Wow, so many great new picture books are coming out in the next month or so! Here's a sneak peek at some of the books that will be perfect additions to your home or classroom bookshelves this fall. If you're got a reader in mind who is in the age 3-9 range, there are some great new options for bedtime stories, read alouds and other shared reading experiences. Happy reading!
Norton and the Bear
By: Gabriel Evans
This fun picture book is about a character named Norton (I think he's a dog?) who likes to express his individuality by dressing in random outfits. One day Norton meets a bear who absolutely loves his sweater and decides to get an identical set. Norton doesn't love this idea and decides to add accessories like a scarf. The bear takes these changes as an opportunity to adjust his own outfit and purchases more identical items. Norton is not super impressed but eventually decides that wearing the same outfit doesn't matter too much, that you can still be unique even if someone is wearing the same things as you. I can see this book being funny and engaging for young readers. I would recommend this book to families and teachers of children in the age 4-8 range.
Pub Date: May 2022 Berbay Publishing
Room on Top
By: Bruno Hachler Ills: Laura D'arcangelo
This is a super cute picture book about a little anteater who loves riding on his mom's back. He starts feeling a bit lonely and decides to invite some friends to join him up there. As other baby animals cling on for dear life, the pile of animals gets higher and higher and suddenly everyone comes tumbling down! The baby anteater realizes that his mom's back is a great place for him to ride, but maybe not for all his friends too! I can definitely see kids loving this book. The pictures are funny and interesting and the text is fairly easy to read and comprehend. I would recommend this book for parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range.
Pub Date: Oct 2022 North South Books
The Great Caper Caper
By: Josh Funk Ills: Brendan Kearney
This is a great new picture book! It tells the story of Mr. French Toast and Mrs. Pancake who are startled to realize that the refrigerator light has been stolen! They accuse Count Caper of Las Veggies and come up with a scheme to ensure this light gets back to where it belongs. Fun with veggies and foods in multiple food groups is a huge part of the appeal in this book. Additionally, the rhyming nature makes it fairly easy for young readers to read with independence. The pictures are beautiful and I definitely think that will draw kids in. I also love that foods like passion fruit, tofu and capers are mentioned because sometimes young children have had limited access to more uncommon foods. This might encourage them to try some new foods. I would absolutely purchase a copy of this book for my classroom library. I think it would be great as an introduction to lessons on food groups too! I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range.
Pub Date: Nov 15, 2022 Union Square/Sterling Publishing
A Quokka for the Queen
By: Hew Lewis Jones Ills: Fred Blunt
This book tells the story of when a Queen receives an australian quokka animal as a gift. The alliteration continues as the Queen and quokka decide to gift other animals to other people like a tarantula to a teacher (this teacher/book reviewer is not pleased with this choice!). This story is fun and discusses lots of different types of animals. I could definitely see my students enjoying this book! I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range.
Pub Date: May 2022 Quarto/Frances Lincoln/Happy Yak
Blue Badger and the Big Breakfast
By: Huw Lewis Jones ills: Ben Sanders
By the same author, this colourful and quirky children's book tells the story of Blue Badger and his excessively long breakfast consisting solely of blueberries (and maybe a ball?). The story is easy to follow and the images are really neat to look at and aid in the telling of the story. The font is clean and easy to read even though it is imposed on coloured backgrounds. The bright colours of the pages contrasted with the black and white characters (badger, owl, skunk etc) adds to the beauty of the text as a whole. I would recommend this book to parents of children in the age 3-7 range.
Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022 Quarto/Frances Lincoln/Happy Yak
Doggie
By: Nancy Armo
This sweet picture book is about a little boy who really wants a pet dog. When a stray cat finds its way to his door and the family eventually adopts the cat, the boy starts to realize that maybe a cat named Doggie might actually be the perfect pet! Each page has about 1 sentence of text in a relatively small font, but the text is fairly easy to decode. I really enjoyed this picture book and love that it is short, simple and has nice pictures. I also love that it sends the message about the importance of rescuing stray animals and the love that they can offer their owners, as well as the wonderful experience loving a rescue pet can have on children and their families. I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the 4-7 age range.
Pub Date: June 2022 Clavis Publishing
How to Party Like a Snail
By: Naseem Hrab Ills: Kelly Collier
This is a really cute story about a snail who likes to think of himself as a party animal despite only liking certain types of parties, like the ones where everyone is quiet. He feels disappointed when he stops getting invited to loud parties, but then decides to host his own, quiet party. This book is cute and funny and I think that young readers will love it! I would recommend this book for parents and teachers of children in the age 3-8 range.
Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022 Owl Kids
Zoo on the Moon
By: David Walker
Fans of Dr. Seuss and his crazy made up characters will love Zoo on the Moon by David Walker. This funny, rhyming picture book tells of all of the crazy creatures you might find in a zoo on the moon. The animals generally look/have features that they would have on Earth, but with other random things added or parts removed, such as elephants with faces on the tails, snakes with ears all over their body and hippos with only 2 legs and one eye. There are also silly circumstances that these animals find themselves in, such as using chopsticks, sunbathing with mustard and being stuck in buckets. This book is sure to draw kids in with the funny pictures and silly ideas. I could also see it being a great jumping off point for writing their own silly stories and stretching their imaginations. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range.
Pub Date: August 1, 2022 Windmill Books
A Line in the Sand
By: Thao Lam
This wordless picture book tells the story of some monsters on a beach who disagree about the meaning of a line drawn in the sand. Over the course of the story many comical pictures demonstrate the mounting tensions of the monsters and the many different potential meanings of a line in the sand. This book would be the perfect conversation starter for adults to work with children on ideas like conflict resolution and perspective taking, as well as for older students about borders, misunderstandings or even war. It would be a great opportunity for teachers to support young students in developing critical thinking strategies as well. I would highly recommend this book to teachers and teacher librarians as I could see it being an important part of school and classroom library collections. I would also recommend it to adults working with children who are struggling readers or who want to work on creativity and story telling with their children. By taking the words out of the story, the author is able to make so many potential opportunities for readers and he also gives the chance for young children or struggling readers to see themselves as readers by enjoying a book with no words. I think this book would be great for children in the age 4-10 range with potential application in older grades as well. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this neat book!
Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022 Owl Kids
I Hope/Nipaskoseyimon
by Monique Gray Smith, ills. Gabrielle Grimard, trans. Dolores Greyeyes Sand
This book written by an Indigenous award-winning author, tells the story of the hopes and dreams parents and grandparents have for the children they are raising. Told in alternating English and Plains Cree, the story is also a wonderful way to bridge the two cultures and languages and remind children of the importance of Indigenous language and culture. The sweet message and beautiful words and illustrations make this book the perfect opportunity to bring Indigenous stories into homes and classrooms, even for non-Indigenous readers. I would definitely purchase a copy of this book for my classroom library. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers wanting to diversify their libraries and book collections, especially those working with children in the age 4-9 range.
Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022 Orca Book Publishers
Introducing Sai the Peacock
Estani Frizzell ills: Sophia Frizzell
This picture book tells the story of Sai the Peacock who really wants to be a fabulous singer but is doubted by his mother and other friends. One day he meets a cricket who fully believes in him and encourages him to follow his dreams. When he finally makes it on stage to a sold out audience he sees his mom in the audience, realizing his talent. The book reminds readers of the importance of believing in yourself even if others do not give you the vote of confidence you search for. The phrase BEAK-onfident is used throughout and I love it! I think kids will enjoy this book and the fun story of a peacock, a bird that we do not often hear singing but that has so many other beautiful features. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range.
Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022 Greenleaf Book Group
We Are the Shapes
By: Kevin Jenner
This fun picture book tells about an argument between triangles and squares. The book starts out by outlining all of the characteristics of squares and then triangles including funny labels and pictures, then leads to the disagreements between the two shapes about traffic cones and paper airplanes. But suddenly circle shows up and the shapes ask him to pick a side... but circles don't have sides...This book would be great for teachers introducing a math unit on shapes and it is also a funny book that is sure to become a new favourite in early years classrooms! I would recommend this book to parents of children in the age 4-9 range.
Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022 Quarto/Frances Lincoln/Happy Yak
Agnes and the Sheep
By: Elle Rowley ills: Clare Therese Gray
This hilarious picture book tells the story of Agnes the farm dog and three sheep named Fern, Flax and Baa Baa. Agnes is allowed inside the farm house in the evenings but the sheep must stay in the pasture. One day the sheep notice that there are a lot of plants in the house and much like the age old adage “the grass is always greener on the other side”, the sheep really want to taste the house plants, even though Agnes tells them not to. One day they sneak into the house while the owners are away and get sick eating way too many plants. Agnes takes care of her friends and helps them realize that their pasture has just the plants they need. The final page includes the family just staring at the mess the sheep left, which adds to the hilarity of the book. The font is large and accessible, with just a few lines per page on a light coloured background. The illustrations are beautiful and add to the telling of the story. I would recommend this book to parents of children in the 3-8 age range.
Pub Date: August 16, 2022 DK Children
Good Night Tahoe
By: Kevin Sullivan ills: Michael Furuya
This sweet alphabet picture book tells all about the Tahoe area and the animals within it. Each page is dedicated to a letter from the alphabet and includes (where possible) a location from the area (ex. L is for Lake Tahoe, R is for Reno etc) an animal and an activity that can be done there, each starting with the same letter. So for W there is a weasel waterskiing and so on. It is a fun book that will be interesting, especially to tourists with young children wanting a souvenir to remember the area. It is a great bedtime story and with large text, interesting and funny cartoonish pictures, it will definitely be a hit with young children. I would recommend this book to parents of children in the 3-7 age range.
Pub Date: July 2022 Beary Tahoe/Independent Book Publishers Association
A Better Way to Bell a Cat
By: Bonnie Grubman. Ills: Judi Abbot
This book tells the story of 3 mice that enjoy their lives in a quiet house until one day the owner adopts a cat. The mice are sure they will be homeless until they come up with a plan; they will put a bell on the cat. Their plan is complicated and doesn’t go as planned, but in the end they realize that maybe living with a cat may is not so bad. The illustrations are colourful and detailed and there is about 3-5 lines of text per page. I would definitely recommend this fun story to parents of children in the age 3-7 range. It would be a perfect bedtime story as it is not too rambunctious but entertaining enough for an enjoyable shared reading experience.
Pub Date: August 16, 2022 Clavis Publishing
I hope that my recommendations help you find the perfect new books for your classroom or your children at home! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read and review these fantastic picture books!
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