Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a story about a boy and his clothes, a picture book about the perfect pet, a wintry middle grade novel, a book about birds, and more.

Week of December 28, 2020

Patrick’s Polka-Dot Tights by Kristen McCurry, illus. by MacKenzie Haley. Capstone, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-68446-069-4. McCurry joyfully celebrates one child’s carefree clothing creativity while modeling a supportive family alongside realistic sibling interactions in this picture book.

Week of January 4, 2021

Puppy in My Head by Elise Gravel. HarperCollins, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-303767-0. This conversational picture book by author-illustrator Gravel imagines anxiety and stress as the first-person narrator’s imaginary puppy, Ollie, who lives in their head.

The Sea in Winter by Christine Day. Heartdrum, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-287204-3. Day (I Can Make This Promise) tackles an important and timely issue in her sophomore book: how to start over when a dream is no longer possible. The middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW.

The Beak Book by Robin Page. Beach Lane, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-6041-6. By zooming in on one of the most idiosyncratic features that birds have, Page reveals just what a multifaceted marvel a beak can be. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.

Root Magic by Eden Royce. Walden Pond, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-289957-6. Eleven-year-old twins Jezebel and Jay Turner have just lost their grandmother when an unexpected visit from a racist police deputy spurs their uncle to begin teaching them how to engage with their heritage through root magic, which offers healing and protection.

The World Between Blinks #1 by Amie Kaufman and Ryan Graudin. Quill Tree, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-288224-0. Two heroes head on a quest in this series starter with a strong focus on family and shared memories. After 12-year-old Marisol Beruna’s adventure-loving Nana dies, she travels from her home in La Paz to Nana’s South Carolina beach house, where the family is gathering to prepare the home for sale.

The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy by Kekla Magoon, illus. by Laura Freeman. Quill Tree, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-291251-0. Magoon and Freeman team up to present this overview of the life of Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, covering his early-20th-century childhood in segregated Baltimore, his persistent fight against segregation, his initiation as the first Black member of the Supreme Court in 1967, and his death in 1993. The picture book biography earned a starred review from PW.

Princess Dinosaur by Daniel Kibblesmith, illus. by Ashley Quach. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-45760-6. This rhyming picture book introduces readers to Princess Dinosaur, a lime-green reptilian gal who contains multitudes. Outlining her oft-changing interests and qualities, Kibblesmith aptly conveys children’s complexity, mutability, and fickleness in playful prose.

For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of January, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.