A freshly hatched sea turtle stares at the already empty shells around her in this work that comically pairs a confident new arrival with a seasoned companion. Realizing that her siblings have already set out and striking an assured, hands-on-hips pose, Turtle declares, “Well, I’ll just have to meet them in the sea!” Brown-feathered Bird, knowing the perils of a busy daytime beach, appoints herself chaperone. But “every time Bird pointed to the sea,” writes Grant (Umami), “Turtle found more and more to slow them down,” and bustling oil pastel monoprint and colored pencil cartoons depict wide-eyed Turtle shrugging off Bird’s guidance and making fascination-fueled detours to people, pets, seashells, and more. Finally reaching the edge of the vast, turquoise ocean, Turtle momentarily panics, realizing that she’s now on her own. In turn, Bird offers the reassurance of a wise and empathic caretaker: “If you want to stay, there will always be room by my nest. But after the wild beach trip you made it through today, I know you will find your way.” And Turtle isn’t solo for long. Taking the scenic route to independence doesn’t make the journey any less triumphant, hints this emboldening picture book. Ages 3–7. Agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

Jackets donned and marching toward the front door, a father and child turn carrying an armload into a full-fledged activity in this picture book portrait of trying to make it out of the house. “Hold,” the encumbered adult says, handing over a patterned drinking cup. “Hold?” the child echoes before taking it. Now the youth wants to carry everything, in turn requesting Speedy the stuffed sloth, a spiny dinosaur toy, and Gato the family cat. An inset panel within one of the single-plane drawings captures Daddy with eyes closed, taking a beat, before handing over the feline. Once outside, the youth, arms fully burdened with a pile, quests to hold a plane flying overhead, a large truck, and a passerby’s infant. Something’s got to give—and realizing that hauling everything solo makes it impossible to do much else, the child opts, tossing the lot, to hold Daddy. “¿LISTO?” asks Dad. “¡LISTO!” the child replies, and off they go. Making an ebullient picture book debut, YA author Ribay (Patron Saints of Nothing) is well matched with Peña (Sundust), whose angular character designs and hand-lettered English and Spanish text give this relatable family story an indie comic sense of style. Characters cue as Latinx. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt and Zacker Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

With velvety, dimensional digital illustrations arranged in wordless panels, Guojing (The House That Floated) crafts a context-building outing that inspires environmental stewardship. While beachcombing with a caretaker, a pale-skinned, dark-haired child wearing a shell pendant spots a tiny orange octopus, its arms entangled in plastic six-pack rings. The child carefully separates the two and returns the creature to the sea, and the little octopus repays the child’s kindness with an act of enchantment: touching the pendant with one of its arms, it shrinks the child to its own tiny size, and they dive into the turquoise depths together. Their underwater journey—the two marvel at a huge manta ray, a cloud of sparkling jellyfish, and more—takes a sobering turn when the child sees a sea turtle become enmeshed in a plastic bag, and realizes the dangers that waste poses to the entire ocean. Returned to the shore and to size, the youth considers where to deposit the shell pendant, the plastic bag, and other findings. A low-key shore visit leads to the making of a new guardian in this cinematic adventure of earth and sea. An author’s note and fun facts conclude. Ages up to 7. Agent: Isabel Atherton, Creative Authors. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

Employing cozy textures and pared-down visual geometries, Pizzoli (Lucky Duck) creates a beguilingly simple wind-down story that’s equal parts lullaby and primer. As the sun—depicted as two concentric circles, one orange and one yellow—makes its exit, a pale-skinned, ponytailed child surveys five creatures, first in a flower-filled backyard, then in the snug indoors. To the child’s question, “Where do you go when the sun goes down?” each responds with soothing verse. “I go under a leaf,” a butterfly replies. “I find a good leaf/ and crawl underneath./ I go under a leaf/ when the sun goes down.” The critters’ respective resting places are shown in close-up, with every anthropomorphized being happily ensconced and smiling. The question is then asked of the youth (“And/ what/ about/ you?”), and a voice reviews all the previously noted sleeping spots (“Do you go under a leaf?/ NO”) before revealing the answer and a snoozing, contentedly tucked-in child: “You go to your bed/ and sleep safe and sound./ You go to your bed/ when the sun goes down.” With a build reminiscent of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, it’s an inviting picture book that gently wishes sweet dreams for all. Ages 2–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

In this nonfiction chapter book, a series starter, Yasmin (Unbecoming) follows a “Palestinian, Muslim and disabled entertainer,” American actor and comedian Maysoon Zayid, as she confronts obstacles on her way to stardom. Young Zayid, who lives with cerebral palsy, plans on becoming the “winner of all the awards on the planet for best entertainer.” Zayid’s first step toward achieving her goal is to start attending school. She’s excited to join her older sisters at Public School Number Six in Cliffside Park, N.J., but when the superintendent informs Zayid and her father that the school “won’t be able to accommodate her,” Zayid realizes for the first—but not the last—time that “other people’s misunderstandings were about to get in the way of her big dreams.” With help from her supportive parents, Zayid endeavors to prove her naysayers wrong, enrolling in dance classes, studying acting, and practicing stand-up comedy outside of school. Habaieb’s warm grayscale cartoon illustrations appear throughout straightforward, chronological plotting. Effervescent prose presents Zayid as a lively girl with ambitious goals and talent to match while matter-of-factly portraying her day-to-day experience of living with CP. A buoyant prologue sets up the series as a vehicle through which to highlight prominent Muslim figures pursuing their “wildest dreams.” Ages 6–10. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

A large cast of distinctly rendered, intersectionally diverse characters model ways to push back against book banning in a timely graphic novel that fictionalizes the story of Chicago Public Schools’ 2013 removal of Persepolis from student libraries. Curtis Technical College Preparatory High School seniors Aoife Conner and Kendall Dunne learn about the ban from their Topics in Literature teacher Ms. Mills just hours after a coworker tells the educator that Persepolis is no longer allowed in CPS libraries and collects her classroom copies. As Aoife and Kendall organize a protest to publicize CPS’s actions, the pair are joined by students in the institution’s 451 Banned Books Club as well as journalists from the school newspaper. But as the ban—and youths’ opposition—garners national attention, the teens are forced to consider the weight and importance of their actions, and their impact on both their own and others’ lives. Authentic-feeling dialogue from Dapier (The Most Haunted House in America) adds verve to nuanced, sophisticated conversations about censorship, while the perceptive protagonists’ interactions and alternating inner monologues offer accessible emotional through lines. Understated artwork by Dungo (In Waves) complements the complex, multifaceted tale; renderings of Persepolis’s red cover provide striking spots of color among grayscale illustrations. An author’s note concludes. Ages 14–up. Author’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Heirloom Literary. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

In this time-bending graphic novel from Mueller (Bat Pat), a human tween with a fear of horses dives headfirst into a primer on equine science. Middle schooler Thea attends the London Academy of Ideas and Ingenuity, a boarding school dedicated to S.T.E.A.M.-based education. When she learns that her next lesson involves visiting the academy stables, usually confident Thea loses her nerve. But with help from her classmates George and Toot—an alien exchange student who possesses technology capable of propelling them through time—Thea endeavors to overcome her equinophobia. As the trio travels across time and space, Thea witnesses the evolution of horses firsthand, while The Magic School Bus–flavored sequences take the students on imaginative plunges into equine digestive and nervous systems. Panels and pages jam-packed with text are accompanied by Mayorga’s sunny artwork. Hyperrealistic horse illustrations sparkle with subtle emotion, imparting friendly atmosphere throughout analytical, sometimes dry dialogue. It’s a thoughtful and instructional introduction to the titular subject, as well as an engaging opening to an information-focused series. Characters are depicted with various skin tones, some fanciful. Ages 7–12. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

A human girl joins a team of interstellar beings in their efforts to maintain peace across the galaxies in debut creator Lee’s mellow graphic novel series launch. Upon waking up alone and stranded in a solar system far from Earth, young Ami Moon finds refuge within the Galactic Peacekeepers Society, a heterogeneous crew of altruistic conflict mediators. As “the only human in Andromeda for a long time,” Ami grapples with acclimating to the various alien species’ unfamiliar cultures, as well as the emotional demands of peacekeeping. Simultaneously, she searches for a way to reunite with her mother and dog back on Earth. Episodic chapters relayed in Ami’s steady yet cheeky voice take on an epistolary feel; dream recollections, occasional diary entries, and periodic interjections from an omniscient entity follow the Galactic Peacekeepers on their missions throughout space. While disjointed pacing and surface-level worldbuilding sometimes hamper narrative immersion, bright and expressive mixed-media artwork enriches the gentle adventure. Handwritten text, varied typography, and zippy layouts rendered in a saturated color palette coalesce in a visually confident and emotionally resonant speculative offering. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

In this swoonworthy romance, two Black teens reunite following a previous chance encounter. While attending a major competition with his rodeo champion stepfather, aspiring bull rider Shawn Williams meets Josie Riley, heiress to a restaurant empire. The two fall hard and fast as they take in the event’s varied offerings, but their familial responsibilities separate them before they can exchange contact information. Three years later, Shawn is laying the groundwork for his own lucrative bull-riding career, even as his relationship with his stepfather founders under the weight of the parent’s high expectations and worsening gambling habits and dependence on alcohol. Meanwhile, Josie’s own family dynamics grow strained as she realizes that her dream is to work at her grandparents’ ranch, which her parents intend to sell. Upon meeting once again at an event sponsored by the Rileys, the spark between Josie and Shawn reignites. But personal challenges may continue to keep them apart. Across Josie and Shawn’s alternating chapters, Tamani (What She Missed) shines a light on the history of Black cowboys and how Black culture influences contemporary rodeo. The immersive Texas setting and riveting western-informed backdrop is enlivened by the protagonists’ searing push-and-pull romance. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jennifer Carlson, Dunow Carlson & Lerner Literary. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

In the world of Theatron—the setting of this dark, propulsive fantasy homage to theater—citizens living to the south are loyal to the Playhouse, whose immortal performers, or Players, use magic and theatricality to strike fear and awe into their audience. Those to the north, wary of the Playhouse’s power, protect themselves via a treaty that decrees Players stay in the south. When the treaty expires, however, 18-year-old Riven—cursed in childhood by a Player to die a slow death—enters the Playhouse seeking a cure to her enchantment. After she’s captured by Lead Player Jude, Riven agrees to a deal: Jude will heal her if she wins an upcoming event during which mortals have the chance to kill a Player and take their place in the Playhouse. Privately, Riven resolves to use the opportunity to destroy the organization from within. But she soon realizes that the Playhouse is a mercurial place, and as she learns more about the Players and their craft through Jude’s charming tutelage, her convictions waver. Debut author Spann skillfully leverages scriptlike dialogue and punctuated drama structures to flesh out the Playhouse’s vivid world, which is rife with political intrigue and power imbalances. Riven and Jude’s sharp banter and slow-burning enemies-to-lovers romance dials up the novel’s showmanship. Riven cues as white. Ages 16–up. Agent: Ellen Goff, HG Literary. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink