Only the Best : The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe

An inspiring picture book biography about the amazing Ann Lowe-the first nationally-known African American fashion designer. A careful snip, a delicate fold. Fabric the color of new petals. Skirts that flare like upside-down blossoms. A garden bursts into bloom! There is no “good enough.”For Ann, only the best will do. Award-winning author Kate Messner, costume historian Margaret E. Powell, and fashion designer and illustrator Erin Robinson tell the powerful story of the ground-breaking Ann Lowe, who grew up in a small Alabama dress shop and became the first nationally-known African American fashion designer. Sought after by millionaires and movie stars, her designs walked the red carpet and graced the wedding of Senator John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier. At a time when the world around her thought African Americans deserved no more than second-class treatment, Ann expected no less than very best for herself.

Over and Under the Waves

Award-winning duo Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal return in this latest addition to the OVER AND UNDER picture book series, this time exploring the rich, interconnected ecosystem of the ocean!Over the waves, the sea lions bark and seagulls wheel and call. The bay is smooth and bright in the sun. But under the waves, there’s a whole hidden forest, full of whales and wolf eels, sardines and sea bass, leopard sharks and luminous jellies, as well as the waving kelp that shelters them all. Discover the magical depths of the kelp forest, and all the fascinating creatures living just a paddle’s length away-over and under the waves.