Kids Books for Spring

Looking for some suggestions of new books for young folks? Carol Roberts, head of young people’s services at Troy Public Library, has some! March is Women’s History Month, so she starts with “Penny: The Engineering Tail of the Fourth Little Pig” (Derting & Johannes, ill. Marks, 2022), a picture book with a new spin on an old story that also introduces readers to some architectural terms. Next is “Period. The Quick Guide to Every Uterus” (Redford, ill. Giraldez, 2023), a graphic novel that explains menstruation, with gender-neutral, body-accepting, and sexuality-inclusive characters. For the coming of spring, Carol recommends the book “How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside” (Percival, 2022) to convey a sense of wonder about nature, and get kids interested in gardening. The final book turns to history. “Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport” (Stelson, ill. Elko, 2023) is a picture book that presents the sensitively told true story of a English man who rescued 669 Czech children from Nazi persecution on the eve of World War II by transporting them to England. Carol notes that each book has helpful “back matter” such as glossaries and timeline. 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.