Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book about an odd couple of friends, a picture book about a gardener’s tribute to a lost friend, a story about a girl with a cousin on the way, and a lush picture book about a historical shipwreck.
Too Much! Not Enough! by Gina Perry. Tundra, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-101-91950-7. Peanut and Moe share a house and bunk beds, and not much else. It’s a personality thing: the goober-shaped Peanut is boisterous, inconsiderate, and judges every situation to be “not enough.” The disciplined, cautious Moe, who looks like a slab of blue clay with bear cub ears and a big pink nose, prefers a life that isn’t “too much.”
The Rough Patch by Brian Lies. Greenwillow, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-267127-1. In this picture book, a fox loses his best friend and pays tribute in his garden. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Loretta’s Gift by Pat Zietlow Miller, illus. by Alea Marley. Little Bee, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4998-0681-6. Loretta’s aunt and uncle are having a baby, and while Loretta isn’t clear on all the details (“Loretta looked at Aunt Esme’s belly. Could it hold all that and a baby?”), she sees that everyone has something to give the new arrival, and she wants in on the action.
The Sinking of the Vasa: A Shipwreck of Titanic Proportions by Russell Freedman, illus. by William Low. Holt/Godwin, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-62779-866-2. This picture book retelling of the failed 1628 maiden voyage of the Swedish warship Vasa is another accessible, historical account written by the late Newbery Medalist.
Eat Pete by Michael Rex. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-3880-8. The hairy, snaggletoothed, horned monster who appears at Pete’s window has one goal: to eat his new friend.
Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse by Marcy Campbell, illus. by Corinna Luyken. Dial, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-3037-8. In this picture book, Chloe scorns the stories that her classmate Adrian Simcox tells about having a horse since she knows they can’t be true.
Henry and the Yeti by Russell Ayto. Bloomsbury, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-68119-683-1. Cartoon line drawings add sly charm to this tale of a boy who makes a very large new friend.
See All the Stars by Kit Frick. McElderry, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-0437-3. At 16, Ellory May thought she had everything figured out. Her squad—Ret, Bex, and Jenni—spent an almost perfect summer together, and things got even better after Ellory fell in love with Matthias. Now 18, Ellory is returning to school for the first time after an incident the previous spring.
Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans by Tina Cho, illus. by Keum Jin Song. Little Bee, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4998-0682-3. In a story at once lyrical and hard-hitting, Cho, a South Korean resident, reimagines a 2016 humanitarian mission in which she participated that involves a clandestine rice delivery, via helium balloons, to hungry North Koreans.
So Done by Paula Chase. Greenwillow, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-269178-1. Growing up together in a housing project, 13-year-olds Tai and Mila are longtime best friends, but they couldn’t be more opposite. The middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of August, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
