U.S. poet laureate, Ada Limón was invited by NASA to write a poem to be engraved on the Europa Clipper spacecraft. That poem, In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa launched to Jupiter and its moons on October 14, 2024. Reimagined as In Praise of Mystery, Limón's debut picture book, this luminous poem is illustrated by celebrated and internationally renowned artist Peter Sís.

In Praise of Mystery celebrates humankind's endless curiosity, asks us what it means to explore beyond our known world, and shows how the unknown can reflect us back to ourselves.

Diego Benevides works hard. His single mother encourages him to stay focused on school, on getting into college, on getting out of their crumbling neighborhood. That's why she gave him her car.

Diego's best friend, Lawson, needs a ride--because Lawson is dealing. As long as Diego's not carrying, not selling, it's cool. It's just weed.

But when Lawson starts carrying powder and pills and worse, their friendship is tested and their lives are threatened. As the lines between dealer and driver blur, everything Diego has worked for is jeopardized, and he faces a deadly reckoning with the choices he and his best friend have made.

Award-winning memoirist and poet Rex Ogle's searing first novel-in-verse is an unforgettable story of the power and price of loyalty.

In the spring of 1992, after a jury returned not guilty verdicts in the trial of four police officers charged in the brutal beating of a Black man, Rodney King, Los Angeles was torn apart. Thousands of fires were set, causing more than a billion dollars in damage. In neighborhoods abandoned by the police, protestors and storeowners exchanged gunfire. More than 12,000 people were arrested and 2,400 injured. Sixty-three died.

In Rising from the Ashes, award-winning author Paula Yoo draws on the experience of the city's Korean American community to narrate and illuminate this uprising, from the racism that created economically disadvantaged neighborhoods torn by drugs and gang-related violence, to the tensions between the city's minority communities. At its heart are the stories of three lives and three families: those of Rodney King; of Latasha Harlins, a Black teenager shot and killed by a Korean American storeowner; and Edward Jae Song Lee, a Korean American man killed in the unrest. Woven throughout, and set against a minute-by-minute account of the uprising, are the voices of dozens others: police officers, firefighters, journalists, business owners, and activists whose recollections give texture and perspective to the events of those five days in 1992 and their impact over the years that followed.

A baby girl is welcomed to the breathing world by generations of her family and set on the magnificent journey of becoming. As she grows, she is reminded of her connections to the natural world; to her family, her ancestors, her neighbors; to the source of all magic and sorrow--and of her responsibility to uphold and honor those connections.

With US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's transcendent verse and Pura Belpré Award winner Adriana Garcia's monumental illustrations, For a Girl Becoming acts as a blessing and a harbinger for a young girl's life--and reminds those of us who still stand at the door of becoming that it is our relationships with nature and with each other that carry us through it.

When Rex was outed the summer after he graduated high school, his father gave him a choice: he could stay at home, find a girlfriend, and attend church twice a week, or he could be gay--and leave. Rex left, driving toward the only other gay man he knew and a toxic relationship that would ultimately leave him homeless and desperate on the streets of New Orleans.

Here, Rex tells the story of his coming out and his father's rejection of his identity, navigating abuse and survival on the streets. Road Home is a devastating and incandescent reflection on Rex's hunger--for food, for love, and for a place to call home--completing the trilogy of memoirs that began with the award-winning Free Lunch.

On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and continuing economic hardships.

In his first-ever memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on his childhood growing up in rural Texas through to his stellar athletic career, culminating in his historic victory and Olympic podium protest. Cowritten with Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Honor recipient Derrick Barnes and illustrated with bold and muscular artwork from Emmy Award-winning illustrator Dawud Anyabwile, Victory. Stand! paints a stirring portrait of an iconic moment in Olympic history that still resonates today.

Kengi drew.

Fast, busy, everywhere their hands could reach and feet could travel.

On the front steps, inside the fridge, across the bathroom mirror, atop the cafeteria tables, even on the roll of toilet paper. Kengi's parents are frustrated, and their principal tells them they need to stop. But Ms. Beatriz tells Kengi there's somewhere in the neighborhood that they should visit.

When Kengi arrives at Mural Island, they discover a place where people can paint safely, freely, and joyfully. So Kengi does. But they're not the only one painting each day, and soon Kengi recognizes that their art doesn't have to be permanent to be monumental.

With an electric, eye-catching new style from acclaimed picture book creator Katie Yamasaki, Mural Island celebrates art, expression, and the communities that cherish both.

Free Lunch is the story of Rex's efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade--who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he's trouble--all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives.

Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex's voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America.

From bryozoans and snails to shrimps, eels, swordfish, and whales, the Sargasso Sea provides a home to countless types of marine life, thanks to the prevalence of macroalgae called sargassum. Following a single blade of this extraordinary seaweed as it grows and spreads, readers see what it provides for the sea's organisms: a base for hydroids and tube worms to filter and feed, shelter for anemones and nudibranchs and their nutritious waste, hunting grounds for crabs and amphipods, and a source of nourishment and protection for the fish, birds, whales, and reptiles that feed on these smaller creatures.

Through a widening scope on this intricate interdependence, Barb Rosenstock celebrates one of our planet's most diverse and important ecosystems and the unassuming seaweed that sustains it. Gorgeously illustrated with Katherine Roy's rich, eye-catching artwork, Sea Without a Shore is as fluid and rhythmic as the currents that shape this tidal home.

Meet the deadliest big cats on Earth.

Whose bite is the most lethal? Is it the stylish tiger? The sneaky leopard? The speedy cheetah? Or someone else?

The host of this stiff competition, Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, teaches the rules for big cat interactions (Do not get one as a pet! Do not encroach on their territory!), gives a digestible breakdown of these apex predators, and introduces the contestants.

This tale of claws and jaws invites readers into the world of big cats: where they live, what they eat--and what could happen if you ever encountered one. It also encourages readers to appreciate them, showing how they survive, why they're important to the places they live--and why we should protect them. With humor, accessible science, and a colorful graphic format by best-selling artist Max Temescu, The Deadliest: Big Cat shows that there's a lot to learn about these deadly creatures.

Meet the deadliest spiders on Earth.

Whose bite is the most venomous? Is it the sneaky black widow? The shy recluse? The aggressive Brazilian wandering spider? Or someone else?

The host of this stiff competition, Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, teaches the rules for spider interactions (Do not touch! Do not fear!), gives a digestible breakdown of arachnids, and introduces the contestants.

The Deadliest: Spider invites readers into the world of spiders: where they live, their spidery habits--and what could happen if you get bitten by one. It also encourages readers to appreciate them, showing how they survive, why they're important to the places they live--and why we should leave them alone and protect them. With humor and accessible science presented in a colorful graphic format by best-selling artist Max Temescu, this fang-filled picture book shows there's a lot to learn about these deadly creatures beyond their venomous bites.

Pitter-patter, splutter-splatter, drizzle turns to roar. . . . DOWNPOUR!

But where do all those raindrops go? Dirty stormwater runoff can cause big problems, polluting rivers, ponds, and waterways. So this classroom plans and builds a rain garden, collecting excess water in barrels, creating paths for waterflow with stones and bricks, and planting native flowers and grasses that help the water percolate and invite wildlife to feed and pollinate.

With Michelle Schaub's lively, engaging storytelling, and Blanca Gómez's bright, beguiling illustrations, A Place for Rain provides an upbeat and actionable approach to an important environmental issue, and empowers readers with the tools to reduce pollution, diminish flooding, and create a habitat for wildlife. Informational backmatter includes instructions and resources for readers to build their own rain garden.

Among all the ocean's creatures, few are more captivating--or more elusive--than the octopus. Marine biologist David Scheel investigates these strange beings to try and answer long-held questions: How can we learn more about an animal whose perfect camouflage and secretive habitats make them invisible to detection? How does an almost-boneless package of muscle and protein defeat sharks, eels, and other predators, while also preying on the most heavily armored animals in the sea? How do octopus bodies even work?

Octopuses are both fierce predators and vulnerable prey; they are antisocial jerks but also neat-freak roommates; they are in every ocean habitat and yet, being rarely encountered, nowhere at all. This fascinating and engaging middle grade adaptation of Many Things Under a Rock shows young readers how to embrace the wisdom of the unknown--even if it has more arms than expected.

Pipo thinks that pizza is the best. No, Pipo knows that pizza is the best. It is scientific fact. But when she sets out on a neighborhood-spanning quest to prove it, she discovers that best might not mean what she thought it meant.

Join Pipo as she cooks new foods with her friends Eugene, Farah, Dakota, and Ronnie and Donnie. Each eating experiment delights and stuns her taste buds. Is a family recipe for bibimbap better than pizza? What about a Moroccan tagine that reminds you of home? Or is the best food in the world the kind of food you share with the people you love?

Warm and funny, with bright, whimsical illustrations by Gianna Ruggiero, Every Night Is Pizza Night is a story about open-mindedness, community, and family. With a bonus pizza recipe for young readers to cook with their parents, Every Night Is Pizza Night will make even the pickiest eaters hungry for something new.

In the spring of 2019, ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in little Alfie, a bedraggled Eastern Screech Owl chick who quickly became part of their family. With the Safinas' care and expertise, the little owl grew, learned to hunt on her own, and eventually found her own family in a mate and chicks. As time passed, Carl realized that his bond with Alfie was greater than just saving her life--it offered wisdom, joy, and magic to him in return.

Carl Safina lends an insightful and expert voice to Alfie's tale, providing readers with a perspective that is simultaneously informative and deeply personal. With eye-catching, intimate photographs chronicling Alfie's healing and growth, Owls in Our Yard is the heartfelt story of an animal/human friendship rooted in trust, care, and respect for the natural world.

When is an old truck something more? On a small, bustling farm, a resilient and steadfast pickup works tirelessly alongside the family that lives there, and becomes a part of the dreams and ambitions of the family's young daughter.

After long days and years of hard work leave the old truck rusting in the weeds, it's time for the girl to roll up her sleeves. Soon she is running her own busy farm, and in the midst of all the repairing and restoring, it may be time to bring her faithful childhood companion back to life.

With an eye-catching retro design and cleverly nuanced illustrations, The Old Truck celebrates the rewards of determination and the value of imagination.

When the clubhouse fills with smoke, Marissa and Clara Suarez escape through one of its doors--and find themselves in James Madison's presidency, with the White House and capital city set on fire by invading British troops! With an iconic portrait of George Washington in hand, they race through the countryside as the War of 1812 rages all around them. Over rough roads, on sailing ships, and on the ramparts of Baltimore's Fort McHenry, Marissa and Clara help save a young nation (and play a part in writing The Star-Spangled Banner) while confronting the contradictions that challenge what it means to be free.

Funny, fast-paced, and filled with wholesome adventure, White House on Fire! continues Sean O'Brien's exciting middle grade series that masterfully weaves together history, adventure, and purpose (Ruby Shamir).

Armadillos are a hodgepodge of different animal parts and behaviors rarely seen together--in short, they're oddballs! In this companion to The Upside-Down Book of Sloths, Elizabeth Shreeve explores the evolutionary history of armadillos and how they became the burrowing, swimming, roly-poly, armored predators of today. She pairs modern species like the adorable pink fairy armadillo, the chilling screaming hairy armadillo, and the iconic nine-banded armadillo with their ancient counterparts, such as the glyptodont, which could be as large as a car, had a turtle-like dome of armor, and even a spiked tail club!

Entertaining, educational, and completely endearing, The Oddball Book of Armadillos digs deep into armadillos, their evolutionary history, and their future in our changing world.

Caster Semenya is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a three-time world champion in track from South Africa. Since her first spectacular performance at the 2009 World Championship in Berlin, she has been at the center of a growing debate about female eligibility rules in professional athletics because of her naturally high testosterone levels. After she was forced to take devastating hormone-altering drugs in order to continue competing, this debate has moved to center stage in the future of inclusivity for professional athletes.

In this middle grade adaptation of her debut adult memoir, Caster recounts her childhood growing up in a small village in South Africa, the love for and acceptance of her identity from her community, and her trailblazing fight for the right to compete in professional sports. The Race to Be Myself is an illuminating and necessary story of identity and self-acceptance that will resonate with young readers.