from very different walks of life. In the wake of a new regime in Cuba, Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan learn to find a place for themselves in a world forever changed. In a tumultuous moment of history, we see the lasting effects of a revolution in Havana, the countryside, Miami, and New York. Their separate narratives build, overlap, and entwine to creat one inspiring story--an adventure...

In a town once vibrant but now affected by unemployment and food insecurity, a young girl watches the seasons go by.

A story to show how to keep going even when something is difficult. Girls (and boys!) can become stronger and more resilient simply by realizing how strong and resilient they already are, and running provides a pathway to that realization.

"She's scared. She's hungry. She's exhausted. How much longer can she hold on? Randi Lewis is a month into seventh grade, and things definitely aren't going as planned. After a terrible sixth-grade year, she was hoping to really turn her life around. But the same old problems are still haunting her: Bullying, middle school girl drama, teachers who don't want her around, an incarcerated father, an abusive mother, acute poverty, a home with no food......

"She yells. She curses. She fights. Her classmates say she's difficult. Her teacher's say she's the student from hell... Randi Lewis isn't your typical seventh-grader. She's a damaged girl with a secret life who just wants to be a normal, happy teenager. And on her first day of seventh grade, she vows to make this the year she turns it all around. This will be the year that she'll finally let go of her pain and her anger and be happy again. All she...