Isabel in Bloom By Mae Respicio

A girl discovers a connection between her home in the Philippines and her new home in the U.S. through a special garden in this middle grade novel that celebrates nourishment and growth.

Twelve-year-old Isabel is the new kid in her San Francisco middle school. It’s the first time in many years that she’ll be living with her mother again. Mama's job in the US allowed Isabel and her grandparents to live more comfortably in the Philippines, but now Isabel doesn't really know her own mother anymore.

Making new friends in a new city, a new country, is hard, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school means Isabel will begin to find her way, and maybe she too, will begin to bloom.  

In this beautifully rendered novel-in-verse, Mae Respicio explores how growth can take many forms, offering both the challenges and joy of new beginnings.

Isabel in Bloom Educators' Guide

Educators’ guide includes a letter to the reader, author interview, writing activity, discussion questions, thematic activities, and more!

The House That Lou Built By Mae Respicio

"If this book were a house, the rooms would be filled with warmth, family, and friendship." --Erin Entrada Kelly, author of the Newbery Medal winner Hello, Universe; The Land of Forgotten Girls; and Blackbird Fly

A coming-of-age story that explores culture and family, forgiveness and friendship, and what makes a true home. Perfect for fans of Wendy Mass and Joan Bauer.

Lou Bulosan-Nelson has the ultimate summer DIY project. She's going to build her own "tiny house," 100 square feet all her own. She shares a room with her mom in her grandmother's house, and longs for a place where she can escape her crazy but lovable extended Filipino family. Lou enjoys her woodshop class and creating projects, and she plans to build the house on land she inherited from her dad, who died before she was born. But then she finds out that the land may not be hers for much longer.

Lou discovers it's not easy to save her land, or to build a house. But she won't give up; with the help of friends and relatives, her dream begins to take shape, and she learns the deeper meaning of home and family.

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"Equal parts girl-heart, muscle and know-how for today's reader. Endearing to the end." --Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery-Honor-and-Coretta-Scott King -Award-winning author of the National Book Award Finalist Clayton Byrd Goes Underground

"Warm, funny and affirming. As we get to know Lou, her extended Filipino family, and friends, the door opens into her life and, ultimately, her home." --Lisa Yee, author of the Millicent Min trilogy, The Kidney Hypothetical, the DC Super Hero Girls series, and other books

"There couldn't be a hero more determined, resourceful or lovable than Lucinda Bulosan-Nelson. Her big dream of a tiny house is irresistible." --Tricia Springstubb, author of Every Single Second, What Happened on Fox Street, Moonpenny Island, and the Cody series

"I fell in love with Lou and her wonderful extended family. This story may be about a tiny house, but it has an enormous heart." --Kate Messner, author of The Exact Location of Home

Any Day with You By Mae Respicio

A warm, tender story perfect for fans of Front Desk about a creative girl who hopes that by winning a filmmaking contest, she'll convince her great-grandfather to stay by her side.

Kaia and her family live near the beach in California, where the fun of moviemaking is all around them. Kaia loves playing with makeup and creating special effects, turning her friends into merfolk and other magical creatures.

This summer, Kaia and her friends are part of a creative arts camp, where they're working on a short movie to enter in a contest. The movie is inspired by the Filipino folktales that her beloved Tatang, her great-grandfather, tells. Tatang lives with her family and is like the sparkle of her special-effects makeup. When Tatang decides that it is time to return to his homeland in the Philippines, Kaia will do anything to convince him not to go.

How to Win a Slime War By Mae Respicio

Two kids face off in an epic battle to see who can sell the most slime, while navigating sticky situations with friends and family.

Alex Manalo and his dad have just moved back to Sacramento to revive their extended family's struggling Filipino market. While Alex likes helping at the store, his true passion is making slime! He comes up with his own recipes, playing with ingredients, colors, and textures that make his slime truly special. Encouraged by a new friend at school, Alex begins to sell his creations, leading to a sell-off battle with a girl who previously had a slime-opoly. Winner gets bragging rights and the right to be the only slime game in town.

But Alex's dad thinks Alex should be focused more on "traditional" boy pastimes and less on slime. As the new soccer coach, Dad wants Alex to join the team. 

Alex is battling on multiple fronts—with his new friends at school and with his dad at home. It will be a sticky race to the finish to see who oozes out on top.

An eco-mystery with an unforgettable friendship story!

Twelve-year-old Barana lives in a coastal village in Honduras, where she spends every spare minute visiting the sea turtles that nest on the beach.

Abby feels adrift in sixth grade, trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs after her best friend moves away from New Jersey.

When Abby’s papi plans a work trip to Honduras, she is finally given the opportunity to see his homeland—with Barana as her tour guide. But Barana has other plans: someone has been poaching turtle eggs, and she’s determined to catch them! Before long, Abby and Barana are consumed by the mystery, chasing down suspects, gathering clues, and staking out the beach in the dead of night. Will they find a way to stop the poachers before it’s too late?

A heart-pounding mystery with a hint of magic, María José Fitzgerald’s debut novel explores the power of friendship, community, and compassion to unite all living creatures.

Hear from the collaborators behind Misty the Cloud: A Very Stormy Day

Dylan: Mr. and Mrs. Happyman-Thirstyburger. That’s the first thing that came to mind when my husband, Brian, and I looked at our two suitcases sitting at the airport, mine with a bow and his without. We daydreamed about this dynamic duo traveling the world together and the children’s book it could become. But once we were on board our plane, flying above the clouds, we quickly realized that I know a little bit about traveling the world, but I know a whole lot more about clouds and weather . . . I am a meteorologist, after all. After that, all we could think about was this world we could create in the sky: childlike clouds full of emotions and feelings, excitement and fun. The more we thought about it, the more we realized how much weather affects our own feelings. It snowballed (ha!), and we came up with story idea after story idea about these clouds in the sky and how we could tie them into the world of kids, and how kids could understand and relate to them. We were so into it, we commissioned some artwork and Ollie was born. Wait . . . who’s Ollie? Ollie is now our second child, but it was also one of literally hundreds of names we came up with for this sky-high series. Now we know her as Misty the Cloud.

While this idea was all we could think about, getting someone else on board with the idea was harder than I thought. As this pitch was coming from me (a female meteorologist), I was often told I should come up with an idea about a little girl who wants to become a meteorologist, a strong-headed girl who wouldn’t take no for an answer. So I did just that . . . I didn’t take no for an answer. I teamed up with the witty and kind (and experienced) children’s book author Alan Katz. We became a perfect team, and we each used our individual knowledge to bring Misty the Cloud and her world of Horizon to life. Combining my talents with Alan’s was a match made in the clouds. But I wonder what he thought about it . . .

Alan: I’m not sure I’ve told Dylan this story, but when I was in kindergarten, I played a cloud in the class play. Dressed head to toe in white, I proudly proclaimed, “Hello, friends, I’m a cirrus cloud.” (I probably pronounced it “serious.”) Little did I know my stellar performance would serve as research for a truly special project.

I’m proud to be the father of four incredible kids, and I’ve borrowed liberally from their real-life exploits to create more than fifty lighthearted, humorous books for young readers. But creating Misty the Cloud has been a whole different experience; Dylan and Brian’s characters—indeed, their world—have led me to a new form of creative expression.

From day one, this collaboration has been an absolute joy; I’ve written books and TV scripts with others before, but Dylan’s true sense of give-and-take has allowed us to weave a story that melds real feelings, real science, and a really engaging sense of humor. Misty and her friends are clouds, but their actions and emotions are childlike and genuine. I’m very excited to be part of a book series that will help that kids learn a lot about the weather (I definitely did!) and a lot more about themselves (I did that, too!). There were plenty of laughs during the creative process, and I’m so glad many of them made their way onto the pages, which were so wonderfully illustrated by another collaborator, Rosie Butcher.

And as Misty the Cloud: A Very Stormy Day is released into the world, one thing is abundantly clear: Dylan Dreyer is now a children’s book author, and I am still not a meteorologist.

Misty the Cloud: A Very Stormy Day By Dylan Dreyer; illustrated by Rosie Butcher

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • USA TODAY BESTSELLER

TODAY Show co-host and meteorologist Dylan Dreyer launches a new picture book series featuring Misty—a little cloud with big feelings! The author combines her extensive weather knowledge with her experience as a mom in this very special social-emotional learning franchise.

When Misty the Cloud wakes up feeling stormy, nothing seems to make her day better! And Misty’s grumbly mood affects everyone when her big emotions cause a thunderstorm to rumble across the sky.
 
But with help from friends and family, Misty accepts that sometimes she’s just going to be a little stormy—and it will always pass.
 
Read the first book in a sky-high series about how to deal with good days, bad days, and everything in between!

Dear Educator,

First of all, thank you for reading books! In a world full of distractions, you are giving your time and energy to written ideas, thoughts and feelings … and teaching others to do the same.  What would the world be without you?  While we’re on the topic, I’d love for you to take a look at my new book for young people, “The Story of More” perhaps there is something inside that would interest you – and the students that you teach!

Like many of the people that I meet each day, I have plenty of questions about Climate Change: mostly along the lines of What should I believe? and Should I be afraid? Because a teacher’s job is to answer questions, I did my research and wrote a book entitled “The Story of More.”  It is the book full of the answers that I found for the questions above.  I’ve now re-written the adult version to a version that will be more accessible — and more interesting — to young people.  It’s full of simple explanations, personal stories, our shared history of Global Change and what we can do to bring forward a brighter future – what it doesn’t contain is preaching and propaganda.  It is the science that I needed to write, and maybe — just maybe — it contains answers and solutions that your students want to consider.  It is a book on Climate Change that is truly for everyone, regardless of their “politics.”

I’ll close this note with my very best to you, from one book lover to another!

Sincerely,
Hope Jahren