Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including the story of a kid’s morning routine, an inquiry about love, a recycling romance, a YA love story, and more.

Week of December 13

When I Wake Up by Seth Fishman, illus. by Jessixa Bagley. Greenwillow, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-245580-2. It’s early in the morning and a wide-awake child knows they’re not supposed to disturb their sleeping parents until 7 a.m. They dream up four possibilities to occupy the time, portrayed in softly textured watercolor and pencil sketches, with each highly imaginative reverie rendered in different color.

Week of December 20

What Is Love? by Mac Barnett, illus. by Carson Ellis. Chronicle, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4521-7640-6. “What is love?” a boy in a blue shirt asks his grandmother as she cuts flowers in front of their cottage. “I can’t answer that,” she says; “If you go out into the world, you might find an answer.” As he subsequently inquires, he finds that each person defines love as something that reflects them: to the fisherman, love is a fish; to the carpenter, it’s a house; to a dog, it’s chasing a cat.

Milk and Juice: A Recycling Romance by Meredith Crandall Brown. HarperCollins, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-302185-3. Upon meeting in the fridge, beverages Milk and Juice “kept each other cold through long, hot nights,” but when “the cruel hand of fate” sends Juice to the recycling center, the pair must find their way back to one another in this creative eco-love picture book.

How Not to Fall in Love by Jacqueline Firkins. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-358-46714-4. Harper is a “hardened cynic” who has refused to date since being dumped by her first boyfriend. LARPer Theo, on the other hand, is deeply romantic. Tired of having his heart broken, Theo agrees to let Harper teach him to date casually. The resulting will-they-or-won’t-they not only gives rom-com formulas a playful refresh, it makes a strong case for the joys of medieval cosplay.

Ready for the Spotlight! by Jaime Kim. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0518-3. Tessie, the spirited protagonist of this solo debut by Kim, has “been taking ballet for a whole month now,” and, with the confidence and naivete of youth, believes she’s the best in class. Bright watercolor and digital art centers mercurial Tessie’s reactions to great effect, adding wonderfully wrought physical humor to this refreshing tale of perseverance, growth, and tender sibling bonds.

Love Is Here by Mike Malbrough. Philomel, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-20352-1. Vibrant watercolor and gouache scenes make up author-illustrator Malbrough’s poetic picture book, which features a child experiencing the majesty of the natural world.

Charlotte and the Nutcracker: The True Story of a Girl Who Made Ballet History by Charlotte Nebres with Sarah Warren, illus. by Alea Marley. Random House, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-37490-0. In this rhythmic picture book, Charlotte Nebres, the first Black dancer cast as Marie in the New York City Ballet’s production of Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, recounts her history learning ballet, her time auditioning for and then performing in The Nutcracker in 2019, and her family’s Christmas traditions.

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