So honored these young people trusted us to share their stories!
And so grateful to Quinn and Haddie who created the NO BRAIN THE SAME book trailer. More talented youth!
So grateful for this starred review and all the love from SLJ!
10 Poetry Works for Young Readers Perfect for National Poetry Month l SLJ Reviews
42 Standout Selections from Daniel Nayeri, Ari Tison, and More | Starred Reviews, April 2026
Through powerful poems, this book honors neurodivergent youth activists transforming their communities and invites kids to act—continuing the spirit of No Voice Too Small and No World Too Big.
Featuring Billie Eilish, Dara McAnulty, and Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn, these fourteen poems spotlight neurodivergent activists inspiring kids ages 5 to 9 to make change. These fourteen neurodivergent activists began their work when they were young and continue it now, changing systems, politics, policies, and more. The book features poems written by poets who have something in common with each activist.
These fourteen neurodivergent activists began their work when they were young and continue it now, changing systems, politics, policies, and more. The book features poems written by poets who have something in common with each activist.
Fourteen poems by CooXooEii Black, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Liv Mammone, Lyn Miller-Lachmann, K. A. Reynolds, and others honor activists from all over the world and the United States. Additional text goes into detail about each activist’s life and how readers can get involved.
Activists introduced:
- Connor DeWolfe, featured in a poem by e.E. Charlton-Trujilo
- Helena Donato-Sapp by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
- Billie Eilish by Devin Murphy
- Mia Armstrong by Fiona Morris
- Sadie McCallum by Liv Mammone
- Adam Wolfond by Hannah Emerson
- Liam Garner by Jen Malia
- Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown by A. J. Sass
- Jazmine Wildcat by CooXooIee Black
- Andy Smith by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
- Molly Seidel by Jeanette Bradley
- Dara McAnulty by Sally J. Pla
- Mollie Davis by Jordan Scott
- Cillian O’Conner by K. A. Reynolds
Edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley;
Illustrated by Jeanette Bradley
Charlesbridge | ISBN: 978-1-62354-583-3
40 pages | Ages 5-9
No Brain the Same, coming June 2, 2026!
Pre-order from:
Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes and Noble Hudson Booksellers | Books A Million | Target
I am thrilled to announce that The State Library of Ohio, the Ohioana Library Association with the Ohio Center for the Book and Choose to Read Ohio Advisory Council selected OPENING THE ROAD: VICTOR HUGO GREEN AND HIS GREEN BOOK as a 2025 Choose to Read Ohio (CTRO) notable book! Find the reader’s toolkit created for OPENING THE ROAD here.
The CTRO booklist features 20 titles for all ages selected by Ohio teachers, librarians, and other advocates for readers and reading.
I am thrilled and honored to announce more book award news. A couple months ago, I shared that NO WORLD TOO BIG won the 2024 Green Earth Book Award – Intermediate Category. This month I have exciting news about two other books.
The National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council selected YUMBO GUMBO as one of the winning titles for their NSTA-CBC 2025 Best STEM Book list. Click here to find the full list of winning titles.
And the State Library of Ohio, the Ohioana Library Association with the Ohio Center for the Book, and the Choose to Read Ohio Advisory Council selected OPENING THE ROAD for the 2025 Choose to Read Ohio (CTRO) book list. The CTRO booklist features 20 titles for all ages selected by Ohio teachers, librarians, and other advocates for readers and reading. It’s in great company! Click here for a list of the titles.
I am beyond thrilled to see that OPENING THE ROAD continues to reach readers with every honor and recognition.
Giving thanks!
NO WORLD TOO BIG: YOUNG PEOPLE FIGHTING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE won two awards!
NO WORLD TOO BIG: YOUNG PEOPLE is the winner of the 2024 Green Earth Book Award in the Picture Book – Intermediate category! The Nature Generation gives the award. Here’s the cover sporting the 2024 Green Earth Book Award sticker. I missed last week’s virtual ceremony for that award because of travel, but Lindsay and Jeanette attended. We are so happy the book is reaching young readers!
It’s also the winner of the 2024 ILA Social Justice Literature Award in the Nonfiction Picture Book category. This award is from the International Literacy Association.
And the third bit of news…
Feliz cumpleaños del libro, El más gumbo delicioso! October is a month to honor and celebrate Louisiana Creole, Latino, Indigenous heritage and gumbo. YUMBO! Join me in welcoming the Spanish edition of Yumbo Gumbo to the world!
In March, we received news that NO WORLD TOO BIG was chosen as the winner of the 2024 Green Earth Book Award in the Picture Book – Intermediate category. The award celebration will take place virtually on Thursday, October 17, 7:00 – 8:30 PM, EST. The event is free to attend, although registration is required.
We are so honored to have our work recognized and hopefully encourage more youth to get involved!
To register go to: tinyurl.com/NatGenGEBA2024
We are so honored to have our work recognized and hopefully encourage more youth to get involved.
NO WORLD TOO BIG: YOUNG PEOPLE FIGHTING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE is the recipient of the 2024 Green Book Earth Award in the Picture Book – Intermediate category from The Nature Generation! 
We are so happy this book is reaching readers! And besides the winners and honors, there’s a long recommended reading list.
It was also a finalist for the Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World, part of the SCBWI Legacy and Impact fund.
April is poetry month and Earth Day is celebrated every April 22nd. But do you know about the Earth Month Ecochallenge? It runs from April 1 – April 30, 2024. This month, pledge to take action. The more who do, the greater the impact. From their website, “This year’s theme, “Conserving Every Ecosystem, Caring for Every Creature,” highlights the intersection of conservation and behavior change. By focusing on daily actions and continuous learning, we aim to create a sustainable and just world, not just for humans but for all species and ecosystems we rely on.”
Below is an activity for kids using NO WORLD TOO BIG, a perfect fit for April’s Poetry Month, the Earth Month Ecochallenge, and Earth Day on April 22nd. Click here or on the worksheet to download the template.
Every day is Earth Day!
NO WORLD TOO BIG is a finalist for the Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World. This award is given by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Ilustrators (SCBWI) “to a work of nonfiction that contributes to our understanding of how to make our world and society better.”
See the full list of finalists on the @SCBWIIMPACT post on IG. The winner will be announced in March!
Lindsay, Jeanette and I are grateful to the youth who trusted us to tell their stories and the poets inspired to write about them.
NO WORLD TOO BIG POETS
Aka Niviâna
Carlon Zachras
Dalia Elhassan
Honored to see NO WORLD TOO BIG on Chicago Public Library’s Best Informational Books of 2023 list! And in such great company! Congratulations everyone! Follow this link to see the full list.
And I love to see it in libraries and bookstores, too!
I am so excited to announce there’s a third poetry anthology featuring fourteen incredible young neurodivergent activists in the works! Once again, it is such an honor that these young people have trusted us with their stories. And I am thrilled to teamed up with the uber talented Lindsay H. Metcalf and Jeanette Bradley, too.
NO BRAIN THE SAME: Young Neurodivergent Activists Shaping Our Future will be on bookshelves in 2026!
It’s almost tour time! Lindsay H. Metcalf, Jeanette Bradley and I are kicking off our NO WORLD TOO BIG book tour with my regional SCBWI Ohio Central-South chapter tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7pm/EST. Here’s the link if you’d like to register for this free event.
And we are all off to Washington, DC, where I will meet Lindsay and Jeanette in-person for the very first time after collaborating on two books together! Take that pandemic.
Then each of us will be on the road in different places to promote NO WORLD TOO BIG. Save the date if you’re in one of these cities on our tour. We’d love to meet you!
See my NO WORLD TOO BIG book page for free educational content.
Charlesbridge | ISBN: 978-1-62354-313-6
40 pages | ages 5-9
Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
The Nerdy Book Club includes teachers and librarians extraordinaire who care about books, reading, and their students. It was an honor to contribute to their blog, where I shared ten current and forthcoming books about climate change for young readers. Because everyone can do something to fight global warming!
There Is No Planet B: Ten Books about Global Warming for Young Readers
Let’s Play! Kidlit For Growing Minds is hosting a 7-DAY 9-BOOK ‘Two Truths and a Lie’ giveaway!
We’re celebrating Children’s Book Week on Twitter, May 3-9. To enter, reply to each author’s original tweet. US educators ONLY. Winner selected every 48 hours!
Check out our Twitter page, @ForGrowingMinds, where we will retweet but don’t forget to reply to the original author’s tweet. Join us!
To celebrate OPENING THE ROAD: VICTOR HUGO GREEN AND HIS GREEN BOOK, I created a video using Doodly. And below the video find FREE content for curious kids I created to use with the book in the classroom.
I can’t wait to hit the road with Victor’s story. Let’s go!
It’s a long, winding road toward social justice. Keep going!
Click here for a free classroom guide to use with OPENING THE ROAD: VICTOR HUGO GREEN AND HIS GREEN BOOK.
So honored that The Classroom Bookshelf, an SLJ blog, wrote an extensive article on how to use NO VOICE TOO SMALL in the classroom to lift student voices! A great resource and extension to the book’s free activity guide.
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