January Book Picks for Kids

Carol Roberts, head of Troy Public Library’s Young People’s Services, joins us for her monthly recommendations of some new books for kids and young adults. Her four January selections cover fiction and non-fiction: “The Scarlet Veil” (Shelby Mahurin, 2023), a YA fantasy novel, tells the tale of a female hunter/warrior who “must vanquish a rising new evil. . . hiding behind a handsome face.” “All These Sunken Souls: A Black Horror Anthology” (ed. Circe Moskowitz, 2024) gathers stories from ten Black authors, a nice accompaniment for watching the Jordan Peele movie “Get Out.” Turning to non-fiction, “Why Do Elephants Have Big Ears?: Questions and Surprising Answers About Animals” (Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, 2023) offers interesting facts, odd trivia, and beautiful artwork about numerous animals. And the picture book “Masala Chai, Fast and Slow” (Rajani LaRocca, ill. Neha Rawat) tells the story of a man who makes chai tea, and his grandson who takes over the work when his grandfather sprains his ankle. Carol notes that the book inspired her to buy chai tea, though she did not try making it with the recipe provided. For more details, visit www.thetroylibrary.org. To find other libraries in New York State, see www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/#Find. Produced by Brea Barthel for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.