Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including the story of a Dutch scientist, a novel about self-acceptance, a fairy tale retelling, and a book about a home with too many pets.

All in a Drop: How Antony Van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World by Lori Alexander, illus. by Vivien Mildenberger. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-328-88420-6. In this well-researched middle grade biography, immediate present-tense narration by Alexander (Famously Phoebe) allows readers to feel that they’re making discoveries right alongside scientist Antony van Leeuwenhoek in 1670s Netherlands.

Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon. Putnam, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-525-51764-1. Almost psychedelic in tone, this YA debut set in 1973 is a love letter to self-acceptance, even when the world is far from accepting.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig. Delacorte, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-9848-3192-7. Evocative details and lyrical, moody prose distinguish this YA novel—with strong allusions to “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”—of 12 sisters who seemingly fall under a curse, resulting in their deaths under tragic and violent circumstances over the course of several years.

My Tiny Pet by Jessie Hartland. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-3753-5. When a family’s household reaches maximum pet capacity in this picture book, it’s time to simplify.

How Do You Dance? by Thyra Heder. Abrams, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-3418-2. Heder (Alfie: The Turtle That Disappeared) imagines what happens when ordinary human beings dance everywhere, for any reason. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.

Let’s Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-269890-2. High school student Ellis Kimball suffers from severe anxiety, which stems from her fixation on how the world might soon end. The YA novel earned a starred review from PW.

The Evil Princess vs. the Brave Knight by Jennifer L. Holm, illus. by Matthew Holm. Random House, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-7134-8. Chivalry? It’s more like rivalry as the siblings Holm (the Babymouse series) conjure a medieval brother and sister who can’t resist pounding on each other whenever they get the chance.

The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner, illus. by Matt Saunders. Holt, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-29689-4. An eldritch atmosphere and compelling mystery will likely draw fans of middle grade horror, while Saunders’s spooky black-and-white sketches bolster this novel.

Sing a Song: How “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Inspired Generations by Kelly Starling Lyons, illus. by Keith Mallett. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-525-51609-5. Lyons (Hope’s Gift) delivers the history of a song that has inspired generations of African-Americans to persist and resist in the face of racism and systemic oppression.

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf. Delacorte, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-9848-5078-2. When Ahmet, a Syrian refugee, begins attending a suburban London school, he doesn’t speak with anyone, but as he gains support through an assistant teacher, a group of students get to know him as a soccer player and friend in this middle grade novel.

A Swirl of Ocean by Melissa Sarno. Knopf, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-2012-4. Set in a seaside resort town where only the year-rounders remain as fall approaches, this story is narrated by 12-year-old Summer, whose adoptive mother, Lindy, found her alone at water’s edge a decade earlier, wearing a shell necklace.

Migration: Incredible Animal Journeys by Mike Unwin, illus. by Jenni Desmond. Bloomsbury, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-0097-7. A bat-speckled sky over Kasanka Forest, a colorful blizzard of monarchs in a Mexican wood, penguins ribboning across an Antarctic plateau, a sea of scuttling scarlet crabs—these are some of the images that make turning every page of this book a delight. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.

Trucker and Train by Hannah Stark, illus. by Bob Kolar. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-544-80181-3. With frequent onomatopoeia, debut author Stark handles the complex emotions of the truck protagonist of this picture book with gentle sympathy.

For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of August, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.