August 2026 Virtual Book Club
This month, we're excited to feature the Outside Our Window board book series by Minnesota author Mélina Mangal! Mélina Mangal writes picture books, biographies, and short stories that focus on connections with nature and culture. She is the author of The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just, winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award, Jayden’s Impossible Garden, named One of the Best Children's Books of the Year by Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature, and the sequel, Jayden’s Secret Ingredient. She is the author of the nature-based board book series Outside Our Window.
Melina's newest book in the Outside Our Window series, Ants Work Together, will be released on August 25th! We hope you'll celebrate by supporting local literacy in your own community.
To participate in Read With Me MN's August Book Club, do one or more of the following:
Request one or more books from the Outside Our Window series from your local library.
If your library doesn't have them, consider requesting that they add them to their collection.
Purchase a copy from your favorite local independent bookstore.
Read the books together and make connections to what’s outside your window!
Download and complete our Read With Me MN Book Club Gameboard to make reading even more fun!
Ask the Author!
This month, we're trying something new! Instead of meeting in person, you'll have the opportunity to hear directly from Mélina Mangal.
Leave your questions for Mélina in the comments below by August 16, and we'll share her video responses on our website after the release of Ants Work Together on August 25, 2026.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
What inspired you to create the Outside Our Window series?
What was your favorite part of writing Ants Work Together?
What advice do you have for young readers and future writers?
Is there another topic you'd love to write about someday?
We can't wait to hear your questions and celebrate Mélina's newest book with you!