From the SLJ website: “Toni Morrison wrote, “Efforts to censor, starve, regulate, and annihilate us are clear signs that something important has taken place. The thought that leads me to contemplate with dread the erasure of other voices, of unwritten novels, poems whispered or swallowed for fear of being overheard by the wrong people, outlawed languages flourishing underground, essayists’ questions challenging authority never being posed, unstaged plays, canceled films—that thought is a nightmare.”

You are the ones doing the important work—giving children access to the life-changing books that will inspire them to create the unwritten novels, unstaged plays, and essays that challenge authority and the powers that be.”

From the IE website:

By: Antonia Dorn for the International Examiner: “Holding On by Sophia N. Lee is a short read with illustrations full of character and emotion. The story is about lola, who has lived through Filipino love songs and believes that through song and dance you can “hold on” to who you are, your happiness, your memories. It is cute when you’re watching the grandchild dance with Lola and feeling her miss grandma. It’s painful when Lola isn’t remembering well and her grandchild is trying to help her get there by playing her favorite songs and singing. As a reader, you yearn for Lola’s memory back and with heartache, miss younger days where someone so pure and loving was full of joy and happiness.”

By Alison Doherty

It’s been amazing to read the 2023 picture books over the last year. It’s hard to find the words to describe them. They are diverse, informative, hilarious, emotional, relatable, beautiful, and so much more (sometimes all within the same book!). We are so lucky to live in a time when new picture books are invested in and published every week.

Years ago, when I entered an MFA program focused on children’s literature, I had an epiphany. As much as I loved classic children’s books (and I really, really do), if I didn’t seek out and support new picture books, the art would dwindle and die out. And most of the so-called classics were published before I was born. Many were published before my parents were born. Also, these books come from a time when publishing was even more white and male-centric than it is today. Contemporary picture books still have a ways to go before they are truly representative of all children. But they are more diverse now than they’ve ever been in the history of publishing.

Story time with Sophia Lee: Author Sophia Lee will share her new picture book “Lolo’s Sari-sari Store.” It’s about a Filipino girl moving to a new country and learning how to connect with new people and community. 10 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Free. North University Community Library, 8820 Judicial Drive, San Diego. sandiego.librarymarket.com/event/special-author-storytime-lolos-sari-sari-store-sophia-lee

Oof, parents, this one might require some tissues. It is a sweet story about a grandmother and grandchild. They hold on to each other through songs and memories, both while they are apart and when the grandmother is quiet and can’t remember as much as she used to. This is a wonderful conversation opener about aging and the challenges it can bring.

School Library Journal has proudly partnered with We Are Kid Lit Collective to share and promote the group's annual summer reading recommendations. In the last couple of weeks, SLJ has published individual posts featuring their recommendations for picture books, transitional books, middle grade, and young adult titles.

From traditional Indigenous stories to the truth behind the Mexican jumping bean, these picture books, selected by the We Are Kid Lit Collective, offer entertaining and memorable reading experiences for kids over the summer break.

My 9 year old daughter had to do a school presentation on Young People Making an Impact. To be honest, the subject matter terrified her. “How can young people make an impact on anything? We’re just kids!” And I get that. I am pretty sure I felt the same way when I was that age. It is so frustrating as a kid, to watch the adults make all the decisions and not feel like you have a say in anything. Sure, sometimes that’s a good thing: no, children should NOT be eating chocolate for every meal every day. But there are many more occasions when I, the adult, am totally ashamed at how absolutely horrible adults can be at things that directly affect future generations. It’s pretty hard to help a 9 year old with a school presentation when you’re wallowing in the pessimism right there with them.

By Cristina DC Pastor

It seems Sophia Lee has so many grandmothers.

Typically, you have two. In the story of how she became Simon & Schuster’s latest heralded children’s book author, her maternal and paternal grandmothersnot to mention the grand aunties, played pivotal roles. They all surrounded her with love from the time she was a sickly little girl and up until she came to New York to attend grad school.

Holding On is a children’s book about a young girl who uses music to connect with her grandmother as the latter’s memory fades. The story is set in the Philippines, and both author and illustrator are Filipina.

Sophia N. Lee (author) and Isabel Roxas (illustrator) grew up in the Philippines, but now call New York City their home. They recently launched Holding On at Books Are Magic, a neighborhood bookstore in Brooklyn. Books are indeed magic because this particular one transported the audience of little kids to a place they haven’t been to.

Meet Sophia N. Lee, a Filipino author of books for kids and young adults.

Simon & Schuster (under its imprint Atheneum), one of the Big 5 publishers in the United States, released last week Lee’s latest book Holding On. It is the first Filipino picture book to be published by a major American publishing firm.

Lucky are expatriate Filipinos who are able to spend time with their doting grandparents, especially those in the Philippines, where they learn about their roots and reinforce their values. Even luckier are those who stay connected through the years despite the distance, with their extraordinary capacity to observe, absorb, appreciate and commend the impressions to their psyche.

New York transplants Sophia N. Lee and Isabel Roxas are among the fortunate lot. Both born in the Philippines, they have preserved those indelible moments with their grandmothers and grandaunts in a picture book set for release on August 30.

Our picture book Holding On, written by me and illustrated by Pinay illustrator Isabel Roxas, is a part of this list of must-read picture books on BookRiot! We're so proud to share this space with so many amazing authors and stories.

Julia McCarthy at Atheneum has acquired Lolo's Sari-Sari Store by Sophia N. Lee (l.), a picture book about a child's love for her Lolo and the sweet memories of helping in his sari-sari store before moving to the U.S. where she discovers new connections between her two homes, to be illustrated by Christine Almeda in her first picture book. Publication is set for summer 2023; Wendi Gu at Sanford J. Greenburger represented the author, and Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary represented the illustrator.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer

by: Ruel S. De Vera

When Sophia N. Lee was growing up, she spent her summers in Tarlac, in the care of her paternal grandparents. “I was a very sickly kid, and this was the time I would be nurtured back to health by my grandfather who we called Dada, my grandmother Mama Jessie and my father’s sister, Tita Lynn,” Lee recalled.

Julia McCarthy at Atheneum has bought, at auction, Holding On by Sophia N. Lee (l.), illustrated by Isabel Roxas. This picture book follows a girl's visits to her music-loving Lola in the Philippines, and the song-filled summers she shares with her grandmother.

National Geographic Education

Explore the Philippines through reading! National Geographic included What Things Mean as a part of this incredible list of books about the Philippines for young readers.

Cosmo.PH

Sophia Lee won the Scholastic Asian Book Award for 'What Things Mean,' a story she wrote after leaving law school.