Heidi E. Y. Stemple – författare

Celebrate girl power in this exuberant, mischievously illustrated picture book that shows little princesses that they can be whoever they want to be!Not all princesses dress in pink.Some play in bright red socks that stink,blue team jerseys that don’t quite fit,accessorized with a baseball mitt,and a sparkly crown! Princesses come in all kinds. Some jump in mud puddles and climb trees, play sports and make messes—all while wearing their tiaras! Not every girl has a passion for pink, but all young ladies will love this empowering affirmation of their importance and unlimited potential.

With rhyming text, this soothing bedtime book is an ode to baby birds everywhere and sleepy children home safe in their own beds. As a mother describes to her child how many species of birds nest, from pigeons on concrete ledges to owls in oak tree boles to swallows above barn doors. The soothing refrain of "you nest here with me" eases her little one and readers alike to slumber. Combining their poetic writing and their love of birding, mother and daughter Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple have written what is sure to become a bedtime classic.

2026 CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL HOT OFF THE PRESS PICKDiscover the wonderful world of insects as Lydia collects bugs for show-and-tell in this picture book perfect for little entomologists.Lydia loves bugs. She loves big, bouncing bugs and small, squiggly bugs. You know who doesn’t love bugs?Lydia loves bugs, but her father and brother do not! Scared of all things creepy crawly, they often run away or set her bugs free.But you know who else loves bugs? Lydia’s mom. She’s an entomologist, and she helps Lydia collect bugs for a very special day at school, when Lydia gets to show and tell her classmates all about her bugs. And now everybody loves bugs!Packed full of adorable insects, Lydia Loves Bugs is the perfect picture book for any little nature lover or aspiring bug collector.It has singing bugs and silent bugs, slightly stinky bugs and fly-away bugs, with an underlying message about being seen and understood. Every page comes with fun wordplay from Heidi Stemple and cute illustrations from Yuliya Pankratova that make creepy-crawly insects seem not so scary, and young readers can discover facts about their favorite bugs at the end of the book.Who knows? After reading this story, even your child might develop a love for STEM and all things creepy-crawly.