New Children's Books: April 2021
Check out what's new this month! These books, along with other that we didn't include on this list, can be found on our "New Books" shelf!
Week of April 12, 2021
Picture Books:
After Squidnight by
From the creator of the award-winning A Pig, a Fox, and a Box comes a sly, silly picture book about artistic squids that will get every reader giggling! Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning author and illustrator Jonathan Fenske's appealing illustration style and clever text make this intriguing book a must-have for every young reader's shelf. When the clock strikes midnight, a squad of squids creeps out of the ocean--and over to your house! Their mission? To leave their inky mark by drawing on walls, the floor, and even your toys. This rhyming tale showcases a crew of creative creatures as they make art (or maybe just a mess) and leave you to deal with the consequences!
ISBN: 9781524793081
No More Naps! by
The #1 New York Times bestselling powerhouse author of the Mr. Lemoncello books brings his wit and humor to a pint-sized audience in this picture book debut that turns the universal dilemma of getting kids to sleep on its head. It's time for a nap but, just like stubborn toddlers everywhere, Annalise Devin McFleece won't have anything to do with bedtime. Dad tries to encourage sleepiness by pushing her around the park in her stroller. Along the way, they pass a man sitting on a bench, dog walkers walking dogs, a boy on a skateboard, kids playing ball, a girl practicing her juggling, and others. Each of them thinks that taking a nap is a great idea and if Annalise Devin McFleece doesn't want hers, they'll happy take it. And one by one, everyone falls asleep...except Annalise Devin McFleece. But when she's finally ready for her nap, all the naps are taken! Is there anyone who has an extra nap to spare? With every turn of the page, the busy city scene becomes more and more quiet...except for Annalise Devin McFleece. Will she ever take a nap?
ISBN: 9781524771287
Papa, Daddy, and Riley by
Riley is Papa's princess and Daddy's dragon. She loves her two fathers When Riley's classmate asks her which dad is her real one, Riley is confused. She doesn't want to have to pick one or the other. Families are made of love in this heartwarming story that shows there are lots of ways to be part of one.
ISBN: 9781433832390
Chapter Books:
The Retake by
"A book about a time-traveling app? I'm in! Jen Calonita strikes again with a coming-of-age middle grade full of wit and a little bit of magic. "-Sarah Mlynowski,New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After and Upside Down Magic series "A brilliant friendship story that champions kindness, resilience and the courage to challenge long held expectations - both of others and of yourself."--Lauren Myracle,co-author of the New York Times best-selling Upside-Down Magic series You can retake your photos...but what if could redo moments in your life too? With one magical app, Zoe is able to do just that! A smart and funny twist on time travel from New York Times bestselling author Jen Calonita, for fans for Disney's Zapped and The Swap. Zoe knows that the only thing harder than middle school is losing a best friend. She and Laura used to do everything together from taking silly selfies, to joining all the same clubs together and even throwing surprise birthday parties for one another. But lately things have been weird between them. Now Laura will post a photo of her hanging out with other girls before responding to Zoe's simple text. She doesn't even want to sit with her at lunch anymore. Zoe is heartbroken--all she wants is for things to go back to normal. But then a magical app downloads on her phone...and things get even weirder! Suddenly Zoe can travel back in time to moments where her and Laura started drifting apart. It is like a dream come true. A chance for Zoe to mend their friendship. But as Zoe goes back to moments of middle school drama--sleepover games gone wrong, field trips with cliques and crushes, and school projects that bring on more-than-awkward encounters--she realizes that second chances don't always go as planned and that sometimes you need to trust the magic of new beginnings. The Retake is a picture-perfect look at tween friendship, that also explores more serious themes of social media pressure, bullying and what it means to be yourself. "Jen Calonita puts a magical spin on all-to-real middle school drama. Warm, witty and wise,The Retakeis for anyone who has broken up with a best friend and wished they could go back to the way it used to be."-Megan McCaferty, author ofTrue to Your Selfieand Jessica Darling's It List series "As addictive as your favorite app, you won't be able to put it down." - StacyMcAnulty,theauthor ofTheMiscalculations of Lightning Girl
ISBN: 9780593174142
The Artifact Hunters by
A thrilling, fast-paced middle grade that blends Indiana Jones-style treasure hunting with World War II spies and time travel adventure! At the height of World War II, Isaac Wolf's parents send him from his home in Prague to Scotland alone. They give him a pendant in the shape of an eternity knot, and assure him that he will be safe if he can find this symbol in Scotland. The clue leads him to Rookskill Castle and the gifted children of the Special Alternative Intelligence Unit of MI6 who are learning to harness their magical powers to support the Allies' cause. With the help of his new friends, Isaac has to unlock his powers and unravel the reason his parents sent him Rookskill Castle. To solve the meaning of the eternity knot, he must hunt down a series of magical artifacts scattered through eras of the past. But he's not the only artifact hunter, and soon he finds himself in a race against Nazi spies and an even more sinister magical enemy. Can Isaac solve the puzzle, save his parents, and defeat the evil in our world and beyond, all before the clock runs out?
ISBN: 9780451478696
We Dream of Space by
A Newbery Honor Book * BookPage Best Books * Chicago Public Library Best Fiction * Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee * Horn Book Fanfare * New York Times Notable Children's Book * School Library Journal Best Book * Today Show Pick * An ALA Notable Book "A 10 out of 10 . . . Anyone interested in science, sibling relationships, and friendships will enjoy reading We Dream of Space."--Time for Kids Newbery Medalist and New York Times-bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly transports readers to 1986 and introduces them to the unforgettable Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas in this pitch-perfect middle grade novel about family, friendship, science, and exploration. This acclaimed Newbery Honor Book is a great choice for readers of Kate DiCamillo, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Rebecca Stead. Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country waits expectantly for the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, they each struggle with their own personal anxieties. Cash, who loves basketball but has a newly broken wrist, is in danger of failing seventh grade for the second time. Fitch spends every afternoon playing Major Havoc at the arcade on Main and wrestles with an explosive temper that he doesn't understand. And Bird, his twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being NASA's first female shuttle commander, but feels like she's disappearing. The Nelson Thomas children exist in their own orbits, circling a tense and unpredictable household, with little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. Salonga. As the launch of the Challenger approaches, Ms. Salonga gives her students a project--they are separated into spacecraft crews and must create and complete a mission. When the fated day finally arrives, it changes all of their lives and brings them together in unexpected ways. Told in three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable and thematically rich novel for middle grade readers. We Dream of Space is illustrated throughout by the author.
ISBN: 9780062747303
Biographies:
Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by
Chef Roy Choi calls himself a "street cook." He wants outsiders, low-riders, kids, teens, shufflers and skateboarders, to have food cooked with care, with love, with sohn maash. "Sohn maash" is the flavors in our fingertips. It is the love and cooking talent that Korean mothers and grandmothers mix into their handmade foods. For Chef Roy Choi, food means love. It also means culture, not only of Korea where he was born, but the many cultures that make up the streets of Los Angeles, where he was raised. So remixing food from the streets, just like good music--and serving it up from a truck--is true to L.A. food culture. People smiled and talked as they waitedin line. Won''t you join him as he makes good food smiles? Jacqueline Briggs Martin, author of the Caldecott Medal winner,Snowflake Bentley as well asFarmer Will Allen and the Growing Table, andAlice Waters and the Trip to Delicious continues her Food Heroes series withChef Roy Choi on people who change what and how we eat. Together with food ethnographer June Jo Lee and internationally renowned graffiti artist Man One, they bring an exuberant celebration of street food and street art. Jacqueline Briggs Martin is the author of many award winning children''s books, including Snowflake Bentley, winner of the Caldecott Medal. Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table, which was named an ALA Notable Children''s Book and a "Best Nonfiction Books" by School Library Journal, was the first of her Food Hero series on people who changed what and how we eat. Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious, the second book in the series, received a starred review from School Library Journal and was named a "CCBC Choices by Cooperative Children''s Book Center. She enjoyed home cooking while growing up at her family farm in Maine, but also liked sampling from the Korean taco truck, ramen and congee at Roy Choi''s restaurants while doing research for the book. She lives in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and tries to eat kimchi everyday. Learn more about her at jacquelinebriggsmartin.com. June Jo Lee is a food ethnographer, spending her days visiting kitchens, dining rooms, and markets to understand how America eats. She''s a national speaker on food trends and consults with organizations from university campus dining to Google Food and has been featured in the New York Times. She is also co-founder of READERS to EATERS, publishing books to promote food literacy. Like Roy Choi, she was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to the U.S., where she grew up eating her mom''s kimchi. She now lives near Seattle, Washington. This is her first book. Learn more about her at foodethnographer.com. Man One has been a pioneer in the Graffiti Art movement in Los Angeles since the 1980s. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, The Getty, and Parco Museum in Tokyo, Japan, and others. His artwork has been shown in galleries around the world including Australia, Germany, Mexico and New Zealand. He has painted live on stage at some of the largest U.S. music concerts and festivals including tours for MTV with The Black Eyed Peas. He is the recipient of the Speakerand Specialist Grant by the U.S. State Department to work with children in Panama to build self-esteem through art. In 2002, he founded Crewest Gallery, the premiere street art gallery in L.A. to give graffiti artists a professional venue to showcase their work. In 2014, he relaunched Crewest as a lifestyle media company focused on creativity, art and design. A proud Chicano artist, he is a first generation American whose parents immigrated from Mexico to Los Angeles in the late 1960''s. He ate his family''s delicious Mexican recipes at home growing up, but Bob''s Big Boy was his favorite spot to eat out. This is his first children''s book. Learn about Man One and Crewest at manone.com and crewest.com.
ISBN: 9780983661597
Mario and the Hole in the Sky by
The true story of how a scientist saved the planet from environmental disaster. Mexican American Mario Molina is a modern-day hero who helped solve the ozone crisis of the 1980s. Growing up in Mexico City, Mario was a curious boy who studied hidden worlds through a microscope. As a young man in California, he discovered that CFCs, used in millions of refrigerators and spray cans, were tearing a hole in the earth's protective ozone layer. Mario knew the world had to be warned--and quickly. Today Mario is a Nobel laureate and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His inspiring story gives hope in the fight against global warming.
ISBN: 9781580895811
Nonfiction:
Your Place in the Universe by
With crisp illustration and intriguing science, Your Place in the Universe introduces readers to the mind-boggling scale of the known Universe. Most eight-year-olds are about five times as tall as this book . . . but only half as tall as an ostrich, which is half as tall as a giraffe . . . twenty times smaller than a California Redwood! How do they compare to the tallest buildings? To Mt. Everest? To stars, galaxy clusters, and . . . the universe? Jason Chin, the award-winning author and illustrator of Grand Canyon has once again found a way to make a complex subject--size, scale and almost unimaginable distance--accessible and understandable to readers of all ages. Meticulously researched and featuring the highly detailed artwork for which he is renowned, this is How Much is a Million for the new millenium, sure to be an immediate hit with kids looking for an engaging way to delve into perspective, astronomy, and astrophysics. Curious readers will love the extensive supplementary material included in the back of the back of the book
ISBN: 9780823446230
In the Dark by
Ever wonder what happens when you go to sleep at night? Discover all that's still going on in the world after dark, in this intriguing, fact-packed introduction to the science of night.What happens when we go to sleep at night? Now young readers can find out, in this entertaining exploration of the science of night. Nocturnal animals are hunting for food. Plants are using math (!) to conserve their overnight energy. Celestial objects only visible after dark are shining brightly in the night sky. Even our own bodies and brains are still working to keep us healthy! Amazing as it is, the world doesn't stop just because we've closed our eyes.Lisa Deresti Betik has created a fun, engaging and fact-packed introduction to the science of what happens in the world after dark. Children will be delighted to find the answers to questions such as: Why do we dream? How do bats use echolocation? What blooms in the moonlight? Why do stars twinkle? Thoroughly researched and vetted by several experts, this book covers multiple STEM topics, leading to tons of direct curriculum links in earth science, life science and physical science. The comprehensive, wide-ranging approach allows for loads of fun facts that will appeal to children. Josh Holinaty's stylish illustrations create a striking nighttime look with a limited, dark color palette. The text is supported by a glossary, an index and suggested sources for further reading.
ISBN: 9781525301094
