Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book biography, a book about bravery and time travel, a poetry collection, a magical realist coming-of-age story, and more.
The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver by Gene Barretta, illus. by Frank Morrison. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-243015-1. Through myriad lush garden scenes and impressive portraiture by Morrison, Carver emerges as a generous figure, a “living folk hero,” able to do whatever he set out to and “always ready to serve humanity.”
Big Papa and the Time Machine by Daniel Bernstrom, illus. by Shane W. Evans. HarperCollins, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-246331-9. Big Papa takes his grandchild back in time to see what bravery looks like in this tender picture book by Bernstrom (Gator, Gator, Gator!). The book earned a starred review from PW.
Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Knopf, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-525-58209-0. In this picture-book poetry collection, Brantley-Newton (Grandma’s Purse) writes in the voices of various girls.
Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown. Holt, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-30985-3. Debut author Brown’s quasi-memoir blends magical realism with a coming-of-age story in this mold-breaking novel.
The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illus. by John Parra. S&S/Wiseman, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-6289-1. Cline-Ransome tells this pioneering journalist’s story with economy and drive, while folk-style portraits by Parra couple maturing images of Payne with historical emblems.
Bedtime for Sweet Creatures by Nikki Grimes, illus. by Elizabeth Zunon. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4926-3832-2. Grimes’s rhythmic, playful picture book follows a restless child’s bedtime routine. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Me and Mr. Cigar by Gibby Haynes. Soho Teen, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-61695-812-1. This drug-fueled escapade from Butthole Surfers frontman Haynes follows 17-year-old Oscar Lester as he travels from Texas to NYC with Mr. Cigar, his “clairvoyant immortal dog,” and Lytle Taylor, his best friend and business partner.
Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind by Jessica Hische. Penguin Workshop, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-524787-04-2. Following Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave, lettering artist and illustrator Hische takes on a new set of kindness-oriented adjectives.
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks. HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-287585-3. Debut middle grade author Marks seamlessly weaves timely discussions about institutionalized racism into this uplifting and engaging story that packs an emotional punch. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry. Tor Teen, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-2501-9604-0. Seventeen-year-old Sawyer and Veronica’s developing romance is secondary to this YA novel’s exploration of challenging subjects, including death, enabling, and addiction recovery.
Lucky Caller by Emma Mills. Holt, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-17965-4. Proving once again that a teen’s life is anything but simple, Mills (Famous in a Small Town) delivers a well-crafted, bittersweet comedy of errors filled with realistically flawed characters and taut, witty dialogue. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Normal: One Kid’s Extraordinary Journey by Magdelena Newman and Nathaniel Newman, illus. by Neil Swaab. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-328-63183-1. In alternating narratives, mother and son team Magdelena and Nathaniel, who is 16, tell the story of Nathaniel’s birth and young life with Treacher Collins syndrome in this memoir for middle grade audiences.
The Peacock Detectives by Carly Nugent. HarperCollins, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-289670-4. “Eleven-turning-twelve years old” Cassie is an observant, aspiring writer and “Peacock Detective” in small-town Australia, noting details that helped her to track down her neighbor’s escaped peacocks.
Strange Exit by Parker Peevyhouse. Tor Teen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7653-9942-7. In this postapocalyptic adventure set aboard a spaceship that houses the only survivors of a nuclear holocaust, a young woman delves into a virtual reality scenario to rescue the teens still trapped within its programming.
Fred’s Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers by Laura Renauld, illus. by Brigette Barrager. Atheneum, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-4122-4. Renauld (Porcupine’s Pie) and Barrager (Uni the Unicorn) tell the story of Fred Rogers’s childhood and rise to fame through the lens of emotions, explaining that the beloved television host was “a quiet boy with big feelings.”
Infinity Son: A Specters Novel by Adam Silvera. HarperTeen, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-245782-0. Twin brothers are caught up in a war between two magically imbued factions in this ambitious urban YA fantasy novel.
Almost Time by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney, illus. by G. Brian Karas. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-544-78581-6. Set in maple sugaring country, this tale by Schmidt (Pay Attention, Carter Jones) and Stickney (the pen name of Schmidt’s late wife) examines the difficulty of waiting for exciting things when they unfold at the natural world’s pace. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann. First Second, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-250-30572-5. In a graphic novel about periods, Williams and Schneemann suggest that the best antidote to high school humiliation is friendship.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of January, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
