Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book about a prickly creature, a YA novel about a horseback rider, a middle grade novel about a group of friends, and a YA novel about romantic chemistry.
Hedgehog Needs a Hug by Jen Betton. Putnam, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-3712-2. In her debut solo picture book, Betton (illustrator of Twilight Chant) gives the long-lamented lot of the lonely, risky-to-embrace hedgehog a gentle and winsome recast.
Thief of Happy Endings by Kristen Chandler. Viking, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-425-29047-7. While spending the summer in Wyoming on her grandfather’s former ranch, a teen overcomes past fears and starts riding horses again.
Everything I Know About You by Barbara Dee. Aladdin, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-0507-3. Seventh grader Tally is many things: fiercely protective of her best friends, Spider and Sonnet; adopted (and proud of it); outspoken; confident; and very good at math.
Chemistry Lessons by Meredith Goldstein. HMH, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-328-76464-5. In this novel of love and science, Goldstein plays with the possibility that romantic chemistry can be produced in a lab, and—once ingested—can foster an attraction that endures for decades.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates! by Ryan T. Higgins. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-368-00355-1. Penelope has just started school, and eating is a preoccupation; her school lunch is “three hundred tuna sandwiches and one apple juice,” in this picture book about a ravenous T. rex going to school with human children. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Kid Normal by Greg James and Chris Smith, illus. by Erica Salcedo. Bloomsbury, $13.99; ISBN 978-1-68119-709-8. In this tongue-in-cheek middle grade adventure, a kid without superpowers discovers his true calling when he’s accidentally enrolled in a secret school for superhumans.
A Stitch in Time by Daphne Kalmar. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-15498-9. Tautly written yet surging with emotion, this debut novel is set in 1927 Vermont, where an 11-year-old girl contends with wrenching past, present, and (she fears) future loss. The book earned a starred review from PW.
What Do They Do with All That Poo? by Jane Kurtz, illus. by Allison Black. Beach Lane, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-7986-8. Kurtz (Planet Jupiter) playfully delves into the diversity of dung found at the zoo in her latest picture book.
Nita’s First Signs by Kathy MacMillan, illus. by Sara Brezzi. Familius, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-945547-67-6. This bright board book helps babies learn first signs in American Sign Language.
Phoebe Will Destroy You by Blake Nelson. Simon Pulse, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-8816-7. With a cinematographer’s eye, Nelson (Recovery Road) captures the essence of small-town life, as well as the various forms of escape people use to forget their desperation.
Not the Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-15181-0. In this YA debut, Safi explores the internal struggle of having to “talk to more than one world, simultaneously,” wherein protagonist Lulu considers herself both American and Arab. The book earned a starred review from PW.
I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille, illus. by Aimée Sicuro. Beach Lane, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-5846-7. Infused with the pure pleasure of color, this debut from Rille and Sicuro (illustrator of The Moon Inside) links particular hues with particular moods.
Dear Substitute by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick, illus. by Chris Raschka. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-148475022-3. In a witty epistolary narrative, Scanlon and Vernick (coauthors of Bob, Not Bob!) tackle the sometimes unwelcome arrival of substitute teachers. The book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of June, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
