Epic historical events inspired some of Peter Sís’s most celebrated books, including titles such as Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued (Norton, 2021) and the Caldecott Honor Book The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007). But Sís’s latest picture book, In Praise of Mystery (Norton, 2024), is linked to an [...]

Books can serve as mirrors for readers who are looking for authentic reflections of their own experiences. In Good Different (Scholastic, 2023)—Meg Eden Kuyatt’s debut novel-in-verse—the book also served as a mirror for the author, who learned while writing the story that she is on the autism spectrum just as her character Selah discovers the same thing. Kuyatt’s genuine, [...]

David Bowles’ character “Fasting Coyote”—based on the real life of poet and ruler Nezahualcoyotl—pulled off many of his amazing accomplishments while still a teenager, so it’s little wonder that Bowles’ action-packed YA book is relatable to a teen audience. In The Prince & the Coyote (Levine Querido, 2023), Bowles relates the absorbing story of this little-known but highly [...]