Familius – serie

No need for store-bought paint when you can learn to make your own natural inks and dyes from plants and flowers.Nature provides a rich palette of colors and tones from the plants and flowers around us. Join Caleb Warnock, creator of the Backyard Renaissance series, and create your own natural colors for painting on paper or pottery and dying cloth.With swatches of each shade to find your perfect match, information about each of the over 250 plants, and detailed instructions to make your own paints, inks, and dyes, 1000 Botanical Colors is the home artist’s ultimate guidebook.

An interactive gift book adventure to combat mom guilt from therapist Rebecca Fox Starr. Which path will you choose?Motherhood is a constant barrage of choices. Bottle or breast? Alone time or playtime? And how much is too much screentime? No matter the choice we make, mothers often end up feeling guilty, as if we are never doing enough. But no more! In the style of a decision-making game, therapist Rebecca Fox Starr guides moms through the apocalyptic newborn phase, the jungle of toddlerhood, and the dead ends and booby traps of raising teens with one simple message: You are doing a great job. You are more than enough. Every page leads to a new choice, and every choice you make creates a personalized journey where healing tools and practical advice are your companions. Which path will you choose? The perfect gift for mothers who are doing their best every day, Am I Doing This Right? is the comforting affirmation we need to show ourselves some compassion and appreciate the choices we make each day for the families we love.

I feel happy! I feel angry. I feel silly! Teaching children how to name their feelings is the first step toward helping them express those feelings appropriately and feeling empathy for the feelings of others. From artist Larissa Honsek, the creator of Opposites and Let's Move!, comes a new cast of colorful clay characters to teach toddlers about emotions because we all have big feelings.

Don’t miss this captivating sequel to the acclaimed She Spoke by Kathy MacMillan and Manuela Bernardi.When the world tells you to stay quiet, do you listen, or do you speak up?In She Spoke Too: 14 More Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World, with the touch of a button readers can hear Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones), Gerda Weissmann Klein, Patsy Takemoto Mink, Judy Heumann, LaDonna Harris, Antonia Hernández, Dr. Mae Jemison, Jacinda Ardern, Zuzana Caputová, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kamala Harris, Maria Ressa, Shamsia Hassani, and Greta Thunberg.Simply press the button featuring each iconic woman to hear her words, or press the button again to turn the sound off. Through succinct profiles, stunning portraits by illustrator Becky Thorns, and the original voices of these international women, She Spoke Too will inspire readers of all ages to share their own truths and change the world.

An intergenerational picture book about love, birds, and new beginnings, perfect for comforting young children facing life's biggest changes, from moving to a new house to welcoming a new sibling. When Wren was born, Grandpa put a wren box just outside the window of her tiny room, nesting her in the soothing songs of backyard birds. Each spring, Wren and Grandpa watched new life unfold together. Everything changes when Wren’s family moves to the city. The vibrant meadow is replaced by concrete, their home has an extra room waiting for new life, and the only birds in sight are pigeons. Lots of pigeons. But when Wren and her grandpa discover a wild phoebe nest in the porch rafters, Wren realizes that the miracle of new life—and the warmth of family love—can find a home anywhere. Featuring gorgeous illustrations and educational backmatter with birdwatching resources, Wren's Nest beautifully explores the bond between grandfather and granddaughter, the resilience of urban wildlife, and the anticipation of a new baby sibling.

Explore eight common tree species and nurture your love for gardening in this poetic, heartwarming picture book—perfect for Arbor Day, Father’s Day, and beyond! There are amazing trees that live in our world—yellow poplar, American beech, crepe myrtle, and so many more! But how do you know which ones are which? Follow along in this heartwarming tale as a father lovingly teaches his son to identify eight common trees in a park and then surprises him with his own tree to plant and nurture. With beautiful, realistic illustrations and true facts interwoven throughout the story, A Tree for Me makes learning about trees fun!And as a bonus, you'll find resources to help you pick and plant a tree at the end of the story, so you can surprise your child with a trip to the nursery and their very own “tree for me.”

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.

A new paperback format filled with 365 days worth of daily tips, inspirational quotes, and motivational short stories from foster care expert Dr. John DeGarmo Foster parenting is both a rewarding and a challenging job, a lifestyle of continuous learning and new experiences, and The Little Book of Foster Care Wisdom will be there to support you as you, in turn, support your foster children. Filled with 365 days worth of daily tips, inspirational quotes, and motivational short stories from a foster care expert, this book is a must-read for modern child-welfare advocates, adoptive parents, and foster parents. It provides inspirational content every day, including instructions, tips, anecdotes, and more.

From the king of viral hacks, Jason Goldstein, comes a compilation of his best 101 secrets to save you money, time, and dirty dishes With secrets featured on his viral @chophappy account, as well as never-before-seen hacks, 101 Kitchen Secrets is the guide every home chef needs to cook like a pro. You’ll save money, use fewer dishes, and have dinner on the table in no time with these easy tips.

2026 CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL HOT OFF THE PRESS PICKHear the songs and calls of 14 birds from North America at the press of a button with this comprehensive guidebook and soundboardHigh in the treetops, way up in the sky, there’s a symphony. The chirring of an American robin, the whistle of a black-capped chickadee—these birdsongs all come together to create the sounds of your backyard. But do you know which sound belongs to which bird?With this fully illustrated guidebook and soundboard, kids can learn the whistles, chirps, and coos of 14 birds from North America by simply pressing a button.Each page comes with stunning watercolor illustrations from Zev Labinger that capture the birds in their natural habitats, accompanied by fun facts from June Smalls that cover everything from population size to nest structure. And you’ll find true-to-size illustrations of each bird’s egg!Packed with everything a kid needs to stay entertained and engaged, Hear Them Sing is the best first guide for young birders and outdoor adventurers. All you have to do is look up!

A gentle counting poem and astronomy guide in one, this beautiful picture book blends a classic rhyme with fun facts for young space lovers.In our solar system,On the fiery hot sunBurned a mother solar flareAnd her little flare, one.“Sizzle,” said the mother.“I sizzle,” said the one.So they sizzled and they poppedOn the fiery, hot sun.Based on the poem “Over in the Meadow,” this galactic counting book guides readers from the sun all the way to the far reaches of our solar system with adorably anthropomorphized planets. It is designed to make the vastness of outer space feel cozy and accessible, offering a sweet, simple way to introduce early math and science without overwhelming young minds.Beautifully balancing a soothing narrative with foundational STEM concepts, this versatile book is perfect forwinding down at bedtime with a calm, predictable rhyme that helps toddlers relax and settle into a peaceful routine;reading aloud to curious children, with rhythms and friendly planets that younger listeners will enjoy while older readers explore deeper facts about orbits, moons, and celestial bodies on each page; andbringing early science to life with a visual journey that naturally sparks interest in learning.

A CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL HOT OFF THE PRESS PICKA rhyming picture book from singer-songwriter Tyler Hilton, with a musical bedtime routine to bring the house down!Who’s ready to sing?Who’s ready to play?Then help me in welcoming DADDY on stage!Daddy is going to bring the house down with a private concert in the living room. Bring all your stuffed friends to the living room and enjoy the show!From actor and musician Tyler Hilton comes a sweet window into the mind of a child, Daddy’s #1 fan, as her father serenades her with all her favorite nursery rhymes and bedtime songs.With hilarious illustrations by Eugenia Nobati, Daddy: Live in Concert is a rockin’ good time until bedtime. Perfect for Father's Day, baby showers, and nightly tuck-ins, this sweet story is a must-have gift for every girl dad and music-loving family.

Say it all with Mara Harris’s 100 illustrated quotes—an effortless, pocket-size tribute of love and appreciation that outlasts any Father’s Day card.Skip the search for the perfect words and let this pocket-size tribute do the talking. Featuring 100 vibrant illustrations by designer Mara Harris in a 4 x 4 in. package, I Love You, Dad transforms the traditional Father’s Day card into a permanent, rotating gallery for his desk or bedside table.From history’s greatest quotes to modern sentiments, these bold designs express the power of fatherhood in the palm of his hand. It is the ultimate, effortless gift for Father’s Day or any moment you want to show Dad exactly how much he means to you.

From the creator of Good Morning, World—I Love You So, designer Olivia Herrick, comes a bedtime board book of gratitude to calm little bodies and minds I love you, worldI really do.Goodnight for now (shh)I’ll see you soon. With rhyming text and modern aesthetic, Good Night, World—I Love You So bids the world good night, from the zippered pajamas to the fading sunlight. Cultivate gratitude with this simple bedtime book as your little one drifts off to sleep.

With 1001 acts of kindness in 25 categories, this book brings people together, ignites conversations, and creates connections in our fast-paced world.So often we feel weighed down by problems at home, hassles at work, or the issues facing society. Imagine instead feeling empowered, optimistic, and purposeful about intentionally taking tiny steps to make the world a kinder place.Award-winning author Dallas Woodburn’s 1001 Ways to Be Kind is a fun, dive-in-anywhere book with 1001 acts of kindness broken down into 25 different categories, from everyday kindness to kind acts for children to do and kind acts to do on your lunch break. Graphically designed by McKay Rappleyea in full color, each section provides ideas, motivation, and hope.Immensely giftable AND actionable, this is the book our world is yearning for right now—a little book that could spark a big movement—touching people’s hearts, building bridges across differences, and making our world kinder, week by week and reader by reader.

From first cries to first motherhood, this heartwarming tribute to the mother-daughter bond is the perfect Mother's Day gift for the one who always answers the call. When you’re hungry, when you’re sad, When you don’t know why you’re mad, Goo ga! Ma ma! Call your mother.  From life’s messy beginnings to the milestones of adulthood, there’s one person who is always our first call: our mother. Whether it’s for a scraped knee, a broken heart, or the overwhelming joy—and exhaustion—of holding your own first child, Mom is the keeper of our triumphs, the healer of our hurts, and the constant, steady voice on the other end of the line. Following a mother and daughter through the seasons of life, Call Your Mother is a lyrical and moving celebration of motherhood and the timeless bond between mother and daughter. With gorgeous illustrations and a relatable refrain, this is the perfect gift for the mothers or grandmothers in your life who always answer the call—because you are never too old to need your mother.

Unlocking the Power of Fatherhood. In this essential guide for dads with young children, Tal Eyre shares insights and practical strategies to form unbreakable bonds, foster growth, and create a mission-driven family. Activate your dad mode today! You’re going to be a dad!—words that don’t feel real until nine months later when the new baby arrives. You hold that small life in your arms for the first time, and BOOM, Dad Mode activated! All your feelings as a proud new dad coalesce into one astounding commitment: lifelong connection to your child. But how do you do this dad thing? From author Tal Eyre, Dad Mode: 25 Ways to Connect with Your Children is the ultimate guidebook to jumpstarting Dad Mode and fostering an unbreakable connection with your child. Organized into bite-sized chapters, with action steps and a full-color illustration by Bernardo França for each way, this book makes connection easy for dads in a hurry.It covers topics from oxytocin and parenting styles to emotional intelligence and family culture, focusing on children ages 0–12. Everything you need to connect, reconnect, and remain connected for life is at the tips of your fingers!The perfect gift, Dad Mode is an ideal way for partners, family, and friends to support a new or expecting father as he steps into the most important role of his life.

A compassionate LGBTQ+ parenting handbook to confidently support your teen, navigate your own unlearning and grief, and build a family culture of pride and unconditional love.Nobody tells you that loving your child and grieving the life you imagined for them can happen at the exact same time. Or that the feelings you are afraid to say out loud are real.Whether your LGBTQ+ child came out last week or you have been navigating this for years, Parenting with Pride is a compassionate, practical guide for every parent who loves their child and is still working through what that love needs to look like now.By walking you through actionable tools, mental shifts, and the four transformations of Embrace, Educate, Empower, and Love, this book helps you find your footing, your voice, and each other:Embrace & Educate: Unlearn the assumptions and messages about family, gender, and sexuality you absorbed while growing up.Empower & Love: Process the specific emotional mess of this journey so you can show up for your child in the way they need.Actionable Steps: Move past generic advice to a straightforward plan that makes you a catalyst for change in your community.Combining professional research with her personal experience raising both LGBTQ+ and heteronormative kids, author Heather Hester—three-time Women in Podcasting Awards winner for Best LGBTQ+ Podcast and host of More Human. More Kind.—provides trustworthy information for families at every stage.As the foundation for her Brave Belonging coaching method, Parenting with Pride gently, but purposefully, walks you toward fully supporting and loving your child with open arms and hearts.

Join a mother-to-be and her daughter in this enchanting picture book adventure filled with love, reassurance, and cherished connections, preparing young hearts for the arrival of a new sibling while discovering the wonders of nature. Every cabin day is a paddle-on-the-lake day. You’ll be paddling with us too, coming-soon baby. Mom and me and you in our blue canoe. A mother and daughter spend the day on the lake, admiring the local flora and fauna and considering the way their paddling routine might change when a new baby arrives. For nature lovers with a growing family, The Blue Canoe is a poignant picture book conversation that gently addresses a child’s natural worries about shifting family dynamics while celebrating the unchangeable bond between mother and child. The details of the animal families they encounter bolster the child’s confidence and reinforce the mother’s loving reassurance that even though a new baby will bring change, some things are as reliable as the sunrise.

CBC Hot of The Press August 2024 PickWith art and text by Brad Sneed, this lift-the-flap picture book turns a mother and daughter into different animals as they go through their morning routine Sneed’s hilarious story goes beyond the typical “After a while, crocodile!” call-and-response and introduces kids to wordplay, rhyming, and obscure animals. With three pages of fun facts about all the animals featured in the book, After a While, Crocodile is both interactive and educational.

Through the intricate art of paper collage, Megan Fullmer Perry’s The Overlook Book invites children and adults alike to explore diverse perspectives and engage in meaningful conversations about friendship, love, and kindness.Our initial view of a situation doesn’t always allow us to see the whole picture. Only by looking at an issue from a different perspective can we gain a better understanding. The Overlook Book: Change Your Perspective, Change the World encourages readers to see things from a different perspective in a very literal way.Showing scenes from one viewpoint and then pivoting to an aerial view helps readers understand what is really going on in each scene and what vital details we might be missing with our limited view. Author and illustrator Megan Fullmer Perry’s colorful artwork is created using paper collages, so the images have a degree of depth, shadow, and texture from the layers of paper that mirror the layers of our understanding.The Overlook Book invites readers to open their minds to new perspectives and explores concepts of friendship, family, support, love, inclusion, peace, and kindness.

TWO-TIME MEDALIST AT THE 2025 INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARDSGold Medal: Alma Flor Ada Best Latino Focused Children’s Picture BookSilver Medal: Best Children’s Picture Book Translation—English to SpanishA picture book celebration of Three Kings Day, with foil details on the cover, is the perfect gift for the Epiphany season.Sofia and her abuela share a special Three Kings Day tradition: Abuela brings her wooden santos all the way from Puerto Rico and tells the story of the wise men seeking Baby Jesus, drawn by a star.Surrounded by family and beautiful tradition, Sofia basks in the beauty of the holiday. Drawing upon her own experiences with her Puerto Rican abuela, author Annette Clayton explores the food, stories, and traditions that surround Three Kings Day. With rich illustrations by Venezuelan illustrator Jone Leal,Hooray, It’s Three Kings Day! includes four pages of backmatter with traditional recipes, a Spanish glossary, and details about the way this holiday is celebrated in different countries around the world.The gorgeous holiday gift is also available in a Spanish-language edition, ¡Genial, llegó el Día de Reyes!

OCTOBER 2024 HOT OFF THE PRESS CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL PICKWith a cast of characters as quirky as the artwork by author and illustrator Gabe Jensen, Nocturnal Nico follows the title character as he resists bedtime, mirroring the nocturnal creatures outside in the moonlight Nico doesn’t want to sleep—he must be nocturnal! Like the owl in the tree, Nico is alert. Like the bat flying in the night, Nico isn’t afraid of the dark—or is he? With comic-like illustrations and obscure nocturnal animals throughout, this picture book will help your little night owl get to bed. Hopefully!Includes one page of backmatter explaining the difference between nocturnal and diurnal animals and the adaptations that allow them to thrive at night.

2025 CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL HOT OFF THE PRESS PICKA picture book encouraging children to pursue their dream STEAM careers, full of diverse representationI may be small, but I dream big about what I might beMy future’s bright, no end in sight, with options A to Z.It’s never too early to ask yourself, “What will I be when I grow up?” But the reality is that many fields do not represent the wonderful diversity of our world. Helping children of all genders, races, and abilities to see themselves in a variety of professions, What Will I Be From A to Z is an introduction to STEAM fields from astronaut to zoologist. With simple rhyming text and colorful illustration from the dream team behind A Steminist Force, author Laura Carter and illustrator Anna Doherty, comes an invitation to dream big and follow your passion. Includes one page of discussion questions to help kids identify their interests and set goals.

Explore the wonders of outer space with wheels, pull tabs, and flaps that make learning easy for both kids and parentsOur planet Earth is a big world full of things to learn and discover.Space shows us how small we are in a vast universe of planets, stars, and galaxies.Three, two, one, blastoff! This new addition to the interactive series of board books that animate STEM now takes kids into space and beyond. They can spin the planets, drive the Mars rover, and discover black holes in the Milky Way, all with the touch of a finger.With simple explanations about the science behind it all, Space Animated is the perfect introduction for budding astronomers and astrophysicists—or anyone who has ever wondered what makes our world turn ’round. Learning about space has never been so fun!Complete your STEM library with the rest of the interactive series:Energy AnimatedPhysics AnimatedEngines Animated

2026 GREEN EARTH BOOK AWARD SHORT LIST SELECTIONThe newest addition to June Smalls’s nature series, They Work is a gorgeous nonfiction picture book about life for a hive of honey bees, complete with factoidsShe is the queen. She fought for that position from the moment she broke out of her cell.Her job is important, but she is not the leader.A hive is only successful if many, many bees are working.Experience the life cycle of the honey bee up close and personal with this striking picture book from June Smalls (author of She Leads, He Leads, and They Lead) and illustrator Yukari Mishima.Told in a poetic style along with fun facts on each page for older readers wanting a deeper dive, They Work is a beautiful exploration of life inside a beehive, as well as the dangers and predators bees face out in the world—including humans.

Welcome mama and a new sibling home with this lyrical story set to the background of joyful family life and childhood play. Meals and chores.Books and play.Missing mama.Every day. What’s a child to do when they’re missing mama? Get the house ready and eagerly wait for her to come home, of course. But when she finally appears, she comes with a surprise. A new sibling!There are plenty of reasons to miss mom, but missing her while she’s bringing a new life into this world is a unique and special experience. Mama ’s Home (and Baby Too!) beautifully captures these emotions in a sweet poem from Dawn Babb Prochovnic.Accompanied by adorable illustrations from Adèle Dafflon that evoke the joy of childhood, this adorable board book addresses feelings of separation, teaches children how to cope with a changing family, and models positive family life.From eager anticipation and preparations for mama’s return, to sharing meals, playtime activities, and treasured routines, nothing can come between the extraordinary bond between mother and child.

A 2026 CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL KIDS' FAVORITES SELECTIONTake to the sidewalk with this colorful picture book to inspire artistic expression and imagination!A pair of adorable siblings explores the incredible power of a piece of chalk, transforming the world around them. With people of all ages from their neighborhood coming along, they use their bucket of chalk to make some sidewalk magic.Rhyming text by Chelsea Tornetto and increasingly colorful illustrations by Laurel Aylesworth make Chalk the Walk a celebration of imagination. Grab a piece of sidewalk chalk and join in the fun!Faded pavement.Walls of gray.Boring city streets?No way!

From egg dishes and chilaquiles to pan, hot cereals, pancakes, and waffles, ¡Buenos Días! is the best way to start your day! From Latina culinary queens Ericka Sanchez (Nibbles and Feasts) and Nicole Presley (Presley's Pantry), this delicioso collection also includes drinks you'll look forward to waking up for, including coffee, fruit juices, and tea.