Rainy summer days are no match for a little astronaut who builds the perfect rocket ship for an indoor space adventure to another galaxy, where the sky is his only limit! A stormy afternoon and an order from Mom to stay inside are no match for this little dreamer, who uses everyday household items—a rocket chair, a cardboard box, an old dish rag, and a super-duper imagination—to whip up a trip around the universe he won’t soon forget. My Rainy Day Rocket Ship is a high-spirited, engaging salute to the imagination of Black boys who use their beautiful minds to transform the mundane into the extraordinary, dream out loud, and boldly go where their sky is the only limit.

My Rainy Day Rocket Ship

Children's Books

Sheppard, Markette

Literature & Fiction

Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

This lyrical and luminously illustrated picture book explores the beauty of the everyday moments in a child’s world.\nLight can be so many things! The twinkle of a faraway star, a firefly captured in a jar, a mother’s love, a turtle dove...\nThrough this thoughtful and celebratory book, young readers will discover the special glow in everything from nature to the smiles of loved ones. Each page reveals a different sparkle found in a child’s simple but extraordinary world. The light revealed on the final page makes a fitting finale for this sweet, bright tale.

What Is Light?

Science, Nature & How It Works

A boy adopting a ninja alter ego to cope with a new disability finds the courage to share all of himself in this action-packed and heartfelt picture book from the author of My Rainy Day Rocket Ship. Nathaniel, or, as his friends call him, Ninja Nate, has been dressing like a ninja all summer long--even sleeping in his suit. And he doesn't plan on stopping for his first day of fifth grade, especially when he has been hiding his robotic leg under his ninja costume. His friends may know about his accident, but they've never seen the new him. What if they treat him differently? With the help of his brother, Sensei Charlie, and ninja mom, Mama Mary, maybe Ninja Nate can be part boy, part robot, all Nathaniel!

Ninja Nate

Activities, Crafts & Games

Light can be so many things! The twinkle of a faraway star, a firefly captured in a jar, a mother’s love, a turtle dove . . . Lyrical text and crisp, cheerful illustrations illuminate What Is Light?, each page revealing the sparkle found in a child’s simple but extraordinary world. Young readers will enjoy discovering the special glow in everything from nature to the smiles of loved ones. The light revealed on the final page makes a fitting finale for this sweet, bright tale. This board book edition is the perfect size for little hands.

What Is Light? (Denene Millner Books)

Agate Bolden

There are only so many puddles a child can jump in on a rainy day. A stormy afternoon and an order from Mom to stay inside are no match for this little dreamer, who uses everyday household items—a rocking chair, a cardboard box, an old dishrag, and his super-duper imagination—to whip up an indoor space adventure he won’t soon forget. A spectacular launch into outer space ultimately lands him on a new planet called X-Y-Z, also known as B-E-D, in a faraway galaxy known as the Land of ZZZZZZs.This rhythmic read-aloud is, on the surface, all about the soaring ingenuity of a child who refuses to let boredom outdo his inventiveness: he builds a rocket ship, designs his space gear, waves his flag, and uses his magical mind to take flight. Dig deeper and see a celebration of a little boy’s imagination and all the ways he uses it to transform the mundane into the extraordinary and to dream out loud.My Rainy Day Rocket Ship is a high-spirited, engaging salute to the imaginations of black boys who use their beautiful minds to boldly go where not even the sky is a limit.

My Rainy Day Rocket Ship (Denene Millner Books)