Yi Jiang

Aztec mythology celebrates the serpent god Quetzalcoatl for his role in the world’s creation, but his dog-headed twin brother, Xolotl, is often forgotten—or worse, known as “a monster,” according to the opening of Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera’s Xolo. After a cataclysm that wipes out humanity, the gods descend to Earth so that they may shepherd the eventual resurrection of life.

For a Girl Becoming Former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s For a Girl Becoming turns Harjo’s eponymous poem tenderly hailing a new life coming into the world into an inspiring picture book that is perfect for rereading. Painting an image of a girl’s birth, which “rains came in from the Pacific to bless,” the poem lovingly exhorts its subject to remember her roots and paints an encouraging portrait of her future.

Mallory Fontaine and her sister make a living as witches, hosting séances, selling spells and giving ghostly tours of the mansion where Count Bastien Saphir infamously murdered three of his wives. Their reputation draws the attention of the Count’s sole heir, Armand Saphir, who arrives seeking the Fontaine sisters’ help with expelling the Count’s ghost from his home. Promised an impressive payment, Mallory accepts the job.