Bianca and the Butterfly
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Sergio Ruzzier. HarperCollins, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-0632-9588-9
After “up early” polar bear cub Bianca leaves the snuggly embrace of her sleeping mother, she considers their familiar landscape: “Bianca loves the things she knows.” But today, “something new” appears, too: an extravagantly patterned butterfly perched on an ice floe. The vibrantly rendered insect appears in marked contrast to the pale washes of color that make up Bianca’s beloved habitat, and the intrigued bear hops onto the floe to investigate. The move finds the duo drifting to a tropical paradise filled with giant flowering plants and tasty fruits—a locale that seems more suited to butterfly than polar bear. After night falls, the vegetation suddenly feels much more threatening, and Bianca flees, catching a floating log back to her mother’s embrace. Final pages show that the cub is no worse for the adventure—in fact, a glint in her eye seems to imply she’s all the stronger for having encountered new things. As images of melting ice and frightening flora suggest how scary change can be, this story from Ruzzier (The Real Story) offers a transportive portrait of loving both the familiar and the yet-unknown. Ages 4–8. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Jan.)
Mixed Feelings
Liana Finck. Rise x Penguin Workshop, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-5936-6042-3
Sure, it’s possible to experience unbridled enthusiasm, raw anger, and absolute bliss. But many emotions, Finck (You Broke It!) smartly asserts through minimal text and a series of squiggly-inked, spot-colored vignettes, are a mixed bag. On an opening page, one child is “mostly happy” to be heading out for what looks like a beach day, “but a little sad” about leaving the family dog behind. Another kid feels “stuck inside” as a storm rages outdoors, but is also “getting cozy” thanks to a couch pillow fort. Yet another is “mad at so many things” (people, animals, a sweater, and even a chair)—“and maybe also a little bit hungry.” Some spreads play off the central premise by focusing on the jumble of fleeting feelings we all experience, including “just in the mood to pretend to be a horse” and a fervent “like no one ever listens to me.” Life, the book assures, is like that: even when one may not “know the words” for a feeling, emotions come and go and blend together. But each one is valid, and discerning them can be part of the experience. Characters are portrayed with a range of skin tones. Ages 3–5. (Jan.)
Mama Hug
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Emma Straub, illus. by Stevie Lewis. Rocky Pond, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5936-1859-2
The arc of a mother and child’s day unfolds in concise, rockaby rhymes and warm-hued, colorblock-like art in this cozy work for youngest readers. Digital illustrations by Lewis (the Prince & Knight Series) show the duo alone, in and around their home, and always within a few feet of each other—starting with a pajamaed cuddle and ending with tuck-in time. “Mama tickle// Mama toes,” writes Straub (Gaga Mistake Day) on one spread as the brown-skinned parent tickles the pale-skinned baby’s tummy and the two compare their feet in a mirror. Then it’s outside to a field of towering sunflowers as Mama lifts the child into the air and the rhyme wraps up: “Mama’s love grows and grows.” While adults might marvel at the parent’s boundless energy across many wide-awake hours (“Mama ladder// On a Mama wall”), children will see unconditional love pure and simple (“Mama kisses when Baby falls”). And no one should be surprised when bedtime reveals “Mama dreams// in Baby’s head”—even the stars form a snuggling mother-and-child constellation. Ages up to 3. Author’s agent: Janine Kamouh and Claudia Ballard, William Morris Endeavor. Illustrator’s agent: Edward Maxwell, Transatlantic Literary. (Jan.)
Springtime Storks: A Migration Love Story
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Carol Joy Munro, illus. by Chelsea O’Byrne. Minerva, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66265-121-2
Affection soars in Munro’s kindhearted debut inspired by the real-life plight of two mated birds. Literally beginning with a “BANG!,” a white stork named Katerina narrates an account of what it was like to be shot out of the sky by a hunter. She lay injured in a field, her distressed mate Luka swooping down and calling her name, until a man “scooped me up with gentle hands.” While Katerina receives care, Luka is forced to continue the long journey solo. When Luka reappears in spring, the couple nest together and welcome a brood of chicks— establishing the pattern for an annual reunion. O’Byrne’s mixed-media art weaves patterns of patchwork farmland, rows of trees, and fields of flowers, providing a bucolic backdrop. Human characters are portrayed with pale skin. An author’s note and species notes conclude. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)
Bobby and the Big Valentine
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Timmy Woitas, illus. by Addy Rivera Sonda. Penguin Workshop, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-65977-9
Can a Valentine’s Day gesture be too big? The answer is a resounding “nope” in Woitas’s sweet picture book debut, a realistic chronicle about a boy who pulls out all the stops to fit his humongous feelings into a glittery heart-shaped Valentine. Bobby, portrayed with pale skin and large blue glasses, wants to be sure that Eddie, shown with brown skin and a backward ball cap, knows how special Bobby thinks he is. After the two dress as a prince and night for Halloween, Bobby hopes that they’ll “grow up and live in a castle and be a prince and knight for real one day.” Only a massive, sparkly, carefully crafted card, whose creation Rivera Sonda illustrates involving common kid art supplies, will convey this sentiment. But when Bobby struggles to lug his creation off the bus and to their classroom, he experiences a twinge of doubt about Eddie’s feelings. This bright story’s appropriately bighearted ending may well have readers confidently grabbing glitter and glue. Background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)
Bigfoot’s Big Heart
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Sarah Glenn Marsh, illus. by Ishaa Lobo. Viking, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-35224-3
A thoughtful creature of lore and a troop of empathetic scouts bring the idea of a special Valentine’s Day delivery to a whole new level. Bigfoot, who’s not a fan of loud noises and often feels lonely while keeping out of sight in the forest, knows the lift that a piece of mail can offer. That’s why he’s made Valentine’s Day cards to send to his network of equally solitary mythical pen pals, including Scotland’s Nessie, who “stays deep underwater” to avoid notice, and Puerto Rico’s Chupacabra, a gardener who works solo at night. But on the way to the post office, Bigfoot unintentionally frightens some human scouts on a camping trip and nearly derails the plan. Luckily, a trio of campers who “always sit apart from the rest” whip out a laptop to recruit fellow scouts globally and deliver Bigfoot’s cards to unconventional addresses (“Mothman, the Grassy Hill”). It’s a spunky blend of silly and sweet that will serve as an introvert’s holiday treat. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3–7. (Dec.)
I’m Always Loving You
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Kathy Wolff, illus. by Acamy Schleikorn. Bloomsbury, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5476-1420-2
A bevy of adult caretakers characterize the unconditional love they feel for children in their lives throughout this sunny picture book. Wolff’s warm rhyming stanzas (“I love you when the answer’s yes,// and also when it’s no...// ...when we’re sitting sorta quiet/ or we need to go-go-go!”) and Schleikorn’s cheery digital illustrations capture tender, relatable moments within the daily routines of families of varied skin tones and configurations. Whether it’s dancing together or dealing with disappointment, the children and adults are all buoyed by their solid bond. A family rushing out the door, with kids in tow and tote bags aplenty, is among the spot-on scenes across this steadying message of everlasting adoration. Ages 3–6. (Dec.)
Painting the Sky with Love: A Celebration of Love and Community
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Mary E. Haque, illus. by Tatiana Gardel. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-250-82860-6
It’s raining hearts in this gladdening work featuring a young person who “painted the sky with love.” The first ripples begin when a child portrayed with light brown skin arrives at a city park and initiates play with others, first brushing a rainbowlike ribbon of color overhead alongside red hearts that “flitted and twirled and fell in the air.” Ambling through the park’s green meadows, pathways, and zoo, the child observes a trio of musicians and admires ladybugs, birds, and clouds before heading home to a content and peaceful bedtime tuck-in. As the youth spreads kindness, Haque’s envisaging text (“Hearts dropped on trains and muffled their sound”) and Gardel’s loosely rendered portraits deliver the message that putting love into the world yields an enormous return. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 2–5. (Nov.)
We Are Lion Dancers
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Benson Shum. Penguin Workshop, $10.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-65887-1; $5.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-65886-4
At their kung fu club, siblings Lily and Noah spot a colorful lion dance costume—the dancers, who “use kicks and other kung fu moves in their dancing,” have arrived to practice for the upcoming Lunar New Year parade. While the kids marvel at the costume’s soft fur and bright colors, a performer explains in straightforward text how the dance “scares away evil spirits” and “brings good luck and happiness,” and outlines details about the how the lion dance proceeds. After a successful practice, with Lily on the gong and Noah picking up the cymbals, the kids head home to create their own costume before, at the parade, receiving a special surprise. With easy-to-read text and energetic illustrations, Shum creates an informative lion-dance primer that emphasizes community and teamwork. A note on the dance’s origins concludes. Ages 5–7. (Dec.)
Let’s Celebrate Korean New Year!
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Michelle W. Park, illus. by Hyewon Yum. Random House, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-56730-2
On Seollal morning, Madeleine is excited for the coming Lunar New Year party, even when younger sister Eloise groans, “It’s too early.” Raring to go, Madeleine declares, “First, we need hanboks!” before leading the two in dressing. Madeleine then prods them into the kitchen to make mandoo, bustles them along to create a card for arriving guests, and more—until realizing that she’s forgotten about the poem she writes each year. As little sister Eloise slowly navigates the steps, Park’s beat-by-beat prose relays Madeleine’s emphatic oversight, until poem-writing offers an opportunity for both sisters to take part. Yum’s signature-style colored pencil illustrations cheerily depict Korean New Year traditions in this festive picture book about two siblings who eventually find that “each tradition is fun,/ but with you, it’s much better.” A glossary, activity, and recipe concludes. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)
