Susan Kuklin Books in Order

George and his foster family care for a Labrador puppy during the year before it becomes a guide dog. This photographic account follows their work preparing Doug for another person’s needs, alongside George’s own experience of problems with his sight.

Through words and photographs, eight-year-old Jaime Osborn describes life as a child with dwarfism in an average-sized family. Everyday activities, friendships and challenges reveal both her individual experiences and the many interests she shares with other children.

A child accompanies the family dog to an annual veterinary checkup, watching each stage of the examination. Text and photographs introduce the work of the veterinarian and the conversations that help an owner understand how to keep a pet healthy.

Four-year-old Erica describes a dental checkup, including cleaning and X-rays. Photographs of the visit show young readers the unfamiliar surroundings and equipment, explaining routine procedures in a way intended to make an appointment easier to understand.

Four-year-old Thomas visits his doctor for a routine physical examination. His account and accompanying photographs introduce the office, equipment and stages of the checkup, helping young children understand what happens during a familiar but sometimes unsettling experience.

People living with AIDS and the volunteers supporting them describe their experiences of illness, care and prejudice. Kuklin follows their daily lives and relationships to show the practical and emotional work behind a community’s response to the epidemic.

A young girl describes the activities of her ballet class through a photographic introduction to learning dance. The book follows her experience as a beginner and includes guidance for adults choosing an appropriate class for a young child.

A little boy describes his day at nursery school, with photographs showing the class’s activities and surroundings. His experience introduces young readers to a school routine, while additional material helps parents consider how to choose a nursery school.

A young girl introduces the activities she practices in her gymnastics class. Text and photographs follow the experience from a child’s perspective, while information for adults addresses choosing a suitable class for children beginning to explore the sport.

Three children describe how their families preserve and adapt African, Puerto Rican and Taiwanese traditions while living in America. Meals, language, games and celebrations reveal the everyday ways cultural heritage becomes part of a child’s sense of identity.

Photographs and explanations follow firefighters through the equipment, preparation and teamwork involved in their lifesaving work. Young readers learn about vehicles, protective clothing and rescue procedures, alongside safety information and the traditions surrounding a fire department’s daily life.

Students at a diverse New York high school discuss race, sexuality, prejudice and belonging. Interviews and photographs explore how labels affect their lives, giving teenagers space to describe conflicts, question stereotypes and reflect on their own developing identities.

Young people describe the grief and confusion that follow the suicide of someone close to them. Their firsthand accounts explore its effects on friendships and family life, and the difficult process of understanding loss and continuing to live with it.

At the Alexander Doll Company, a doll named Autumn takes shape through the work of designers, technicians and craftspeople. Photographs follow the process from initial drawings to clothing, hair and finishing touches, introducing the people behind the finished toy.

Seven children living in Hiroshima and Kyoto introduce aspects of their everyday lives and cultural activities. Interviews and photographs explore school, celebrations and traditional pursuits, with Japanese words and characters offering young readers another connection to the children’s experiences.

An illustrated introduction follows the Grucci family’s work creating fireworks displays. It explains how fireworks produce their effects, how they are prepared and stored, and how the careful planning of a show turns individual explosions into a public performance.

Through interviews and personal testimony, Susan Kuklin explores human rights abuses and the work of people trying to stop them. Accounts from survivors, monitors and activists connect broad principles with the risks and practical demands of defending other people’s freedom.

After escaping bonded labor in a Pakistani carpet factory, Iqbal Masih became an advocate against child slavery before his murder. Kuklin traces his life and the international movement inspired by his work to free and educate exploited children.

Basketball star Sheryl Swoopes demonstrates the movements of her sport in photographs paired with brief, energetic text. Dribbling, jumping and shooting introduce the game’s physical skills while encouraging young readers to value confidence, practice and their own potential.

Following the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Kuklin documents a new ballet from rehearsals to its opening performance. Conversations and photographs reveal the dancers’ ambitions, setbacks and demanding preparation, alongside the backstage work that makes the production possible.

This photographic adaptation of Donald Byrd’s ballet reimagines The Nutcracker through Harlem culture and jazz. Widowed grandmother Clara’s Christmas becomes a journey through love, memory and family as the familiar holiday fantasy takes on the concerns of an older heroine.

A kidnapping prosecution in New York’s Chinatown becomes a close examination of how a criminal trial works. Interviews with lawyers, the judge and jurors accompany courtroom events, revealing competing strategies and explaining the legal questions shaping the case.

Young people facing pregnancy discuss the decisions and pressures that reshape their lives and relationships. Personal accounts explore parenting, adoption, abortion and family support, while examining the practical responsibilities and emotional uncertainty surrounding choices made during adolescence.

Photographs of walls around the world explore how people build, decorate, share and use them. From ancient stonework to modern glass, murals and barriers, Kuklin considers structures that can bring communities together or divide the spaces they inhabit.

A photographic journey follows vintage steam locomotives through Colorado’s mountain landscape on the Durango and Silverton railroad. Rhythmic language and train sounds accompany the engines, tracks and scenery, introducing young readers to the movement and experience of a railway trip.

Children from a wide range of households describe what makes their families distinctive. Interviews and photographs explore siblings, adoption, disability, religion, cultural background and different kinds of parents, inviting readers to recognize both common experiences and varied family relationships.

People sentenced to death as teenagers describe their crimes, prison experiences and hopes in their own words. Kuklin combines their accounts with an examination of capital punishment and the inequalities of the justice system to question familiar ideas about responsibility and punishment.

Six transgender and gender-nonconforming young people describe their lives, relationships and understanding of themselves. Interviews, portraits and family photographs follow distinct experiences of identity, transition and acceptance, showing how family circumstances and personal histories shape each person’s journey.

Undocumented young adults describe leaving their countries and building lives in the United States under continuing uncertainty. Their accounts of education, family and belonging reveal experiences often hidden behind political debates and the risks of stepping out of the shadows.

Five refugees recount fleeing war, persecution and captivity before resettling in Nebraska. Their personal accounts and photographs connect the events that forced them from their homelands with the challenges and possibilities of rebuilding lives in the United States.