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Vooks A to Z

Women Who Changed the World

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and Zoe is excited. She’s about to have a fun-filled day with her mom. But when they go to the library, Miss Foster says Zoe isn’t allowed to talk loud. And when they go to the park, Mr. Jones says she’s not allowed to walk on the grass. Then at Grandma’s house, Grandma says she can’t wear wet shoes in the house. And at the store, a sign says kids aren’t allowed to play inside.

Is Zoe ever allowed to do fun things? Or is climbing, playing, yelling, and splashing in puddles always off-limits? According to Zoe’s mom, it’s all about knowing when and where to have fun. Then, you can be as wild as you want.

Written by Mandy Archer and illustrated by Shane Crampton, Stay Wild My Child demonstrates an important lesson for both kids and adults: Though some rules must be followed, everyone needs a space to be messy, expressive, and unrestrained. Published by Rainstorm Publishing, an imprint of Kidsbooks.

There are a lot of rules for Zoe to follow. But according to her mom, there are also times when the rules don’t apply.

Stay Wild My Child

Nature

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage

New Books

Sick Day Stories

What can you do with your hands? Well, you could plant a tree—or an idea. You could touch a book, or someone’s heart. You could lift a bucket—and by doing that, you might lift someone’s spirit. You could stretch your arms out wide, or stretch someone’s imagination. And, of course, you could always reach out—for love, peace, truth, faith, hope, and dreams—or even just to take someone else’s hand in yours.

Every day, we make decisions about how we’ll use our hands. But what makes them beautiful isn’t how they look, it’s how we choose to use them. Now, the question is up to you. What will you do with your beautiful hands today?

An ode to the beauty of what our hands can create, Beautiful Hands pairs gentle language with illustrations made of hand and thumbprints. Written by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten, illustrated by Kathryn Otoshi, and published by Blue Dot Press.

There are so many things your hands can do—such as plant ideas, touch hearts, and stretch imaginations.

Beautiful Hands

Animals

Sing-alongs and Music

Simon is a backstage cat. His owner is a celebrity. Together, they ride to the theater in a big, silver-grey limousine. Simon watches in the dressing room while his owner puts on rouge and powder. Then come eyelashes, lipstick, bracelets. Finally, a wig, shoes, and her costume. Then, it’s time for the show! Simon’s owner promises to come back and see him during intermission.

But then Simon sees a mouse, and he can’t help but chase it out of the dressing room. But what will happen when a falling prop spooks him onstage? This backstage cat is about to get an unexpected moment in the spotlight. It could be a disaster—or maybe it’ll turn Simon into a celebrity as well.

With a theater-themed vocabulary and mixed-media illustrations, Backstage Cat follows the silly misadventure of a rather mischievous kitty. Written by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Jenni Desmond, and published by Blue Apple Books.

When Simon gets spooked during a performance, this backstage cat might get an unexpected moment in the spotlight.

Backstage Cat

Familius Presents

5 Minutes or Less

Free Access

Camp Vooks

Foundational Reading

Uh oh…the color’s blocked! Let’s see if we can help. Get ready to straighten out the pipes, unplug the corks, and get that color flowing again as we shake, turn, and move all around! But be careful—the color might get unclogged faster than expected! Little ones will have a blast with this interactive story as they learn primary colors in a whole new way! They’ll also discover how mixing colors makes new colors…and why you should never, ever, put too much trust in a narrator.

Color Blocked is written by Ashley Sorenson, illustrated by David Miles, and published by Familius.


Uh oh…the color’s blocked! Let’s see if we can help. But be careful—no telling what might happen!

Color Blocked

Mindfulness

Poetry

Bedtime

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

One of us is a wind bird, a sky skipper, a diamond dipper, dancing on your string. Another is red, delicious—with a quick twist of your wrist, you free it from the tree. You gasp when one of us roars, mane exploding, sizzling—a lion of the sky. Two of us are knitted twins, soft as kittens, warm as hugs, waiting to hold your hands.

Who are we? Do you think you might already know? Come along for a colorful guessing game that features all four seasons. The answers hide in haikus, masked in riddles. Some are easy, some are hard to guess—but each one loves to be discovered just as much as the rest.

Beautiful and creative, Lion of the Sky manages to make poetry, haikus, and riddles accessible to young readers. The book explores all four seasons with striking visuals, adding an extra hint for each riddle’s answer. Written by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Mercè López, and published by Millbrook Press.

ANSWER KEY: 
SPRING: kite, umbrella, nest, flower bud, earthworm, puddle
SUMMER: dandelion, mosquito, sandcastle, baseball, fireflies, fireworks
FALL: school, pencil, apple, leaf pile, jack-o'-lantern, squirrel
WINTER: mittens, snow, ice skates, snow angel, star, snoozing bear

Sky skippers, tasty treasures, cold confetti, meadows of stars, and more—can you guess who we all are?

Lion of the Sky

Ken is playing a game. He’s baking a mud cake—and his sister Jen is going to help. They start off with crumbled dirt for the base. Jen adds water, but she adds a little too much. So Ken uses sand to fix the batter. Next, he adds nuts and berries. Jen puts in the garnish of leaves. Next it’s time to mix and stir, stir and mix. Then they bake the cake in the hot sun!

What happens when the mud cake is all done baking? Will they have a slice, or will there be an even tastier treat for them to share? Come along for an afternoon of make-believe cooking with siblings in the sun.

Following the game so many children play, Chocolate Mud Cake explores themes of working together, solving problems, and using our imaginations. Written by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Maxine Lee, and published by Brain Food Kids.

Ken and his sister Jen are baking a mud cake. What’s their recipe? Dirt, water, sand, nuts, berries, and leaves!

Chocolate Mud Cake

Vooks at a Glance

Unicorns can run on rainbows, so why can't they scribble?
 
This story is about a little girl who keeps hearing, "Never let a unicorn scribble!" But in her heart believes that people just don't understand how beautiful scribbling can be. She keeps trying to teach her unicorn to scribble, but soon realizes this is more difficult than she anticipated. Instead of giving up, she uses her imagination to come up with a creative way to get her unicorn to scribble. At first it looks like it was a complete disaster, but ends up being truly magical!

A fun and imaginative book, Never Let a Unicorn Scribble! is written and illustrated by Diane Alber. Published by Diane Alber Art LLC.

Everyone says to never let a unicorn scribble…but what could possibly go wrong?

Never Let a Unicorn Scribble!

All Seasons

Kid at Heart

Celebrate Black History

Biographies

S.T.E.A.M.

How We Work

From a young age Laura Wheeler Waring loved art. Growing up, she didn’t see any artists who looked like her, or even any paintings of people who looked like her. Using her family members as models, Laura painted and painted, filling the walls of her room like the walls of a gallery. Using her paints, she was fascinated by all the rich colors that combined to create the beautiful shades of brown she saw in her family members. While studying art in Paris, she was inspired by famous painters who captured the people around them. She decided she too wanted to paint who she knew best, people with beautiful brown skin that she never saw in paintings as a child. Today, Laura’s artwork hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. Now everyone can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured.

A wonderful true story of creativity and being true to one’s self, Beautiful Shades of Brown is both inspirational and educational. Beautiful Shades of Brown is written by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Felicia Marshall, and published by Creston Books.


Laura Wheeler Waring discovered an entire rainbow within the beautiful shades of brown she painted.

Beautiful Shades of Brown

Storybook Genius Publishing

Just like one of her towers, everything around Olivia is built with blocks called cells. Or at least, that’s what Olivia’s mom says. But where are the blocks hiding? Olivia doesn’t see them in her yard. The house is made of bricks, but Olivia can’t find cells. The playground isn’t built out of cell-blocks either! Maybe if Olivia thought like her mom—like a scientist—she’d get what her mom was trying to tell her.

What happens when Olivia steps into the lab and looks at the world through a microscope? Come journey into the world of beakers, scales, flasks, and Bunsen burners. You might be surprised by what you see.

Using the simple metaphor of building blocks, Olivia’s Tower introduces readers to the concept of cells as the building blocks of the physical world. The story also explains the scientific method, along with various tools a scientist uses inside a lab. Written and illustrated by Gretchen Day. Published by Storybook Genius, LLC.

Olivia’s mom says everything is built with blocks called cells. But where are the blocks hiding?

Olivia's Tower

Seasonal - Spring

Leo is a busy lad. No matter how hard he works, there’s always more to do. Until one day, another Leo shows up to lend a hand. Together, they tackle the list of To-Dos—but it’s still too much! So, they wrangle another Leo, then another. They wash, scrub, sweep, and shop. They make calls, and plans, and agendas. Before long, there are ten Leos on the job.

But when the first Leo—Leo himself—decides to take a nap, the others are furious. There’s no time for sleeping. There’s no time for dreaming! Dreaming isn’t on the list. And there’s no time for anything not on the list… is there?

A touching ode to the importance of slowing down, taking a break, and remembering to dream, So Few of Me reminds us that working too much can’t be solved by simply working harder. The story also highlights the importance of quality over quantity. Written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and published by Candlewick Press.

No matter how hard Leo works, there’s always more to do. Until one day, another Leo shows up to help out.

So Few of Me

Food and Cooking

When Filbert P. Horsefeathers walks into George Crum's restaurant, he tells the waitress, “I have a hankering for a heaping helping of potatoes.” Talented cook that he is, George prepares a serving of his most scrumptious, succulent, and sublime potato wedges—only to have Filbert send them back. “Too thick,” he says. “Too bland.” So, George makes thinner, saltier wedges. 

But this picky customer isn’t satisfied with the new dish. He sends them back again. Feeling a bit mischievous, George decides to make the thinnest, most overcooked, most salty potatoes of his entire cooking career. What happens next surprises everyone—and leaves the whole world clamoring for more.

Though a work of fiction, Mr. Crum’s Potato Predicament is based on a real George Crum (of mixed Native American and African American descent), who is said to have created the first potato chip in response to a demanding customer. The playful writing is filled with vocabulary words, along with themes of persistence, creativity, and using cleverness to handle challenging social situations. Written by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Felicita Sala, and published by Kids Can Press.

The pickiest customer of Crum’s career might lead him to a breakthrough: The invention of the potato chip!

Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament

Dream Big

Be Brave

In the City

Be Resilient

When Irving’s home is burned, his family is forced to flee to America. The trip across the ocean isn’t easy—but when Irving glimpses the Statue of Liberty, the whole boat sings her a grateful song. In New York City, Irving begins a new life. More songs begin to fill his head. Songs that sound like the clank of a railcar, shouts of laughter, the hum of a city full of life.

Come along with Irving as his creative spirit grows into something much bigger than himself. Melodies might be enough to lift his family out of poverty. One might even go on to inspire an entire country—an anthem of gratitude and hope for the land that became his new home.

Following songwriter Irving Berlin’s remarkable life, this story underscores the power of hope, hard work, and limitless creativity. Though his songs were celebrated and performed by countless talented musicians, Irving is best known for his ode to his new home, “God Bless America.” Written by Nancy Churnin and illustrated by James Rey Sanchez, Irving Berlin is published by Creston Books, LLC.


When Irving must flee his home in Russia, he starts a new life in America. What comes next begins with a song.

Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing

These storybooks feature creativity in all of it's forms: from artistic thought, to thinking outside the box, to critical thinking and problem solving.