Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a mythological graphic novel, a story about sharing, a fashionable picture book biography, an astronomically cute early reader graphic novel, and more.
Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu, trans. from the Finnish by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro. Levine Querido, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-112-8. Elements of ancient Finnish myth and song undergird Ahokoivu’s dark worldbuilding in this YA graphic novel rendered in inky b&w washes; accents of color leap off the page as the translation by Aronpuro flows smoothly. The book earned a starred review from PW.
A Bear to Share by Jessica Alba, Kelly Sawyer Patricof, and Norah Weinstein, illus. by Alicia Más. HarperCollins, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-295717-7. Inspired by national children’s nonprofit Baby2Baby, co-CEOs Sawyer Patricof and Weinstein team up with ambassador Alba for this picture book that demonstrates that giving feels better than receiving.
Violet Velvet Mittens with Everything: The Fabulous Life of Diana Vreeland by Deborah Blumenthal, illus. by Rachel Katstaller. Princeton Architectural Press, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-64896-063-5. The intimidatingly fabulous Vreeland (1903–1989), 20th-century tastemaker and editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, breezily narrates this picture book tribute to her aesthetic achievements
Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-Yum by Drew Brockington. Little, Brown, $12.99; ISBN 978-0-316-50042-5. In this kitten-focused early reader graphic novel—a spin-off of Brockington’s CatStronauts series—siblings Pancake (a tan cat in a purple rainbow shirt) and Waffles (a cream kitty sporting a yellow fish top) are eager to visit the Big City Science Museum.
Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau. First Second, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-250-30061-4. Transportive watercolor panels, middle school sports drama, and a touch of legend combine in Chau’s fantastical graphic novel, following a wheelchair-using paraplegic athlete in Indonesia.
Forty Winks: A Bedtime Adventure by Kelly DiPucchio, illus. by Lita Judge. Abrams, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-4552-2. For the Winks, a family of 40 mice—two parents and 38 kids, each one named by DiPucchio—bedtime turns out to be adorably unwieldy. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-304331-2. Fawcett plays with familiar tropes (magical schools, chosen ones), centering a female protagonist, a fresh take on heroics, and a clearly built world layered with history and an interesting magical system. The middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW.
We Are One: How the World Adds Up by Susan Hood, illus. by Linda Yan. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0114-7. Combining rhyming lines with context beneath, this counting picture book offers a summation of things that exist in the world alongside retro illustrations that recall nostalgic picture books.
Treasury of Magical Tales from Around the World by Donna Jo Napoli, illus. by Christina Balit. National Geographic Kids, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-4263-7248-3. This enjoyably eclectic compilation of 29 lesser-known tales spins readers around the storytelling globe amplified by Balit’s gold-tinged illustrations, which shimmer with stylized, Byzantine detail.
Sister, Brother, Family: An American Childhood in Music by Willie and Bobbie Nelson, cowritten by Chris Barton, illus. by Kyung Eun Han. Doubleday, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-984851-83-3. Told in alternating perspectives from Bobbie and Willie Nelson, who refer to each other as Sister and Brother, this sentimental picture book debut, cowritten by Barton, chronicles the musical siblings’ lives in Texas.
Where Snow Angels Go by Maggie O’Farrell, illus. by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1937-1. In her debut children’s book, novelist O’Farrell (Hamnet, for adults) adds piquancy to the moment when a blue-tinged angel with enormous feathered wings materializes in a girl’s bedroom by imagining that the angel is just as startled as the girl.
Pighearted by Alex Perry. Little, Brown, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-316-53877-0. Perry, exploring the ethics of animal experimentation, offers two compelling first-person perspectives, alternating between a boy in need of a heart transplant and an anthropomorphic pig engineered to provide it. Back matter includes an author’s note and resources.
The Real Santa by Nancy Redd, illus. by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow. Random House, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-17814-0. Christmas preparations are underway for a Black child and their family, with a variety of Black Santas at the center, his visage “sitting on our Christmas tree, smiling on our gift wrap, and stitched on to my sweater.” The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-368-07792-7. In this contemporary reimagining of Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island, Riordan merges foundational science fiction adventures with a modern sensibility and a variously inclusive cast from across the globe, injecting the adventure with action and generation-spanning intrigue.
¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! The Dance That Crossed Color Lines by Dean Robbins, illus. by Eric Velasquez. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0608-1. When the band Machito and His Afro-Cubans “make a brand-new sound called Latin jazz” in 1940, everyone in New York City dances to it. But because of segregation, people from various backgrounds can’t dance together until 1948, when the Palladium opens its doors to all, as shown in this picture book.
Gladys the Magic Chicken by Adam Rubin, illus. by Adam Rex. Putnam, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-32560-5. The protagonist of this picture book Gladys isn’t really magic—she’s just an ordinary chicken with orange feathers, a bright pink comb, startled eyes, and a tendency to “ploop” out an egg at opportune moments.
One Smart Sheep by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney, illus. by Jane Manning. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-54488835-7. In this beginning chapter book Schimdt and his late wife Stickney, who previously collaborated on A Long Road on a Short Day, a sheep named Wilson makes an unexpected journey via delivery truck.
Horse Trouble by Kristin Varner. First Second, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-250-22588-7. Equine terminology is defined throughout as horseback-riding helps Kate build confidence in this earnest graphic novel debut. Back matter features an author’s note describing her personal inspiration, photographs, cover sketches, and the artistic process.
The Longest Letsgoboy by Derick Wilder, illus. by Cátia Chien. Chronicle, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4521-7716-8. Via a first-person narration, debut author Wilder writes about an old dog’s final walk with beloved child “Little,” employing an invented language that allows readers to see things as the dog does.
Dad Bakes Katie Yamasaki. Norton, $17.95; ISBN 978-1-324-01541-3. Inspired by families affected by incarceration, muralist Yamasaki follows a bald, tattooed father and his child in this picture book. Back matter includes an affecting author’s note, including links to organizations that support formerly incarcerated people and their families. The book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of October, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
