Awake, Asleep

A rhythmic, meditative read-aloud about the extraordinary beauty found in babies' and toddlers' everyday moments, written by Stonewall and Newbery Award-winning author, Kyle Lukoff.



A kiss, a blink, a dawn, a break.

A yawn, a peep, a stretch, awake!

From sunup to sundown, a young child's day is bursting with discovery and wonder-filled moments. Follow a day in the life of three diverse families and their little ones, as everyday moments like sharing breakfast and exploring the park are rendered full of love, exploration, joy, and wonder. Sparse, beautiful rhyming text from Newbery and Stonewall Award-winning author Kyle Lukoff is a rhythmic and poetic read-aloud perfect for any time of day, paired against luminous, tender illustrations from artist Nadia Alam.

Showcasing a diverse range of kids, and families that include same-sex parents, single parents, and multigenerational households, Awake, Asleep reflects our world with beauty and joy, rendering the simple moments in a young child's day as transformative, wonder-filled memories.

Perfect for bedtime cuddles and cozy storytime all day long, this book is a modern classic in the making that's a must-have on your little one's bookshelf.

Kyle Lukoff
If You're A Kid Like Gavin

A celebratory and empowering story from young trans activist Gavin Grimm, Stonewall Award-winning author Kyle Lukoff, and illustrator J Yang follows the true story of how a young boy stood up for himself—and made history along the way.  

When you’re a kid like Gavin Grimm, you know yourself best. And Gavin knew that he was a boy—even if others saw him as a girl. But when his school took away his right to something as simple as using the boy’s restroom, Gavin knew he had a big decision to make.

Because there are always more choices than the ones others give you.

Gavin chose to correct others when they got his pronouns wrong. He asked to be respected. He stood up for himself. Gavin proved that his school had violated his constitutional rights and had the Supreme Court uphold his case—bringing about a historic win for trans rights. There are many kids out there, some just like Gavin Grimm, and they might even be you.

What choices will you make?

Kyle Lukoff
Mermaid Days

Dive under the sea with Mermaid Days, a series perfect for beginning readers!

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This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy-to-read text, a short-story format, plenty of humor, and full-color artwork on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and fluency. Acorn books plant a love of reading and help readers grow!

Swim along with mermaid Vera and octo-kid Beaker! In these three stories, Vera and Beaker go on adventures in their town of Tidal Grove. They explore a sunken ship, and Vera helps Beaker with an unusual octopus problem. With text from Stonewall award-winning author Kyle Lukoff, and bright, colorful artwork from artist Kat Uno, Mermaid Days is sure to be every young reader's favorite new series. Balancing easy-to-read-text, endless humor and charm, light nonfiction, and a loveable cast of underwater creatures, these laugh-out-loud stories are the perfect fit for new readers!

Different Kinds Of Fruit

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In this funny and hugely heartfelt novel from a National Book Award finalist, a sixth-grader’s life is turned upside down when she learns her dad is trans

Annabelle Blake fully expects this school year to be the same as every other: same teachers, same classmates, same, same, same. So she’s elated to discover there’s a new kid in town. To Annabelle, Bailey is a breath of fresh air. She loves hearing about their life in Seattle, meeting their loquacious (and kinda corny) parents, and hanging out at their massive house. And it doesn’t hurt that Bailey has a cute smile, nice hands (how can someone even have nice hands?) and smells really good.

Suddenly sixth grade is anything but the same. And when her irascible father shares that he and Bailey have something big–and surprising–in common, Annabelle begins to see herself, and her family, in a whole new light. At the same time she starts to realize that her community, which she always thought of as home, might not be as welcoming as she had thought. Together Annabelle, Bailey, and their families discover how these categories that seem to mean so much—boy, girl, gay, straight, fruit, vegetable—aren’t so clear-cut after all.

Kyle Lukoff
Too Bright To See

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Newbery Honoree

Stonewall Award winner

A National Book Award Finalist

It’s the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug’s best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare. For Moira, this means figuring out the right clothes to wear, learning how to put on makeup, and deciding which boys are cuter in their yearbook photos than in real life. But none of this is all that appealing to Bug, who doesn’t particularly want to spend more time trying to understand how to be a girl. Besides, there’s something more important to worry about: A ghost is haunting Bug’s eerie old house in rural Vermont…and maybe haunting Bug in particular. As Bug begins to untangle the mystery of who this ghost is and what they’re trying to say, an altogether different truth comes to light.

“This book is a gentle, glowing wonder, full of love and understanding, full of everything any of us would wish for our children. It will almost certainly be banned in many places, but your child almost certainly needs to read it.” –The New York Times Book Review

“A tender portrayal of a kid who is just coming to understand who he is.” –TIME

★ “This coming-of-age and coming-out story takes a needed departure from other stories about transgender youth….A chilling, suspenseful ghost story balances the intimate, introspective narrative style.…Haunting and healing.” –Kirkus, starred review

★ ”Smart and thought-provoking…. Through Bug’s journey to self-realization and self-acceptance, and the wonderfully nuanced understanding of gender he comes to, Lukoff provides a tender rumination on grief, love, and identity.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Equal parts unsettling, heartwarming, and satisfying…a nuanced and compelling exploration of gender, friendship, and family.” –Booklist, starred review

★ ”Lukoff’s three primary themes—gender identity, grief, and ghostly hauntings—work in elegant harmony despite the load. Lukoff navigates Bug’s journey of identity and discovery with grace, welcoming…A hopeful examination of grief and gender, and a good ghost story to boot.” –School Library Journal, starred review

★ “Lukoff combines gothic horror vibes with a slow-building trans awakening…The spooks and mysteries are an added bonus that sets this narrative apart from similar titles.” — BCCB

★ “While gender identity remains prominent throughout, Lukoff also combines pitch-perfect adolescent angst, evolving friendships and spooky encounters to create a welcoming story accessible to young readers of all backgrounds.” — Shelf Awareness

“When we talk about wanting to see a diverse range of books for kids, this is precisely what we should be thinking of…. Smart. Original. Necessary. ” –Betsy Bird, Fuse8



Boston Globe Best Book of 2021
TIME Best Children’s Book of 2021
Washington Post Best Children’s Book of 2021
New York Public Library Best Book for Kids of 2021
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book for 2021
NPR Best Book of 2021 PW Best Book of 2021
Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021
Kirkus Best Book of 2021
School Library Journal Best Book of 2021

Kyle Lukoff
When Aidan Became A Brother

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2020 Stonewall Book Award Winner

2020 Charlotte Huck Honor

When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life.

Then Mom and Dad announce that they’re going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning—from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does “making things right” actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.

When Aidan Became a Brother is a heartwarming book that will resonate with transgender children, reassure any child concerned about becoming an older sibling, and celebrate the many transitions a family can experience.

★ “This picture book sets a new standard of excellence in transgender representation”—Kirkus, starred review

★ “A much-needed and appealing addition to the ­picture book canon; both emotionally and visually satisfying.”—School Library Journal, starred review

Kyle Lukoff
Explosion at the Poem Factory

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A funny story, full of wordplay, brings poetry alive as never before!

Kilmer Watts makes his living teaching piano lessons, but when automatic pianos arrive in town, he realizes he’s out of a job. He spots a “Help Wanted” sign at the poem factory and decides to investigate — he’s always been curious about how poems are made.

The foreman explains that machines and assembly lines are used for poetry these days. So Kilmer learns how to operate the “meter meter” and empty the “cliché bins.” He assembles a poem by picking out a rhyme scheme, sprinkling in some similes and adding alliteration.

But one day the machines malfunction, and there is a dramatic explosion at the poem factory. How will poetry ever survive?

Kyle Lukoff’s funny story, rich in wordplay, is complemented by Mark Hoffmann’s lively, quirky art. The backmatter includes definitions of poetic feet, types of poems (with illustrated examples) and a glossary of other terms. An author’s note explains the inspiration for the story.

Kyle Lukoff
Max and Friends

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Max and Friends is a groundbreaking LGBTQ+ transitional chapter book series from Reycraft Books that includes 3 award-winning titles: Call Me Max, Max on the Farm, and Max and the Talent Show.

In “Call Me Max,” When Max starts school, the teacher hesitates to call out the name on the attendance sheet. Something doesn’t seem to fit. Max lets her know the name he wants to be called by—a boy’s name. This begins Max’s journey as he makes new friends and reveals his feelings about his identity to his parents. Written with warmth and sensitivity by trans writer Kyle Lukoff, this book is a sweet and age-appropriate introduction to what it means to be transgender.

In “Max and the Talent Show,” Max's friend Steven is great at many things. But more than anything else, Steven can tell a story. When Steven signs up for the school's talent show, Max signs up to be his assistant. After selecting that just-right dress and those just-right shoes for the show, the moment arrives. Stephen steps onto the stage. The lights shine brightly in his face. He looks out into the crowd realizing he has prepared everything, except the one thing that matters-his performance. What will Max, standing in the wings, do to help his friend?

In “Max on the Farm,” Max and Teresa, one of his best friends, are always finding adventure—even the kind that might get them into trouble. But Teresa doesn’t mind. When their class goes on a field trip to a local farm, Teresa convinces Max to sneak out after dark to see the baby piglets. When the mama pig voices her unhappiness, the squeals wake up the farmer and the entire class. How will Max and Teresa get out of this big, muddy mess?

 

Kyle Lukoff
A Storytelling of Ravens

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“A charming tribute to the quirkiness of collective nouns … puns and wordplay abound.” — Foreword, starred review 

A sloth of bears, a smack of jellyfish, a nuisance of cats — these are some of the surprising and idiosyncratic names we have for groups of animals. Inspired by the evocative possibilities of collective nouns, also called “terms of venery,” author Kyle Lukoff and illustrator Natalie Nelson have created a picture book full of clever wordplay and delightful illustrations. Each spread features a nugget of a story using a particular term, which is accompanied by a collage illustration that serves as the visual punch line.

But where did these unusual names come from? Many of them can be traced back to a book on hunting, hawking and heraldry, printed in 1486 — the Book of St. Albans, which has been reproduced many times since.

A Storytelling of Ravens provides a unique opportunity to explore and rejoice in the oddities of the English language.

“This book riffing on animals’ collective nouns has the declarative force of a George R.R. Martin title and the head-tilting creativity of Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons…. Offbeat nonsense humor of the highest order: not to be missed.” —Kirkus starred review

Winner, 2018 Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design

Kyle Lukoff