Ruby’s Tools for Making Friends
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Apryl Stott. S&S/Wiseman, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66592-164-0
A trio of tools help a young fox handle social anxiety in this picture book focused on emotional regulation. At her new school, Ruby’s classmates, a mix of animal and human children, greet the teacher’s plan for an egg-drop project with fast, loud chatter. “How can I help my group if I can’t speak up?” Ruby wonders. But the measuring tape she carries helps Ruby count her breathing, and safety goggles help her to see things in a new way. After she enlists a quiet classmate’s support, the group adopts Ruby’s plan, which involves use of a third tool, pliers, to remind her of her flexibility. Elaborately worked, digitally finished watercolor spreads by Stott appoint the classroom with cubbies and science mobiles, and show its pupils with close attention to personal details and readable emotions. And as the little fox learns to visualize her instruments to remember “I’m okay,” the project’s outcome helps readers appreciate taking on new experiences with a toolbox of actions. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (June)
The Worry-Worry Whale and the Classroom Jitters (A Worry-Worry Whale Adventure)
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Deborah Diesen, illus. by Isidre Monés. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-3743-9-1522
Garnering her own spin-off series following The Pout-Pout Fish and the Worry-Worry Whale, Willa Whale returns in this picture book to tackle a school-related anxiety. Despite her gently encouraging teacher’s efforts, Willa never raises her fin during class: “The answer might be in me,/ But I always take too long./ And what if they all STARE at me?/ I know I’ll get it WRONG!” At home, Willa’s parents suggest some role-playing to help navigate Willa’s “quivery and sad” feelings. As Willa pretends to be the teacher, she sees Mom take a “deep, calming breath” and ask for a pause, and watches Dad admit he’s stumped by a question. The little whale soon realizes the wisdom of advice that caring adults have been offering: “It isn’t always easy/ To share the things we know,/ But ideas, thoughts, and questions/ Are the way we learn and grow.” Character designs originated by Dan Hanna remain cheery and uplifting in Monés’s hands, while Diesen’s signature rhymes reassure her target audience as well as provide adult readers with effective strategies. Ages 4–8. (May)
Sister Friend
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illus. by Shahrzad Maydani. Abrams, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-6721-0
At her new school, every day is “play-by-herself day” for Ameena: “Was it the twists in her hair? Her brown skin? No one else in class had twists and brownness.” Ameena sees a possible companion in new student Sundus, portrayed with brown skin and wearing a lilac-hued hijab, but a well-meaning greeting goes awkwardly awry, and Ameena is called a copycat by classmates when she wears her own hijab to school in hopes of connecting with Sundus. The masjid on family night is the one place Ameena doesn’t feel alone, and it’s there that an encounter with Sundus leads to an in-school welcome and a growing bond. Thompkins-Bigelow’s sweetly complex treatise speaks to experiences of loneliness and marginalization as well as of kinship and joy. In saturated, chalky textures, Maydani draws the girls’ intent expressions against moody backgrounds that lead to scenes of heartfelt friendship. Background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4–8. (May)
Itty Bitty Betty Blob
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Constance Lombardo, illus. by Micah Player. Hippo Park, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66264-014-8
“Not your typical monster,” pink Itty-Bitty Betty Blob tries hard to be bad, but her interest in rainbows over rainstorms, and dancing instead of trampling, sets her apart from her peers at Ghoulington Academy. In art class, “her still life wouldn’t stay still,” and during music, her “GRRs” turn tuneful, earning her stern looks from more typically presenting monster classmates, stroked in bold blacks and grays by Player. On picture day, Betty’s mother encourages her efforts to look monstrous. But on the way to school that morning, she’s waylaid by dozens of round pink puffs, who help Betty “to be more... Betty!” as she navigates the path to picture day, and takes down expectations in the bargain, in this sweet-tempered be-yourself tale. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 4–8. (June)
Goodnight, School
Catherine Bailey, illus. by Cori Doerrfeld. Union Square, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4549-4854-4
Bailey and Doerrfeld skillfully twine story lines in this loving after-hours tribute to a stalwart school building. Following a long day, the school is ready for some much-needed rest (“All the cubbies yawn,/ lined up, clean and neat.// Worksheets settle in./ Erasers are just beat”), and a pale-skinned night guard’s arrival signals the structure’s bedtime. Meanwhile, a red-eared slider turtle escapes its classroom terrarium and embarks on a journey through the rooms, cleverly evading the diligent security guard, who notices that something’s amiss while making rounds. The characters’ near-misses offers plenty opportunity for sight gags that showcase the turtle’s ingenuity (it crouches beneath a tambourine in the music room and swipes a cupcake from the teachers’ lounge) while subtly celebrating all the spaces and things that make school a place filled with near-constant activity. Human background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (June)
The First Week of School
Drew Beckmeyer. Atheneum, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-6659-4042-9
A classroom’s first week launches a dynamic change in this inventive picture book. Monday reveals a clique of sports buffs (“They call themselves the SPORT KINGS, but nobody else does”), an artist worried about showing their work, an inventor frustrated with a malfunctioning satellite, a teacher buzzing on eight cups of pre-lunch coffee, and Pat, the class’s lonely bearded dragon. On Tuesday, a spaceship deposits a one-eyed extra- terrestrial just outside the classroom. Attired in abandoned clothing, the alien, called “Nobody,” seamlessly joins the crew, and as the week progresses, becomes a catalyst for creating genuine community—even Pat feels seen. Before rejoining their own kind, Nobody makes a change that resets the week, leaving the Earth-siders blissfully unaware of what has happened. Using crayon-styled bird’s-eye-view illustrations, straightforward captions (“This is Show and Tell. This is Recess”), and emotionally observant text that communicates multiple perspectives, Beckmeyer invites readers to root for the transformation of a classroom culture. Ages 4–8. (June)
First Day, Hooray!
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June Sobel, illus. by Nabila Adani. Clarion, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-326578-3
Using declarative couplets that center emotional recognition, Sobel cheers on students experiencing a range of first-day feels. “Out of sight and stashed away,/ feelings visit us all day,” reassure early lines that urge mindful awareness. From happiness and worry to bravery and embarrassment, the text describes a full range of emotions, usefully pointing to breathwork as a resource during moments of stress: “What’s up, ANGER? Take time out./ Tame the flame. Breathe in. Breathe out.” Adani’s light-filled, spatter-textured artwork presents students of different skin tones in classic classroom and schoolyard scenes, visualizing emotions via bursts of color and animal avatars that peek out from behind students (an octopus, for example, proves emblematic of curiosity, and jellyfish of calm). An endnote discusses emotional expression and regulation. Ages 4–8. (June)
America’s Dreaming
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Bob McKinnon, illus. by Thai My Phuong. Penguin Workshop, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-5936-5879-6
Casting America as both the new kid at school and this story’s narrator, McKinnon and Phuong roll out a historical welcome wagon. The narrator’s anxiety is palpable on the initial day of class: “My hands are shaking so bad, I drop my backpack and trip over it.” When the teacher asks students to introduce themselves and “share something you love to dream about,” America freezes and the others laugh. Asked by the teacher if they like to read, America nods and responds that “opening a book is like someone opening their door for you. Letting you in to see what their life was like and how it might help you with yours.” Soon, the classroom Welcome Wagon, filled with books whose “pages turn like the hands of old friends waving hello,” helps the new student consider how the words of four historical figures—Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King Jr., Emma Lazarus, and Sojourner Truth—might inspire their dreams. In Phuong’s cool-hued, portrait-forward images, characters emerge from books to encourage the protagonist. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (June)
Scorch, Hedgehog of Doom
Cate Berry, illus. by Margherita Grasso. Page Street, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-64567-867-0
Instead of being cute like her ancestors, classroom pet Scorch, a round-bodied hedgehog trapped in a classroom’s “glass castle,” hopes that “her destiny will be ferocious! She will be forged in FIRE.” But despite the best efforts of the self-described “Hedgehog of Doom,” the children of classroom 402 coo over how “adorable” she is. Increasingly frustrated, Scorch vows on an apple slice, “I will be doomsy,” and overnight “flies on her strategy wheel.” When the children arrive in the morning, though, their reaction to her antics remains the same (“She thrusts her fangs into a papaya. ‘Awww!’ they sigh”). Grasso’s action-oriented digital renderings amplify Scorch’s tough persona with spiky spines and focused eyes. When the mammalian fighter accidentally catapults into the class snake’s nearby terrarium, Berry turns the narrative toward suspense—until the protagonist discovers an overlooked superpower. Subtly encouraging perspective-taking, it’s a winningly creature-centric comedy that’s ferociously fun. Human characters are portrayed with varied skin tones. Ages 4–8. (July)
Archie and Pip: The First Day of School
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Zoe Wodarz, illus. by Mari Richards. Cottage Door, $7.99 (36p) ISBN 978-1-64638-991-9
As animalian siblings Archie and Pip prepare for the school year’s start, each grapples with different anxieties while drawing strength from their bond in this straightforward back-to-school story. Headed to kindergarten, pink pig Archie worries about whether he’ll be able to sit still all day. Meanwhile, rising first-grader Pip, a blue platypus, wonders whether Archie will make so many new friends that he’ll forget about Pip. Nerves simmering, they revisit favorite summer spots with friends and gather school supplies until, at last, the anticipated day brings before-school photos and “one last high five for good luck!” Wodarz’s conflict-free plotting has a reassuring effect, concluding in a day that goes off without a hitch while presenting school as both fun and doable. Richards’s playful cool-toned cartoons emphasize the siblings’ anchoring affection alongside a friendly, small-town vibe. Ages 4–7. (June)
