Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book about what connects humanity, the story of a refugee from war, a selfie-obsessed mom, and a book about a boy who wants to be a bear.

The Stuff of Stars Marion Dane Bauer, illus. by Ekua Holmes. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7883-8. In spare, supple verse, Newbery Honor author Bauer (Winter Dance) tells a big story—that of everything there is, how it all came to be, and how the matter that makes up the universe is the same as the matter that makes “All of us/ the stuff of stars.” The book earned a starred review from PW.

The Day War Came Nicola Davies, illus. by Rebecca Cobb. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0173-4. Gentle, childlike drawings by Cobb (There’s an Owl in My Town) help soften the blows in this story by Davies (King of the Sky), published in association with Help Refugees, about a girl in a country at war.

Me, Myselfie & I: A Cautionary Tale by Jamie Lee Curtis, illus. by Laura Cornell. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-13827-9. In the latest collaboration from the actress turned children’s book author and the illustrator, a mother begins obsessively taking selfies after receiving a smartphone for her birthday.

Grizzly Boy Barbara Davis-Pyles, illus. by Tracy Subisak. Little Bigfoot, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-63217-168-9. When Theo proclaims one morning that he’s not Theo anymore but Grizzly Boy (“Grizzly Boy does not wear pj’s... or UNDERWEAR! GRIZZLY BOY is WILD AND FREE!”), his mother is unfazed.

Good Rosie! by Kate DiCamillo, illus. by Harry Bliss. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-8979-7. Rosie the terrier and her middle-aged owner, George, are loving companions and creatures of habit. But when Rosie sees her reflection in her empty food bowl (“The other dog never answers”), she yearns for companions of her own species. The book earned a starred review from PW.

The Third Mushroom Jennifer L. Holm. Random House, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-1980-7. In this follow-up to The Fourteenth Goldfish, seventh grader Ellie continues to experiment—socially and scientifically—in middle school.

People Kill People Ellen Hopkins. S&S/McElderry, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-4293-0. Writing via an omniscient narrator called Violence, which also slips into the minds of characters, Hopkins (The You I’ve Never Known) tackles issues of immigration policy, racism, and gun control in her latest YA novel-in-verse.

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices Edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson. Crown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-525-58042-3. Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson, founders of Just Us Books, offer this empowering anthology to counter today’s often unsettling political climate. for children of varying ethnicities, faiths, identities, and abilities.

Nevertheless, We Persisted: 48 Voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage Foreword by Amy Klobuchar. Knopf, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-7196-6. As Klobuchar, Minnesota’s first female senator, notes in a foreword, the title of this candid anthology of personal experiences is a riff on the derision turned rallying cry aimed at Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren.

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4055-9. In warm, sparkling prose that moves easily from English to Spanish and back, Caldecott Honor artist Morales (Viva Frida) traces the journey that she and her small son took in 1994, when they immigrated from Mexico to the United States. The book earned a starred review from PW.

And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness, illus by Rovina Cai. HarperTeen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-286072-9. Like Melville’s Moby Dick, on which it is based, Ness’s profound tale is one of obsession and prophecy, with a twist—it’s told from the whale’s perspective. The YA novel earned a starred review from PW.

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-269672-4. Visions of a bright future crumble in this harrowing story based on the 2014 kidnapping of 276 Chibok girls by terrorist group Boko Haram. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Unbelievably Boring Bart by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski, illus. by Xavier Bonet. Little, Brown/Patterson, $13.99; ISBN 978-0-316-41153-0. This illustrated novel blends coding, video games, aliens, and bullies into one snarky stew.

Turning Pages: My Life Story by Sonia Sotomayor, illus. by Lulu Delacre. Philomel, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-525-51408-4. Writing in eloquent first-person prose, Sotomayor relays her upbringing and path to the Supreme Court, emphasizing how reading books, “written both in Spanish and in English,” has remained at the center of her personal development.

Steal This Country: A Handbook for Resistance, Persistence, and Fixing Almost Everything by Alexandra Styron. Viking, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-451-47937-2. In this rousing call for activism, Styron provides a stimulating and comprehensive guide to advocating for progressive change.

Three Grumpy Trucks by Todd Tarpley, illus. by Guy Parker-Rees. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-34122-6. Three toy trucks are having a marvelous time at the playground, giving their all to a build, but delay when their owner says it is time to go.

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit. Under the Stars, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4263-3159-6. This middle grade adventure series opener introduces young readers to the joys of science and nature.

Chomp Goes the Alligator by Matthew Van Fleet. S&S/Wiseman, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-2677-1. There’s a big die-cut “chomp” taken out of the side of this oversized counting and touch-and-feel book. The culprit? An alligator who gobbles up fellow swamp animals from one to 10.

Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian by Jacob Sager Weinstein, illus. by Vera Brosgol. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-544-80122-6. This book offers an answer to the question: What if there were a superhero who could give people in trouble the very book they need most?

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