New Releases by Irene Latham

Spend a day at a water hole on the African grasslands. Welcome wildebeest / and beetle, / Oxpecker and lion. / This water hole is yours. / It offers you oasis / beside its shrinking shores. From dawn to nightfall, animals come and go. Giraffes gulp, wildebeest graze, impalas leap, vultures squabble, and elephants wallow. Irene Latham's gorgeous poems are accompanied by additional facts that provide further details about the animals and their environment. Imaginative illustrations from Anna Wadham complete this delightful collection.

Love sports? This is the book for you! This action-packed poetry anthology, edited by award-winning poetic collaborators Irene Latham and Charles Waters, features twenty contemporary athletes who have overcome obstacles, broken records, and inspired fans around the globe. Poets zoom in on a meaningful moment from each athlete’s career—including Juan Soto’s father predicting on his tenth birthday that one day he’d play in the World Series and Simone Biles coming back to compete after getting the twisties during the Tokyo Olympics. The collection includes JaNay Brown-Wood writing about LeBron James, Jaime Adoff writing about Mookie Betts, and Kao Kalia Yang writing about Suni Lee. It's a slam dunk, a home run, and a perfect 10!

Scoring a goal against your own team. Copying a classmate's schoolwork. Accepting a dare to jump down the stairs . . . and getting hurt. This engrossing poetry anthology explores making mistakes and learning from them. Twenty brave poets―Linda Sue Park, Margarita Engle, Allan Wolf, David Elliott, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Lacresha Berry, George Ella Lyon, Jaime Adoff, Vikram Madan, Kim Rogers, Douglas Florian, Tabatha Yeatts, Jorge Argueta, Jane Yolen, Charles Waters, JaNay Brown-Wood, Irene Latham, April Halprin Wayland, Darren Sardelli, and Naomi Shihab Nye―share real-life mistakes they made as young people . . . and what happened next. Edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, with brilliantly evocative illustrations by Mercè López, this is a book for all who are growing and discovering and still figuring out who we are. (Which is to say . . . all of us!)

In this upbeat picture book, acclaimed authors Irene Latham and Charles Waters bring key themes from their earlier collaborations (Can I Touch Your Hair? and Dictionary for a Better World) to a young audience. Rhyming verse describes different ways in which readers can "be a bridge," from welcoming a new student and listening respectfully when someone else is talking to standing up to a bully and comforting a classmate who is upset. Nabila Adani's cheerful illustrations depict a diverse group of students, including young versions of Charles and Irene. Scan a Page Plus QR code at the end of the book to download a Bridge Builder Pledge. An ideal book to share with students in the fall to set the tone for the whole school year!

Inspired by "The Twelve Days of Christmas," this picture book illustrates the many different forms that kindness can take, from veteran picture book author Irene Latham. On the first day of kindness, I will give to you a hug that’s warm and true. There are many ways to be kind. Follow one girl as she expresses gratitude through kind deeds all her own—a smile or encouraging word or even shared snacks—and discovers one act of kindness inspires another. In this heartwarming lyrical text, twelve acts of everyday kindness are set to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Along with vibrant and warm illustrations, this joyous read-aloud celebrates how small acts of kindness can be practiced at any age.

In this gorgeously depicted and timeless story of friendship and perseverance, two snails journey to the ark. When Esther woke she knew something curious was happening—a storm was in the air. Not just any storm but the biggest storm the world had ever seen. In lyrical and rhythmic text, with a common refrain of hurry hurry, Esther makes her way to the ark, encountering other animals along the way. Joys, troubles, and journeys are best shared, and so Esther finds her friend Solomon and together—with the help of a small miracle—they find a way to safety. This heartwarming picture book celebrates the importance of community and helping others, featuring two brave snails who embark on the journey of a lifetime.

Chronicling the story of the last Africans brought illegally to America in 1860, African Town is a powerful and stunning novel-in-verse. In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 men, women and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama aboard a ship called Clotilda. Their journey includes the savage Middle Passage and being hidden in the swamplands along the Alabama River before being secretly parceled out to various plantations, where they made desperate attempts to maintain both their culture and also fit into the place of captivity to which they'd been delivered. At the end of the Civil War, the survivors created a community for themselves they called African Town, which still exists to this day. Told in 14 distinct voices, including that of the ship that brought them to the American shores and the founder of African Town, this powerfully affecting historical novel-in-verse recreates a pivotal moment in US and world history, the impacts of which we still feel today.

Wild Peace by Irene Latham and Il Sung Na is a lush, soothing mindfulness picture book about finding solace in the natural world. With lyrical text and whimsical art, Wild Peace follows a girl whose imagination helps her escape her frenzied home and discover the joys of nature. After enjoying the serenity of the forest, she is finally ready to return to her family, where peace welcomes all that is wild, and kisses the forehead of every child. When the world fills with noise and fury, and the days pass, all rush and scurry, it's time to step into the forest . . .

Klynt's days on her Papa's farm are all the same, even during wartime. Until the robodog, that is. A dystopic but heartwarming novel-in-verse perfect for fans of Pax by Sara Pennypacker. In a future United States, civil war is devastating a country on its last legs. On one side: the Patriots. On the other: President Vex's corrupt government. In the middle: everybody else, just trying to survive. The war is going from bad to worse, but out in the sparsely populated Worselands, twelve-year-old Klynt Tovis doesn't see much of it. Instead, Klynt spends most of her long summer days bored, or restoring artifacts in her Museum of Fond Memories. Real pet dogs are a thing of the past: after they were found to be carriers of a sickness the government ordered them all killed. But one day an incredible antique shows up at the farm: a D-39 robodog, "Real as a dog can be!" Klynt is overjoyed, but the good luck doesn't last. When the war makes its way into the empty Worselands, she and D-39 find themselves thrown into an epic journey for survival and hope. Through the twists and turns of this riveting read, Irene Latham deftly shows how kindness can appear in unexpected places during uncertain times.

This beautiful poetry collection introduces readers to the art of found poetry as the poet writes a 37-line poem, "Nest," then finds 160 smaller poems within it. What can you find in a poem about a robin's nest? Irene Latham masterfully discovers "nestlings" or smaller poems about an astonishing variety of subjects--emotions, wild animals, natural landmarks on all seven continents, even planets and constellations. Each poem is a glorious spark of wonder that will prompt readers to look at the world afresh. The book includes an introduction detailing the principles of found poetry and blackout poetry, and a section of tips at the end. The joyous creativity in this volume is certain to inspire budding poets.

The Caldecott Honor-winning true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, who in the midst of the Syrian Civil War courageously offered safe haven to Aleppo's abandoned cats. Aleppo's city center no longer echoes with the rich, exciting sounds of copper-pot pounding and traditional sword sharpening. His neighborhood is empty--except for the many cats left behind. Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay--he can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe.

Fans of clever poetry and numbers rejoice! Nine is a book of nine-line poems called nonets, all about the number nine! Kids ages 5 to 8 will love this fun and unique poetry collection. Hey! Hi there! Love nonets? I'm sure you do. What are they, you ask? You don't know a nonet? Not even one little one? Actually, they're all the same size! They're poems, of course--and here's your first! Each poem in this clever collection is a nonet: a nine-line poem that starts with nine syllables in the first line and ends with one syllable in the ninth line (or the reverse). But these nonets go even further! Every one is also written with the number nine at its heart. There's plenty to love and learn: topics include the nine months it takes a baby to be born, cats' nine lives, baseball's nine players, and the nine-banded armadillo. Some feature history, such as the Little Rock Nine, the spacecraft Apollo 9, the ninth president; others explain idioms, like "dressed to the nines," "cloud nine," and "the whole nine yards." Explore these and more with nonets galore!

How can we make the world a better place? This inspiring resource for middle-grade readers is organized as a dictionary; each entry presents a word related to creating a better world, such as ally, empathy, or respect. For each word, there is a poem, a quote from an inspiring person, a personal anecdote from the authors, and a "try it" prompt for an activity. This second poetic collaboration from Irene Latham and Charles Waters builds upon themes of diversity and inclusiveness from their previous book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. Illustrations from Iranian-British artist Mehrdokht Amini offer readers a rich visual experience. "Latham and Waters's personal stories are plainspoken and relatable . . . and the suggested actions, accessible. . . The approach creates multiple pathways for engagement. Extensive supplementary materials include an index of poetic forms."—starred, Publishers Weekly

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and text highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! Two poets, one white and one black, explore race and childhood in this must-have collection tailored to provoke thought and conversation. How can Irene and Charles work together on their fifth grade poetry project? They don't know each other . . . and they're not sure they want to. Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is Black, use this fictional setup to delve into different experiences of race in a relatable way, exploring such topics as hair, hobbies, and family dinners. Accompanied by artwork from acclaimed illustrators Sean Qualls and Selina Alko (of The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage), this remarkable collaboration invites readers of all ages to join the dialogue by putting their own words to their experiences.

A charming and significant story set prior to the Civil Rights Movement about a boy who finds a way to challenge segregation laws. Frank has always been obsessed with elephants. He loves their hosepipe trunks, tree stump feet, and swish-swish tails. So when Miss Fancy, the elephant, retires from the circus and moves two blocks from his house to Avondale Park, he's over the moon! Frank really wants to pet her. But Avondale Park is just for white people, so Frank is not allowed to see Miss Fancy. Frank is heartbroken but he doesn't give up: instead he makes a plan! Frank writes to the City Council so his church can host a picnic in the park, and he can finally meet Miss Fancy. All of his neighbors sign the letter, but when some protest, the picnic is cancelled and Frank is heartbroken all over again. Then Miss Fancy escapes the zoo, and it's up to Frank to find her before she gets hurt.

Agnes has a beak that can crush bones and arms and stretch wide as a car—but that doesn't make her a monster! After she comes across a postcard, Agnes, a giant Pacific octopus, strikes up a correspondence with various other creatures below—and above—the waves. Readers will delight in this unlikely introduction to the octopus life cycle.

Take a trip to the Farmer's Market in this book filled with vibrant and delicious poems! Poetry can be as fresh and delicious as the farmers' market produce it celebrates in this bright collection. Unexpected, ingenious imagery and enticing artwork will inspire young readers and their imaginations. In these vivid poems, blueberries are "flavor-filled fireworks," cucumbers are "a fleet of green submarines in a wicker sea," lettuce tastes like "butter and pepper and salt," but sometimes "I crunch into a leaf the very same flavor as rain." Kid-friendly recipes are included at the end of the book!

Experience summer like you've never experienced it before by traveling to Antarctica with evocative poetry. Icebergs brighten as the sky peels itself of darkness and stretches awake. . . . Welcome, Summer. We've been waiting for you. The sun rises, ice melts, grass grows, seals squabble, whales sing, and young penguins slide, glide, and belly flop. Irene Latham's evocative poems are accompanied by additional facts that provide further details about the animals and their environment. Whimsical illustrations from Anna Wadham complete this charming collection.

Eleven-year-old Whit's zookeeper parents have rarely allowed him to go outside of the Alabama zoo they run, but he stops seeing it as such a cage when he meets "Bird Girl, O for whom the place is a refuge from problems at home. Illustrations.

Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but she can still put in a good stitch. Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things go wrong. But when Mama goes into labor early and gets deathly ill, it seems like even quilting won?t help. That?s when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic?leave Gee?s Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine that can only be found miles away in Camden. But that doesn?t stop Ludelphia. She just puts one foot in front of the other. What ensues is a wonderful, riveting and sometimes dangerous adventure. Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mother proud, and ends up saving the day for her entire town. Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee?s Bend, Alabama, Leaving Gee?s Bend is a delightful, satisfying story of a young girl facing a brave new world.