1. We Are American, Too

By Kristin Mei Chase and Illustrated by Jieting Chen

Age Range: 4-6 years
Published: June 2025

A story about belonging, We Are American, Too folows Mei, a Chinese American girl living in Washington, D.C as she explores her family's history. This story connects the past and the present, encouraging children to learn the stories of thier ancestors and how to use those stories to make a difference in the face of injustice.

2. Barrio Rising

By María Dolores Águila and Illustrated by Magdalena Mora

Age Range: 4-8 years
Published: June 2024

This picture book tells the story of a young activist and her neighbors as they fight to create San Diego's Chicano Park, which today has one of the largest outdoor mural collections in the United States. This historical fiction for young readers approachably tackles the impact of displacement, and the twelve-day fight in 1970 that stopped the construction of a police station and led to the Barrio Logan community building a beloved neighborhood park.

3. Lighthouse Ladies: Shining a Spotlight on Hardy Heroines

By Kris Coronado and Illustrated by Islenia Mil

Age Range: 5-8 years
Published: May 2025

This book tells the true stories of four women in history who worked as lighthouse keepers, keeping ships and sailors at sea safe from the dangers posed by weather. This nonfiction picture book will connect readers with heroines from Hawai'i to Virginia.

4. Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos

By Nathalie Alonso and Ilustrated by Rudy Gutierrez

Ages 7-10 Years
Published: April 2024

This biographical picture book tells the story of Roberto Clemente, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Taking readers from his home in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Montreal, and his major league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, readers will learn about Clemente's extraordinary skill in the face of racism and be inspired to learn more about Black, Latino, and American history.

Nathalie Alonso is a freelancer writer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

5. Tear This Down

By Barbara Dee

Ages 9-13 years
Published: February 2025

In this book for older children, Barbara Dee's Freya navigates trials of historic commemoration as she learns more about her hometown of Wellstone. In the process of researching for a school project, Freya reads that there is more to the town's founder than is often told and that while his story is elevated, others, like local suffragette Octavia Padgett are not as well known. The result is a story of reckoning with the past and learning how to work together in community to make sure the full history of Wellstone is told.

6. The Burning Season

By Caroline Starr Rose

Age Range: 10 years and up
Published: May 2025

At the age of twelve Opal is preparing to become a fourth-generation lookout at Wolf Mountain in New Mexico. Her responsibility? Stopping fires before they happen. While she would rather be at school with kids her own age, she suddenly spots the tell-tale spiral of smoke and has to face down a fire herself. A story told in verse, Opal's journey is about coming of age, the responsibility of protecting the land, and finding courage when you need it most.

7. Magnolia Wu Unfolds it All

By Chanel Miller

Age Range: 10 years and up
Published: April 2025

This summer, explore New York City with Magnolia Wu as she searches for the other half of some missing socks at her parents' laundromat. With her new friend Iris, they learn the importance of asking questions, observing the world around them, and being ready for the unexpected. This is a story about community and empathy and how Magnolia navigates her identity as she grows up.

8. The City of Lost Cats

By Tanya Lloyd Ki

Age Range: 10 years and up
Published: March 2025

In this story mirroring real-life preservation challenges, a young girl named Fiona fights to save a local mansion from demolition. Home to stray cats and two parakeets (who one of the cats is convinced are the organizers of the demolition efforts) the mansion-called "The City" is facing being replaced by a luxury condo development. Follow along as Fiona finds her way, working with community members and business leaders to create a new vision for the mansion.

9. Radiant

By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Age Range: 10-14 years
Published: January 2025

A story told in verse, Radiant begins in 1963 when Cooper Dale works through what it means to be a Black girl in a rapidly changing world. This book explores Dale's experiences in the face of historical events such as the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, the assasination of President John F. Kennedy, and the introduction of the Beatles to the United States, all while living through the 5th grade.

10. Toto at Filoli

Illustrated by Laura Shallcrass

At the end of the Summer Filoli, a National Trust Historic Sites in California will publish an illustrated picture book featuring Toto, a spunky French bulldog who lived at the estate in the 1920s.

Toto was a proper city dog. What happens when he moves to the country? Lost in the woods around his new house at Filoli, Toto discovers the magic of the garden.

Make sure you follow Filoli on social media to hear when it is available for purchase!