“Connection is really the thing that we’re leaning into with this batch of picture books,” says Mary Kate Castellani, publishing director at Bloomsbury Children’s Books. “Connection to the past, connection across cultures, and that deep human connection.” Read on to see how the connection theme runs through other publishers’ new picture books, too.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Punycorn and the Princess of Thieves from Clarion Books and Quinnelope and the Unicorn Untopia from Oni Press.
Author Kristin Nilsen joins us to talk about her new book, THE SCOTT FENWICK DIARIES.
From censorship news and picks in Spanish-language middle grade/YA to straight talk on book banning, our most viewed stories of the week.
We finally do one of my most reliable storytime readalouds. Where would I be without Duck, his antics, and the array of animal sounds this book lets you indulge in?
A special LIVE episode with all the 2025 Newbery winners!
A middle-aged detective pairs up with a teenage apprentice in this screwball manga.
This is, truly, essential reading.
Contributor Riley Jensen gives steps on how to make a beaded fish keychain.
A strong purchase for libraries.
An intensely emotional read. Highly recommended for high school collections.
Not essential but a fun addition to the YA romance genre.
An excellent read for those who love to love or simply love their fandoms.
A solid purchase for collections needing the specific topic rather than for general nonfiction interest reading.
A solid addition for libraries looking to expand their collection of American history titles with honest, well-written accounts of its darker moments.
A solid choice for any library serving science-minded kids or updating its nonfiction collection.
A great entry in a series for football fans who enjoy a longer, more in-depth nonfiction read.
Recommended only where there is a specific need.
A slam dunk for any sports collection
A high-interest mystery with broad appeal for existing Korman fans; an easy addition to shelves where his titles are popular.
Those interested in the history of the Dust Bowl and tales of resilience will enjoy diving into this novel exploring a difficult and harrowing historical period.
Why should Christmas in July get all the summer holiday glory? This list of Halloween board books and picture books is perfect for those who want to get into the spooky spirit despite the summer heat.
A fun fairy-tale mash-up with dark undertones, the story will resonate with many tweens navigating school and friend woes.
This utopia [New Gault], with its free meals for students, name tags, and continuous positivity, along with the ways Lu and Sebas work to provide space for each other, makes for such a tender story.
A Christmas must-purchase for this creator’s many fans.
The skills of these creators and the clean simplicity of the book are reasons to purchase for collections, despite one potentially off-putting page.
Great for a story time and nature craft combo, as well as a cute Christmas addition to library collections.
Thin on character development, long on plot, and teeming with superficial Christmas cheer. An additional purchase where transitional holiday chapter books may be of interest.
A thorough and accessible explanation of the history, meaning, and celebration of Kwanzaa.
Readers will relate to this flawd but highly readable tale about adapting to a change in plans.
Engaging and informative, these compassionate poems will resonate with readers, and together with the exquisitely crafted illustrations, will bring the important story of Harriet Tubman to life. Highly recommended for all school and public libraries.
I hope you friendly readers find some good things to add to your TBR lists or your library and classroom collections!
"He is everything in the shape of fun!" High praise for one of our first children's book creators. We discuss Edward Lear, and how he encouraged us to play. NOT to conform.
The author/illustrator's work shines a light on Latinx icons who haven't always appeared in our history books. Here we celebrate Menénedez's illustrations in the Spanish and English editions of the excellent poetry collection Hopeful Heroes by Margarita Engle.
Arkansas library media specialist Chelsey Smith has kids combine food truck fun with their favorite books, resulting in projects like a Captain Underpants-themed truck with "Tighty-Whitey Tacos" on the menu.
"He is everything in the shape of fun!" High praise for one of our first children's book creators. We discuss Edward Lear, and how he encouraged us to play. NOT to conform.
The Extraordinary Visions is a steampunk adventure series inspired by the imaginings of Jules Verne.
Authors Chris Baron, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Shana Youngdahl, and Caroline Starr Rose talk about community, hope, courage, and wildfires.
This month, a poetry collection by Margarita Engle, a new middle grade novel from Dan Gemeinhart, and a nonfiction title about the Erie Canal stand out, along with other great books.
With every book, Jashar Awan comes a little closer to establishing himself as the chronicler extraordinaire of what most people see as childhood's mundane moments, and it's magic.
Bestselling author Rory Power’s new YA novel Kill Creatures is a tour de force of teenage friendship, crushes, and revenge. Here, she discusses it with SLJ.
The big guys may have all the money, but they sure as heck don't have books like these.
Quinnelope and her pals set out to prove that unicorns are real in the third volume of this colorful middle-grade series.
A large percent of our disabled population is getting subpar care and the only way we’re ever truly going to see change is by speaking about and voting for health equity.
Finding Spanish-language books for older readers continues to be a challenge, but we’ve curated this list that includes translations of Jason Reynolds and Raina Telgemeier’s popular titles and a Spanish-original YA about an undocumented teen.
Proof positive that sometimes the best books for kids come from the unlikeliest of sources about the unlikeliest of people.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring What Was Built to be a Ship of Dreams: The Titanic from Penguin Young Readers Group and Jazzy the Witch: Broom Doom from Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
The authors of The Unraveling: The Counsel of Crows join us talk about their book.
Learn how author Hà Dinh's own experiences shaped Ly-Lan and the New Class Mix-Up, a chapter book that beautifully explores diversity, empathy, and the importance of welcoming new friends with open hearts.
In tackling our first Patricia McKissack title we consider how well this introduces segregation for kids (and whether or not Tricia Ann makes it home again!).
Regardless of what words are used to describe literature that embraces white and BIPOC lives as well as those who have disabilities or are LGBTQIA+, regardless the words that are banned to describe these marginalizations, people who are really doing the work and not just following a trend, will continue to find ways to get it done.
Teen Librarian Karen Jensen discusses the ways in which today's world is pushing teens to the margins, and to the brink
Readers clap back on censorship and more.
The Riverdale pals hit the amusement park and get pranked by ghosts in our exclusive preview of Betty & Veronica: Summer Fun in the Sun.
Contributor Riley Jensen shares show books and shows that have a similar vibe to the new Netflix movie K-Pop Demon Hunters.
A sweet addition to winter board book collections. Children will love the cutouts with beautifully drawn illustrations peeking through, and caregivers will love another opportunity to cuddle with their little ones.
For slightly older board book readers, a great addition to Christmas collections.
Not for the faint of heart, but fans of gory survival fiction will love this one.
This tale of creepy disappearances in the last days of a despotic regime combines the elemental terror of a fairy tale with historical fact.
For fans of ghost stories that deliver on shivers but don’t overdo it on the scares.
Brimming with adventures, daring missions, and fierce friendships, this fast-paced story will keep fans of Stephen Gibbs’s Spy School and other spy thrillers gripped and hungry for the next installment.
A heartfelt and empowering coming-of-age story that will resonate with tweens navigating identity, ambition, and digital spaces.
A historical fiction novel that deftly tackles faith, family relationships, and daily life among social upheaval. Recommended for fiction collections.
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