Does your child love the spotlight? Stars are born in these stories about the performing arts! From an upstaged scarecrow and a reluctant lead singer to a determined Shakespearean actor and an unsure comedian, join these characters for their 15 minutes of fame!

YOUTH
Your little ones will enjoy the show in these playful picture books!

The Farm that Mac Built by Tammi Sauer
The scarecrow from Old MacDonald’s farm narrates an Animal Theater production of The House that Jack Built, but animals that do not belong on a farm keep upstaging him!

The Bear Must Go On by Dev Petty
In this uproarious tale of theatrical mishaps told with hilariously endearing art, four woodland friends bring down the house–and have plenty of fun along the way!

Jam, Too? by JaNay Brown-Wood
A drum sounds on a beach and calls other musicians to come play! A curious child, drawn to the music and instruments, responds with dance. With full engaging text that invites you to join in with the wonderful instrument sounds and gorgeous illustrations that draw you into the joy of playing together with music, this book is pure fun, even for adults!

Experienced readers will relate to the starry-eyed hopefuls in these chapter books!

The Talent Show by Ryan & Krystle Howard (#4 in the Little Rhino series)
When Rhino and Cooper overhear their shy teammate, Carlos, singing in the dugout, they are amazed at how good he is! There’s a talent show coming up at school and Carlos just might be good enough to win it, so they decide to form a band with Carlos as the lead singer.

Not Your All-American Girl by Madelyn Rosenberg
Lauren (and her friends! and her grandmas!) are upset when she loses the chance to play the lead role because she “doesn’t look like the character” with her Asian features. She and her friends come up with a plan to show the grown-ups that the thing that matters is how well you can act, not what you look like!

Encourage your kids to never give up on their dreams with this uplifting true story!

Ira’s Shakespeare Dream by Glenda Armand
In this inspiring biography of Ira Aldridge, a Black actor overcomes racism to become one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the nineteenth century.

TWEENS AND TEENS
Comedy, music, even athletics…whatever your teen’s interest, there’s an amazing book for that!

I Funny: A Middle School Story by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
Jamie Grimm is a wheelchair-bound middle schooler who wants to be a standup comedian. He loves to tell jokes, and even though he’s in a new town at a new school with new bullies, he still doesn’t lose his sense of humor.  He joins a “Funniest Kid” contest and gets an act together, but will he freeze when he’s actually in the spotlight?

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez
Twelve-year-old María Luisa O’Neill-Morales, who really prefers to be called Malú, reluctantly moves with her Mexican American mother to Chicago and starts seventh grade with a bang, violating the dress code with her punk rock aesthetic. When she assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malú finally begins to feel at home.

Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles, co-authored by Michelle Burford
In this autobiography, Simone takes readers through the events, challenges, and trials that carried her from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the 2016 Olympic team.