Life isn’t easy for Brooklyn Rideaux. Growing up in “the ward” in Houston, Texas, Brooklyn feels like her family is always evolving. First, her mother, Mama Betty, takes in a newborn whose mother couldn’t care for her anymore, and then Brooklyn’s three cousins come to live with her. And to top it off, Brooklyn’s sister, Pearl, just had a baby of her own. Add in Brooklyn’s elderly live in grandmother, and Brooklyn feels like she’s lost in the shuffle. After Brooklyn’s father, Tommy Boy, is sent to prison, Mama Betty does what she can to keep the family together. But the more Brooklyn feels pushed to the side and unwanted, the more she feels pressured to look for love in other places—often resulting in harsh consequences and a life full of drama. It’s not until after a failed suicide attempt that Brooklyn realizes she needs to change and then accepts the Lord into her life as her Savior. It is only through God’s help and love that Brooklyn will be able to overcome life’s obstacles and seek His ultimate plan for her. Will she rely on God’s help to free herself from the obstacles keeping her from His plan for her life?

Uncle Sam is the worst helicopter parent in America. Children are taken from their parents because they are obese. Parents are arrested for letting their children play outside alone. Sledding and swaddling are banned. From games to school to breast-feeding to daycare, the overbearing bureaucratic state keeps getting between kids and their parents. The state’s safety, hygiene, and health regulations rule, and the government’s judgment may not coincide with yours. Which foods and drinks to send to school, what toys to buy, whether to breast- or bottle-feed babies are all choices that used to be left to you and me. Not anymore. As a mom to four kids, I should be used to it, but I’m not. All the government-mandated parenting gets under my skin. And I’m not alone. No Child Left Alone explores the growing problem of an intrusive, interfering government and highlights those parents—all the Captain Mommies and Captain Daddies across America—fighting to take back control over their families.

After five years of marriage, Sandy thought she knew everything about her husband, Jack, until he died suddenly. Destroyed by grief, she sifts through his belongings and discovers a journal he kept from the summer before they met. He writes of his stay in the small town of Holman in the Arctic Circle, so Sandy decides to go in search of answers. Although the people of Holman are hesitant to welcome a stranger, Sandy soon makes the acquaintance of Charliea man who knew her young husband. She wonders why Jack never mentioned the quaint little town, and she begins to wonder if her husband was hiding something. Turns out he was, but itll take a lot of patience for Sandy to uncover the truth. Along her journey, she meets people who not only help her learn more about Jack, but also help her find a strength within herself she never realized she possessed. Charlie becomes a much-needed support as Sandy reads more of Jacks journal, but Charlie has a secret that will change Sandys life forever, perhaps even more than the loss of her husband.

A 2017 Caldecott Honor Book that The New York Times calls “both classic and ultracontemporary,” Leave Me Alone! is an epic tale about one grandmother, a giant sack of yarn, and her ultimate quest to finish her knitting. One day, a grandmother shouts, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" and leaves her tiny home and her very big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting. Along the way, she encounters ravenous bears, obnoxious goats, and even hordes of aliens! But nothing stops grandma from accomplishing her goal—knitting sweaters for her many grandchildren to keep them warm and toasty for the coming winter. Vera Brosgol's slyly clever and unexpectedly funny modern folktale is certain to warm even the coldest of hearts. A 2017 Caldecott Honor Book A New York Times Notable Children's Book A National Public Radio Best Book of 2016 A Horn Book Best Book of 2016 A Huffington Post Best Picture Book of 2016