Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a picture book instilling self-love in young readers, a story of a bear discovering its bravery, a picture book confronting anti-fat bias, and more.
The Book of Radical Answers by Sonya Renee Taylor. Dial, $9.99; ISBN 978-0-593-35483-4. This nonfiction work offers young readers validating and empowering answers on subjects ranging from race, gender, justice, and more.
Brave Little Bear by Steve Small. S&S/Wiseman, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-5110-4. While migrating to Spring Valley with his mother and sister, young bear Arlo must find his sister when she gets left behind during a storm.
Chubby Bunny by Julie Murphy, illus. by Sarah Winifred Searle. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-0630-1118-2. “Bunny” Binks faces anti-fat bias from her peers when a competition encourages name-calling that makes Bunny uncomfortable.
Desert Queen by Jyoti Rajan Gopal, illus. by Svabhu Kohli. Levine Querido, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-262-0. This picture book biography in verse chronicles the life of Rajasthani drag performer Queen Harish, from his childhood to his evolving passion for dance.
A Daydreamy Child Takes a Walk by Gianni Rodari, trans. from the Italian by Anthony Shugaar, illus. by Beatrice Alemagna. Enchanted Lion, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-59270-403-3. As a child goes on a walk, he becomes distracted by his surroundings and realizes he is losing his own body parts while daydreaming.
Game of Freedom: Mestre Bimba and the Art of Capoeira by Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-6458-5. Tonatiuh traces the history of capoeira player Mestre Bimba, and his quest to restore the Afro-Brazilian game—which blends martial arts, dance, acrobatics, and music—to its former glory following its ban in 1890.
Here Lies Olive by Kate Anderson. Flux, $14.99 paper; ISBN 978-1-63583-091-0. Olive, a teen obsessed with uncovering what comes after death, summons a spirit who promises to offer knowledge about the afterlife in exchange for helping find his grave. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-374-38969-7; $9.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-33102-1. Aspiring journalist Max navigates insecurities due to her teeth and her family’s financial disparities and must find the courage to speak out against academic inequities and bullying. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Search for Us by Susan Azim Boyer. Wednesday, $20; ISBN 978-1-250-83370-9. Teens Samira and Henry both take a DNA test to find their biological father, and when they discover that they are half-siblings, they join forces to find him together.
Secrets We Tell the Sea by Martha Riva Palacio Obon, trans. from the Spanish by Lourdes Heuer. Bloomsbury, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-0816-4. Sofía’s move to a new town allows her to finally fulfill her desire to explore the sea. But it also forces her to reckon with the destruction she hadn’t known that her beloved waters could wreak. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Sir Morien: The Legend of a Knight of the Round Table by Holly Black and Kaliis Smith, illus. by Ebony Glenn. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-3164-2413-4. In this mythical retelling, Sir Morien journeys to England to track down his father, and encounters Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot, who help him along his quest.
The Song of the Swan by Karah Sutton, illus. by Pauliina Hannuniemi. Knopf, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-59312-169-6. Thirteen-year-old nomad Olga is determined to find a legendary jewel, leading her to a luxurious palace where nothing is what it seems.
Star Stuff by Rand Burkert, illus. by Chris Raschka. HarperCollins/di Capua, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-285817-7. Giovanni the farmer and his donkey, Lorenzo, enjoy exploring the cosmos, until Lorenzo gets stuck and requires the help of constellations.
Trim Sets Sail by Deborah Hopkinson, illus. by Kristy Caldwell. Peachtree, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-6826-3290-1. Based on the real-life, cherished ship’s cat of British explorer Matthew Flinders (1774–1814), this historical chapter book follows Trim as he finds both his sea legs and his place in the ship’s small community.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of October, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
