Desert Song is an ALSC Notable Children's Books for 2025

Each year a committee of ALSC identifies the best of the best in children's books. According to the Notables Criteria, "notable" is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children's interests in exemplary ways.

Desert Song. By Laekan Zea Kemp. Illus. by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández. Holiday House/Neal Porter, $18.99 (9780823453924)
As the sun sets over the Texas desert, a family gathers on their porch to play music, harmonizing with the nocturnal creatures and connecting with their ancestors under the starry sky.