Be Creative

Sing-alongs and Music

Kid at Heart

Biographies

Camp Vooks

Dream Big

Be Brave

Elementary

In the City

Build Confidence

How We Work

Vooks A to Z

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

Dreamscape

S.T.E.A.M.

Celebrate Black History

Inspired by real-life makers Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie, this beloved book is a rollicking celebration of curiosity, the power perseverance, and the importance of asking “Why?”

Ada Twist’s head is full of questions. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie, Ada has always been endlessly curious. Even when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments don’t go as planned, Ada learns the value of thinking her way through problems and continuing to stay curious.

Ada has a boundless imagination and has always been hopelessly curious. Inspired by real-life makers such as Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie, this champions girl power and women scientists.

Ada Twist, Scientist

Early Childhood

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

Storytime Favorites

On the Farm

All Seasons

Sick Day Stories

Everyone's Reading

In the village, everyone is sleeping. Well, everyone except for Paul. Paul is a farmer. Out in the fields, he mows, and rakes, and sows, and draws water. Paul works until he’s exhausted. Every day, he watches, checks, and inspects. He does everything he can to give his seeds a chance to flourish. And soon, beautiful plants and flowers begin to spring up around him.

But what happens when the dry season arrives, and the sun beats down without mercy? Will the rain come fast enough? Will the plants wither in the heat? Join Paul as he does the careful work all farmers must do: tending, nurturing, watching, and—most importantly—waiting.

Taking a look at the unseen work (and worries) a farmer undertakes with their land, The Farmer shows the cycle of both nurturing and trusting the earth. Written and illustrated by Ximo Abadia and published by Holiday House, the narrative emphasizes the importance of perseverance.

In the village, everyone rests except for Paul. He mows, rakes, digs, and waters. And then, the plants begin to grow.

The Farmer

Bilingual Books

Meet Pelé, the greatest soccer player in history. Born in Brazil, Pelé was just a kid when his dad taught him to play soccer. They didn’t have much money—their ball was a sock stuffed with newspaper, tied up with string. Yet even as a boy, people were amazed by Pelé’s talent. By fifteen, he joined his first professional team. At sixteen, he was invited to play for Brazil’s national team.

In the years to come, Pelé would score over 1,000 goals and win three world championships for his home country. And what does his story teach us? That it doesn’t matter where your journey begins. With skill, hard work, and a dream, anything is possible.

Told in English and Spanish, The Life of Pelé follows the true-life story of renowned soccer star Pelé, who is widely considered the greatest player of all time. A tribute to overcoming the odds, The Life of Pelé is a Lil' Libros Bilingual Biography. Written by Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein, illustrated by Citlali Reyes, and published by Lil’ Libros.

Pelé is the greatest soccer player in history. Where does his story begin? With newspapers, a sock, and a bit of string.

The Life of — La Vida de Pelé

Animals

New Books

Pierre lives at the zoo. He’s an African Penguin, which means he doesn’t like the ice. He prefers to be warm. One day, while feeding the penguins, a biologist named Pam noticed Pierre had lost all of his feathers. The other penguins were frightened by how Pierre looked—and because he had no feathers, he was too cold to swim in the water. What could Pam do to help?

Come along for the true-life story of how Pam set out to solve Pierre’s problem. Would a space heater fix the issue? Or maybe a penguin-sized wetsuit? One way or another, she was determined to keep Pierre warm until he’d grown new feathers of his own.

Pierre the Penguin follows the true story of how aquatic biologist Pam Schaller creatively helped a penguin in need. The narrative teaches about different breeds of penguins, molting, insulation, and other basic scientific concepts. Written by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Laura Regan, and published by Sleeping Bear Press.

Come along for the true story of how Pierre lost his feathers, and his good friend Pam set out to help grow them back.

Pierre the Penguin

Women Who Changed the World

Beyond the clouds is a faraway place—a place called outer space. There you’ll learn all kinds of wild things about our solar system. There’s Mercury, which is probably a lot smaller than you think. And Venus, who shimmers so hot and bright. Rusty Mars has a big red mountain you can see from afar, and Jupiter has 78 different moons to keep it company.

Come ride along with Ellen Ochoa—a real-life inspiration, and the first Latina astronaut—as she goes for a spin around our sun, moon, and planets. With all the incredible details she’s learned about our corner of the galaxy, you might be surprised to hear which planet is her favorite.

The Solar System with Ellen is a fun-filled introduction to our solar system, told in both English and Spanish. The story shares interesting facts about our planetary neighbors, while celebrating Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina woman to travel into space. A Lil' Libros Bilingual Biography, The Solar System with Ellen is written by Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein, illustrated by Citlali Reyes, and published by Lil’ Libros.

Buckle up and ride along with Ellen—the world’s first Latina astronaut—as she goes for a spin around our solar system.

The Solar System with — El Sistema Solar con Ellen

Foundational Reading

Dreaming is good most anytime, but it’s especially good at night. And when you dream, what do you dream you’ll be? A mountain climber brave, or a captain of the sea? A movie star with your name up in lights, or a superhero flying around in tights? Maybe you’ll be a doctor saving people’s lives, or a beekeeper tending buzzing hives.

A world of magic is waiting to be discovered—magic maybes for imagined somedays that wait in your future. No matter who or what you choose to be, one thing is for sure: You have a whole lot of options. And of course, you can always change your mind.

A love letter to the endless possibilities of youth, Dream You’ll Be imagines all the futures a child can pursue. Written by Joseph T. Garcia in a rhythmic poem, the book is illustrated by Kimberley Barnes and published by Rainstorm Publishing.

Do you dream about who and what you’ll grow up to be? A mountain climber, a movie star, a captain of the sea?

Dream You'll Be

5 Minutes or Less

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Nazari has many fantastic ideas for her future. Could she be an astronaut? A farmer? Maybe a scientist? A dentist? An engineer? Or maybe, she can be all of them! Nazari has the courage and confidence to dream big, not putting any limits on what is possible! 

Party Nazari’s Fantastic Future is written by Nate Carter and illustrated by Sam Niemann.


Nazari has many fantastic ideas for her future, and the courage and confidence to dream big!


Party Nazari's Fantastic Future!

What does a veterinarian do? Today, Dr. Kate is visiting the school—and she’s going to give Henry, the class guinea pig, a checkup. Veterinarians help keep animals healthy. She checks Henry’s eyes and ears. Then she shows the students some of her tools. One is a hairbrush. Veterinarians groom their patients by trimming beaks, washing hooves, and even brushing teeth.

Of course, Vets have many tools for solving pet-related problems. She even uses some of the same tools that people doctors use, like a stethoscope for listening to the heart, and an x-ray for looking at bones. Before she leaves, can you guess what Dr. Kate prescribes for little Henry?

Let's Meet a Veterinarian gives young readers a look at how veterinarians care for the animals in our homes, on our farms, and at our zoos. By showing the simple ways we can care for the animals we love, the story shows the basic similarities between human and animal health. Written by Gina Bellisario, illustrated by Cale Atkinson, and published by Millbrook Press.

Dr. Kate is a veterinarian. Today, she’s visiting the school to give Henry, the class guinea pig, his routine checkup.

Let's Meet a Veterinarian

What do doctors do? Let’s join the field trip to the clinic. While you’re there, you’ll meet Dr. Zambil, a doctor who helps kids feel their best. When a kid is sick or hurt, he figures out what’s wrong and makes a plan to help them get better. He also checks up on kids who feel fine—by listening to their heart, making sure they eat well, and encouraging them to exercise.

When he isn’t at the clinic, Dr. Zambil teaches at the hospital. To become a doctor, you have to go to grade school, high school, college, and medical school—and you also have to do training. Can you guess how many years Dr. Zambil went to school? Come along and find out!

Let’s Meet a Doctor is an age-appropriate look at what pediatricians do, making doctors a bit less scary for young readers. The narrative highlights the role exercise and diet play in our overall health, and touches on the topics of broken bones, checkups, and shots. Written by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Mike Moran, and published by Millbrook Press.

What do doctors do? Let’s join a field trip and ask Dr. Zambil, a doctor who’s just for kids.

 Let's Meet a Doctor

Vehicles

What do construction workers do? Let’s join a field trip to the construction site. While you’re there, you’ll meet Mr. Moore, the boss in charge of building the new school. Mr. Moore and the construction workers use a lot of trucks. Some have strong arms. Others have big metal teeth. Construction workers operate the machines, guiding all the heavy loads.

Following the plans that the architects drew, Mr. Moore will be sure everyone stays safe—by wearing hardhats and orange vests—and that leftover materials get recycled. When Mr. Moore and his team are done, it’ll be a “green” school. Can you guess what that means? Come along and find out if you’re right!

A thorough overview of how construction projects are managed from start to finish, Let’s Meet a Construction Worker includes important details—like staying outside the fence of a construction site, always taking safety precautions, and responsibly cleaning up messes. The narrative also introduces the topics of recycling and solar energy. Written by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Mike Moran, and published by Millbrook Press.

What do construction workers do? Let’s ask Mr. Moore, the construction worker who’s helping build the new school.

Let's Meet a Construction Worker

Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she's a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her Great-Great-Aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes for a visit and mentions her one unfinished goal—to fly—Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make her aunt's dream come true. But when her contraption doesn't fly but rather hovers for a moment and then crashes, Rosie deems the invention a failure. On the contrary, Aunt Rose insists that Rosie's contraption was a raging success. You can only truly fail, she explains, if you quit.

Rosie, a brilliant inventor who dreams of becoming a great engineer, works on building a contraption to fulfill the dream of her great-great-aunt, Rosie the Riveter.

Rosie Revere, Engineer

There are so many different professions that help make the world go ‘round—let’s explore some together! 