Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a guide to help young readers have conversations about sensitive subjects, a picture book celebration of friendship on a barn, a celebrity crossover picture book, a YA thriller following a boy after he’s kidnapped, and more.
Better Than We Found It: Conversations to Help Save the World by Frederick Joseph and Porsche Joseph. Candlewick, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2452-8. In this nonfiction volume, Porsche and Frederick Joseph highlight important concepts such as ableism, disinformation, climate change, and more to encourage young readers to broach difficult conversations about world issues.
Billy and Rose: Forever Friends by Amy Hest, illus. by Kady MacDonald Denton. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1419-2. Across four stories, barnyard pals Billy and Rose prove their camaraderie through a myriad of troubles and resolving them together.
Con Pollo by Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Lopez, illus. by Andrea Campo. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-83041-8. In this celebrity collaboration, readers go on a bilingual jaunt through English and Spanish terms: a total of 10 verbs and nouns representing activities and places.
Dark Room Etiquette by Robin Roe. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-305173-7. Privileged teenager Sayers Wayte struggles to maintain his sanity and survive after being kidnapped by a man who claims to be his father. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
The Decomposition of Jack by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb. HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-321226-8. Seventh grader and roadkill expert Jack Acosta navigates his parents’ recent divorce and is reinvigorated by his discovery of a cougar once thought to be extinct.
I Cannot Draw a Horse by Charise Mericle Harper. Union Square Kids, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-45494-594-9. A mouse discovers his self-limitations when his cat friend asks him to draw a picture of a horse.
If Dinosaurs Had Hair by Dan Marvin, illus. by Lesley Vamos. Roaring Brook, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-79256-3. Prehistoric creatures with a particular fondness for hair become embroiled in a battle for who has the best hairdo.
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang. Inkyard, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-335-91584-9. Chinese American scholarship student Alice Sun discovers her inexplicable ability to turn invisible and uses her newfound power to monetize her peers’ secrets.
Mushroom Lullaby by Kenneth Kraegel. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1941-8. Readers are taken through a mushroom home full of fungi-related activities and items on their route to bedtime. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Nikhil Out Loud by Maulik Pancholy. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-309192-4.
Middle schooler and voice actor Nikhail navigates changes in his voice due to puberty and sharing his sexuality with his peers when he becomes the star of his school’s play.
Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting by Kindra Neely. Little, Brown, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-3164-6208-2. After surviving a mass shooting on her college campus in 2015, teenager Neely grapples with suicidal ideation and various other long-lasting effects on her mental health. The graphic novel earned a starred review from PW.
Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-84174-2. When Selestra, daughter of a powerful witch, offers a prophecy to a young man looking to overthrow the king, their fates become intertwined, and they must work together or face the wrath of the king.
The Rat Queen by Pete Hautman. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1858-9. When Annie turns 10 and receives the inheritance of having her sins erased through a family ritual, she becomes concerned with her growing apathy and its connection to a rat infestation in her city.
The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense by Jon Scieszka, illus. by Julia Rothman. Candlewick, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9434-0. Playful geese give a new spin on classic nursery tales, adding language twists and variations to each. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
A Story Is to Share: How Ruth Krauss Found Another Way to Tell a Tale by Carter Higgins, illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. Abrams, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-4993-3. Assembling playful phrases and vignettes reminiscent of the book’s subject, Higgins and Arsenault share the life of picture book author Krauss.
Tasting Light: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Rewire Your Perceptions Edited by A.R. Capetta and Wade Roush. MITeen, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1938-8. In this speculative collection, 10 authors explore emerging innovative technology to imagine expansive futures. The YA collection earned a starred review from PW.
The Twelve Cats of Christmas by Feather Flores, illus. by Carrie Liao. Chronicle, $15.99; ISBN 978-1-4521-8461-6. In a variation of the Christmas carol, 12 kittens are the focus of this melodic countdown of holiday fun. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Undercover Latina by Aya de León. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2374-3. Fourteen-year-old Andréa Hernández-Baldoquín takes on her first lead mission as a full undercover agent of the Factory, posing as white to infiltrate a white supremacist attack.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of October, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
