Reviews+

Awards season is heating up, along with reader interest in current speculation. Betsy Bird puts it out there in her latest Prediction Edition. Also trending on SLJ, booklists that honor the Latinx experience to savor with young readers in this commemorative month and beyond.

Historically, most Spanish-language originals came out of Spain. But in the U.S. Latinx population, people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican, Guatemalan, Colombian, and Honduran origin all outnumber Spaniards. It’s important that Latinx children have access to books from authors whose origins are as diverse as their own.

In these works, silly creatures impart wise messages.

Read one book a day for Latinx Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15, and every month after that. From migration and history to food and family, these works capture the many complexities and joys of the Latinx culture.

The National Book Foundation today announced the longlist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Eleven newcomers to the National Book Awards comprise the 2023 class of longlist honorees.

These picture books and graphic novels for elementary students through high schoolers show the power of illustration to convey complex emotions.

A “shift in tone” in a recent Great Books piece prompted a reader’s response. “I don’t think these targeted communities need more stress,” she writes.

In these fun picture books, children can follow along with kids—and animals!—on their quest to obtain a new live-in best friend. These 11 stories range from the first desire for an animal companion to the responsibility of caring for another life. 

SLJ's most viewed stories of the past seven days address peer-to-peer advice for school librarians and the impact of censorship.