Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

Must Read Picture Book/Early Reader—Massachusetts Center for the Book CCBC Best-of-the-Year Choice

CSMCL Best- of-the-Year Choice—Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature

Mia wants to pretend that she and Tayja are princesses, and Tayja agrees—as long as they can be hiking princesses. The sisters’ imaginations lead them up and down mountains in a perilous journey with their mighty lion protector. As they play, Mia and Tayja confirm that there’s one thing they don’t have to pretend: They know in their hearts that they’re real sisters, even though others don’t always recognize this since they’re adopted and don’t look alike. Safe in the knowledge that adoption has made them “forever family,” the sisters end their make-believe journey with a joyful homecoming to a real home with their two moms.

Megan Dowd Lambert teaches in the graduate programs in Children’s Literature at Simmons College. At the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art she developed two original storytime models, the Whole Book Approach and A Book in Hand, which are aimed at engaging readers with the picture book as a visual art form. A frequent speaker at professional conferences, schools, libraries, and museums, she reviews children’s books for Kirkus Reviews and the Horn Book and contributes to Horn Book Magazine’s “Books in the Home” column. A mother of six children ranging from infancy to college-aged, Megan lives with her family in Massachusetts. Her books include A Crow of His Own and Reading Picture Books with Children: How to Shake Up Storytime and Get Kids Talking about What They See. Readers can find Megan online at http://megandowdlambert.com or @MDowdLambert.

Nicole Tadgell’s illustrations have been featured in The Encyclopedia of Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books and in numerous exhibitions. She has taught workshops and classes at the Worcester Art Museum, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, and at Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conferences. Nicole also lectures at New England schools and colleges and demonstrates the picture book process in classrooms, libraries, and bookstores. Her award-winning children’s books include First Peas to the Table, In the Garden with Dr. Carver, Lucky Beans, and Fatuma’s New Cloth.

Real Sisters Pretend