Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a dreamy book about a rabbit, the story of Title IX, a picture book fishing adventure, and a middle grade Broadway romp, among others.
Sato the Rabbit by Yuki Ainoya, trans. from the Japanese by Michael Blaskowsky. Enchanted Lion, $16.95; ISBN 978-1-59270-318-0. “One day,” creator Ainoya begins, “Haneru Sato became a rabbit. He’s been a rabbit ever since.” The protagonist looks very much like a child in a rabbit costume in this dreamy and episodic picture book, which earned a starred review from PW.
An Equal Shot: How the Law Title IX Changed America by Helaine Becker, illus. by Dow Phumiruk. Holt/Ottaviano, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-24195-5. This picture book about Title IX serves as a solid starting point for anyone interested in the groundbreaking law. Back matter includes four biographies of significant female architects of the legislation, effects of the law both past and present, “More Work to Do,” and additional resources.
We Love Fishing! by Ariel Bernstein, illus. by Marc Rosenthal. S&S/Wiseman, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-3864-4. Though pals Bear, Otter, and Porcupine profess the titular love of fishing, Squirrel, contrary to the insistence of Bernstein’s (the Warren & Dragon series) perky narrator, does not: “Fish smell too fishy,” he says, holding his nose, tongue out. But he joins his friends on their bucolic fishing expedition anyway, becoming increasingly cranky. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Mazie by Melanie Crowder. Philomel, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-525-51674-3. Love, identity, and showbiz take center stage in Crowder’s (Audacity) latest, set in 1959, in which Mazie Butterfield, 17, has known all her life that she’ll leave her family’s Nebraska farm for Broadway. The middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW.
The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas by María García Esperón, trans. from the Spanish by David Bowles, illus. by Amanda Mijangos. Levine Querido, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-015-2. Visually striking and accessibly written, this book provides readers with a worthy introduction to some enduring Indigenous narratives. The middle grade collection earned a starred review from PW.
Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero by Megan Hoyt, illus. by Iacopo Bruno. Quill Tree, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-290811-7. In this picture book biography, Hoyt relays the extraordinary actions of Gino Bartali, an Italian cyclist who won the 1938 Tour de France and went on to save approximately 800 Jewish people and 50 English soldiers during the Nazi occupation of Italy.
The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-298242-1. Two former friends recall the major events that forced them apart in this intricate, duology-opening story of mystery and revenge by McGinnis (Be Not Far from Here), with plenty of nods to Edgar Allan Poe.
There Goes Patti McGee!: The Story of the First Women's National Skateboard Champion by Tootie Nienow, illus. by Erika Medina. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-374-31399-9. This action-packed picture book biography about the first professional female skateboarder will engage casual skaters and non-boarders alike.
Like Home by Louisa Onomé. Delacorte, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-5931-7259-9. This novel about a Nigerian Canadian teen and her Toronto-adjacent hometown explains what gentrification can mean to existing communities, beneath its promises of prosperity.
Home Is In Between by Mitali Perkins, illus. by Lavanya Naidu. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-374-30367-9. Shanti’s story starts when her family leaves their village in India for an American town “with cold rain and orange and yellow leaves,” and she begins to move back and forth between both cultures. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of February, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
