Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about a bumbling teacher, a middle grade graphic novel about a sheepish fox, and a YA novel about a daughter and mother struggling with homelessness.
A Place to Read by Leigh Hodgkinson. Bloomsbury, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-68119-323-6. The young narrator of Hodgkinson’s (The Big Monster Snorey Book) picture book ode to reading is eager to dive into his book, but finding the perfect spot to enjoy it is no easy task. As he moves from one unusual location to the next, punchy rhymes and mixed-media collages reflect his pickiness and dissatisfaction.
Wet by Carey Sookocheff. Holt, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-62779-775-7. The narrator of this quiet picture book demonstrates how he comes to know the world through his senses.
Two Roads from Here by Teddy Steinkellner. Simon & Schuster, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-3061-6. In a novel addressing the age-old question of fate vs. free will, Steinkellner (Trash Can Days) places five teens at crossroads.
The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner, trans. from the French by Joe Johnson. First Second, $15.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-331-3. French graphic novelist Renner’s hapless fox doesn’t like to kill prey, and he’s putty in the hands of the local wolf, who talks him into stealing three eggs from a farm to be eaten once they hatch.
Renato and the Lion by Barbara DiLorenzo. Viking, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-451-47641-8. DiLorenzo’s picture book debut follows a Florentine boy who has to leave behind a beloved statue when war breaks out.
The Girl in Between by Sarah Carroll. Penguin/Dawson, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-2860-3. Carroll’s debut YA novel, about an unnamed homeless girl and her alcoholic Ma, offers an unfiltered glimpse into the daily realities of life on the streets and, for much of the book, in an abandoned mill the twosome dub the “Castle.”
Splat! by Jon Burgerman. Dial, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-2876-4. In this picture book debut, messy mischief abounds that involves reader interaction.
The Teacher’s Pet by Anica Mrose Rissi, illus. by Zachariah OHora. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-4364-5. In this picture book, a teacher fumbles during a class science project requiring animal identification. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Amanda Panda Quits Kindergarten by Candice Ransom, illus. by Christine Grove. Doubleday, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-399-55455-1. In a humorous take on first-day snafus, Amanda Panda expects to excel in kindergarten, but Bitsy, a gregarious classmate dressed in “so much pink it gives Amanda a headache,” rubs her the wrong way.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of June, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
