Hi Kid Lit Friends!
I have some fun new releases to share with you today! I am super excited about The Most Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett and Sarah Jacoby and The Girls by Lauren Ace and Jenny Loulie. Take a look and let me know what you think!
Sponsored by Audible
Get TWO free audiobooks with a new Audible account! Sign up for a free trial here.
As always, if I’ve had the chance to read one of these books and loved it, I marked it with a 
. Please note that all descriptions come from the publisher.
Picture Book New Releases
Leyla by Galia Bernstein
Leyla is sick of her big, loud, overbearing family. They are always chatting, snuggling, and grooming each other (ew!), and—for Leyla—there’s no escape from their attention. So, she decides to run away until she can’t hear (or smell) her baboon troop anymore. In the middle of her desert habitat, she finds a lizard sunning himself. Unlike her family, the lizard loves to sit alone, be quiet, and do absolutely nothing at all. Leyla joins the lizard, and after soaking up some quiet time, she feels recharged and ready to return home to her large, ever-doting family. Now that she knows where she can always find a little peace, Leyla can embrace the chaos and the kisses with open arms.
Nova: The Star Eater by Lindsay Leslie, illustrated by John Taesoo Kim
Nova has a big appetite for stars, so when she decides to gobble up Earth’s Sun, panic erupts around the globe. Earth needs its Sun to survive! How will it get it back from Nova? One bright little girl just might have a solution. Sparkling with humor and interstellar adventure, this story showcases creative problem-solving and a subtle reminder to not eat someone else’s food―or stars―without asking first.
Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family by Elizabeth Zunon
As a little girl and her father bake her birthday cake together, Daddy tells the story of her Grandpa Cacao, a farmer from the Ivory Coast in West Africa. In a land where elephants roam and the air is hot and damp, Grandpa Cacao worked in his village to harvest cacao, the most important ingredient in chocolate. “Chocolate is a gift to you from Grandpa Cacao,” Daddy says. “We can only enjoy chocolate treats thanks to farmers like him.” Once the cake is baked, it’s ready to eat, but this isn’t her only birthday present. There’s a special surprise waiting at the front door . . .
That’s What Dinosaurs Do by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald
William the dinosaur likes to roar.
At the park?“ROAR.”
At the bus stop?“ROAR!”
At the farm? You bet. ROARRR!
William never lets the chance to roar pass him by, even if others find it rather bothersome. That’s until William gets a sore throat and the doctor warns him not to roar for a WHOLE week. But can this overexcited, boisterous, giant lizard not do what dinosaurs are meant to do?!
The Girls by Lauren Ace and Jenny Loulie
Meet the girls: Sasha, Lottie, Alice, and Leela.
These four best friends spend their days playing beneath the branches of their favorite apple tree. As the tree grows tall and reaches across the sky, so do they . . .
. . . growing from little girls into big girls . . .
. . . and from big girls into women!
Through their shared secrets, dreams, worries, and schemes, their friendship grows ever stronger. Even when their adventures take them in different directions, the girls always stay rooted together.
Camp Tiger by Susan Choi, illustrated by John Rocco
Every year, a boy and his family go camping at Mountain Pond. Usually, they see things like an eagle fishing for his dinner, a salamander with red spots on its back, and chipmunks that come to steal food while the family sits by the campfire. But this year is different. This year, the boy is going into first grade, and his mother is encouraging him to do things on his own, just like his older brother. And the most different thing of all . . . this year, a tiger comes to the woods.
I am a Wolf by Kelly Leigh Miller
When a particularly growly pup finds herself in an animal shelter, she insists that she is a wolf–a lone wolf. After all, she’s not sweet, she’s not cute, and she is just fine on her own! Luckily, there’s one little girl at the shelter who knows that sometimes, good dogs act bad when they feel afraid and that extending a little kindness can help even the most wolfish pup at the pound let down her guard.
Ogilvy by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by T. L. McBeth
When Ogilvy moves to a new town, the possibilities feel endless. There are so many new bunny friends and fun things to do together! But in this town, bunnies in dresses play ball and knit socks, and bunnies in sweaters make art and climb rocks. Ogilvy wants to do everything―and won’t let a sweater or a dress get in the way.
The Last Peach by Gus Garden
Gus Gordon’s The Last Peach is the story of two indecisive bugs contemplating eating the last peach of the summer in a hilarious picture book about anticipation and expectation.
Fox and the Box by Yvonne Ivinson
What can one little fox do with only a box? Perhaps make it a ship, and go on a trip? A boat that floats across the sea, with a tail as a sail and endless possibilities?
Middle Grade New Releases
Parker Bell and the Science of Friendship by Cynthia Platt, illustrated by Rea Zhai
Budding scientist Parker Bell really wants to win the school Science Triathlon and follow in the footsteps of her idols, chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall and astronaut Mae Jemison. She’s sure that if she teams up with her trivia whiz BFF, Cassie, they will dominate the Science Bee, Egg Drop, and Animal Adaptation Presentation. When Cassie invites her new friend, Theo, to join their team, Parker is worried—that Theo won’t help them win and might steal her best friend. As the three work together, Parker learns that you don’t have to be the best to be a real scientist and a good friend.
Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker
Zenobia July is starting a new life. She used to live in Arizona with her father; now she’s in Maine with her aunts. She used to spend most of her time behind a computer screen, improving her impressive coding and hacking skills; now she’s coming out of her shell and discovering a community of friends at Monarch Middle School. People used to tell her she was a boy; now she’s able to live openly as the girl she always knew she was. When someone anonymously posts hateful memes on her school’s website, Zenobia knows she’s the one with the abilities to solve the mystery, all while wrestling with the challenges of a new school, a new family, and coming to grips with presenting her true gender for the first time.
The Usual Suspects by Maurice Broaddus
Thelonius Mitchell is tired of being labeled. He’s in special ed, separated from the “normal” kids at school who don’t have any “issues.” That’s enough to make all the teachers and students look at him and his friends with a constant side-eye. (Although his disruptive antics and pranks have given him a rep too.) When a gun is found at a neighborhood hangout, Thelonius and his pals become instant suspects. Thelonius may be guilty of pulling crazy stunts at school, but a criminal? T isn’t about to let that label stick.
The Pumpkin War by Cathleen Young
At the end of every summer, Madeline Island hosts its famous pumpkin race. All summer, adults and kids across the island grow giant, thousand-pound pumpkins, then hollow one out and paddle in it across the lake to the cheers of the entire town. Twelve-year-old Billie loves to win; she has a bulletin board overflowing with first-prize ribbons. Her best friend Sam doesn’t care much about winning, or at least Billie didn’t think so until last summer’s race, when his pumpkin crashed into hers as she was about to cross the finish line and he won. This summer, Billie is determined to get revenge by growing the best and biggest pumpkin and beating Sam in the race.
Nonfiction New Releases
*PB indicates picture book; MG indicates middle grade
The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett and Sarah Jacoby (PB)
What is important about Margaret Wise Brown?
In forty-two inspired pages, this biography artfully plays with form and language to vivdly bring to life one of greatest children’s book creators who ever lived: Margaret Wise Brown.
Serena: The Littlest Sister by Karlin Gray, illustrated by Monica Ahanonu
Serena Williams is one of the biggest names in sports, but she grew up the littlest of five girls in her family. While sharing a room and playing tennis with her older sisters, Serena had to figure out how to be her own person―on and off the court. This empowering biography showcases the rise of the youngest Williams sister and how her family played a part in her path to becoming the strong woman and star athlete she is today. Bold, colorful illustrations highlight the tight sisterhood and tennis action of Serena’s childhood and teenage years. This true story about a tennis icon will inspire littlest siblings everywhere to forge their own path and leave their mark.
I would love to know what you are reading this week! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at karina@bookriot.com.
This is my friend’s cat, Jefferson. He got an advance look at The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue (HMH Books for Young Readers, 9/17/19)!
*If this e-mail was forwarded to you, follow this link to subscribe to “The Kids Are All Right” newsletter and other fabulous Book Riot newsletters for your own customized e-mail delivery. Thank you!*