©Keisha Morris
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Same Love, Different Hug
Illustrated by Abbey Bryant
Available: June 2023
A sensitive and honest picture book that celebrates the different ways in which we can show each other affection.
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We like hugs big or small,
squeeze-me-tight or feathery light.
Bear hugs, morning hugs, jump hugs, too.
Quiet, loud; they all feel right.
But . . .
What do others like?
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Some people love a big, strong hug. Others like a gentle hug. Some don’t like to hug at all—they like to shake hands instead. Same Love, Different Hug is a gentle picture book that looks at how different people connect and navigate boundaries, modeling social-emotional skills for the youngest among us.
Unicycle Dad
Illustrated by Alicia Schwab
Available: March 12, 2024
Sarah knows her unicycle-riding dad is special--even as Sarah cooks, takes care of her brother, and does homework on her own. When her dad finally graduates from high school, gets a second job, and eventually lands a promotion, Sarah realizes there's so much more that's special about him. Unicycle Dad shares the inherent struggles and quiet joys of a single-parent, impoverished household. Raised by a single, teenage father in poverty, author Sarah Hovorka grew up in a family structure lived by many but seldom represented in children's books. Illustrator Alicia Schwab captures the story with warm, expressive art.
Camouflage Mom
Illustrated by Elif Balta
Available: July 1, 2024
Sarah is happy to finally see her mom after two months of boot camp but she feels a distance between them that’s more than the physical space that separates them. Is that her mom who stares straight ahead in a line of soldiers when Sarah calls out for her? Is that her mom who stomp stomp stomps in big, heavy boots and hides in camouflage clothing? Using the analogy of links in a chain, Camouflage Mom is the story about how Sarah reconnected with her mom after her mom joined the military.
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Abuela's Library
Illustrated by Jayri Gomez
Available: June 11, 2024
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Alfonso and Abuela love to spend Saturday afternoons finding books at the library and reading them together beneath their favorite oak tree. But when their beloved tree is cut down, can Alfonso transform the stump into something magical for their whole community—their very own neighborhood library? This uplifting story from award-winning poet Lissette Norman and illustrator Jayri Gómez shows us how to turn an unexpected setback into a happy ending: one with a beautiful sky-blue door and shelves filled with books for everyone to enjoy.
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Only for a Little While / Por un Ratito
Illustrated by Richy Sánchez Ayala
Translated by Alejandra Oliva
Available: June 27, 2023
Only For a Little While, a bilingual picture book in which Maribel and her family must move in with her aunt and cousins, por un ratito—for a little while—and observe and appreciate all the differences that come with living in a new place. A heartwarming story about family and change–and how love is always the constant.
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Indiebound
The Wishing Flower
By A.J. Irving
Illustrated by Kip Alizadeh
Available: May 30, 2023
An LGBTQ-inclusive story about understanding your peers, your feelings, and yourself, The Wishing Flower is a love letter to longing, belonging, and longing to belong.
Birdie finds comfort in nature and books, but more than anything she longs for connection, to be understood. At school, Birdie feels like an outsider. Quiet and shy, she prefers to read by herself, rather than jump rope or swing with the other kids. That all changes when Sunny, the new girl, comes along. Like Birdie, Sunny has a nature name. She also likes to read, and loves to rescue bugs. And when Sunny smiles at her, Birdie’s heart balloons like a parachute.
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From the acclaimed author of Dance Like a Leaf, with stunning illustrations by Kip Alizadeh, this book will inspire readers to honor their wishes and show the world their truest selves.
My Love For You
Illustrated by Sheryl Murray
Available: May 2, 2023
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A sandcastle falls with a wave, a seagull swoops down for a precious snack, a looming thunderstorm means beach time is over, and summer draws to a close. This lyrical board book reassures a child that although most things change or come to an end, a parent’s love endures.
Animals in Pants
Illustrated by Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell
Available: April 11, 2023
An irreverently illustrated picture book of simple and silly poems featuring all kinds of animals wearing all kinds of pants.
What? You’ve never seen animals in pants? A dog in yoga pants, a goat in overalls, a yak in slacks? Animals in Pants presents a parade of impeccable poems about animals wearing perfectly pressed pants.
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Patterns Everywhere
Available: April 4, 2023
Step outside. Let's find designs—
branching, cracking, spirals, lines.
Search the earth, the seas, the air.
Patterns, patterns everywhere.
Look around and discover patterns in the natural world! You might see them in leaf veins, in coral reefs, in sand dunes, and in many other places. Rhyming verse is accompanied by stunning photographs and brief sidebars that explain how these different patterns form.
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OUR WORLD: Brazil
By Ana Siqueira
Illustrated by Ana Matsusaki
Available: April 2023​
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Let's spend a day in Brazil! Ride the ônibus to the beach, drink sugar cane juice at the feira and play capoeira. Brazilian author Ana Siquiera and illustrator Magda Azab draw on their personal experiences living in Brazil to create this appealing board book as part of the Our World Series for very young readers.
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Browseabout Books
The Planet We Call Home
By Aimee Isaac
Illustrated by Jaime Kim
Available: March 21, 2023
A lyrical and loving ode to Planet Earth and the ways in which its many features are interconnected--to each other and to us! The perfect read-aloud for the environmentally conscious child, The Planet We Call Home will call kids to action to take care of the planet that takes care of them!
The planet we call home has mountains that stretch from the earth, and those mountains have streams that swell in the sun, and those streams lead to rivers that meander by towns, and on and on—all interconnected and all dependent on one another. And throughout it all is us, the people who call this planet home, and who care for its many wonders and help keep it beautiful and vibrant for generations to come.
The Planet We Call Home is a perfect read for budding environmentalists—and for anyone who loves the planet we all call home.
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Just a Worm
Written and illustrated by Marie Boyd
Available: March 14, 2023
After being called “just a worm” by two children, Worm embarks on a journey around the garden to prove them wrong. Debut author-illustrator Marie Boyd seamlessly incorporates concepts of nature, natural selection, habitats, and interdependence in this picture book beautifully illustrated with a cut-paper technique called quilling.
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Worm isn’t “just a worm,” no matter what anyone says. Worm is special! Right? Worm sets out across the garden to prove it, interviewing one garden inhabitant after another. Butterfly seems to have all kinds of important qualities—as do Snail, Dragonfly, Ladybug, and Spider. But what can Worm do? What makes Worm special? Maybe Worm is just a worm after all . . . and what’s so bad about that!
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This STEAM-themed picture book explores the many wonderful and unique ways in which Worm and friends contribute to the garden and work together to make it grow. Just a Worm celebrates everyone’s individuality and highlights the importance of interdependence—how it’s necessary for a stable, collaborative, and healthy environment. Using the ancient craft of quilling, Marie Boyd meticulously created each illustration out of strips of colored paper that she shaped, layered, and glued to produce a lush three-dimensional world.
Just a Worm is a great read-aloud for family sharing and is a terrific choice for classrooms where the concepts of nature and the natural world are introduced, as well as for teaching social skills such as collaboration and empathy.
Includes a quilling craft for young readers, facts about earthworms, a glossary, and a special message to readers from Worm.
Boitata: The Fire Snake
By Ana Siqueira
Illustrated by Fabiana Faiallo
Available: January 1, 2023
When the weather changes suddenly, the animals in a jungle find shelter in the mountains. When they return to the forest, one snake has changed forever. And it's good thing he does. With engaging text and easy-to-follow panels, Discover Graphics: Global Folktales are perfect for graphic novel fans new and old.
Abuela's Super Capa / La Supercapa de Abuela
By Ana Siqueira
Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri
Available: January 17, 2023
A heartwarming bilingual picture book about a young boy who learns to accept that Abuela needs to retire her super capa.
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Saturdays are superhero days. Equipped with their milkshakes and capas, Luis and his abuela can turn anything into an adventure.
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But when Abuela gets sick, Luis has to learn a new way to be a hero. With some help from his sister, Luis learns that change isn’t all that bad and there are many new adventures to have, even if they look a little different.
Perfect for families experiencing sickness and loss, this engaging multigenerational story will help young children find the language to express their feelings and adjust to change.
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Linden Tree Books
The Boo Crew Needs You!
By Vicky Fang
Illustrated by Soairse Lou
Available: August 1, 2023
Trouble's come to Monster Town, and emergencies abound!
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There's no time to wait around... get the Boo Crew!
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Get ready for a spooky interactive story experience with Lula, Bones, and Fang―a ghost, skeleton, and vampire team who need YOUR help fixing all the messes and frights of a Halloween night gone wrong! Whether it's tapping the page to mend a broken pumpkin or turning the book to set a toppling haunted house back upright, the action prompts let kids join in on the fun and save the day.
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How to Eat in Space
By Helen Taylor
Illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Available: October 31, 2023
A kid-friendly, accessible, and humorous picture book about the sometimes complicated task of eating while in outer space—spoiler: it's not as simple as it seems!
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Without a kitchen, plates, or cups, eating in space isn’t easy. When food floats (and so do you), remember:
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1. Be patient: Preparing a meal without gravity’s help takes time.
2. Avoid crumbs: They get everywhere!
3. Clean up after yourself: Today’s stray snack could become tomorrow’s smelly surprise.
Once you learn the dos and don’ts, you’ll be eating like an astronaut in no time!
AlphaBot
Written and illustrated by Vicky Fang
Available: September 12, 2023
Even the youngest robotocists will love flipping the flaps to create their own robot—while exploring a simple A to Z roundup of robotics terms.
Found your circuit-board head? Your voice-control torso? Your hydrojet feet? Hooray! You’ve made one of the 729 mix-and-match robots that are possible with this innovative flip-flap book. Alongside the bright and cheery illustrations of robot parts is a basic alphabetical listing of terms—from android to gears, neural network to program, wheels to Z-drive—and a basic definition of each. Printed on sturdy card stock to hold up to enthusiastic flap-turning, AlphaBot is full of appeal for young robot lovers, preschoolers who love machines, and anyone looking for STEM books for the younger set. Back matter includes a brief explanation of the three key abilities of robots: to sense, think, and act.
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Linden Tree Books
A Pie for Us!: An Acorn Book (Best Buddies #1)
By Vicky Fang
Illustrated by Luisa Leal
Available: October 17, 2023
Best friends Sniff and Scratch NEED to reach a yummy-smelling pie, in this laugh-out-loud, full-color book perfect for beginning readers!
Sniff is a dog. Scratch is a cat. And they’re best friends… most of the time! In these three hilarious short stories, Sniff and Scratch find creative ways to reach a pie on the kitchen counter, Sniff panics when Scratch gets stuck in a box, and they meet a strange new dog and cat just like them.
These silly, pet-themed stories feature color-coded speech bubbles and easy-to-read text throughout, making this book a perfect choice for new readers!
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Linden Tree Books
Pre-order @
Linden Tree Books
Save the Duck!: An Acorn Book (Best Buddies #2)
by Vicky Fang
illustrated by Luisa Leal
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Available: December 5, 2023
Sniff and Scratch work together to rescue a well-loved stuffed animal, in this laugh-out-loud, full-color book perfect for beginning readers!
Best friends Sniff and Scratch love to play together! Across three giggle-inducing short stories, Sniff and Scratch have fun with toilet paper, they enjoy chasing each other’s tails, and they snuggle with Sniff’s stuffed duck.
These laugh-out-loud, pet-themed stories — with color-coded speech bubbles, and easy-to-read text throughout — are perfect for new readers!