From Simon & Schuster
Alone
By Megan E. Freeman
January 12, 2021
Simon & Schuster
When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.
With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.
As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?
Megan E. Freeman’s Alone is a thoroughly engrossing and unputdownable middle-grade read. Freeman’s storytelling in verse is both impressive and super effective in creating a fast-paced, captivatingly intense, and cleverly crafted story. Heartbreaking and joyous, full of thrills and triumphs, readers will not be able to look away from Maddie’s harrowing and engaging tale!
Curls
By Ruth Forman
Illustrated by Geneva Bowers
December 20, 2020
Little Simon
A joyfully poetic board book that delivers an ode to African American girls and the beauty of their curls.
Me
Morning
Mirror Smile
Shine big
hair love
This simple, playful, and beautiful board book stars four friends who celebrate the joy of their hairstyles from bouncing curls to swinging braids.
Ruth Forman’s board book, Curls, is a charming and sunshiney celebration of African American girls and their beautiful hair. Forman’s sparse, yet infectiously joyful rhymes and illustrator Geneva Bowers’ happy, colorful illustrations come together to offer readers an utterly adorable and heartfelt jubilation.
From Random House
C is for Country
By Lil Nas X
Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III
January 5, 2021
Random House
Parents who play Grammy winner Lil Nas X’s 12-times platinum single Old Town Road on repeat will want to take their kids and ride on over to this ABC picture book from the music mega-star!
A is for adventure. Every day is a brand-new start!
B is for boots—whether they’re big or small, short or tall.
And C is for country.
Join superstar Lil Nas X—who boasts the longest-running #1 song in history—and Panini the pony on a joyous journey through the alphabet from sunup to sundown. Experience wide-open pastures, farm animals, guitar music, cowboy hats, and all things country in this debut picture book that’s perfect for music lovers learning their ABCs and for anyone who loves Nas’s signature genre-blending style.
Featuring bold, bright art from Theodore Taylor III, with plenty of hidden surprises for Nas’s biggest fans, C Is for Country is a celebration of song and the power inside us all.
Lil Nas X brings his fantastic flair to the world of ABC books with the joyous and dazzling C is for Country. Along with Taylor’s bright, fun illustrations, Lil Nas X’s charming rhymes, celebration of all things country, and sweet message about embracing your true self will delight little readers!
From Bloomsbury
By Andy Harkness
February 2, 2021
Bloomsbury
This dynamic picture book from an award-winning art director shows how feeling hangry can turn even the sweetest kid into a Wolfboy!
Wolfboy is hungry!
He’s drooly and growly and fussy!
As he stomps through the forest looking for rabbits, he grows hungrier and growlier by the minute! What will happen if Wolfboy can’t find those rabbits? And what will happen if he does?
With bold illustrations and energetic storytelling, Wolfboy perfectly captures the big feelings that come with being very hungry! Engaging for young readers and parents, this funny and fresh picture book is perfect for fans of Grumpy Monkey and The Bad Seed and will be an instant favorite.
Andy Harkness’ Wolfboy is a laugh-out-loud, clever, and energetic picture book that perfectly captures the pangs of being hangry. Little readers will be delighted by Wolfboy’s silly antics and love the fun, surprising ending.
From Candlewick
Wakey Birds
By Maddie Frost
January 12, 2021
Templar Books
A richly hued and hilarious story for all little Wakey Birds who can’t (or won’t) go to sleep.
The jungle is a fascinating place full of strange and wonderful creatures, but the most interesting creature of all is the Wakey Bird. They are called Wakey Birds because they have trouble sleeping, and tonight the littlest Wakey Bird is finding it harder than ever. Neither the Soothing Shushers nor the Go-To-Sleep Leapers can lull this little bird to sleep. What will happen if she wakes up the Jungle Beast with her midnight cheeping?
Maddie Frost’s Wakey Birds is a sweet and silly picture book full of laugh-out-loud antics, imaginative fun, and boldly colorful and engaging illustrations. A perfect bedtime read aloud to help all the little wakey birds fall asleep.
By JonArno Lawson
Illustrated by Qin Leng
January 5, 2021
Candlewick
In a beautifully detailed wordless picture book, a tumbledown building becomes home sweet home for a found family.
A lonely little girl and her grandparent need to fill the run-down apartment in their building. But taking over the quarters above their store will mean major renovations for the new occupants, and none of the potential renters can envision the possibilities of the space—until one special couple shows up. With their ingenuity, the little girl’s big heart, and heaps of hard work, the desperate fixer-upper begins to change in lovely and surprising ways. In this bustling wordless picture book, JonArno Lawson’s touching story and Qin Leng’s gentle illustrations capture all angles of the building’s transformation, as well as the evolving perspectives of the girl and her grandparent. A warm and subtly nuanced tale, Over the Shop throws open the doors to what it means to accept people for who they are and to fill your home with love and joy.
Author JonArno Lawson and illustrated Qin Leng have crafted a beautiful wordless picture book so full of joy, hope, love, and surprises. Little readers will have so much fun exploring each detail filled page and coming up with their own wonderful stories.
The Boy Who Loved Everyone
By Jane Porter
Illustrated by Maisie Paradaisie Paradise Shearring
January 4, 2021
Candlewick
On his first day of preschool, Dimitri’s vocal affection for everything is met with wary reactions—until his guileless words begin to take root and grow.
Dimitri may be small, but his heart is as big and as open as a cloudless blue sky. “I love you,” Dimitri tells his new classmates at preschool. “I love you,” Dimitri tells the class guinea pig and the ants on the ground. “I love you,” Dimitri tells the paintbrushes and the tree with heart-shaped leaves. So why doesn’t anyone say “I love you” back? Could love also be expressed in unspoken ways? In a familiar story of navigating the social cues of new friendship, author Jane Porter and illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring offer a thoughtful tribute to the tender ones—those who spread kindness simply by being, and who love without bounds.
The Boy Who Loved Everyone is a heartfelt, sweet picture book that beautifully captures the warm and fuzzies of love, friendship, family, and kindness. Little readers will love the tender, moving story and brightly colored pictures.
By Sophie Ambrose
January 12, 2021
Candlewick
All the animals know it's time to go to sleep--except Albie! A bedtime story for everyone who wants to stay up and play.
"Bedtime? Not now!
It's time for rolling and jumping,
sniffling and snuffling. Not bedtime!"
The sun is sinking low over the savanna, and all the animals are getting ready to go to sleep. But when Albie the warthog's mother calls him to bed, Albie dashes off to play instead. Will the cheetahs run a race with him? Not now--they're getting a bedtime story. Will the elephants play Splish and Splash? Not now--they're having their bedtime shower. Will the meerkats see who can dig the deepest hole? Not now, Albie! They're very sleepy. Albie can't find anyone to play with, and it's getting darker by the minute. Luckily, his mother might just have the most fun idea of all--a squishy mud bath before bed! Spirited illustrations and a relatable main character will make this story a fun addition to young readers' own bedtime routines.
Readers will fall absolutely in love with the rambunctious and endearing Albie! Sophie Ambrose’s sweet, fun bedtime tale, full of cute animal characters and soft, pretty illustrations, is sure to be a hit!
By Jane Porter
Illustrated by Maddie Frost
January 12, 2021
Candlewick
Do you have what it takes to be an owl? Find out in this funny, fact-filled picture book.
Welcome to Owl School! Professor Olaf Owl is here to tell you everything you need to know about being an owl, from hunting to camouflage to seeing in the dark. Study hard, and soon you'll be a first-rate member of Team Owl! This engaging nonfiction picture book is full of vibrant, humorous illustrations and owl lessons that will have readers eagerly practicing their hoots, toe swivels, and alertness (even if they can't grow feathers).
Jane Porter’s So You Want To Be an Owl teaches little readers all the most important things they need to know about being an owl. Factual, funny, and fantastically illustrated, this informative picture book will engage and entertain!
**I received copies of the titles above for review/feature purposes. All thoughts, opinions, and reviews are my own.