The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance

Yulu’s Linen by Cao Wenxuan

This is one of those books that will not only make you smile but might even make you believe in a little magic. Yulu’s Linen is a fun and beautiful story about a father whose dream of being an artist was unable to be fulfilled, so he makes that dream a reality for his daughter. When they go to purchase a canvas, they face a hilarious and frustrating problem: they can’t figure out if it’s the canvas or the art that just won’t cooperate! The vibrant illustrations and colors of this illustrator bring the story to life. The father teaches his daughter to never give up, and in the end, everything works out. This book is a true testament to the idea that perseverance and creativity always succeed. It’s a perfect read for any child with a big dream.

Yulu’s Linen by Cao Wenxuan, (List Price: $19.99, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 9781665931199, February 2026)

Reviewed by Kimberly, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Ollie In Between by Jess Callans

I LOVE this book. I crawled into the head of my younger self and thoroughly enjoyed this take on a young girl named Ollie who isn’t into fashion or boys. She is growing into herself and feels alone in her insecurities (oh, to be a friend to a kid this age and have them listen). This is funny, relatable, and very timely.

Ollie In Between by Jess Callans, (List Price: $17.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250331342, April 2025)

Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown

The Wild Robot on the Island is colorfully illustrated, depicting the earth‘s seasons along with the gentle message of “helping others.” It’s an early stepping stone to the original Wild Robot Series.

The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown, (List Price: $19.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316669467, June 2025)

Reviewed by Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Toto by Hyewon Yum

Toto is a story about a little girl with a birthmark on her forehead that she has named Toto. She has mixed feelings about her appearance, but she is brave and kind. She decides to hide Toto when she starts school, and immediately meets a best friend. What happens when her new friend sees Toto? A sweet, endearing story that teaches children to celebrate what makes them unique, and also to show compassion to others who look different than us. An important message for readers of all ages!

Toto by Hyewon Yum, (List Price: $18.99, Neal Porter Books, 9780823453894, 2025-01-21)

Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Toto by Hyewon Yum

I adore Toto: the book as well as the birthmark that bears the name! It’s lovely to encounter a story that focuses on learning to embrace what makes you different without hitting you over the head in case you’d otherwise miss the moral of the story. Yum’s evocative, warm illustrations and gentle prose deserve a place on your shelf.

Toto by Hyewon Yum, (List Price: $18.99, Neal Porter Books, 9780823453894, January 2025)

Reviewed by Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Spotlight On: Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin

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Christy Mandin, photo courtesy the author

Like many of my stories, Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden started with something I read about that made my brain light up – a real life poison garden in England! You see, I myself am wonderfully weird and a poison garden would’ve been just the kind of place I would’ve wanted to visit as a child. From a very early age I was multi-passionate, interested in all manner of things. But my unquenchable curiosity and varied interests often made me feel like I didn’t quite fit into any one box. And being curious and questioning sometimes put me at odds with the grown-ups in my life. I wasn’t satisfied with “because it’s always been that way” or “because I said so.” And I especially wasn’t interested in the words “you can’t.” In that way, Millie Fleur and I are alike.

― Christy Mandin, Letter to booksellers

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin

What booksellers are saying about Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden

  • Perfect lawns with their manicured grass and neat hedges are SO 2020. Wilding is IN and every neighborhood needs a weird wild little garden like Millie Fleur’s. Share this delightful little gem with the weirdest and wildest kid in your world.
      ― Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina | BUY

  • A wonderfully weird picture book. Delightful!
      ― Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee | BUY

  • Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden is the sweetest, most delightful book of the spookiest plants that you can’t help but love. With a wonderful message that everyone needs, you can’t help but feel your heart grow three sizes as you read. And certainly kids who love the Addams family will be obsessed with this story!
      ― Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina | BUY

About Christy Mandin

Christy Mandin is the author and illustrator of multiple picture books. She’s grown many interesting plants in her garden over the years but, so far, none with teeth or tentacles. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and four children. Visit Christy online at christymandin.com.

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Spotlight On: Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb, Erin Kraan (Illus.)

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Buffalo Fluffalo Illustration

I’m the Buffalo Fluffalo
I heave and I huffalo
Leave me alone because
I’ve had enuffalo.


Buffalo Fluffalo arrives on the scene puffed up with self-importance. Stomping around and raising billows of dust, Buffalo Fluffalo proclaims his superiority to the other creatures—the ram, the prairie dog, and the crow—who just want to be his friend. So Buffalo Fluffalo, who has had enuffalo, heads off to grumble to himself. Suddenly, a rain shower pours down from the clouds and—what’s this? All of his fluffalo is a soggy mess! There Fluffalo stands, a drenched pip-squeak without his disguise. The other animals, who could see through Fluffalo’s bravado from the start, circle around to comfort him. As prairie dog says with a smile in his eyes, You’re great how you are, no matter your size.

Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb, Erin Kraan

What booksellers are saying about Buffalo Fluffalo

  • Sing-song, rhyming text is very catchy. This title will be a good read-aloud. Love how the story shows that all are important and have value in a community.
      ― Stacy Sharp from Plenty Downtown Bookshop in Cookeville, TN | Buy from Plenty Downtown Bookshop

  • A grumpy buffalo is no match for a cast of sweet animal friends who show him that he’s worthy of friendship. Fun and silly, Buffalo Fluffalo reminds us that we aren’t all as big as our bluster, and it’s ok to be uniquely ourselves.
      ― Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books

  • I absolutely LOVE Buffalo Fluffalo! The rhyming is superb and sure to delight children of all ages. The message is sweet and a nice lesson- one even adults might need reminding of when they feel like Buffalo Fluffalo
      ― Michelle Weiler, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, North Carolina | Buy from Quail Ridge Books

About Bess Kalb and Erin Kraan

Bess Kalb, photo by Lucas Foglia PhotographyBess Kalb is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer and the bestselling author of Nobody Will Tell You This but Me, a New York Times Editor’s Choice. She wrote for eight years on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has written for the Emmy Awards, the Academy Awards, and the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She is the head writer and executive producer of the WGA Award-nominated Yearly Departed, and is currently adapting Nobody Will Tell You This but Me into a feature film with Sight Unseen Pictures. She lives with her husband and two boys in Brooklyn. This is her debut picture book.

Erin Kraan, photo by Britney BernerErin Kraan is a children’s book illustrator, woodcutter, and printmaker. She loves the process of carving her characters into wood and seeing how their quirky and whimsical identities come to life through the ink in the prints. Erin lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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The Drama Llama by Rachel Morrisroe

I loved, loved, LOVED this book! A great book that teaches children with anxiety how it can affect you and teaches you the best way to help deal with anxiety…talk to someone. As someone who deals with anxiety on a daily basis and has a child who deals with anxiety this book was everything I hoped and more!

The Drama Llama by Rachel Morrisroe, (List Price: $18.99, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 9781728283135, January 2024)

Reviewed by Mandy Harris, Angel Wings Bookstore in Stem, North Carolina

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Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre por Juana Martinez-Neal

Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre trata sobre una niña a la que no le gusta lo largo que es su nombre, y su padre que le cuenta la historia de quién viene. Una gran historia del legado que cada niño lleva consigo y la historia que solo ellos pueden contar sobre sus propias vidas. ¡Altamente recomendado!

Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre por Juana Martinez-Neal, (List Price: $8.99, Candlewick, 9781536220438, septiembre 2023)

Reseña escrita por Jessica Nock, Main Street Books en Davidson, North Carolina

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Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

Alma and How She Got Her Name is about a little girl who doesn’t like how long her name is, and her father who tells her the story of who she comes from. A great story of the legacy that each child carries with them and the story that only they can tell about their own lives. Highly recommend!

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal, (List Price: $8.99, Candlewick, 9781536220438, September 2023)

Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The Artist by Ed Vere

A dinosaur book about art, narrated by the dinosaur. Warm and measured, it becomes an instruction manual of sorts, while ultimately transforming into a tribute to an artist, by a dinosaur. Actually, the whole book is by an incredibly good author/artist (not a dinosaur, yet).

The Artist by Ed Vere, (List Price: 18.99, Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 9780525580874, April 2023)

Reviewed by Jilleen Moore, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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You Truly Assumed by Leila Sabreen

Filled with a neat balance of relatable humor and serious topics, You Truly Assumed is a memorable coming-of-age novel that touches on the struggles of three black, Muslim women and their fight to create a safe space and a voice to be heard for people just like them. You Truly Assumed is the perfect novel for teens or young adults who feel they don’t have a voice in the face of prejudice and fear, as it features funny, relatable characters and the raw effects of real events.

You Truly Assumed by Leila Sabreen, (List Price: $10.99, Inkyard Press, 9781335428646, February 2023)

Reviewed by Makayla Summers, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina

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The Kindest Red by Ibtihaj Muhammad

So often, when people are asked what they would wish for, they reply “World Peace.” In The Kindest Red, Faizah wishes for “World Kindness,” and isn’t that really the first step to world peace? This simple picture book with a big message is just perfect for families or classrooms looking to celebrate diversity and personal responsibility.

The Kindest Red by Ibtihaj Muhammad, (List Price: $19.99, Bloomsbury YA, 9780759555709, February 2023)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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The Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp

The Wolf Suit is an absolutely charming picture book about anxiety through the eyes of a sheep in wolf’s clothing.

The Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp, (List Price: $19.99, Annick Press, 9781773217208, October 2022)

Reviewed by Michelle Cavalier, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana

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Brown Is Beautiful by Supriya Kelkar

I love the beauty of Brown is Beautiful. A young Indian American girl walks through nature with her grandparents, celebrating all the beauty of things that are brown – leaves and bears and canyons. The book transitions to houses and families and babies, all brown and beautiful. This is a story of joy and celebration!

Brown Is Beautiful by Supriya Kelkar, (List Price: $18.99, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 9780374389529, October 2022)

Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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