Beth Kephart Books

Exploring the complexities of love and cultural immersion, the author recounts her journey into the heart of El Salvador through her marriage to an artist from a coffee farm. She confronts the country's rich yet tumultuous history, marked by myths, civil war, and natural disasters. Through her lyrical prose, Kephart delves into the challenges of embracing not just her partner but the entirety of his heritage, revealing universal truths about love and identity. Her work resonates with readers, reflecting her National Book Award finalist status.

In this lively, lyrical picture book biography, meet the groundbreaking, outspoken, legendary editor of the best-loved books for children, and see how she inspired Maurice Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown, and others to create Where the Wild Things Are, Good Night Moon, and many more classics. "Ursula Nordstrom was a grown-up who never forgot what it was to be a child." The girl who'd always loved to read would grow up to work in the Department of Books for Boys and Girls at Harper & Brothers Publishers. Soon she was editing books by Margaret Wise Brown and E. B. White, discovering new talent like John Steptoe and Maurice Sendak, and reinventing what a book for children should be. "Children want to be seen," she'd tell her writers. "Not good enough for you," she'd scribble in the margins of their manuscripts, asking them to revise. Her favorite books of all? "Good books for bad children," she'd say. And those books went on to win every award imaginable, including the Caldecott and Newbery Medals and the National Book Award.

Beth Kephart is a celebrated author with a diverse body of work, including novels and memoirs. She has received numerous accolades, such as a National Book Award nomination and grants from prestigious arts organizations. Apart from her writing, she shares insights on memory and place through her monthly column in the Philadelphia Inquirer and contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune. Kephart also teaches memoir writing at the University of Pennsylvania and maintains an active blog, showcasing her passion for storytelling and reflection.

"Zenobia" follows Moira, a young woman navigating a dysfunctional corporate environment while searching for a mysterious room. Through her journey, she uncovers the importance of teamwork, imagination, and true leadership. The story emphasizes that leadership transcends titles, highlighting creativity and persistence as key to success.

A poetic story about the life and work of William Morris, maker of beautiful, useful things, sure to engage young dreamers and artists alike William Morris is best known for his colorful wallpapers and textiles, inspired by the English forests and wild foliage where he grew up. But did you know this icon of the Arts and Crafts Movement was also a poet, a painter, a preservationist, an activist, an environmentalist, and a maker of many other beautiful useful things, like books?

The author tells the story of her relationship with her son and their struggles to help him overcome the difficulties he experienced as a victim of pervasive developmental disorder.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection When a girl in a homemade hot air balloon falls out of the sky in rural Gilbertine, there are Who is this girl, where exactly did she come from, why won’t she talk, and what has she risked to live in a country that does not seem to want her? And what can Sophie, Wyatt, and K—three misfit best friends with complex and harrowing stories of their own—do to help the girl who can’t trust those who want to help her? What should they do? As seen through the eyes of 14-year-old Sophie, who lives with her terminally ill grandmother, Cloud Hopper by National Book Award finalist Beth Kephart is a poignant, high-flying adventure set among the old planes, Vietnam vets, and majestic hot air balloons of a run-down municipal airport. It’s about the rules we’ll break and the dangers we’ll face to do the most-right thing we can imagine, even when we’re feeling long past brave.

It is February 1983, and Berlin is a divided city with a miles-long barricade separating east from west. But the city isn't the only thing that is divided. Ada lives among the rebels, punkers, and immigrants of Kreuzberg in West Berlin. Stefan lives in East Berlin, in a faceless apartment bunker of Friedrichshain. Bound by love and separated by circumstance, their only chance for a life together lies in a high-risk escape. But will Stefan find the courage to leap? Or will forces beyond his control stand in his way? National Book Award finalist Beth Kephart presents a story of daring and sacrifice in this three-starred reviewed Junior Library Guild Selection and Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth.

From award-winning creators—author Beth Kephart and artist Julia Breckenreid— A Room of Your Own is a picture book about the places we go to create, inspired by Virginia Woolf and her noted essay.Sometimes Virginia Woolf wrote her stories in a garden shed. Sometimes she wrote them among stacks of books in a cool basement. And you? Where do you go to think, to dream, to be? The shade beneath a tall tree? The brick step on a city stoop? The cozy spot beneath the kitchen table? Or inside the night’s deep dark? Not all rooms require four walls and a roof.Inspired by the writer Virginia Woolf and her celebrated essay, “A Room of One’s Own,” A Room of Your Own is about the importance of claiming a space for oneself.“Colorful watercolors in spot art and larger scenes depict diverse girls and boys under a tree, on a neighborhood sidewalk, at the kitchen table, under a bedsheet fort, and in more spaces.” — Kirkus Reviews“Together, images and text combine for an unequivocal ode to the necessity of being oneself, and of having time alone.” — Publishers Weekly

The story revolves around eleven-year-old Sara and her brother Hawk, who face a pressing challenge: they must help a reclusive author renting a silo on their farm. Successfully completing this task could secure them reward money crucial for funding Sara's life-saving surgery. The narrative highlights themes of determination, family bonds, and the pursuit of hope in the face of adversity.