Baby Dunks-a-Lot
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Jason Tatum and Sam Apple, illus. by Parker-Nia Gordon. Abrams, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-419-77146-0
A tiny tot exhibits slam-dunk prowess in this lean basketball narrative by Tatum and Apple. Taught to shoot hoops in his own backyard, diaper-clad Baby Dunks-a-Lot, portrayed with brown skin, catches the attention of the Ballers, a basketball team in need of dunking talent. As the little one joins up, Gordon’s digital illustrations show the young player misinterpreting basketball lingo (“pick-and-roll” results in nose-picking and floor-rolling), belting “Baby Shark” on the bus, and trying to keep his pacifier in his mouth. As he takes the court in the championship game despite his parents’ late-breaking concern (“We don’t think a baby is ready to be a professional basketball player”), his loved ones rally behind him, celebrating his achievements. It’s a sportsball send-up poised to remind readers of young collaborators’ ample strengths. Secondary characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)
Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story
Traci Sorell, illus. by Joseph Erb. Charlesbridge, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62354-193-4
Teamwork makes the dream work in this stickball-centered picture book from Cherokee creators Sorell and Erb. Haunted by missing the final shot in the previous game, Cherokee player Vann also worries about his speed: “His towering body isn’t fast. Smaller teammates—like Vann’s best friend, Jesse—zip across the field.” In English and Tsalagi, the game progresses as the coach encourages the team to “work together—gadugi—an important Cherokee value.” Onomatopoeic text relays the “CLACK CLACK” of play while subtly outlining the sport, and bold-lined digital illustrations capture the fast-moving match alongside the ample community watching from the sidelines, making for a work that supplies a strong sense of camaraderie and competition—and allows for values to win the day. A Tsalagi glossary and notes about stickball and language conclude. Ages 4–7. (Aug.)
Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion
Lorena Ramírez Belen Medina, illus. by Natalia Rojas Castro. Atheneum, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-6659-3142-7
Medina and Rojas Castro relate the story of Indigenous Mexican ultramarathon runner Lorena Ramírez (b. 1995) in this exuberant picture book, a double debut. “As a proud daughter of the Rarámuri, ‘the light-footed people,’ ” Ramírez regularly runs long distances in huaraches and a homemade skirt. Employing “strength built from herding goats and cows... patience built from walking for hours to buy food,” she exhibits physical stamina that propels her against hundreds of racers in events that crisscross the world. Fluidly rendered digital illustrations showcase stunning desert colors with a bold palette, depicting flora and fauna amid the runners, portrayed with various skin tones. Emphasizing the way “her muscles draw energy from the earth with every footfall,” it’s a narrative that celebrates Ramírez’s determination, legacy, and grit. A biographical note and sources conclude. Ages 4–8. (June)
Cesaria Feels the Beat
Denise Rosario Adusei, illus. by Priscila Soares. Roaring Brook, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-2508-2496-7
A Deaf child performer self-advocates in this triumphant Carnival-set work from Rosario Adusei and Soares. Practicing en route to joining her dance team for the Carnival celebration, young performer Cesaria “twirls barefoot on the grass, sand, and dirt.” Upon arrival, she dresses in her peacock costume, sans shoes—all the better to feel the music’s beat. Lip-reading the show director’s request that she don the costume’s footwear, Cesaria signs back, “No shoes... peacocks don’t wear shoes.” But she’s required to put on shoes to perform, and Cesaria acquiesces to support her team, even though “there’s no tempo to tickle her toes.” As the performance begins, though, she makes a choice that feels right—and quite literally kicks off a cascading effect. Paper, pencil, and digital illustrations employ saturated jewel tones to convey Carnival’s hues as well as Cesaria’s moves. Characters are portrayed with brown skin. Creators’ notes detail the author’s and illustrator’s connections to the subject matter. Ages 3–6. (June)
They Call Me Teach: Lessons in Freedom
Lesa Cline-Ransome, illus. by James E. Ransome. Candlewick, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-763-68155-5
Secretly nicknamed Teach by the community in which he resides, the enslaved protagonist of this historically steeped picture book “learnt reading and writing/ comin’ up ’longside Master’s son Thomas.” Though literacy is illegal for enslaved people, Teach, clerking at his enslaver’s store, nevertheless knows “numbers and letters near as good as any man,” and he uses that knowledge to fulfill his late mother’s wish: “Use that learnin’ and make somethin’ of yourself.” Immediate, day-by-day narration and loose watercolor spreads from the married collaborators Ransome (Fighting with Love) give shape to Teach’s efforts “to do just that.” On Monday, in a corner of the stable, he whispers alphabet lessons to small children. Tuesday involves reading “the words Missus throws away,” and Wednesday sees him teaching a group of men to read late at night (“In the dirt I write out letters”). On Thursday and Friday, Teach is caught reading the enslaver’s newspaper and determines not to be caught, even as he writes a young woman a receipt for freedom on Saturday. And on Sunday, Teach amplifies a resonant biblical message: “Let My People Go.” Amid a potent reminder of the realities of chattel slavery, the creators deliver a powerful ode to the courage of teachers offering unfiltered truth. An author’s note and recommended reading conclude. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic
Candace Fleming, illus. by Deena So’oteh. Random House/Schwartz, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-593-37778-9
In prose both graceful and suspenseful, Fleming (Mine!) introduces the “shy,/ swift/ small (for a whale)” narwhal, weaving scientific observation into gripping storytelling. Icy landscapes and naturalistic, watery blue aquatic scenes of whales and other marine life by So’oteh, making her picture book debut, add to the drama. Opening with a description of the mammal’s most distinctive feature—“a single/ twisting/ rod of ivory/ that sprouts from your upper left jaw”—lines describe the way male narwhals use their tusks for combat. Subsequent pages trace the rhythms of narwhal life, first in the winter as they dive for fish and surface to breathe, and next as summer migration to warmer southern seas draws hundreds, some with newborn calves. Returning north, a sudden freeze threatens the pod, whose members cannot breathe beneath the ice. And when they create a small hole to surface, they’re exposed to predators (“You are discovered!”), a moment captured from the narwhal’s underwater view as a polar bear puts an enormous paw into the breathing hole. Together, art and text make this species biography not merely a lesson but an adventure, too. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)
Weirdo
Tony Weaver Jr., illus. by Jes and Cin Wibowo. First Second, $22.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-77286-2; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-2507-7287-9
A Black 11-year-old faces a gauntlet of obstacles in debut author Weaver’s uplifting graphic novel memoir, which examines issues surrounding the pressures of fitting in, mental health, and suicide. Tony Weaver Jr. has “been the new kid so many times it doesn’t feel new anymore,” a fact that buoys him as he starts at yet another new school. But he’s bullied by other students for bringing toys to class and by Black peers for his demeanor (“You think he asked to get put in the Oreo section?”). Everything is made worse by his grief over his late grandmother. Shifting color palettes convey the effects of these experiences—richly colored drawings by the Wibowos (Lunar Boy), embellished with superhero comic emanata, fade to b&w as Weaver’s loneliness deepens. Illustrations eventually move back to vibrant hues as Weaver begins to heal following a suicide attempt, an event that leads his parents to send him to a psychologist and another new, predominantly Black school, where he befriends like-minded “weirdos.” It all culminates in a touching story of belonging, in which Weaver realistically depicts the many small steps required to becoming one’s own hero. Ages 10–14. (Sept.)
Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back
Ruth Chan. Roaring Brook, $22.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-250-85533-6; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-85534-3
In this earnest 1993-set graphic novel memoir, Chan (Hard-Boiled Eggs for Breakfast) chronicles her experience replanting her roots when her family moves from Toronto to Hong Kong. After her father gets a new job, Chinese Canadian 13-year-old Ruth Chan must leave behind everything she loves in Toronto—including friends, ketchup-flavored chips, and her brother, who’s attending boarding school—for Hong Kong. Though her immigrant parents are excited for the move, Hong Kong is all too unfamiliar to Chan; the buildings are taller, school is more difficult, and her Cantonese is not yet good enough to help her connect with her peers. The creator details these mounting difficulties in nuanced character interactions: her Hong Kong family chastises her American behaviors, as when she serves herself first during a family dinner (“We need to invite the elders to eat before anyone starts”). Even as she navigates intense loneliness surrounding her parents’ constant comings-and-goings, expressive cartooning rendered in pastel tones across simply plotted panels depicts nightly talks with her father that help encourage tween Chan to persevere. A beginning address discusses the use of Chinese characters in dialogue, and an author’s note concludes. Ages 8–12. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)
Immortal Dark (Immortal Dark #1)
Tigest Girma. Little, Brown, $19.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-316-58144-8
Eighteen-year-old twins Kidan and June Adane, who are of Ethiopian heritage, have always known that there is danger lurking in the dark. Dranaics, or vampires, worldwide have been magically constrained to feed only from members of particular families. These families also hold immense influence over society and their vampiric counterparts. As descendants of these infamous bloodlines, the twins have been raised away from vampire society. But when June goes missing, Kidan needs whatever power she can garner to find her. Using cruel means, Kidan learns the name of June’s kidnapper: Susenyos Sagad, a Black dranaic and the only one still tethered to House Adane. To keep Susenyos from usurping her family’s power, Kidan enrolls in the elite school he attends: Uxlay University. There she searches for her sister and finds herself inexplicably drawn to Susenyos, the society that offers her tremendous strength, and the violence she believes to reside within her. Debut author Girma reels readers in with a promise of dark and dangerous romances, then ensnares them with fully fleshed-out morally gray characters and the uniquely rendered lore and politics of the trilogy opener’s vampiric world. Ages 14–up. Agent: Paige Terlip, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)
Gita Desai Is Not Here to Shut Up
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Sonia Patel. Dial, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-5934-6318-5
Informed by personal experience, as addressed in an endnote, this searing 1992-set novel by Patel (Bloody Seoul) explores the ways that prolonged abuse can shape behavior. Though her Gujarati-Indian immigrant parents would rather she get married than attend university, premed student Gita Desai is excited to start her freshman year at Stanford, where she plans to keep her head down and her grades up. But Gita doesn’t expect to befriend and attend frat parties with her across-the-hall neighbor Jane or beautiful model Marisol. Yet even as she immerses herself in college life, she’s distracted by memories of her and her beloved auntie, and of the man who abused them both. Gita’s family has always said “chup-re” (Gujarati for “be quiet”) when she tried to talk about difficult topics; now, she lacks the tools to make sense of her desires and struggles to speak up for herself in intimate situations. While Gita’s journey toward finding her own voice is plagued by male characters who—both intentionally and unconsciously—cause her physical and mental harm, bright spots in the form of her kindhearted older brother and supportive gay peer help to carry the burden. Ages 14–up. Agent: Victoria Wells Arms, HG Literary. (Sept.)
