February 2026 Selections

I Got You 
by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice

Thanks to his big brother Anthony, Rasheed knows all about worms, mud pies, puddles, and how to swing. Anthony is teaching him to do big-boy things, such as buttoning his shirt and riding a bike. Anthony reassures him that even when they're not together, he still loves Rasheed and nothing will ever change that.

I GoT You Lesson Plan

The Humble Pie
by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald

When the Humble Pie is paired with his best friend, Jake the Cake, for a school project, he realizes that staying in the shadows isn’t always as sweet as pie. Readers will laugh along as their new pie pal discovers that letting your voice be heard always takes the cake!

The Humble Pie Lesson Plan

Fighting With Love: The Legacy of John Lewis
by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome

John Lewis left a cotton farm to join the fight for civil rights when he was a teenager. He soon became a leader of a movement that changed the nation. Walking alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis was guided by his belief in peaceful action and the pursuit of voting rights. His work and legacy live on.

Fighting With Love Lesson Plan

CeeCee: Underground Railroad Cinderella
by Shana Keller, illustrated by Laura Freeman

CeeCee is an enslaved girl growing up alongside two spoiled daughters on a plantation. She suffers their casual cruelty but learns to read by listening to their lessons and stories. CeeCee receives help to escape and chances everything for the possibility of a new life.

CeeCEE Lesson Plan

Clean Getaway
by Nic Stone

Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with this eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem—his grandma included.

Clean Getaway Lesson Plan

Dragons in a Bag 
by Zetta Elliott

Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a witch! She needs his help delivering baby dragons to a magical world where they'll be safe. There are two rules: don't let the dragons out of the bag, and don't feed them anything sweet. Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound?

Dragons in a Bag Lesson Plan

Carver: A Life in Poems
by Marilyn Nelson

George Washington Carver was born a slave in Missouri and left home in search of an education. Carver spent the rest of his life seeking solutions to the poverty among landless Black farmers by developing new uses for soil-replenishing crops such as peanuts, cowpeas, and sweet potatoes.

Carver Lesson Plan

On Guard!
by Cassidy Wasserman

Grace isn’t ready for a new school year. Her best friend Ava dropped her, the dust is still settling from her parents’ divorce, and things are not great between Grace and her mom. Then she sees the school's fencing club practicing. They look so sure of themselves. Could this be a place Grace can finally be herself?

On Guard! Lesson Plan

Lunar New Year Love Story
by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed—no one in her family, for generations, has had any luck with love. But then an encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Could this be her chance to break the family curse?

Lunar New Year Lesson Plan

If I Ever Get Out of Here 
by Eric Gansworth

Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975. He's not used to white people being nice to him - people like George, who recently moved to town. Lewis has to lie to hide his family's poverty from George. If George finds out the truth, will he still be his friend?

If I Ever Get Out Lesson Plan

Los Bravos
by Megan Lacera

Valentina, Jasmine, Andy y Xander son "Los Bravos", un grupo de amigos decididos a salvar su hogar en Wild Oaks de unos inversores codiciosos. Para lograrlo, emprenden una aventura épica con el fin de encontrar a un legendario monstruo que habita en el bosque y convencerlo de ayudarlos. Juntos, enfrentarán sus miedos para proteger lo que más quieren.