Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about a handy bear, a middle grade novel about a vampire fairy, and a book for grown-ups on the appeal of reading children’s literature.

Goodnight World by Debi Gliori. Bloomsbury, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-68119-363-2. In this quiet picture book, animals throughout the world get ready for sleep.

Bear Make Den by Jane Godwin and Michael Wagner, illus. by Andrew Joyner. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9061-8. When readers first see Bear, a cheery fellow in bright blue overalls, he’s reading a book called How Make Den. The illustration both establishes the hero and sets up a quirk that gives this story its offbeat readaloud appeal: spouses Godwin and Wagner eliminate all articles—and sometimes verbs—from their staccato narration. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult by Bruce Handy. Simon & Schuster, $26; ISBN 978-1-4516-0995-0. Handy, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, does his part here to give the iconic authors of children’s literature their due in his spirited, perceptive, and humorous account of reading childhood favorites through adult eyes.

Truckeroo School by David Kirk. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-01690-4. In this picture book, Kirk (Oh So Brave Dragon) transports readers to the profoundly weird land of Truckeroo, whose citizens all drive custom-made trucks that correspond to their interests and personalities.

Isadora Moon Goes to School by Harriet Muncaster. Random House, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-399-55821-4. In this early middle grade series opener, Isadora Moon, the daughter of a vampire and a fairy, tries to figure out where she belongs.

Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Peter Brown. Simon & Schuster, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4424-0298-0. Five years after the Caldecott Honor–winning Creepy Carrots!, Jasper Rabbit returns, and he’s being frightened by something equally improbable: the green undies that he insisted his mother buy for him. The book earned a starred review from PW.

The Only Fish in the Sea by Philip C. Stead, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-282-8. The inimitable hero of Special Delivery returns in this picture book, with a new mission to recover a character’s birthday gift. The book earned a starred review from PW.

A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor. Dial, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-2811-5. While two sisters with a volatile relationship are on vacation in Puerto Rico, a boat accident strands them on an uninhabited island miles from their resort, along with Alex, a boy Emma met on the beach.

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