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Indigenous People’s Day

The New Britain Public Library (Main Library and Jefferson Branch) will be closed on Monday, October 13th in observance of Indigenous People’s Day.

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Mustafa's Mithai

Sana Rafi

A delightful picture book that celebrates the variety of sweets in South Asia and the small moments shared between loved ones in our everyday lives.

Mustafa loves happy occasions because he gets to eat mithai! He looks forward to biting into barfi, munching on halwa, or gobbling up a whole ladu. But now that his Baba's birthday has passed and his Nani and Nanu already came to visit, there are no more reasons to have fun and enjoy mithai.

When Ammi reminds him that mithai is sweetest when shared and something as simple as a day spent with loved ones can be a reason to celebrate, Mustafa decides to turn an ordinary day into a happy occasion. . .and of course eat mithai! 

Mustafa invites all of his friends over for a playdate and introduces them to mithai by finding the perfect sweet for each person, including his ammi.

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Willow Takes on the Weather

Rachel Noble

Sporting her sunglasses, sunscreen, and swimsuit, little Willow has BIG plans for a bright, beautiful day. She’s ready to dance, splash, fly, and have great fun in the sun! 

But Weather has plans of its own. Personified as larger than life characters, a storm rolls in: Wind howls, Dark Clouds blow in, and Rain falls. 

Wearing her cloudiest attitude, Willow tries, with a shout, a mighty breath, and a strong arm, to show Weather who’s boss. Shown in dramatic colorful washes vividly depicting both the depths of Willow’s determination and the resilience of Weather, Willow’s efforts are mighty. But ultimately, there’s no changing Weather’s plans—not even for a strong little one like Willow. 

Just when Willow thinks her fun is rained out, a surprise is in store. Nudge, Tap-tap, Drippity drop. Far from fair-weather friends, Wind, Dark Clouds, and Rain are ready to play. But can fearless, determined Willow banish her stormy attitude long enough to accept changed plans, new friends, and a fresh way to play? 

Readers will want to grab their jacket and rain boots and splash into Willow’s playful, imaginative adventure, which proves that even stormy days are brimming with so many fun possibilities.

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The Beautiful Layers of Me

Sophia Payne

A young girl gains the confidence to participate in her family's tradition--and be fully herself--in a vibrant ode to difference and love from a new voice in picture books.

Ameena can't wait for her auntie's Nikah. She's never been to a wedding, and today there is one in her own garden! After putting on the salwar kameez that Babu gave her, with its soft layers of floaty fabric, she feels like a princess, skipping down the garden path. "Oh wow!" comes a friendly voice over the fence. "I wish I had pajamas like that!" Suddenly Ameena, her cheeks hot, starts to wonder: should she wear something else? In a gentle text capturing all the nuances of a first cultural experience, Sophia Payne follows a child's passage from self-doubt to worry to pride, while Ruchi Mhasane's expressive illustrations render the wedding garb in glowing colors and patterns that will have young readers wanting to join in the celebration.

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Our Pebbles

Jarvis

In a tenderly told story, the creator of Thank You and The Boy with Flowers in His Hair explores small moments that were once shared by a child and grandad on a pebble beach.

Grandad always knows the best way to go to Pebble Beach. As they climb the dunes, he and his grandchild can smell the sea before they see it. There they meet a seal and find old pirate wood. They have melty ice cream. And every time, before saying goodbye to the beach, they each pick a pebble. "Do you know this pebble is older than me?" Grandad says with a twinkle in his eye. In a wistful musing on memory, loss, and love, Jarvis offers a medley of moments--Grandad's silly dance with the wiggly knees; the two of them smushing together and painting their day the best they could. With lyrical prose and gentle, sun-kissed illustrations, he shows us such memories are always there for the taking, as lasting as pebbles on the beach.

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Yay!

Jessica Kulekjian

A joyous picture book celebrating all of life's moments, whether big or small.

What reason to say “yay” will you discover today? 

Life is full of moments to celebrate! Whether you win big or learn a tough lesson, get lucky or need to try again, have a big crowd cheering for you or are on your own, say YAY!

This joyful picture book is the perfect gift for little loved ones at graduations, birthdays, and just to say I love you.

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Suka's Farm

Ginger Park

Based on the authors' family history, this story set in Japanese-occupied Korea portrays an unlikely friendship between a hungry child and an old farmer.



Life in 1941 Korea is difficult for Kwan and his family. Under Japanese occupation, food is scarce. Though he's only a child, Kwan is desperate to help his family, so he asks Mr. Suka, a Japanese farmer, for a job. Mr. Suka teaches Kwan how to care for a herd of goats, and soon what began as an act of kindness becomes a genuine friendship that brings them both joy.

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The History of We

Nikkolas Smith

An awe-inspiring picture book about the origin and advancement of humans, from author and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Nikkolas Smith.

Fossil records show that the first humans were born in Africa. Meaning, every person on Earth can trace their ancestry back to that continent. The History of We celebrates our shared ancestors' ingenuity and achievements and imagines what these firsts would have looked and felt like.

What was it like for the first person to paint, to make music, to dance, to discover medicine, to travel to unknown lands? It required courage, curiosity, and skill. 

The History of We takes what we know about modern human civilization and, through magnificent paintings, creates a tale about our shared beginnings in a way that centers Black people in humankind's origin story.

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An Encantadora's Guide to Monstros and Magic

Sarah J. Mendonca

Encanto meets Oceans 8 in this middle-grade fantasy-adventure, set in a Portuguese-inspired world, following a tween girl who joins a notorious band of thieves to steal a priceless jewel and discovers corruption that must be stopped.



Rosa Coelho has spent her whole life hunting monstros, wandering the city streets with her best friend Tiago, and dreaming of a better life for herself and her grandmother. And in a society that favors the rich and educated, every piece of knowledge comes with a hefty price, even the most basic books Rosa's family needs to trap monstrous.



So when the powerful Ministério dos Monstros threatens her family's struggling Encantadora shop, Rosa only has two weeks to scrape together the money for their debts. It seems like an impossible task...until Rosa tricks her way onto an infamous thief crew as their magical safecracker.



Thrust into the world of high class luxury and betrayal, Rosa is pulled into a scheme with the highest possible stakes: stealing from the Ministry itself. She must learn to trust her magical abilities and her crew--for if the heist goes wrong, everything she loves is forfeit.

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Berry Parker Doesn't Catch Crushes

Tanita S. Davis

With her mom's new boyfriend, her best friend's new crush, and her dad's interest in her gym teacher, Berry vows to never catch a crush--and to show everyone how much better things would be without theirs--in this stand-alone contemporary middle grade from Tanita S. Davis, author of The Science of Friendship and Partly Cloudy.

Every year, Berry's mom, Ivy, visits for a three-week "August Invasion." And every summer Berry hopes will be the one when Ivy will stay--forever.

Which is why Ivy's surprise return visit is amazing--until Berry realizes her mom didn't come for her. Ivy's back to pack the last of her things, and she's brought her new "friend," Mr. Cole to help. When Berry discovers that Mr. Cole is taking a job in England, she's convinced that Ivy wants to move all the way across the ocean with him, to where an August Invasion can't reach. Even at school, messy feelings are ruining everything. Berry's best friend, Lia, rearranges her schedule to have classes with her crush, leaving Berry alone all day. Even Berry's normally boring dad is making excuses to talk to her gym teacher.

All these crushes are crushing the life out of Berry. Weren't things better before these extra people came along? Why do things have to change?

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Aarzu All Around

Marzieh Abbas

“Heartfelt and triumphant.” —Rajani LaRocca, Newbery Honor–winning Author of Red, White, and Whole

A cricket-loving Pakistani girl stifled by patriarchal expectations disguises herself as a boy to get a job to pay her sister’s medical bills in this “lyrical action-packed debut full of determination and grit” (Reem Faruqi, award-winning author of Golden Girl).

Living with her aunt and patriarchal uncle in Karachi, Pakistan, recently orphaned twelve-year-old Aarzu detests the way she and her younger sister get treated like extras and excluded from all the fun stuff. Aarzu dreams of playing cricket, just like her male cousins and the neighborhood boys in the streets, but her uncle will hear nothing of it. According to him, girls ought to master the art of making round rotis, not play sports.

When her sister requires urgent medical treatment but finances are tight, Aarzu decides to earn money herself. She hears of a part-time job at a bungalow near her school—but it’s only open to boys. Aarzu has no choice but to disguise herself as a turban-wearing boy to get the gig.

Now, Aarzu must find a way to balance school, work, chores, and secret cricket practices—all without burning out or getting caught by her uncle—or else her dreams of making the girls cricket team and her quest to save her sister will crumble around her.

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Fight to Win!

Kim Kelly

"Freed Black women organizing for protection in the Reconstruction-era South. Jewish immigrant garment workers braving deadly conditions for a sliver of independence. Asian American fieldworkers rejecting government-sanctioned indentured servitude across the Pacific. Incarcerated workers advocating for basic human rights and fair wages. The queer Black labor leader who helped orchestrate America's civil rights movement. These are only some of the working-class heroes who propelled American labor's relentless push for fairness and equal protection under the law. In this well-researched work of journalism, Teen Vogue columnist and independent labor reporter Kim Kelly excavates our history and shows how the rights the American worker has today-the forty-hour workweek, workplace-safety standards, restrictions on child labor, protection from harassment and discrimination on the job-were earned with literal blood, sweat, and tears. Inspirational, intersectional, and full of crucial lessons from the past, Fight to Win shows what is possible when the working class demands the dignity it has always deserved"--

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How to be an Eco Explorer

Yussef Rafik

This gorgeously illustrated book invites you on an eco adventure through 10 important ecosystems, with fascinating nature facts and planet-saving activities.

You don't need a big garden of fancy equipment to bring about positive changes – all you need is the spirit of an eco explorer: curiosity, respect for nature and a desire to do good. 

We know that the environment needs our help, but can we really make a difference? Beloved children's presenter Yussef Rafik has made it his mission to share his knowledge about the natural world and the things we can do to help it. 

How to Be an Eco Explorer introduces you to 10 key ecosystems, from gardens to the coast, and from arid lands to the city. For each one, you will discover:
 

  • Ecosystem facts: learn about how the ecosystem works, including the challenges it faces
  • Small solutions: discover little things we can do to help solve these challenges, as individuals or as a society
  • Habitat heroes: meet under-appreciated animal heroes that are crucial to making the ecosystem work, such as pond snails, cellar spiders and dung beetles
  • Practical activities: enjoy two step-by-step activities that you can try at home. For example, learn how to make your own rainwater harvester or bathyscope for spying critters underwater!


This is the perfect book for young people feeling anxious about the environment, but also for parents looking for inspiring ways to get their children outside, having fun and learning.

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A World Without Summer

Nicholas Day

The true story of how a massive catastrophic eruption plunged the world into darkness, altering the global climate and inspiring the likes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein—from the award-winning author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes and featuring black-and-white illustrations throughout.

“A tour-de-force for our times . . . At once a heart-stopping tale of climate change and a profoundly hopeful call to action.”—Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal winner for The One and Only Ivan

The world was upside-down. The wind was fire. The sky was ash. The rain was rock.

A couple of hundred years ago, on a quiet Indonesian island, a volcano called Tambora erupted with a force and violence that changed history.

It tore apart the island, and in the months and years that followed, its fallout tore apart the world. The sun refused to shine; the rain refused to stop. Everything that everyone assumed would always be there—a world that made sense, a climate that made sense—was suddenly gone.

From this riot of thunder and lightning, a young woman named Mary Shelley conceived of a scientist and his cursed creature. From the nightmare of Tambora, she wrote a nightmare of a book: Frankenstein—a terrifying reminder of how much damage we humans might do, without even realizing it.

This is the story of a volcano that changed the world and a creature that changed us.

Once upon a time, everything was different. And no one knew if it would ever be the same.

In this masterful work, Nicholas Day, author of the Sibert Award–winning The Mona Lisa Vanishes, brings us a story taken from the archives but seemingly scripted for us today: a tale of climate change and human folly and hope—and what happens when the world suddenly goes wrong.

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