Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including the story of a boy and a giant, the picture book biography of two influential artists, a middle grade series opener, and a picture book that celebrates letters.
Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child: A Worldwide Jack and the Beanstalk Story by Paul Fleischman, illus. by Julie Paschkis. Holt/Godwin, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-15177-3. This picture book collaboration offers a kaleidoscopic presentation of the traditional boy and giant story by collaging text fragments from different cultures’ versions.
Two Brothers, Four Hands by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illus. by Hadley Hooper. Holiday House/Porter, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4170-9. Greenberg and Jordan (Meet Cindy Sherman) continue their impressive series of picture book biographies of influential artists with an account of 20th-century sculptor Alberto Giacometti and his brother Diego. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers by Shauna M. Holyoak. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-368-02240-8. In this entertaining middle grade mystery series opener, an 11-year-old would-be detective may have bitten off more than she can chew when she investigates a rash of local dognappings.
The Magic of Letters by Tony Johnston, illus. by Wendell Minor. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4159-4. Plenty of books celebrate the power and fun of words. Johnston and Minor, the team behind Cat, What Is That?, seek to remind readers that without letters, there wouldn’t be any words.
Nine Months: Before a Baby Is Born by Miranda Paul, illus. by Jason Chin. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4161-7. Realistic, light-infused paintings by Chin (Grand Canyon) and spare rhymes by Paul (Are We Pears Yet?) highlight a fetus’s developmental milestones inside a mother’s womb while outside, a family lovingly prepares, month by month, for the baby’s arrival. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Big and Little: A Story of Opposites by Cheryl Pilgrim. Holiday House, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4021-4. The initial spread in Pilgrim’s debut picture book conveys its opposites-based conceit while introducing its characters. Big is a large shaggy black dog; Little is a sweater-clad hound, wee and white.
Motor Mouse by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Arthur Howard. Beach Lane, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-9126-6. This book offers episodes from the life of a mouse who drives around making deliveries. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of April, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
