Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a YA poetry collection about New York City teens during the height of COVID, a picture book about parental affection, a picture book ode to bookstores, an intergenerational story about passing on wisdom, and more.
A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe by Mahogany L. Browne. Crown, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-48647-4. Poet Browne delivers a mournful remembrance of those who died during the pandemic in this love letter to New York City and its resilient teen population as they adjust to a changed world. The YA poetry collection received a starred review from PW.
Can’t Stop Kissing That Baby by K.L. Going, illus. by Fiona Lee. Beach Lane, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-4424-3416-5. Going and Lee spotlight mother-child bonds in this snuggle-inducing story.
Dear Bookstore by Emily Arrow, illus. by Geneviève Godbout. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1069-9. This unabashed ode to independent bookstores traces the crucial role they play.
Every Peach Is a Story by David Mas Masumoto and Nikiko Masumoto, illus. by Lauren Tamaki. Abrams, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-9494-8029-0. Three generations of a Japanese American family pass down embodied wisdom in this tender seasonal tale authored by a father-daughter team. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Faith Takes the Train by Kesi Augustine, illus. by Mokshini. HarperCollins, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-325134-2. When Faith receives a sandwich from her mother while on the train, she takes the opportunity to help someone else. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Glitch Girl! by Rainie Oet. Kokila, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-69651-4. A nonbinary trans girl numbs peer and parental rejection by obsessively playing a video game in this melancholy verse novel.
The Griffin’s Boy by Sarah L. Thomson, illus. by Anna Aparicio Català. Peachtree, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-68263-766-1. Princess Alyssandra of Aralorn, newcomer griffin Tam, and stowaway Devin learn that someone’s stealing creatures from the menagerie and must pursue justice themselves when the king doesn’t believe them.
Home by Matt de la Peña, illus. by Loren Long. Putnam, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-11089-8. The creators of Love tell a moving story about cultivating home in different places—one that leans into themes of healing, resilience, and finding center. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
How Elegant the Elephant: Poems About Animals and Insects by Mary Ann Hoberman, illus. by Marla Frazee. Little, Brown, $20.99; ISBN 978-0-316-41712-9. This collection of poems highlights varying animals and their experience of the natural world.
The Lonely Goose by Lela Nargi, illus. by Anne Hunter. Random House Studio, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-64755-4. This sensitive wildlife portrait is, on one level, a depiction of the strong lifelong bonds formed by Canada geese; on another, it’s a full-on love story.
Moving Day by Teri Roche Drobnick, illus. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt. Holiday House/Ferguson, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5259-0. This sprightly story by debut author Drobnick does dual duty, offering a new angle on feelings about moving from the perspective of the house, while exploring a striking feat of engineering.
Mural Island by Katie Yamasaki. Norton, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-324-05392-7. Kengi, who loves to create art sometimes in inconvenient places, discovers Mural Island—where the walls are just for painting.
Party Animals by Tara Lazar, illus. by Anna Raff. Disney Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-3680-9689-8. The Party Animals—purple elephant Beatrix, blue dog-like Phoebe, and orange cat Theodore—manage to “make parties out of anything,” despite many mishaps.
A Study in Secrets by Debbi Michiko Florence. Aladdin, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-5047-3. Japanese American seventh grader Megumi Mizuno enrolls in Last Chance Academy, where she has to enlist the help of her fellow troublemaker classmates to participate in an illicit treasure hunt. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-25032-280-7. Mina Strauss, bell keeper of the sentient city of Vaiwyn, does all she can to prevent the bell from ringing and reawakening a slumbering evil.
The Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel by Ursula K. LeGuin, illus. by Fred Fordham. Clarion, $26.99; ISBN 978-0-06-328576-7. This graphic novel adaptation of the fantasy by late author LeGuin follows Ged, whose recklessness as a youth comes back to haunt him when he must tame a dragon and travel into death’s territory to save the world.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of March, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
