Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about a chicken who really wants to participate in story time, a middle grade novel about a kid who really wants to stand out, and a YA conspiracy theory thriller about mysterious arctic orphans.

The Lonely Giant by Sophie Ambrose. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-8225-5. Newcomer Ambrose’s giant is prone to “pulling up trees as though they were weeds” and “smashing and mashing mountains,” which leaves the forests bereft of wildlife. His eventual recognition and reversal offers a timely allegory of the environment.

Chicken Story Time by Sandy Asher, illus. by Mark Fearing. Dial, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-8037-3944-4. As kids stream into the library, the chicken protagonist of this picture book is ready to join in on story time. But as chickens and kids show up in ever-larger numbers (one chicken even slips in through the book return slot), crowd control becomes difficult and proper library behavior goes out the window.

Goodnight Everyone by Chris Haughton. Candlewick, $15.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9079-3. Haughton (Shh! We Have a Plan) sets aside his characteristically loopy humor in order to lull children to sleep in this picture book about a Great Big Bear and Little Bear, who resists sleep. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Lotus and Feather by Ji-li Jiang, illus. by Julie Downing. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4231-2754-3. In this picture book, protagonist Lotus struggles with loneliness, while caring for injured crane Feather; ultimately the two triumph together.

Five Days of Famous by Alyson Noël. Delacorte, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-553-53796-3. Seventh grader and self-proclaimed “brainiac nerd” Nick Dashaway longs to be noticed. Instead, he is stuck hanging out with his less-than-cool best friends Dougall and Plum. Nick is sure that the upcoming talent show – judged by teen idol Josh Frost – is his chance to turn his social life around, in this holiday-themed middle grade novel from Unrivaled author Noël.

Word of Mouse by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, illus. by Joe Sutphin. LB/Patterson, $13.99; ISBN 978-0-316-34956-7. In this middle grade novel, Isaiah the mouse, who was born and raised in a lab, has blue fur, is well-spoken, and can read and write. When he and his 96 siblings escape from the lab, Isaiah is the only one who eludes capture. After being taken in by a mischief of mice who live in the cellar of the Brophy family home, Isaiah becomes a valuable member of the family, outwitting the family cat and rescuing a mouse caught in a trap, among other exploits.

Iceling by Sasha Stephenson. Razorbill, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-59514-769-1. All her life, Lorna has known that her younger sister, Callie – one of the orphans Lorna’s scientist father found at sea and brought to the U.S. – is different. Callie has fits and doesn’t speak, just like the other rescued children, now teenagers, who Lorna calls icelings and who the government calls Arctic Recovery Orphans, kicking off a new YA thriller series that melds conspiracy theory with family devotion.

All Kinds of Kisses by Heather Swain, illus. by Steven Henry. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-06650-3. Swain (Gifted) invites picture book readers to contemplate the types of kisses 11 animals might bestow on each other, based on their distinctive mouths, beaks, tongues, and jaws.

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