Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book about a bear, the story of a stowaway, a picture book biography of two country music icons, a high stakes YA thriller, and more.
The Me Tree by Ashley Belote. Penguin Workshop, $12.99; ISBN 978-0-593-38482-4. A bear decides it’s time to leave the nest—er, cave—in this humorous picture book fable by Belote.
Hope at Sea: An Adventure Story by Daniel Miyares. Random/Schwartz, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-984892-83-6. Ship carpenter Papa finds Hope’s stowaway spot aboard the 19th-century vessel almost immediately and offers forgiveness, and Hope’s life at sea begins in this picture book.
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 picture book debut, cowritten by Barton, chronicles the musical siblings’ lives.
All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman. Tor Teen, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-78925-9. In this duology opener from Foody and Herman, well-drawn characters and a carefully considered mythology add dimension to the Hunger Games–meets–Harry Potter premise, while unexpected attractions and shifting alliances add drama. The YA novel earned a starred review from PW.
The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath, illus. by Lisa Perrin. Soho Teen, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64129-281-8. Heath’s debut unfolds against the vividly drawn backdrop of 1904 Norway, tracing the lives of three teens intent on finding their own way.
Over, Bear! Under, Where? by Julie Hedlund, illus. by Michael Slack. Philomel, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-20355-2. Composed of puns and wordplay employing “under” and “over,” Hedlund delivers a whimsical “Who’s on First”–like picture book.
Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan, illus. by Mercè López. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-3139-3. This irrepressible picture book in verse by newcomer Khan is simultaneously a counting book and a study in generosity of spirit. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-358-27209-0. Themes of loss, sorrow, and moral conflict, balanced by a delicate and emotionally mature romance, suffuse Lucier’s YA novel set in a time of plague.
Sway with Me by Syed M. Masood. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-49241-6. A strong sense of humor pervades Masood’s sophomore YA novel about a Muslim teen looking for a matchmaker, with references to Measure for Measure and The Epic of Gilgamesh. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Margot Mertz Takes It Down by Carrie McCrossen and Ian McWethy. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-20525-9. For “teachers, students, parents, and one time a state legislator,” high school junior Margot Mertz (“Entrepreneur. Tech-curious. Lone wolf”) cleans up “life-destroying” internet errors in this YA novel.
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Rachel Montez Minor, illus. by Annie Won. Crown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-30937-7. In affirming rhymes, Montez Minor offers an encouraging picture book comparing readers to the sun, the moon, and the stars in turn.
Mr. Boddington’s Studio: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, illus. by Mr. Boddington. Penguin Workshop, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-593-38407-7. Readers familiar with Brooklyn, N.Y.–based design and stationery store Mr. Boddington’s Studio will appreciate its recognizable aesthetic in this picture book of Moore’s vintage verses.
Words to Make a Friend: A Story in Japanese and English by Donna Jo Napoli, illus. by Naoko Stoop. Random House Studio, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-12227-3. Spare, dialogue-only text by Napoli allows Stoop’s detailed textural vignettes to take center stage in this simple yet heartwarming picture book, showcasing two children bridging the language barrier on a snowy day.
Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee. HarperCollins, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-305999-3. When 13-year-old Cline Alden learns about a singer-songwriter workshop only 40 minutes away from her small Kentucky town, she’s determined to attend, despite the prohibitive $300 fee, her single diner-waitress mother’s firm no, and her worry over her grandmother’s advancing Alzheimer’s. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illus. by Elizabeth Zunon. Holiday House, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-3963-8. Featuring italicized block quotes from Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly’s (1818–1907) memoir, Behind the Scenes, or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House, this picture book biography centers the Black seamstress’s indomitable spirit, from being “born a slave,” buying her freedom and that of her son with her dressmaking skills, and sewing for D.C.’s elite, including First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
Roxy by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman. Simon & Schuster, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-5125-4. Through a high-concept YA thriller that looks into the opioid crisis, the previous father-son collaborators follow two siblings at the center of a deadly wager between two drugs characterized as gods.
The Creature of Habit by Jennifer E. Smith, illus. by Leo Espinosa. Random House Studio, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-17305-3. A creature from the island of Habit learns to break out of routine in this encouraging play-on-words picture book from YA author Smith.
Stuck by Jennifer Swender. Crown, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-101932-94-0. In Swender’s textured tale about a fourth-grader’s reading difficulties, Austin’s vigilant protection of his secret and near constant anxiety at it being discovered imbues this thoughtful character study with tension and drive. The book earned a starred review from PW.
I’ll Keep You Close by Jeska Verstegen, trans. from the Dutch by Bill Nagelkerke. Levine Querido, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-111-1. Straddling memoir and fiction, illustrator Verstegen tells the story of 11-year-old Jesje uncovering the trauma of her family’s WWII tragedies.
Princess Unlimited by Jacob Sager Weinstein, illus. by Raissa Figueroa. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-328-90474-4. In a picture book that mixes business with fairy tale heroics, Weinstein’s text is full of determination, and Figueroa’s art has the compositional verve and plucky characterizations of classic Disney animation.
The Candy Dish by Kobi Yamada, illus. by Adelina Lirius. Compendium, $16.95; ISBN 978-1-970147-59-9. Yamada returns with a simple fable about gratitude and greed in this picture book.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of November, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
