In a touching familial picture book from Leung (The Truth About Dragons) and Kang (Our Lake), a rainy evening sees a child considering two nighttime journeys—one past and one present. In a pre-GPS era, an unnamed narrator dutifully navigates their father’s takeout delivery route with a map spread out and pen in hand, transmitting directions to Baba in Cantonese and English as they make their way to customers’ homes bearing food from the family restaurant. A regular remarks “what a good kid” the protagonist is, but the child thinks that they’d rather be “a normal kid.” Ingeniously rendering the stormy drive, blue-hued spreads of gouache, crayon, pencil, and pastel illustrations capture the child’s emotions, including embarrassment when a peer stares curiously, and a moment of frustration: “I don’t want to go on deliveries anymore!” As the two travel, Baba, across contrasting red-hued spreads, tells of his own experience getting turned around in New York City after immigrating as a youth: “Before I had you, I would get so lost,” he says. The creators highlight a distinct bond and sacrifices made across generations, tenderly culminating in the idea, per back matter, that “even on the stormiest nights, we can all help each other find our way.” Creators’ notes conclude. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Wendi Gu, Hannigan Getzler Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Anjali Singh, Ayesha Pande Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

A day at the beach is no day at the beach for the long-eared protagonist of this social-emotional seaside tale. Rothman (Kittybunkport) comically channels the voice of someone who can’t see a specific situation’s sunny side, while digital cartooning by Hunter (What If, Pig?) depicts a landscape full of cheerful beachgoers. Decked out in red glasses and a striped bathing suit, the bunny sniffs at an elaborate sand castle: “Anyone can make that.” About a butterfly kite with streamers, “By far the worst kite I have ever seen in my whole, entire life.” But as other rabbits savor their ice cream twists, the protagonist seems to feel conspicuously left out. After another bunny inadvertently hits the character with a beach ball, it offers an apology and an invitation. And a subsequent accident leads not to exile, but to unexpected offerings of sympathy and ice cream. Gradually, then all at once, the figure embraces both the group and the beach vibe, boogie board and all. Offering a running critique is one way to handle disappointment or overwhelm, suggest the creators, but no bunny is an island. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Lindsay Auld, Writers House. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Moove over, Law and Order—a daffy prank spree is unfolding at the Old MacDonald farm in this barn burner of a mystery spoof. Creatures unknown have left no corner of the farm untouched, painting smiley faces on all the cabbages, corn-bombing the duck pond so it’s transformed into a sea of bobbing feathered tushies, and delivering stacks of pizza to the goats (“Goats don’t even like pizza.” “No, but they love the boxes”). Seen-it-all animal control officer Busby, depicted with brown skin, suspects a mischief-making gang led by Skunk; mug shots of hench-animals Armadillo, Porcupine, and Toad show priors of “hijinks,” “goofiness” and “foolish behavior.” Asked by pale-skinned Old MacDonald if they’re dangerous, Officer Busby responds, “Worse than dangerous.... They’re silly.” Teague (We Are Going to Be Pals!) brings a deadpan quality to acrylic scenes that are here paired with sly song references (“Just as I suspected,” Officer Busby quips. “Everywhere a smell-smell”) and hardboiled dialogue (“Someone made your chickens look foolish. I want to know why”). And while it ultimately appears that crime does pay, even actions-have-consequences hardliners should get a giggle out of this farmyard whodunit. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

“Every summer, we go into the wilderness,” begins this luminous picture book about a child whose family backpacking trips become both physical milestones and emotional anchors. Vignettes show the youth as a baby riding in a carrier, then walking ever more confidently, carrying increasing amounts of gear, and finally tackling navigation. But as the child at last climbs a rock solo, parents nearby, these epic adventures become part of a different kind of journey. Alone, the narrator contemplates the “left out feelings” awaiting them at school and wonders why everyday life can’t feel more like time in the outdoors: “In the wilderness, I never feel uninvited,” Iverson (Slow Down, Tumbleweed!) writes in musing text. Debut illustrator Zhang’s digital paintings amplify this yearning while offering hope as cinematic wide-angle views depicted in glowing colors make the outdoors feel like a place where anything is possible. And it’s clear that some of that outside magic clings to the child like trail dust—after returning home, “Sometimes I pull out the strength or the wonder. Sometimes the quiet” of the trips, as the landscapes that hold a young heart become part of how they hold themself. The family presents as East Asian. An author’s note and contextualizing back matter conclude. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, Andrea Brown Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

A battered humanoid robot wakes up amid a vast, rust-colored wasteland of rubbish and discarded technology in this heavily Toy Story- and WALL-E-inflected picture book by Todd-Stanton (The Comet). To determine how it arrived there, the robot enters an adjacent futuristic city, triggering a series of memories. The white figure recalls once being gifted to a pale-skinned, dark-haired human child—multiple frames show their joyful days together—and even finds the family before realizing that it’s been replaced with a newer model. Heartbroken, the damaged robot resigns itself to the rubbish heap, but two pale-skinned human scavengers—a mother who wears an eye patch and her daughter—rescue it, whisking the protagonist to their decidedly unfuturistic home in an idyllic mountain valley. They lovingly rejuvenate the robot, using a mélange of jubilant hues and helping it to understand that “even the most broken things can always be saved.” Themes of consumerism, obsolescence, and redemption are grounded in genuine emotion throughout this cinematically rendered picture book about finding one’s people and one’s place in the world. Ages 3–5. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Three critters exuberantly undertake yard work in this busy board book, a series kickoff by Carzoo (The Squish). To open, a skunk, fox, and raccoon appear behind long grass that nearly covers their heads, then burst through the emerald blades exclaiming “it’s.../ LAWN-MOWING DAY!” Each adopts a different kind of mower—reel, push, and rideable tractor—and with a “snip,” “rumble,” and “vroom,” ensuing concept-driven pages present the animals approaching their work geometrically (“Let’s make lines!... Let’s make circles!”). Action-oriented descriptive text (they “push and pull” while making a diamond pattern) accompanies first-person plural narration, while cut paper techniques give blooming landscapes (and resident pollinators) a crisp depth that allows the googly-eyed, jauntily attired protagonists to really pop against the textured grass. When the job’s complete, the rhythm slows and a starry hammock snooze and sprinkler-fueled frolic suggest time passing—and, invariably, grass growing—bringing the events full circle in a book about warm-weather rhythms. All ages. Agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Two aspiring manhua artists in Hong Kong—one a comics assistant, the other a recently deceased ghost—form an unusual partnership in Kee’s fanciful meta graphic novel. Hoping to one day publish his own comic, young introvert Cheung Shan has worked for the past two years honing his skills as a comics assistant. Meanwhile, adult former comics assistant Chung Chuen Ming has toiled day and night over the past six months to finish his own comic project. When Ming dies, seemingly of a heart attack, 40 pages away from his goal, he restlessly wanders the streets as a ghost until he encounters Shan hard at work. After Ming inadvertently possesses Shan, the artists come to an agreement: Shan will allow Ming to use his body to complete his comic, and Ming will help Shan prove himself to his supervisors to progress in his career. Conventional paneling conveys beat-by-beat depictions of the comics-making process in a tale that doubles as a primer to and celebration of the art. Though stiff dialogue leads to somewhat halting pacing, stunningly realistic grayscale artwork—which occasionally veers toward the fantastic as the protagonists develop projects featuring zombies and other supernatural fare—results in a visually varied exploration of artistic passion. Ages 10–up. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Elliott (The Real Riley Mayes) channels the anthropomorphic animalian absurdity of Bunnicula in this energetic graphic novel series launch. Black cat detective Bel and her scruffy dog brother Zeb (whose sleuthing skills are less refined than Bel’s) go on high alert when their neighbor, Payton Parakeet, goes missing in the middle of performing a magic trick with his brown-skinned human Carlo. After ruling out potential suspects, including “outdoor omnivore” cat Milo, the investigative duo set their sights on a human building resident whose high heels seem to match the prints they find at the crime scene. As they continue their inquiry, the animal siblings venture beyond the familiar comforts of their apartment courtyard. Human characters’ inability to understand their animal companions’ laugh-out-loud dialogue allows readers to feel like they’re in on the joke as they accompany the furry duo on their adventure. Bel’s dry yet cheeky case notes emphasize the pooch and feline’s unlikely closeness and highlight how relying on each other’s differences and individual strengths—such as Bel’s practical, business-minded persona and Zeb’s free-spirited attitude—makes their partnership stronger. Human characters are depicted with various skin tones. Ages 8–12. Agent: Susan Hawk, Upstart Crow Literary. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

An irrepressible eight-year-old is determined to learn her grandmother’s secret lasagna recipe in this charming chapter book series opener. When Venus Washington overhears her grandfather claim that “your grandma put her foot in this lasagna,” the child takes the saying literally. Enlisting her BFF, Summer Rivera—and, reluctantly, Summer’s twin sister, Winter, Venus’s “Worst Enemy Forever”—Venus sets out to uncover exactly how many of her grandma’s toes she believes have been sacrificed for the dish. Throughout her investigation, Venus navigates a series of comic misadventures involving imaginary mice, a very real and hungry hamster, and one destroyed lasagna in need of emergency repairs. Venus’s good-natured propensity for taking statements at face value—when Grandpa tells Venus “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” she replies, “I think Grandma only made lasagna today”—is a standout feature of this chaotic romp by Oso (Before the Ships), who recalls Amelia Bedelia flare to humorously capture one child’s delight in following her imagination wherever it may lead. Cartoony b&w illustrations by Lovett (Tornado Rescue) depict characters with various skin tones. Ages 5–9. Author’s agent: Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, Andrea Brown Literary. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this tense and atmospheric fantasy novel, humans gifted with elemental abilities, called Orha, are subjugated and forced to use their powers in service of nobility. As a Floodmouth, 18-year-old Corith Fraine can communicate with and control water. After graduating from the grueling Arbenhaw institution, a school for Orha, Corith is employed by the noble House Shearwater, replacing Zennia, the Shearwaters’ previous Floodmouth and Corith’s former roommate, who died in a mysterious accident. Upon arriving at the Shearwaters’ remote island estate, Corith is thrust into an unfamiliar world of treacherous political maneuvering, luxurious decadence, and dark secrets. As she investigates Zennia’s death, Corith becomes involved with a pro-Orha activist group, collecting blackmail material about the Shearwaters and sabotaging their defenses against Orha magic on the group’s behalf. The deeper she dives into her inquiry, covert rebellion, and Floodmouth duties, the more strained her competing loyalties become, especially as she finds herself falling for one of her employers. In a debut that tackles themes of exploitation and privilege, Turner conjures a world of vivid elemental magic and shadowy intrigue with simmering romantic undertones, culminating in an attention-grabbing duology opener. The protagonists cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Stuti Telidevara, Park, Fine & Brower Literary. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink