Book Awards and Book Bans

But let's start off this week by looking at new releases, starting with Bath Time for Snow Monkeys by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Yuas Imamura.

Cross this serene portrait, Tokuda Hall and Imamura spotlight the Nihonzaru, Japanese macaques, that gather annually for a winter hot spring soak in the snowy mountains of Nagano, Japan.

At Jigokudani, a park for Nihonzaru, snow falls thick and cold, and the creatures slip into steaming sulfurous water.

Spare second-person lines in landscape artwork combine to render the locale's feel as mothers and babies, elders and youngsters, and friends come together to relax, groom, and do what monkeys do best, staying together.

When one baby monkey splashes, disturbing the calm, the others exhibit a quiet disinclination to play, and the infant settles.

Gouache and pastel crayon artwork utilizes an indigo, ochre, and white palette with bright pinks highlighting the snow monkeys' faces, conveying an appreciation of communal care and quietude.

This ritual-oriented work communicates a gentle, soothing gravitas.

Includes a Japanese glossary and an author's note, and this book is recommended for ages four to eight.

Next is Realm Sweep by H.E. Edgemon.

Edgemon spins a timely and absorbing tale about a transgender tween who risks his life in a dangerous scavenger hunt to gain access to gender-affirming magic.

In a future fantastical United States, brown-skinned 12-year-old Rowdy Buckner, the prince of the Kingdom of Texas, is desperate to prevent the physical changes that will come with puberty.

To that end, he demands from his parents access to a transfiguration tonic that will alchemically transform his body into one that feels like his own.

But his parents deny his request, believing him too irresponsible to handle such powerful magic, especially given how regularly he shirks his duties and demeans royal staff.

To prove himself worthy of the potion and his parents' faith in his future rule, he enters the Realm Sweep, a magical scavenger hunt that promises winners a life-changing monetary prize.

Impatient and impulsive, Rowdy struggles to manage his hastily assembled team, and as the competition progresses, he must learn what it means to lead.

Viscerally felt language relays both Rowdy's yearning for gender affirmation and his journey toward empathy, understanding, and becoming a good king.

Perceptive social commentary relating to class privilege, colonization, and conservation round out this smart and dynamic adventure.

This book is recommended for ages eight to 12.

Next is Where the Wild Horses Are by Amy Alzenauer.

Alzenauer delivers an emotionally satisfying story about a girl, a horse, and the solace they find in each other.

12-year-old Eliza Nash West, a self-described cowboy and devoted reader of True Grit, longs to own a horse.

When she learns about a program that places wild horses with young trainers willing to tame them for 100 days, Nash applies.

Persuading her parents, who are deaf, for permission to participate proves challenging.

The family believes they already have their hands full with Nash's cousin and former bestie, Benny, who is also deaf, visiting for the summer.

Nevertheless, Nash persists, and when she's chosen to shelter the horse, the experience provides her the courage she needs to reckon with insecurities brought about by her strained friendship with Benny.