Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book abecedarian of animal musicians, a picture book about an ant’s search for friendship, a YA interpretation of a millennia-old myth, and more.
Animal Albums from A to Z by Cece Bell. Walker US, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2624-9. Newbery Honoree Bell creates an entire high-fidelity world, which features album cover art and one song’s worth of liner-note lyrics from 26 invented animal recording artists. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Ant Story by Jay Hosler. HarperAlley, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-06-329400-4. Biologist and cartoonist Hosler highlights entomological wonders and examines how humans seek to understand nature via Ruby, a charismatic cartoon ant born into a colony of leafcutter ants, that leaves to find companionship.
The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho, illus. by Kate Milner. Candlewick, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-3641-5. Seventeen-year-old Theo Andino searches for his father in hopes of understanding masculinity in this tale paralleled with the Greek myth of Theseus. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Chronically Dolores by Maya Van Wagenen. Dutton, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-525-42682-0. Fourteen-year-old Dolores Mendoza, who’s constantly navigating chronic pain due to her interstitial cystitis, grapples with social fallout at school when her condition results in a bladder-related incident, alongside increasing tension at home due to her father’s financial irresponsibility. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Circuit Graphic Novel by Francisco Jiménez, adapted by Andrew J. Rostan, illus. by Celia Jacobs. Clarion, $15.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-35-834822-1. This memoir adapted into a graphic novel follows the Jiménez family’s immigration from Mexico to California and young Francisco’s experience as a young immigrant navigating a new version of home.
The Days Are Long, the Years Are Short by Aya Morton. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-42045-7. This picture book celebrates childhood from the parents’ point of view, highlighting moments that disappear all too quickly.
Everyone Starts Small by Liz Garton Scanlon, illus. by Dominique Ramsey. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2615-7. A young plant that starts as a seedling transforms over time in this eco-tale of change and renewal articulating a vision of cyclical natural harmony.
For You, I Will by Elle Duncan, illus. by Laura Freeman. Disney Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-3680-8367-6. Inspired by Duncan’s contribution to The Undefeated’s section “Love Letters to Black Women,” this picture book follows a parent making commitments for a daughter’s future.
Icarus by K. Ancrum. HarperTeen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06328-578-1. During his latest heist to steal from a rival family, 17-year-old art thief Icarus Gallagher discovers Helios, the family heir under house arrest. When Icarus discovers Helios’s life is in danger, he must choose between honoring his family’s legacy and helping his new friend. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2768-0. This wordless picture book stars a robot zookeeper who cares for megafauna in a postapocalyptic landscape and must execute a large-scale escape from their home when the sea level rises. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Listen to This by Jennifer Blecher. Greenwillow, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-0631-4073-8. Middle schoolers Lily and Will, both navigating ostracization from their friend groups, become victims of a new bully and work together to confront her.
Little Blue Truck Feeling Happy by Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-06-334270-5. The latest in the Little Blue Truck series follows the titular character’s journey to embracing his unique qualities.
Olivetti by Allie Millington. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250326-93-5. Olivetti, a polite and observant dark green typewriter, and Ernest, the introverted 12-year-old son of Olivetti’s owner, Beatrice, both face the fallout when Beatrice disappears and Ernest attempts to solve the mystery of her disappearance.
One Day This Tree Will Fall by Leslie Barnard Booth, illus. by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. McElderry, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-9696-5. A Douglas fir tree showcases its resilience in this picture book tracking its life cycle.
Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets by Ryan Higgins. Disney Hyperion, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-368-08960-9. In the fourth installment of the Penelope Rex series, Penelope’s new pet, a saber-tooth tiger, proves to be a challenge to domesticate.
The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist by Sophie Gonzales. Wednesday, $20; ISBN 978-1-250-81918-5. Bisexual 16-year-old Ivy Winslow manifests her favorite TV character Weston into real life and recruits her friends to help her send him back to his fictional realm.
Pieces of a Girl by Stephanie Kuehnert. Dutton, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-5254-2975-3. Kuehnert presents a tale of her own girlhood, starting when she moves to Oak Park, Ill., at age eight and leading up to her preoccupation with the 1990s riot grrrl movement and beyond.
Poetry Comics by Grant Snider. Chronicle, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-79721-965-3. A friendship between two children highlighting school day travails and the potential of imagination leads the way to self-reflection and exploration of the poetry-writing process. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
A Rose, a Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse by Charlotte Zolotow, illus. by Julie Morstad. Cameron, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-951836-74-0. A girl makes a string of extravagant promises to her mother in this picture book featuring new illustrations for this work by the late Zolotow.
You and the Universe by Stephen Hawking with Lucy Hawking, illus. by Xin Li. Random House, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-43211-2. Riffing on the late Hawking’s posthumous 2020 Earth Day message, this picture book urges readers to care for one another and the planet.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of March, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
