Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including an anthology highlighting mental health, a graphic novel featuring the tales of a legendary king, a YA novel about a teen overcoming her fears, a picture book about a child’s relationship with creatures in the sky, and more.
Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes by Edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and Rocky Callen. Candlewick, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2414-6. In this anthology, 16 authors highlight teens living with mental health challenges.
Arthur the Always King by Kevin Crossley-Holland, illus. by Chris Riddell. Candlewick Studio, $29.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1265-5. Readers discover the life of King Arthur, spanning from his birth to the king’s disappearance at the lake where he received Excalibur.
Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans. Clarion, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-35872-164-2. Sixteen-year-old lesbian Bianca Torre faces a myriad of fears when investigating the death of her neighbor. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Cloud Babies by Eoin Colfer, illus. by Chris Judge. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-3107-6. When a child goes to the hospital, the friends she creates in the skies comfort her parents.
Come See the Fair by Gavriel Savit. Knopf, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-37866-3. Following the instructions of a voice in her head, Eva Root runs away from her home to attend a fair where mysterious magic abounds.
The Department of Lost Dogs by Josephine Cameron, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-374-38975-8. When a celebrity’s pup goes missing, Rondo McDade teams up with the new kid in town to help find it.
Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson, illus. by Junyi Wu. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-536222-81-4. While playing in the woods alone, Clay O’Brian meets a white elf hound that is lost, and together they traverse alternate realms to get the hound back to its friends. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Fastest Tortoise in Town by Howard Calvert, illus. by Karen Obuhanych. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2835-9. Barbara the tortoise runs a race with her owner Lorraine and learns the importance of working at her own pace.
Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper by Brie Spangler. Knopf, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-593-42849-8; $13.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-42848-1. When 13-year-old caretaker Gemma Hopper strikes out her celebrated athlete brother, she is launched into the limelight and navigates the newfound attention.
Global: One Fragile World. An Epic Fight for Survival by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illus. by Giovanni Rigano. Sourcebooks, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-7282-5723-5; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-7282-6219-2. Twelve-year-old Sami and 14-year-old Yuki navigate the damaging effects of global warming on their communities and their livelihoods.
Gustav Is Missing! A Tale of Friendship and Bravery by Andrea Zuill. Random House Studio, $18.99 40p ISBN 978-0-5934-8747-1. Oft-worried mushroom Little Cap must brave the outdoors when his pet snail escapes from home.
Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Candlewick, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-53-621860-2. High school sophomore Hughie Wolfe, a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, struggles while working at a haunted house that utilizes harmful stereotypes and has ties to a ghost haunting his town. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
I Am the Walrus by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7595-5524-2. Noah Prime and his friends investigate the reasons behind Noah’s outstanding physical capabilities and athleticism as rivals compete to beat him.
Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings by Angela Burke Kunkel, illus. by Claire Keane. Random House Studio, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-37335-4. This dual picture book biography pairs the story of Caldecott Medalist Robert McCloskey and Make Way for Ducklings with the tale of sculptor Nancy Schön, whose duck figurines in Boston’s Public Garden commemorate McCloskey’s work. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Making of Yolanda La Bruja by Lorraine Avila. Levine Querido, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-243-9. Budding bruja Yolanda contends with dangerous visions surrounding gun violence at her Bronx high school. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Naming Ceremony by Seina Wedlick, illus. by Jenin Mohammad. Abrams, $18.99; ISBN 978-141-975626-9. Big sister Amira is excited about her baby sister’s naming ceremony, and with her family’s guidance finds the best name.
A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer. Union Square Kids, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-45494-784-4. Set in 1905, 11-year-old Shoshana and her family flee to America from Jewish persecution in Ukraine and struggles with antisemitism in the States and learns about the history of displacement.
Talent Show Troubles by Jess Smart Smiley. First Second, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-250-77283-1; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-88926-3. In the first in the What Happens Next? series, readers choose their own adventure as they prepare for a school talent show.
Tell Me Your Dreams by Amanda Kloots, illus. by Alex Willmore HarperCollins, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-322511-4. Readers consider all the fantastical possibilities to dream about in this bedtime story.
Throwback by Maurene Goo. Zando Young Readers, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-63893-020-4. After a big fight with her mother, Samantha Kang is sent back in time to 1995, to help a teen version of her mom win homecoming queen. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Viva Lola Espinoza by Ella Cerón Penguin/Kokila, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-40562-8. While exploring Mexico City on a trip to visit her grandmother, Lola discovers that her lack of luck with love is due to a curse and attempts to break it before the summer is over.
When Impossible Happens by Jane De Suza. Putnam, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-53012-2. When her grandmother dies suddenly, Swara believes that she has left behind clues to her real whereabouts.
Who Will U Be? by Jessica Hische. Penguin Workshop, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-38502-9. Lilac-hued protagonist U explores Alphabet City with her fellow letters.
Work with What You Got: A Memoir by Zion Clark and James S. Hirsch. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2421-4. Professional athlete Clark chronicles his childhood navigating the Stark County, Ohio, foster care system and disability.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of April, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
