Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book about an aunt and her niece, a story about justice, the biography of a trailblazing legislator, a middle grade mystery, and many more.
Tía Fortuna’s New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey by Ruth Behar, illus. by Devon Holzwarth. Knopf, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-59317-241-4. In this picture book, Estrella says goodbye to her elderly Cuban Jewish aunt who moves into a retirement community.
Justice Is...: A Guide for Young Truth Seekers by Preet Bharara, illus. by Sue Cornelison. Crown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-17662-7. Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, personifies Justice in this picture book,describing the actions and goals that undergird it.
Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight: Patsy Takemoto Mink and the Fight for Title IX by Jen Bryant, illus. by Toshiki Nakamura. Quill Tree, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-295722-1. This comprehensive picture book biography showcases the trials and tribulations of Patsy Takemoto Mink (1927–2002), the first woman of color in the U.S. Congress, who proposed the groundbreaking Title IX.
The Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-23657-9. Protagonist Connor struggles to honor his family legacy and determine his feelings for a blacksmith apprentice named Liza in Burt’s twisty historical mystery for middle graders.
Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias, illus. by Tracy Subisak. Bloomsbury, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-0721-1. In this carefully structured picture book by a Taiwanese American author-illustrator team, black-haired, light-skinned Kylie, who lives in San Francisco, is at first apprehensive about visiting her Amah in Taipei.
The Red Palace by June Hur. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-80055-8. In Hur’s (The Forest of Stolen Girls) historical YA mystery, set in 1758 Korean kingdom Joseon and loosely based on the life of Crown Prince Jangheon, hardworking 18-year-old palace nurse Baek-hyeon, known as Hyeon, is determined to find the person who murdered four women at the public medical office.
Ear Worm! by Jo Knowles, illus. by Galia Bernstein. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0783-5. When Little Worm finds a song stuck in his head, handsomely feathered Owl informs him that the name for this phenomenon is an “ear worm,” in this expressive picture book.
Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor’s Life by Marilyn Nelson. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-29802-5. In this rich biography in verse, Nelson (A Is for Oboe) gives voice to the Black sculptor Augusta Savage (1892–1962), a key Harlem Renaissance figure. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene by Emma Otheguy. Knopf, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-593-37263-0. In a Cuban American family brimming with ballet talent, 10-year-old Sofía Acosta feels obligated to dance well. But unlike her 13-year-old sister, Regina, and younger brother, Manuel, she’s drawn not to movement but to costume design.
Her Name Was Mary Katharine: The Only Woman Whose Name Is on the Declaration of Independence by Ella Schwartz, illus. by Dow Phumiruk. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-31629-83-22. This picture book spotlights a mostly unsung Revolutionary War figure, pioneering newspaperwoman, political activist, the first female postmaster in the 13 U.S. colonies, and the only woman whose name is on official copies of the Declaration of Independence.
Just Help!: How to Build a Better World by Sonia Sotomayor, illus. by Angela Dominguez. Philomel, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-20626-3. Generosity proves contagious in this picture book portrait of community service by Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor (Just Ask!).
Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illus. by Yas Imamura. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0430-8. Love blooms in the Idaho desert at the Japanese prison camp called Minidoka in this stirring narrative inspired by the experiences of Tokuda-Hall’s (Squad) Japanese American maternal grandparents. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The Supervillain’s Guide to Being a Fat Kid by Matt Wallace. HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-300803-8. Confronting the assumption that physical appearance correlates to morality or worth and reinforcing the idea that individual choices and actions show a person’s true self, Wallace (Bump) writes a triumphant arc of self-acceptance in this middle grade novel.
The Temperature of Me and You by Brian Zepka. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-368-06471-2. Zepka’s debut combines a superhero-like origin story with a queer rom-com and throws in a mystery, as the love interests try to sort out what’s going on at the fuel company where Jordan’s parents once worked.
Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler by Ibi Zoboi. Dutton, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-399-18738-4. Alternating between verse forms, prose interludes, and direct quotations, Zoboi (The People Remember) recounts the life and career of speculative fiction author Octavia Butler (1947–2006), emphasizing her beginnings as a “star child” (her middle name, Estelle, means “star”) in this middle grade biography.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of January , check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
