Dashka Slater Books in Order

Single mother Julia and her family jokingly make a wishing box, asking for her absent father's return. Its apparent magic unsettles their Oakland lives, exposing patterns of abandonment and the complicated longings linking parents and children.

This illustrated nonfiction book examines decades of films depicting Alcatraz, comparing Hollywood's prison stories with the island's history. Slater explores portrayals of notorious prisoners, escape attempts, and punishment to reveal the fears that shaped its screen image.

A baby's new white shoes do not stay spotless during an energetic outing with Mom. Puddles, fruit, and paint add fresh colors as the pair explore their neighborhood in this picture book about curiosity and messy adventures.

Hearing sirens while settling into bed, a girl imagines the firefighters' extraordinary nighttime missions. Their adventures take them to a dragon's castle, a fiery encounter in Mexico, and a bouncing boy whose bed reaches distant space.

A tiny sea serpent emerges from a girl's bathtub faucet and becomes her rainy-day companion. As it grows, their songs and shared baths give way to a difficult question about friendship and the creature's need for the sea.

Princess Amanita prefers scorpions, sharp plants, and risky bicycles to conventional royal pleasures. Intrigued by a prince's thorny roses, she requests seeds, but an unexpected crop of noisy noses sends her into an unusual gardening adventure.

Escargot, a French snail, addresses readers as he travels toward a tempting salad and tries to become their favorite animal. A disliked carrot complicates his meal, inviting young listeners to consider trying unfamiliar foods alongside him.

Slater reconstructs the lives of Oakland teenagers Sasha and Richard after a bus attack leaves Sasha severely burned. This nonfiction account follows the crime and its aftermath while examining gender, race, punishment, empathy, and juvenile justice.

Marco, a fox full of unanswered questions, joins a ship crewed by deer and pigeons. Their sea voyage brings hazards and discovery as he searches for answers and companions who share his curiosity about the world.

French snail Escargot explores a library, looking for a story with a snail as its hero. Frustrated by shelves filled with other animals' adventures, he invites readers to help imagine the book he wants to find.

Accident-prone Rufus spends summer at his grandfather's property with his irritating cousin Abigail. Discovering mischievous magical creatures changes their visit into a secret adventure as the cousins help the feylings seek a route back to their home.

Escargot dresses for what he believes is a celebration for snails, then discovers the party is for voles. His apprehension about the unfamiliar guests turns the gathering into an exploration of friendship and getting beyond first impressions.

Rufus and Abigail return to the mysteries surrounding Feylawn as strange visitors and warnings threaten its magical residents. With feyling Nettle's guidance, they confront new dangers while Rufus's father's plans put the property itself at risk.

A teenager’s private Instagram account spreads racist and sexist memes among friends until its discovery shakes a California town. The ensuing conflict follows targeted students, followers, families and educators as they confront responsibility for harm caused online.

After spending winter indoors, Escargot ventures outside to search for signs of spring. Meeting a fluffy white bunny turns the French snail’s outing into an exploration of changing seasons, unexpected companionship and the possibility of a new friendship.

Escargot invites everyone to a pajama party with one rule: nobody may fall asleep. As he grows tired, the French snail tries stargazing, blanket forts and scary stories, but his comfortable bed becomes increasingly difficult to resist.

Four abandoned pet rabbits appear in a San Francisco park, where predators threaten them and their numbers could grow unchecked. Children, teenagers, neighbors and rabbit experts work together to rescue the animals before the situation becomes harder to control.