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Rajani LaRocca

@rajanilarocca.bsky.social
3.2K followers 830 following 121 posts

2022 Newbery Honoree, Walter Award, Golden Kite winner. Doctor, author of MG & PB, fiction & nonfiction, prose & poetry. Pro-democracy, pro-reproductive freedom, anti-book bans. Rep: Brent Taylor www.RajaniLaRocca.com

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Rajani LaRocca @rajanilarocca.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
silverunicornbooks.com/events/50185
silverunicornbooks.com
An Evening LAUNCH event with Author Rajani LaRocca! | The Silver Unicorn Bookstore
Acton's independent bookstore
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Jen @popgoesthereader.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Pop! Goes The Reader's Most-Anticipated Young Adult Books: July-September 2026 popgoesthereader.com/45-most-anti... #BookSky #KidLit #YALit
A collage of 24 young adult books being published between July-September 2026. Books featured include Gingerbread Bones by Lindsay Lovise, Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls by Cynthia Murphy, We're All Going to Die Tonight! by Veronica Bane, It's Christmas Crime!: An Advent Romance by Anouk Filippini, Hallie’s Rules for a Recovering Romantic by Jessica Lewis, The Introvert's Guide to Kissing in Europe by Brenda Janowitz, Everything Comes Back To You by Jackie Khalilieh, If We Survive The Night by Jo Salazar, Death Card by Jasmine Smith, Your Boyfriend Needs An Exorcist by Justine Pucella Winans, I Didn't Do It by Elle Gonzalez Rose, Funerals Are For The Living by Sami Ellis, Mischief Girls by Aashna Avachat, My Own Kind of Person by Tim Manley, All The Way Home by Alex Ritany, The Hardest Ones To Fool by Christina Li, Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray, Such Great Heights by Rajani LaRocca, Practically Magic by Jen Calonita, Library or Lattes? by Lila Hazell, How (Not) To Renovate A Haunted House by Jenny L. Howe, Free Girls by Kristen McCallum, Exchanged by Dan Perucco and Left On Read by Marissa Eller.
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The Horn Book @thehornbook.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
M/J #HBMag #HBPubPreviews #5Qs for @rajanilarocca.bsky.social (Quill Tree/ @harperkids.bsky.social ): "I’ve always wanted to ­understand the true meaning of Sita’s story [wife of Rama from the great Hindu epic the ­RAMAYANA], + SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS is my attempt to do so" www.hbook.com/story/publis...
hbook.com
Publishers' Preview: Diverse Voices: Five Questions for Rajani LaRocca
From the May/June 2026 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.
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Beth Anderson @bandersonwriter.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
In THE PATRIOTS & THE POX smallpox is an unseeable & complex antagonist.😳What's a writer to do? Here are some mentor texts & authors' solutions to challenging "characters." And a peek at the POX! #edusky #skybrarian #edusky @ashleyyazdani.bsky.social @kl4gm.bsky.social @steamteambooks.bsky.social
rateyourstory.org
MOWMT 4: Character Challenges with Beth Anderson
By Beth Anderson While fiction books may portray emotions as monsters or other types of characters, nonfiction seems to present a different kind of challenge when you’re working with complex concepts ...
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Children's Bookshelf @pwkidsbookshelf.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
New book deals on the way from @rajanilarocca.bsky.social @melissatrempe.bsky.social @sarahbethdurst.bsky.social @ritalorraine.bsky.social + more buff.ly/CbHX6Uo
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Triada US Lit Agency @triadaus.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Congratulations to @rajanilarocca.bsky.social on the sale of WE ARE THE LIGHT! #TeamTriada #BookSky
A Publishers Marketplace Deal Report dated March 4, 2026 in the Children's Picture Book Fiction category which reads as follows: Newbery Honoree Rajani LaRocca's WE ARE THE LIGHT: A STORY OF DIWALI, taking readers through the preparations for the festival of lights and celebrating the holiday's meaning, illustrated by Sayan Mukherjee, to Alexandra Cooper at Quill Tree, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2026, by Brent Taylor at TriadaUS Literary Agency (world).
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12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge @12x12challenge.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
It's really special when both the top and honor spot of any given award go to your members! Congratulations to @rajanilarocca.bsky.social & @viviankirkfield.bsky.social for their #SCBWI Golden Kite wins in the nonfiction for younger readers category! So proud of you both.
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LBYR School & Library @lbschool.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
✨ SOME OF US by @rajanilarocca.bsky.social and Huy Voun Lee ✨ HOW SWEET THE SOUND by Kwame Alexander and Charly Palmer ✨ GO TELL IT by Quartez Harris and @gordoncjamesart.bsky.social
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coloreader.bsky.social @coloreader.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Rajani LaRocca will be sharing her work at CCIRA 2026 in Denver www.rajanilarocca.com February 5-7, 2026. Register today ccira.org @ColoradoReading Don't miss her! #CCIRA26 @rajanilarocca.bsky.social
rajanilarocca.com
Rajani LaRocca – Award-winning Children's Book Author
Award-winning Children's Book Author
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Christiana Doucette @doucette515.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
During the @highlightsfound.bsky.social Verse Novelist Retreat last year @rajanilarocca.bsky.social gave me some great feedback about the beginning of my NIV. This looks like a great course with her! And one that helps grow your story!
highlightsfoundation.org
Diving Into Your Novel: An Online Generative Workshop - Highlights Foundation
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ingridmayyasi.bsky.social @ingridmayyasi.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
I finished my first full week of classes. We read Fall is for Beginnings by @rajanilarocca.bsky.social. Students really connected with the story. A great way to start the school year.
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Lori Tecler @loritecler.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
1st graders are learning about the human body, so we read YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART by @rajanilarocca.bsky.social w/art by @laurenpaigeconrad.bsky.social then used toothpicks, marshmallows & ❤️ stickers to make tools to measure their ❤️beats. They were fascinated! #SchoolLibrary #TLSky #EduSky #kidlit
Copy of book YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART by Rajani LaRocca with art by Lauren Paige Conrad on a woodgrain table. Two children’s arms outstretched on a woodgrain table. Each child has a toothpick with a marshmallow on one end and a heart sticker on the other placed on the inside of their wrist, marshmallow down.
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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
I'm no @fuse8.bsky.social but here are my standout titles of summer and fall 2025: jenny-arch.com/2025/10/15/f... @brianlies.bsky.social @rajanilarocca.bsky.social @dansantat.bsky.social @charlenedraws.bsky.social @adamrex.bsky.social @tkingfisher.com @katemilford.bsky.social @katemessner.com
jenny-arch.com
Fall (and Summer) Standouts
Back in early April I wrote about my “spring standouts,” books published in 2025 that I’d read and thought were stellar. I think I’d intended to write another in the summer …
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Katie McEnaney @katiemcenaney.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
Delighted to be presenting on 2 incredible panels at #ncte! 10 Ways to Nurture Nonfiction Readers @mstewartscience.bsky.social & 6 Small Actions: Empowering Children @jyotigopal.bsky.social @jstremer.bsky.social @rajanilarocca.bsky.social @mnewsome.bsky.social @andrewchacket.bsky.social #kidlit
10 Ways to Nurture and Nourish Nonfiction Readers with Melissa Stewart. NCTE Sat 11/22, 11:45 am Room 2036 Small Actions That Can Make a Big Difference: Empowering Children to Impact the World Around Them, NCTE Sun 11/23 at 10:30 am Mile High Ballroom 3A
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Melissa Stewart @mstewartscience.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Teachers! Librarians! It's time for the Sibert Smackdown. The perfect Mock Sibert activity for kids who love nonfiction. tinyurl.com/3c9harym @sarahalbee.bsky.social @lindsayhmetcalf.bsky.social @juanamartinezn.bsky.social @safajarwrites.bsky.social @rajanilarocca.bsky.social @mcusolito.bsky.social
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Erin Bedell @erindaydreams.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Excited for #NCTE2025 in Denver this year! I'm looking forward to moderating panels with some amazing authors! Let me know if you're attending, would love to connect. @meganefreeman.bsky.social @sylvialiu.bsky.social @baronchrisbaron.bsky.social @rajanilarocca.bsky.social
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Melissa Stewart @mstewartscience.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Teachers! Librarians! It's time for the Sibert Smackdown. The perfect Mock Sibert activity for kids who love nonfiction. tinyurl.com/3c9harym @epartridge.bsky.social @kellycrull.bsky.social @gordoncjamesart.bsky.social @4nikkolas.bsky.social @jessicalanan.bsky.social @chrishsu1861.bsky.social
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kidsbookaday.bsky.social @kidsbookaday.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Back to school! Here are two new picture books to help ease the transition. @rajanilarocca.bsky.social @abhialwar.bsky.social kidsbookaday.com/2025/08/18/b...
kidsbookaday.com
Back to school
I’m back to school this morning, so here are two more books to kick off the new year! If you’re looking for more ideas, check out my back-to-school book list. Fall Is for Beginnings by …
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Deborah Kalb @deborahkalb.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Q&A with Rajani LaRocca about her new children's picture book, FALL IS FOR BEGINNINGS. tinyurl.com/2udajak9 @rajanilarocca.bsky.social
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Annarose Foley @boyntonlibrary.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Summer Read # 6 #msfoleyiscurrentlyreading #audiobooklove #bookstagram #librarylife #read #weneeddiversebooks @rajanilarocca.bsky.social
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LBYR School & Library @lbschool.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
@rajanilarocca.bsky.social and Huy Voun Lee's SOME OF US is the recommended picture book for September in @neatoday.bsky.social's Read Across America! Bring this brilliant celebration of immigration and citizenship into your classroom with the activities and discussion prompts linked below. 🎇
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Kweli Journal @kwelijournal.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
❤️💐 Happy Book Birthday to FALL IS FOR BEGINNINGS by longtime Kweli fam @rajanilarocca.bsky.social and @abhialwar.bsky.social! 🍁
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salemlitfest.bsky.social @salemlitfest.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Congratulations to Lit Fest alum @rajanilarocca.bsky.social on the publication of FALL IS FOR BEGINNINGS, a back-to-school picture book that celebrates friendship and finding your place.
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Triada US Lit Agency @triadaus.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Happy publication day to FALL IS FOR BEGINNINGS by @rajanilarocca.bsky.social! #TeamTriada #BookSky www.abramsbooks.com/product/fall...
The cover for Fall is For Beginnings by Rajani LaRocca, illustrated by Abhi Alwar, which features a cartoonishly illustrated scene of a brick school with a banner that reads "Welcome Students." A bunch of children are running around outside the school; most prominently featured are two brown-skinned children with black hair who are running side-by-side and holding hands, and a white child with red hair who is jumping into a pile of leaves.
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JenSwanBooks STEM Author @jenswanbooks.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
@rajanilarocca.bsky.social @sarahalbee.bsky.social @jasonchin.bsky.social @lilywilliam.bsky.social @brookehartman.bsky.social
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Annarose Foley @boyntonlibrary.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Summer Read # 3 #msfoleyiscurrentlyreading #audiobooklove #bookstagram #librarylife #read #weneeddiversebooks @rajanilarocca.bsky.social
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Tasha Hilderman | Writer @tashahilderman.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Who’s speaking at #picturebookpalooza ? I’m glad you asked! @kateallenfox.bsky.social @benjamingottwald.bsky.social @isabellakung.bsky.social @rajanilarocca.bsky.social Mac Barnett, Shawn Harris and @stacymcanulty.bsky.social to name a few! 🎉 It’s FREE, see my previous post to register 🥳
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LBYR School & Library @lbschool.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Today's the day! Register now for @slj.com's free virtual Picture Book Palooza, featuring creators you love:⁣ 📚 Leigh Bardugo and @johnpicacio.bsky.social 📚 Toni Yuly 📚 Christian Cooper 📚 @rajanilarocca.bsky.social ⁣ Schedule and registration: www.slj.com/event/slj-pi...
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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Looking forward to hearing @fuse8.bsky.social and Drew Beckmeyer talk at 12:55. And I'm moderating the Strangers in a New Land panel at 3:50, talking to @rajanilarocca.bsky.social, Elizabeth Brown, and Jenan Matari! #PictureBookPalooza
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12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge @12x12challenge.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Happy Independence Day from the 12 x 12 community! Here’s to stories that inspire reflection, spark imagination, and celebrate every voice. Check out our favorites from 12 x 12 members! @nchurnin.bsky.social @chanastiefel.bsky.social @rajanilarocca.bsky.social
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Linda Weste @lindaweste.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
"Verse novels combine the best elements of poetry and narrative ..." – @rajanilarocca.bsky.social contrib. to DiVERSE Conversations with YA & Chns #VerseNovelists Read #diverse #poetry @doucette515.bsky.social @rurooie.bsky.social @librarianages.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social
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LBYR School & Library @lbschool.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Join these LBYR authors: Leigh Bardugo and @johnpicacio.bsky.social - THE INVISIBLE PARADE Toni Yuly - GO, SLOTH, GO! Christian Cooper - THE URBAN OWLS @rajanilarocca.bsky.social - SOME OF US www.slj.com/event/slj-pi...
slj.com
SLJ Picture Book Palooza
Join us July 17th for our fifth annual SLJ Picture Book Palooza, an all-day, free virtual celebration of authors and artists from around the world, who bring picture books to life with their extraordi...
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KidLit TV @kidlittv.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
📣📚HEADS UP! What does it mean to become a US citizen? How does the process work? Find out in @rajanilarocca.bsky.social’s timely, new, non-fiction picture book, SOME OF US, illus by Huy Voun Lee. Just in time for 4th of July, celebrate all the people who enrich our country by joining our democracy!
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Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
House Policy Bill Would Add $3.4 Trillion to Debt, Swamping Economic Gains .. but the rich make out like bandits www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/u...
nytimes.com
House Policy Bill Would Add $3.4 Trillion to Debt, Swamping Economic Gains
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Angela Antonelli @skybrary.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Summer is for Cousins, by Rajani LaRocca and Abhi Alwar is a GREAT book for the last day of school (and summer reading fun, in general). I read it with my K-2 classes, and they were all so eager to share their own stories. @rajanilarocca.bsky.social #kidlit #librarians #nescbwi
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The Ignyte Awards @theignyteawards.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
The #IgnyteAwards finalists for the Outstanding Middle Grade category is for works intended for the middle grade audience. Congratulations to the following titles and their authors.
Finalists for Outstanding Middle Grade
AMARI AND THE DESPICABLE WONDERS – B. B. Alston (Storytide) 

BENNY RAMÍREZ AND THE NEARLY DEPARTED – Jose Pable Iriarte (Knopf BYR)

SONA AND THE GOLDEN BEASTS – Rajani Larocca (Quill Tree Books)

THE CREEPENING OF DOGWOOD HOUSE – Eden Royce (Walden Pond Press)

THE LAST RHEE WITCH - Jenna Lee-Yun (Disney Hyperion)
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The Ignyte Awards @theignyteawards.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
3...2...1... Let's jam.
2025 Ignyte Awards logo on a neon pink and sparkly background
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FIYAH Literary Magazine @fiyahlitmag.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Congratulations to all the finalists!!! #ignyteawards
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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 09/06/2025
Coming soon - a boxed set for THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS, with books by @rajanilarocca.bsky.social, @karinayanglaser.bsky.social, @willalex.bsky.social, @eliotschrefer.bsky.social, @keklamagoon.bsky.social, & me, all illustrated by @katfcomix.bsky.social! www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kate-...
hachettebookgroup.com
The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class Boxed Set: Books 1-6
Meet the kids in Mrs. Z's wacky and wonderful third grade class! In the first six books of this playful chapter book series, perfect for fans of Andrew Clem...
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Colleen Paeff @colleenpaeff.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Have you ever wondered about the story behind the Louvre's glass pyramid? Wonder no more! This fascinating picture book by @jeannewharvey.bsky.social & Khoa Le explains the inspiration, struggles, and successes of this famous structure and the man behind it. www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Gl...
simonandschuster.com
The Glass Pyramid
Two starred reviews! In this “stunning” (Booklist, starred review) picture book, award-winning picture book biographer Jeanne Walker Harvey tells t...
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Celeste Ng @pronounced-ing.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Librarians, teachers, and bookstore owners are having a day of action tomorrow, 6/7! Support the teaching of history and the freedom to read. Learn more below; find an event near you here: www.zinnedproject.org/news/teach-t...
usatoday.com
Librarians, teachers and others plan day of action to fight book bans and preserve history
As GOP lawmakers push to ban some books and restrict history lessons, groups across the country plan a day of actions to counter the efforts.
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Carrie Finison @carriefinison.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
If you're looking for books about doughnuts today (or any day) check out my Pinterest board. These books are worth salivating over. www.pinterest.com/carriefiniso...
pinterest.com
Kids Books About Doughnuts
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Cat Winters @catwintersbooks.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Authors and illustrators: Have you joined Authors Against Book Bans yet? Pride Month would be an excellent time to do so. www.authorsagainstbookbans.com @authorsabb.bsky.social #freedomtoread
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Elizabeth Warren @elizabeth-warren.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Trump’s big ugly bill rips health care away from millions of people & ends programs that help people pay for groceries. The money saved will be handed over to the richest men in the world. Trump’s bill rubs salt in the wounds of every struggling family in America.
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David Bowles @davidbowles.us · 04/06/2025
Bookstr just posted a pretty amazing interview with @rajanilarocca.bsky.social, @claudialupemtz.bsky.social, Duncan Tonatiuh, Yuyi Morales and me about immigration issues and children's literature. Definitely worth a read!
bookstr.com
5 Children’s Authors: Confronting Immigration Topics With Readers
Five authors, five questions. We sit down and hear their perspectives on discussing the modern issues facing immigrants and asylum seekers with young audiences.
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Kweli Journal @kwelijournal.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
❤️💐 Happy Book Birthday to SOME OF US, by @rajanilarocca.bsky.social, whom we were thrilled to have on a panel at our #kidlit Color of Children’s Literature Conference in 2021!
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LBYR School & Library @lbschool.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Happy publication day to SOME OF US! @rajanilarocca.bsky.social and Huy Voun Lee's celebration of immigration and citizenship is a much needed addition to your picture book shelves; find your copy today wherever books are sold. vimeo.com/1036156503
vimeo.com
Coming to a Shelf Near You: Rajani LaRocca on SOME OF US
Author Rajani LaRocca introduces her illuminating nonfiction picture book, SOME OF US: A STORY OF CITIZENSHIP AND THE UNITED STATES, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee.
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Triada US Lit Agency @triadaus.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Happy publication day to SOME OF US by @rajanilarocca.bsky.social! #TeamTriada #BookSky www.rajanilarocca.com/picture-book...
The cover for Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States, by newbery honoree Rajani LaRocca, illutrated by Huy Voun Lee. The cover features a man, a woman, and two children in group hug. They all have brown skin and dark hair. The background is blue with fireworks behind the title, and there is a silhouette of the Statue of Liberty on the left. Silhouettes of other people crowd behind the family.
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Sarah S. Brannen @sarahsbrannen.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Happy #bookbirthday to SOME OF US, by @rajanilarocca.bsky.social, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee! This is an important and necessary book right now and it looks wonderful.
Cover of the book shows a smiling immigrant family hugging in front of the Statue of Liberty and fireworks.
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