Sure to empower young scientists entranced by the sea.

Greta Green adores the ocean and spends her time cleaning the shoreline with her trusty bird and hermit crab. She can only dream of diving below the surface to discover the wonders hidden beneath…until the day that Greta gets a big idea: She and her pals will build their own submarine!

And that’s exactly what they do. But the underwater world brings both hidden treasures and dangers. What will Greta and her crew discover along their journey? And can they find a way to continue helping with ocean conservation?

With cheerful rhyming text and whimsical artwork, this is a story about dreaming big, protecting our oceans, and staying true to your heart. The book includes information on submersibles and submarines, famous shipwrecks, and real-life female pioneers of the sea.

Publisher: Two Lions Publishing

Written by Sue Fliess

Art Director: Neil Swab

Editor: Marilyn Brigham

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly:

Energetic rhymes describe a youth pursuing dreams of ocean exploration in this buoying story from Fliess and Cooper. During a beach cleanup, an idea hits brown-skinned Greta Green “like a wave”: she’ll make a submarine out of the gathered materials. Construction happens in a flash (“radar, cameras, captain’s chair,/ rudders, periscope”), and the budding eco-explorer is soon “descending, slow and steady.” When the submersible becomes stuck on a wrecked ship housing gold and rare artifacts, Greta donates the find in support of ocean conservation for an ending that’s as fanciful as the rest of the story. With mottled coloring, action-packed animation-style scenes underscore the text’s themes by presenting Greta with alternating expressions of awe and determination as she navigates an ocean teeming with aquatic creatures and found resources. Back matter includes notes about female pioneers of the sea. Ages up to 7. (Mar.)

Kirkus:

Enthusiastic engineering steers a young environmentalist to a sea success. Greta loves to dive into the ocean—and into projects. While picking up trash along the shore with her sidekicks—a pompom-beanie–wearing parrot and a crab in a conch—she’s inspired to build a one-person submarine from her recycling finds. Luckily, she has a huge brass-bound barrel to start with, and she’s soon ready to “chase [her] dream” underwater, in an improbable but functional vessel. Descending beneath the waves, Greta is a responsible scientist, recording notes and taking photographs until the sonarless sub grounds on a wreck. While exploring the pirate-flagged ship, she discovers a heap of gold; she earmarks the funds for ocean conservation and vows to further pursue underwater exploration herself. She returns to a “Save the Ocean” celebration with a small crowd of shore supporters. Greta is so moved by her experience that she says, “It’s difficult to find the words,” but Fleiss seems to have had no difficulty hitting upon the right ones, conveyed in rhythmical rhyming quatrains. Cooper’s bright, saturated, and slightly stylized illustrations depict a brown-skinned, curly-haired, bespectacled youngster, both determined and joyful. The book’s final pages introduce four real women who contributed meaningfully to oceanography and offers information on subs and shipwrecks. Sure to empower young scientists entranced by the sea.(Picture book. 3-7)

During the first half of the twentieth century, White and Black students were legally prohibited from attending the same schools. Although they were separated, the quality of their educational experiences was vastly unequal. Black students often had to make do with inadequate resources; they frequently lacked basic supplies and attended classes held in old wooden shacks without heating. In our new book, “The Doll Test: Choosing Equality” Carole Boston Weatherford and I explore the pioneering research of Black psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark. They conducted experiments with four identical dolls that differed only by skin color, asking Black children which doll they preferred. The majority chose the white doll, revealing the harmful impact of segregation on their self-esteem.

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

Written by Carole Boston Weatherford

Art directed by Danielle Carnito

Edited by Carol Hinz

Reviews:

★ “The purposefully jarring illustrations (including digital collages of actual Effanbee Twinkie dolls, just like those used in the experiments) feature strange perspectives and portray characters with blunt, twisted features, evoking an appropriate sense of unease and eeriness. Suitable for kids, but deserving of a much wider audience, award winners Weatherford and Cooper have created an impactful and compelling book.” -Kathleen McBroom, Book Lists (Starred Review)

“Cooper’s digital illustrations in a muted palette make innovative use of off-kilter perspectives reflective of the warped perceptions created by segregation and systemic racism to bring emotional depth. Cooper’s visuals enhance Weatherford’s assured storytelling, creating a harmonious blend that amplifies the story’s impact.” -Annisha Jeffries, The Horn Book

“An astonishing and solid purchase for libraries looking for history books about racial segregation.” –Kirsten Caldwell, SLJ

Awards and Acknowledgements

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Society of Illustrators 67 Jury Selection

Center for The Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Books of 2024

School Library Journal, 2024 Best Nonfiction Books, Betsy Bird Reviews

Booklist, Top 10 History for Youth: 2025

This illustrated collection of heartfelt letters is about the many beautiful hopes and dreams that fathers have for their children.

When you grow up, I hope you…

…let your smile change the world
…feel you are loved, in every cell of your body
…learn how to help those who need a hand

Eighteen dads from different walks of life took turns finishing that sentence. Some of them expressed hope that their children would dream big and be kind. Others wanted their kids to have love and respect for themselves and others.

What they all share is a wish to express their support for their children as they learn and grow.

Publisher: Random House Kids

Written by Dr. Joel Warsh and Andrew Gardner

Edited by Sara Sargent

Marcus is NOT happy to be stuck in after-school film class . . . until he realizes he can turn the story of the cartoon superhero he’s been drawing for years into an actual MOVIE! There’s just one problem: he has no idea what he’s doing. So he’ll need help, from his friends, his teachers, Sierra, the strong-willed classmate with creative dreams of her own, even Tyrell, the local bully who’d be a perfect movie villain if he weren’t too terrifying to talk to.

Making this movie won’t be easy. But as Marcus discovers, nothing great ever is—and if you want your dream to come true, you’ve got to put in the hustle to make it happen.

Publisher: Random House Kids

Written by Kevin Hart and Geoff Rodkey

Art Director: April Ward

Senior Designer: Carol Ly

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly:

All aspiring artist Marcus wants to do is work on his comics series, which features his daring alter ego, Toothpick. Unfortunately, the Afternoon Adventures art class his widower father enrolled him in proves a bad fit for his passion; with no better options, he reluctantly joins a filmmaking class. There, he meets aspiring social influencer Jazmin, music video creator Amari, and would-be writer/director Sierra. Dubious about the program and uninterested in crafting a film from Sierra’s script, Marcus is slowly won over by the idea of filming Toothpick. Though he’s initially intimidated by the amount of work involved in the cinematic creation process, from writing the screenplay to working within a realistic budget, accepting Sierra’s tough-love advice helps him tackle each new obstacle in turn. In this exuberant middle grade debut, comedian Hart and coauthor Rodkey (We’re Not from Here) navigate the complexities of filmmaking, skillfully channeling the craft through the misadventures of Marcus, whose inexperience with the medium and emotional connection to his material prove both creatively hindering and personally cathartic. With its solid comic timing and realistic sense of character and dialogue, this energetic love letter to the artistic process provides both practicality and encouragement. Cooper’s b&w illustrations aptly capture the story’s cued-Black cast. Ages 8–12. [em](June) [/em]

Kirkus:

A charming read that demystifies the work of making a movie and celebrates the gifts of authentic friendship.

Marcus, obsessed with making comics, finds new ambitions for his superhero character Toothpick when he joins an after-school filmaking club.

Always-working comedian Hart enters the children’s-literature world with this middle-grade novel uplifting one of the profound life lessons that helped catapult him to global superstardom. It’s certainly not a biography, but one can see the shades of reality, with a young Black boy who’s short and funny making his way into film. Marcus’ gift for storytelling is nurtured by his love of making comics (represented visually throughout by Cooper). Readers come to understand how these creative acts help process stress and grief via striking conversations between Marcus and his loving father that also show the critical importance of developing emotional language. After an inspiring first day of film class, Marcus declares that he will make the most awesome movie ever—but there’s a gigantic difference between making comics and making a movie: You can’t make a movie alone. He’s going to have to work with peers who challenge him. Through Marcus’ experiences, young readers will learn about the many different concepts, tools, and techniques that are part of the behind-the-camera filmmaking endeavor. Unfortunately, lumping Toni Morrison in with William Shakespeare as just another “dead author” is a distasteful moment in an otherwise enjoyable read. The book adheres to a Black default. A charming read that demystifies the work of making a movie and celebrates the gifts of authentic friendship.(Fiction. 8-12)

Marcus’s movie, Toothpick vs. the Doom, is a HIT! But the only thing harder than making a movie is making a SECOND one. Marcus needs to come up with another great idea fast. Too bad his film crew (aka friends) are too preoccupied with their MeTube channels to notice. An invite to The Helen Show has Marcus thinking they’ll be back on top, but will nerves, unchecked ambition, and a rivalry between friends shut down this show before it even begins?