Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book about relative size, a picture book debut celebrating beach coifs, a middle grade series addition about a sea adventure, and more.
Are You Small? by Mo Willems. Union Square, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4549-5145-2. Readers explore the concept of size as they search for smaller and smaller items.
Beach Hair by Ashley Woodfolk, illus. by Nina Mata. Simon & Schuster, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-665-92098-8. In her picture book debut, Woodfolk pays homage to seaside ’dos of all kinds.
The City Beyond the Sea by Pari Thomson. FSG, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-374-39139-3. Daisy and her friends will need to make new allies as the Grim Reapers chase them across the sea in the second book of the Greenwild series.
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag. Graphix, $27.99; ISBN 978-1-338-84000-1; $16.99 paper ISBN 978-1-338-83999-9. As childhood friends Mags and Nessa rekindle their easy friendship—and start a romance—they unearth memories from their past of a boy’s decade-old accidental death and its cause. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp, illus. by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5392-4. A desert sunset cues a large family to make music alongside a myriad of creatures. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar. Feiwel and Friends, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-2508-9013-9. Former best friends Said Hossain and Tiwa Olatunji reunite when the local Islamic center burns down, and they must work together to try and raise the money to both restore the building and throw an amazing Eid celebration.
Gorgeously Me! By Jonathan Van Ness, illus. by Kamala Nair. Flamingo, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-62284-1. “I’m perfectly, happily, gorgeously me”—the repeating sentiment empowers in Van Ness’s affirming title, which foregrounds themes of confidence and self-acceptance.
Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-56675-9. Ousted from her lavish lifestyle following her parents’ divorce, Olivia Owens assembles a motley crew of classmates and plots a heist to infiltrate her father’s upcoming wedding.
Kisses from Space by Anna Menon and Keri Vasek, illus. by Andy Harkness. Random House, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-81114-6. Polaris Dawn crewmember Menon, in collaboration with Vasek, pens an affectionate ode to adventure and familial connection on Earth, and beyond.
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle, illus. by Jason Chin. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5228-6. This picture book captures the grace of a blue whale in life alongside the bustling ecosystem that surrounds it in death, as its body provides nourishment for countless creatures. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi. Kids Can, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5253-1303-5. Miyakoshi examines the everyday life of a small shrew who lives modestly among humans. The early reader received a starred review from PW.
Lockjaw by Matteo L. Cerilli. Tundra, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-77488-230-6. Outsider Paz is the only one who knows that the death of her classmate Chuck wasn’t an accident. Chuck was killed by a monster, and if Paz can’t prove its existence, she fears that it will return to tear the town apart. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell. Heartdrum, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06331-867-0. Blackfeet teens Loren “Different Black Bird,” Eli First Kill, Samantha White Tail, Brody Clark, and Mara Racette become the prime suspects in the death of Samantha, and when they launch their own investigation, they uncover connections to several other crimes against Indigenous girls. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk and Lexi Underwood. Scholastic Press, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-338-87557-7. After Jordyn is repeatedly targeted by an anonymous gossip show, she sets out to unmask the podcaster and take a stand against bullying—even as she endures escalating threats demanding that she publicize her own deep, dark secret.
My Book and Me by Linda Sue Park, illus. by Chris Raschka. Red Comet, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-63655-094-7. Newbery Medalist Park and two-time Caldecott Medalist Raschka celebrate the ways children shower their books with love—and what they get in return—in this picture book that catalogs the pleasures of reading.
The New Girl by Cassandra Calin. Graphix, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-338-76246-4; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-1-338-76245-7. In this autobiographical graphic novel debut, 12-year-old Lia, having just moved from Romania to Montreal with her family, struggles to acclimate to her new home. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Simon & Schuster, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-665-90195-6. In the sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow, Rowan and Neil adjust to a long-distance relationship as they navigate their first year of college in new places.
Red Bird Danced by Dawn Quigley. Heartdrum, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-0632-2362-2. Ojibwe author Quigley crafts a story of Ariel and Tomah, two Ojibwe kids learning to cope with sorrowful life events. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Roswell Johnson Saves the World! by Chris Colfer. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-51504-7. Eleven-year-old Oklahoma native Roswell Johnson is accidentally abducted by aliens who have sinister plans for Earth and must travel the galaxy to gather support in order to thwart them before it’s too late.
Soul Step by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Kelly McWilliams, illus. by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-56271-3. Mother-daughter team Rhodes and McWilliams feature a mother-daughter duo in this energetic picture book rooted in the history of step.
Spilled Ink by Nadia Hashimi. Quill Tree, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-306049-4. After her brother publicly defends his heritage at an open mic, Afghan American 17-year-old Yalda Jamali and her family navigate how unchallenged racism can lead to violence. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-2508-8619-4. Twelve-year-old Chinese American Evie Mei Huang traverses the netherworld in search of her mother.
Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson. Random House, $20.99; ISBN 978-0-593-30885-1. In this origin story of the X-Men hero, young Ororo must escape the Shadow King who seeks to steal her soul by finally tapping into the powers she’s been losing control of.
Take All of Us by Natalie Leif. Holiday House, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5661-1. Something has been temporarily raising the dead and Ian is the latest victim, just as everyone is ordered to leave the city. He and his new allies investigate what triggered the evacuation as well as what’s reanimating Kittakoop’s dead. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
They Call Me No Sam by Drew Daywalt, illus. by Mike Lowery. Clarion, $15.99; ISBN 978-0-3586-1-2902. Sam the pug is adopted into a new family and via diary entries shares the daily life of a pup whose bark is worse than his bite, but whose determination to protect and love his family is fiercer than any threat.
Until You Find the Sun: A Story About Discovering Home Wherever You Go by Maryam Hassan, illus. by Anna Wilson. Crocodile, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-62371-693-6. With the support of a grandparent, a child comes to grips with moving with her family and leaving him behind.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of June, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
