In honor of National Poetry Month, we have gathered a selection of new and forthcoming picture books, anthologies, and novels in verse for young readers to enjoy.


Picture Books

All of Those Babies by Mylisa Larsen, illus. by Stephanie Laberis. S&S/Beach Lane, Feb. 6, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-6659-2144-2. Ages up to 8. Poems celebrate how various babies across the animal kingdom grow.


Aunt Sue’s Stories by Langston Hughes, illus. by Gary Kelley. Creative Editions, Mar. 12, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-56846-403-9. Ages 7 to 9. In this picture book adaptation of a 1926 poem honoring oral tradition, Aunt Sue comforts a child on her porch as she relays true stories of enslaved Black people.


Bless Our Pets: Poems of Gratitude for Our Animal Friends, edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illus. by Lita Judge. Eerdmans, Apr. 23, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-8028-5546-6. Ages 4–8. Fourteen poets including Lois Lowry, Ann Whitford Paul, Eric Ode, and more give thanks for animal companions who bark, purr, chitter, and slither.


Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré, illus. by Cozbi A. Cabrera. Little, Brown, June 11, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-316-31403-9. Ages 12 and up. Based on a viral poem by Blaxican poet and activist Honoré, this picture book highlights the experience of brown and Black girls past, present, and future.


The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife by Erica Silverman, illus. by Ginnie Hsu. Clarion, Apr. 2, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-358-43456-6. Ages 4–8. This picture book explores the environmental impact of humans and showcases how we can help rewild cities across the globe.


Home by Isabelle Simler, trans. by Vineet Lal. Eerdmans, Mar. 26, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-8028-5620-3. Ages 5–9. Simler takes an intimate look inside the dwellings of 27 animals across the globe.


The Mighty Pollinators by Helen Frost, illus. by Rick Lieder. Candlewick, Mar. 26, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-5362-2910-3. Ages 2–5. Poems and photos pay tribute to nature’s pollinators including bees, butterflies, moths, and more.


Mix a Pancake by Christina Rossetti, illus. by Monique Felix. Creative Editions, Mar. 12, $9.99 board book, ISBN 978-1-56846-397-1. Ages 4–6. Rambunctious kittens create a mess while making pancakes as the backdrop to Rossetti’s poem.


Pickle Words: Crunchy, Punchy Pickles and Poetry by April Pulley Sayre, illus. by Jialei Sun. Charlesbridge, July 16, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-62354-362-4. Ages 4–8. A compilation of poems about a family who loves pickles, pickling, and foods that can be pickled.


Pumpkin Seed’s Secret: A Life Cycle Poem by Hannah Barnaby, illus. by Cédric Abt. Sourcebooks Explore, July 2, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-7282-7919-0. Ages 4–8. This picture book offers a poetic explanation of the life cycle of pumpkins.


Queer and Fearless: Poems Celebrating the Lives of LGBTQ+ Heroes by Rob Sanders, illus. by Harry Woodgate. Penguin Workshop, Apr. 16, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-593-52369-8. Ages 6–9. Combining poetry and biographical information, this picture book honor leaders at the forefront of LGBTQ history such as Pauline Park, Richard Blanco, and more.


Starry Blankets: Poems for Bedtime by Eve Merriam, edited by Ryan G. Van Cleave. Moonshower, July 2, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-63819-309-8. Ages 3–8. This picture book collects more than 20 of Merriam’s poems for bedtime.


This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake by Nicholas Ruddock, illus. by Ashley Barron. Groundwood, Feb. 6, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-77306-784-1. Ages 3–6. Fifteen poems explore close encounters with animals, and the importance of choosing to respond with compassion.


Windsongs: Poems About Weather by Douglas Florian. S&S/Beach Lane, May 28, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-6659-3772-6. Ages up to 8. This poetry collection focuses on the beauty and variety of weather conditions.


Older Readers

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps. Penguin/Paulsen, May 7, $17.99, ISBN 978-0-593-40632-8. Ages 10–14. Poverty-stricken Joe faces the many storms life throws at him due to financial instability.


Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole. Labyrinth Road, Mar. 12, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-593-64466-9. Ages 14 and up. Queer teen Ariel begins to fear her own mind when intrusive thoughts about harming others intensify during a pivotal summer.


Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson, illus. by Ekua Holmes. Penguin/Kokila Feb. 13, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-593-46170-9. Ages 12 and up. Watson celebrates Black girlhood in this semi-autobiographical collection of poems tracing the journey into womanhood.


Bless the Blood by Walela Nehanda. Penguin/Kokila Feb. 6 $19.99 ISBN 978-0-593-52949-2. Ages 14–up. Nehanda delivers an unflinching account of living with leukemia as a Black, queer, nonbinary person.


The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho, illus. by Kate Milner. Candlewick Mar. 5, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5362-3641-5. Ages 12 and up. U.K. Children’s Laureate Coelho blends the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur with the quest of a modern-day teen in search of his father.


Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo. Make Me a World, Feb. 6 $19.99, ISBN 978-0-59-338120-5. Ages 12 and up. After being shunned by her community for rumors about her relationship with a boy, 16-year-old Samira falls victim to online grooming and struggles to find a safe space to share what has happened to her.


Deep Water by Jamie Sumner. Atheneum, Apr. 9, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-6659-3506-7. Ages 10 and up. Twelve-year-old Tully Birch attempts to set a record as the youngest swimmer to complete the Godfather swim, a 12.1-mile trek across Lake Tahoe, in hopes of bringing back her mother.


Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson by Ann E. Burg, illus. by Sophie Blackall. Scholastic Press, Mar. 5, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-338-88338-1. Ages 8–12. This novel-in-verse highlights the marine biologist, conservationist, and award-winning author, who is credited with launching the modern environmental movement.


Grace Note: Poems for Mothers by Naomi Shihab Nye. Greenwillow, May 7, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-269187-3. Ages 13 and up. This collection of 100 never-before-published poems portrays themes of family, kindness, empathy, grief, and resilience.


Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana. Wednesday Books, Feb. 27, $20, ISBN 978-1-250-89931-6. Ages 13 and up. In this novel-in-verse set in post-9/11 America, after Muslim teen Nida is illegally frisked at a political rally, she writes a scathing poem that goes viral weeks before Election Day.


How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith Jr. HarperCollins/Tegen, Feb. 6, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-329600-8. Ages 14 and up. This debut YA memoir in verse traces Keith’s journey from being a closeted Black teen battling poverty, racism, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation college student who finds freedom in poetry.


In and Out the Window by Jane Yolen, illus. by Cathrin Peterslund. Philomel, Mar. 12, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-593-62251-3. Ages 8–12. This poetry anthology gathers more than 100 of Yolen’s poems that traverse experiences at school and at home, hobbies, and more.


Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari. Dial, Mar. 12, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-593-53049-8. Ages 14 and up. Friendship blossoms into something more for Mitra Esfahani and Bea Ortega who for years have been filling a book with stanzas of an open-ended poem. See our Q&A with the author here.


Louder Than Hunger by John Schu. Candlewick, Mar. 5, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-5362-2909-7. Ages 10–14. Set in 1996, this novel in verse follows tween Broadway enthusiast Jake’s struggle with anorexia and is based on Schu’s experiences as a young teen with an eating disorder. [See Schu’s essay for PW here. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/94577-john-schu-on-his-deeply-personal-novel-in-verse.html


Meet Me in the Fourth Dimension by Rita Feinstein. Page Street YA, Mar. 12, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-64567-838-0. Ages 14 and up. College freshman Crosby struggles to hold onto her New Age convictions while believing that a rogue planet is on a collision course with Earth.


Mid Air by Alicia D. Williams. Atheneum/Dlouhy, Apr. 23, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-4814-6583-0. Ages 10 and up. Black eighth grader Isaiah is reeling from the death of his best friend and struggles to fit into a world that wants him to grow up tough.


One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Holiday House, Mar. 5, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-8234-5016-9. Ages 8–12. Three generations of Black women in 1879 Mississippi narrate their perilous wagon journey westward in this verse novel exploring the Black homesteader movement. Ages 8–12.


Hope Is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson, illus. by Tatyana Feeney. Cameron Kids, Mar. 19, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-951836-94-8. Ages 6–9.Utilizing Dickinson’s original 1861 poem, this picture book highlights the importance of hope.


A Planet Is a Poem by Amanda West Lewis, illus. by Oliver Averill. Kids Can, May 7, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5253-0442-2. Ages 8–12. Fourteen original poems about planets and other bodies in our solar system.


Poemhood: Our Black Revival Edited by Taylor Byas, Erica Martin, and Amber McBride. HarperTeen, Jan. 30 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-322528-2. Ages 13–up. This anthology gathers 37 writers including Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, and more to explore the depth and diversity of Black experiences through poetry.


Poetry Comics by Grant Snider. Chronicle, Mar. 26, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-7972-1965-3. Ages 8–12. Verses about self-reflection and scientific curiosity adorn vivid illustrations in this gently introspective collection.


She’ll Be the Sky: Poems by Women and Girls by Ella Risbridger, illus. by Anna Shepeta. Nosy Crow, Feb. 6, $24.99, ISBN 979-8-88777-055-0. Ages 4–12. Anthologist Risbridger collects poems by well-known and newer poets, including Maya Angelou, Amanda Gorman, Amineh Abou Kerech, and Christina Rossetti.


Wings to Soar by Tina Athaide. Charlesbridge, July 23, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-62354-431-7. Ages 10 and up. After being expelled from Uganda in 1972, Viva and her family have resettled in London—but her father is missing and acclimating to their new community proves to be a struggle.