Ojai Library

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2024
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2024
3 Starred Reviews! 

Does art have to be perfect? Where do you begin? This inspiring picture book about making art doubles as an introduction to the multifaceted and diverse global history of art empowering readers to get creative.

Awed by the endless possibilities, a young girl begins asking meaningful questions about creating art. Her questions are answered by a diverse group of artists throughout time and history: from the earliest cave painters to the most recent digital illustrators. Rethinking the familiar Western European timeline of art history, this book introduces readers to diverse works from every era and continent in a playful and inspiring way.

Making both art history and art making accessible to all, Time to Make Art nourishes creativity, encouraging young readers to see the artist in themselves.

Sometimes the real treasures are the people you meet along the way. 

Fans of Mac Barnett, Jory John, and Chris Haughton will adore this hilarious story of a bank robbery that doesn't go according to plan. Loosely inspired by the most famous bank heist in Argentina, Joaquín Camp decided to explore what would happen if the thieves had not been successful and had instead been content with what they already have. If instead of arriving at the bank, our thieves had landed in all sorts of other surprising places. The result is a story of upending expectations, teamwork, acceptance, and above all friendship, enjoyed over a delicious meal, of course.

"Preposterous fun for the savvy young reader or read-aloud audience." The Horn Book

"Silly situations abound making this a great readaloud with downright kid-friendly art." Betsy Bird, Fuse #8

“It never occurred to me while growing up that art is an industry involving countless jobs, so if this book helps shed light to just one kid that it is a viable career option, then it has done its job, as art is indescribably important!” —Oliver Jeffers, Artist and Illustrator

“This book so beautifully explains to kids what goes into making an art exhibition. It’s not just about an artist hanging something on a wall for people to see: it’s so much more lively, layered, and community-driven. Even I learned a ton about what truly goes into a fantastic art show!” —Joy Cho, Author and Founder of Oh Joy!

“I wish I’d had this book when I was a kid! I always wanted my art to be in a big museum one day but, growing up in a small town, that just seemed impossible. Making a Great Exhibition is a beautifully illustrated behind-the-scenes peek at exactly how art makes its way from an artist’s mind to the big white walls of a fancy gallery. Turns out, there are a lot of people, with some very cool jobs, who make the magic happen—and any book that shows kids (and parents!) they can grow up to have a career in the arts is okay by me!” —Danielle Krysa, The Jealous Curator


An exciting insight into the workings of artists and museums, Making a Great Exhibition is a colorful and playful introduction geared to children ages 3-7

How does an artist make a sculpture or a painting? What tools do they use? What happens to the artwork next? This fun, inside look at the life of an artwork shows the journey of two artists’ work from studio to exhibition. Stopping along the way we meet colorful characters—curators, photographers, shippers, museum visitors, and more!

Both illustrator and author were raised in the art world, spending their time in studios, doing homework in museum offices, and going to special openings. They have teamed up to share their experiences and love for this often mysterious world to a young audience. London-based illustrator Rose Blake is best known for her work in A History of Pictures for Children, by David Hockney and Martin Gayford, which has been a worldwide success. Author Doro Globus brings her love for the arts and kids together with this fun journey.

Calling upon only the BRAVEST detectives with the STRONGEST noses--do you dare to scratch 'n' sniff and help solve this foul mystery!

There's been a robbery at the Museum of Very Bad Smells! Somebody stole the world-famous rotten egg . . . and everybody is a suspect. It's up to YOU to help sniff out the culprit and bring the prized exhibit back before the museum's grand opening.

From award-winning creator Monica Arnaldo comes a hilarious and interactive mystery about a robbery at the Museum of Very Bad Smells, with five stinky scratch elements in this hilarious picture book that encourages kids to scratch, smell, and--of course--pass it along to a friend.

The launch of a picture book series about the adventures of a book-loving bat and his buddies as they patrol and protect their library home.

Booker the bat has completed his training and he’s excited to report for duty as the newest guard at the Joanina Library in Coimbra, Portugal. His job is to fly through the stacks at night, gobbling down the bugs that are in turn eating the 200,000 antique leather books. It’s the perfect job for Booker, because he loves to read. And now he’s saving books!

There’s only one problem: how will he fit in with the other guards? They’re so cool and confident, and what if they don’t like him?

But when Booker spots a human attempting to steal pages from one of the valuable books, he summons his courage, (echo)locates the other bat guards, and swoops in with a plan to save the day!

Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2024 - CCBC Choices 2025

TO: Angel Wilson (LawAngel@IBLO.gov)

FROM: Stevie Henry (shenry@gmail.com)

Thanks for coming to see me; but by the time you read this, it will be too late. No one will have started to panic, yet; but in less than two months nothing will be the same. What came first, The Chicken or the Egg Flu? I wish it mattered. But let's just say, maybe go back to wearing a mask, bathing in sanitizer, and avoid birds and eggs for a bit...

I did not kill my brother. I did quite the opposite, really.

It's the year 2052. Stevie Henry is a Cherokee girl working at a museum in Texas, trying to save up enough money to go to college. The world around her is in a cycle of drought and superstorms, ice and fire ... but people get by. But it's about to get a whole lot worse.

When a mysterious boy shows up at Stevie's museum saying that he's from the future -- and telling her what is to come -- she refuses to believe him. But soon she will have no choice.

From the author of the Walter Award-winning Man Made Monsters comes a YA novel that conjures our futures in startling life - the ones that we are headed towards, and the ones we can still work towards.

When sixteen-year-old Violet agrees to spend the summer with her father, an up-and-coming artist in Seattle, she has no idea what she's walking into. Her father's newest clients, the Yamada family, are the victims of a high-profile art robbery: van Gogh sketches have been stolen from their home, and, until they can produce the corresponding painting, everyone's lives are in danger--including Violet's and her father's.

Violet's search for the missing van Gogh takes her from the Seattle Art Museum, to the yakuza-infested streets of Tokyo, to a secluded inn in Kyoto. As the mystery thickens, Violet's not sure whom she can trust. But she knows one thing: she has to solve the mystery--before it's too late.

A scandalous painting full of secrets is missing! An unlikely patron hires the greatest thief in the world, Bandette, to pilfer a painting whose brushstrokes hold centuries of hidden messages!

With other thieves competing to retrieve the painting, too, Bandette will have her work cut out for her. All their skills will be put to the test as they each strive to possess . . . The Six Finger Secret!

Written by hilarious author Paul Tobin (Plants vs Zombies) and with stunning art by Colleen Coover (Gingerbread Girl).

2024 Rainbow Book List

Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time's Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean's 8 makeover in this nail-biting heist set onboard the infamous ship.

Josefa is an unapologetic and charismatic thief who loves the thrill of the chase. She has her eye on her biggest mark yet--the RMS Titanic, the most luxurious ship in the world. But she isn't interested in stealing from wealthy first-class passengers onboard. No, she's out for the ultimate prize: the Rubiyat, a one-of-a-kind book encrusted with gems that's worth millions.

Josefa can't score it alone, so she enlists a team of girls with unique talents: Hinnah, a daring acrobat and contortionist; Violet, an actress and expert dissembler; and Emilie, an artist who can replicate any drawing by hand.

They couldn't be more different and yet they have one very important thing in common: their lives depend on breaking into the vault and capturing the Rubiyat. But careless mistakes, old grudges, and new romance threaten to jeopardize everything they've worked for and put them in incredible danger when tragedy strikes.

While the odds of pulling off the heist are slim, the odds of survival are even slimmer...

Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Girl in the Blue Coat, this high-seas heist from the author of The Henna Wars is an immersive story that makes readers forget one important detail--the ship sinks.

*An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller*
"Brewed to perfection.” —Rebecca Ross, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals

Now available in a deluxe paperback edition with gorgeous stenciled edges, Hafsah Faizal's deliciously propulsive vampire-fantasy teems with slow burn romance, found family, and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom.

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by night, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

VAMPIRES AND VENGENANCE ARE BREWING...

Don't miss these other titles from Hafsah Faizal:
We Hunt the Flame, the commercially acclaimed first book in the Sands of Arawiya duology
We Free the Stars, the second book in the Sands of Arawiya duology
A Steeping of Blood, the second book in the Blood & Tea duology