Archives for September 2026

Over a decade ago, Miranda Paul and her children read A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart – they’ve been hooked on helping pollinators ever since. From re-landscaping their yard and participating in community science projects, to raising butterflies themselves, a simple read-aloud inspired a lifetime of caring more deeply about butterflies and the world around them. In Miranda’s new picture book, she cleverly explores how “hope and action are a cycle – hope can lead to action, and action can lead to hope” – a poignant message in a time where both hope and action can feel increasingly difficult. The book features incredible artwork by Hari & Deepti, a married artist duo in Mumbai who used photos from Miranda’s experience raising butterflies to create 3D butterfly sculptures out of paper, glue, paper clay, and watercolors (due to monsoon season, everything took extra long to dry!). Be sure to check out their process in the backmatter of the book, which also includes an Author’s Note and an activity on creating your own butterfly puddle. This is such a beautiful book for all ages!

An immersive debut picture book about a father-daughter birding adventure – perfect for nature lovers, anyone who’s hopped on the color walk trend, and readers looking for more green stories with inclusive representation. Young readers will delight in learning about birds’ distinct colors and songs, while adult readers will recognize the special significance in centering a joyful Black family of birders who feel safe and welcome in their local nature preserve. This debut is close to Taunya’s heart, as she herself is a longtime naturalist and a dedicated member of Outdoor Afro. Check out the backmatter for a birding glossary!  As a nature lover, I absolutely loved this book!

Southern California local Ellie Laks has been rescuing animals since she was a child. Now as the founder of The Gentle Barn Sanctuary, she has rehabilitated thousands of unwanted animals and helps heal humans who connect to those stories of abuse. Her goal in life? “Teaching people kindness and compassion to animals, each other, and our planet.” 

Now, Ellie is teaching audiences about the deeply touching relationships between animals and people with her new children’s picture book GENTLE (August 2026; Macmillan) . Inspired by the real calf Ellie raised in her home (John Lewis Thunderheart), this beautifully illustrated book (gorgeously rendered by Jennifer A. Bell) follows a sick baby calf as he is welcomed into the Gentle Barn, where he gradually grows stronger with the help of a tender young girl and new friends. This is a sweet book about the transformative power of quiet love and kindness that is sure to become a new classic in the classroom and at bedtime! Kirkus agrees, writing “[Lak’s] text is a kind of incantation that accumulate like a lullaby… A hushed, lovely gem.”

The Sherlock Society goes undercover in the Miami street art scene to find an anonymous graffiti artist in this third book in the hilarious, New York Times bestselling Sherlock Society middle grade series from Edgar Award–winning author James Ponti!

The Sherlock Society’s latest case is tracking down stealth graffiti artist Funky Munky—well-known for their artistic statements calling out local politicians—on behalf of a developer who wants them to create a mural for a new hotel. Their investigation leads Alex, Zoe, Lina, and Yadi deep into the very colorful south Florida art scene.

But finding someone who doesn’t want to be found is challenging, and it doesn’t help that Miami Art Week is coming up, bringing lots of attention—and lots of new artists—to the area. The Sherlock Society’s best bet is an elaborate sting operation, which involves them picking up spray cans themselves. Can they trap their quarry without exposing themselves?

This book is filled with adventure and loved the characters!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Ponti is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of four Middle Grade book series, including The Sherlock Society and City Spies. His novels have been named to forty-five state award lists, optioned by Hollywood, and translated into fifteen languages. He’s a two-time Edgar Award-nominee, winning in 2018 for Vanished!. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida.

Gilbert accidentally brings home a slobbery, bite-sized monster in the hilarious latest installment in The Worst! picture book series, where even the strangest of creatures can become the best of friends. When plucky Gilbert the Goblin and his pal Chicken go camping together, they run into creatures that go bump in the night! The friends immediately flee the woods and head home—after all, everyone knows that monsters are absolutely, undeniably, unequivocally the worst! But when a shocking stowaway appears in Gilbert’s knapsack, looking awfully cute and extra snuggly, Gilbert is…smitten! Sure, monsters can bite and drool and make a big mess, but they can also steal your heart. It’s a tale so sweet it’s scary!

Author Bio

If it was Alex Willan, and not Gilbert the Goblin, who was in charge of writing the stories, he’d make a book called Anchovies are the Worst!. Alex is the author-illustrator of the Worst! picture book series and the Jasper & Ollie series, as well as the illustrator of Got Your Nose, written by Alan Katz. Alex lives in Chicago with his dog, Harley, who is the absolute best. Visit him online at AlexWillan.com.

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to feature the books in this post. Cover images were also provided. I only feature books that I highly recommend.

A “[p]oignant, insightful, and otherworldly” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) middle grade graphic novel about an orphaned girl and a music-loving boy who venture into the land of the dead with the hope of seeing their loved ones again. Thirteen-year-old orphan Irene believes her father’s soul is trapped inside her cat, Moses. Living at her caregiver Ruth’s hostel, Irene spends every waking hour studying a mystical book that her parents left behind in the fire that took their lives. Irene thinks the book can help her see them again, if only Moses will give her a clue. Then, just as a strange fog sweeps over their quiet Chilean town, a mysterious young musician named Francis moves into the hostel. Irene and her new roommate don’t particularly get along, but Moses soon leads them both through the fog to a strange tear in reality: an entrance to the Land of the Dead. Believing this is the key to seeing her parents again, Irene and Francis cross to the other side. There, they encounter the Ferryman of the Dead, who is desperate to escape into the Land of the Living. The Ferryman offers to return Irene and Francis’s loved ones in exchange for their help. In the face of such a massive promise, Irene and Francis must decide whether to risk the fate of both the Lands of the Living and the Dead or be braver than they ever thought possible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alfredo Cáceres is an author and illustrator from Santiago, Chile. He has worked in picture books, magazines, newspapers, and video games, including the acclaimed Blight Harbor series and New York Times bestseller The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. His debut graphic novel Through the Black Gate is based on the city of Valdivia, Chile, where he grew up between rain and moss. Visit him on Instagram @RedoLaf.

History’s Greatest Games: Lionel Messi’s World Cup Triumph by Chris Barish drops readers straight into the electrifying final match between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, a game that captivated over 1.5 billion viewers worldwide during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final. Told in a dynamic graphic novel format, this book offers a front-row seat to one of the most iconic moments in sports history. Perfectly timed for a new generation of fans discovering the game.

Messi isn’t just a legend on the field, he’s a global phenomenon. With hundreds of millions of social media followers and record-breaking engagement (including the most-liked Instagram post of all time following his World Cup win), his story continues to resonate far beyond soccer. This book taps into that massive cultural footprint, making it an easy hook for readers, educators, and fans alike.

A Junior Library Guild Selection and a School Library Journal starred review pick, this first book in the History’s Greatest Games series combines pulse-pounding gameplay with rich historical context, exploring not just the match itself but the global legacy of the World Cup; from Maradona to modern-day superstars. This is a standout nonfiction graphic novel series with huge potential, especially as World Cup buzz builds across the U.S.

About the book:

Even the most restless reader will find peace and quiet in this breathtakingly illustrated book about the magic of nature, nighttime, and a duck who can’t sleep, based on a poem by the renowned E.B. White which was published in The New Yorker in 1928 and now appears for the first time in book form.

How surprised I was to see
A duck as wide awake as me.

Long past bedtime, two creatures sleeplessly wander around and around the reservoir in New York’s Central Park. What woes and wonders keep them awake so late?

Based on a poem originally published in The New Yorker by the legendary author E.B. White, and marvelously illustrated by two-time Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet, the book you hold is a love letter to nature in unlikely places, a testament to the power of imagination, and a balm to restless readers everywhere.

About the creators:

E. B. White, the author of such beloved classics as Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1921 and, five or six years later, joined the staff of the New Yorker magazine, then in its infancy. He died on October 1, 1985, at his home in Maine.

Mr. White’s essays have appeared in Harper’s magazine, and some of his other books are: One Man’s Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E. B. White, Essays of E. B. White, and Poems and Sketches of E. B. White. He won countless awards, including the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which commended him for making a “substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.”

During his lifetime, many young readers asked Mr. White if his stories were true. In a letter written to be sent to his fans, he answered, “No, they are imaginary tales . . . But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination.”

Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than one hundred books, including Kwame Alexander’s How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem, and has written and illustrated her own work. Her work has been featured in magazines, on greeting cards, and on living room walls. Melissa has received the Caldecott Honor Medal twice, among many other awards, including the Sibert Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author and artist. Melissa lives in Maine. You can visit her at melissasweet.net

Martha White, granddaughter of E. B. White, is a writer and editor who lives on the coast of Maine. A longtime contributing editor to Yankee Publishing and The Old Farmer’s Almanac, she compiled two weekly columns for United Feature Syndicate for many years and published Traditional Home Remedies (in 1997). Her articles and essays have been published in the New York Times; the Christian Science Monitor; Early American Life; Family Circle; Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors; and numerous other national magazines and small presses.

About the Book

From NYT bestsellers Angela and Tony DiTerlizzi comes a humorous, social-emotional story about not judging a book by its cover—even if that cover is super scary!

Up in the attic where no one ever goes, there lives a very scary book. He might look scary, but all he wants is a friend. When, one day, he feels brave enough to venture downstairs, he ends up frightening the other books. Will Scary ever be able to find a friend who sees him for who he truly is?

Angela and Tony DiTerlizzi, the bestselling husband-and-wife team behind A Very Cranky Book, have crafted a tale that is both a friendship story and social-emotional fable. It’s the perfect reminder that sometimes good friends can come in unexpected packages.

About the Creators

Angela and Tony DiTerlizzi have been best friends and creative partners for thirty years and married for over twenty. They live in Amherst, Massachusetts, with their daughter, Sophia, and their rescue dogs, Mimi and Pippin.

Angela is a beloved author of award-winning, charming, and inspiring picture books, including the USA Today bestselling The Magical Yet, Some Bugs, Just Add Glitter, and many others. Her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly and BuzzFeed, on the Today show, and in Cheerios boxes.

Tony is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator who has been creating books for over twenty years. From fanciful picture books, such as the Caldecott Honor–winning The Spider and the Fly and The Broken Ornament, to fantastic middle grade novels like Kenny & the Dragon, the WondLa trilogy, and the Spiderwick Chronicles (with Holly Black), Tony imbues each story with his rich imagination.

11-year-old Chris Cleevy’s out-of-this-world imagination has always been fueled by his love of sci-fi. Thankfully, simple routines like tying his shoelaces and picking out his socks have kept him grounded right here on Earth. But his carefully constructed world is shattered when his mom brings home her new boyfriend, Phil. Despite Phil’s friendly demeanor, Chris becomes convinced Phil’s a member of the mind-controlling alien race from one of his science-fiction stories. Chris believes, however, that his routines will shield his mind from Phil’s alien influence. As the world becomes harder and harder to navigate, Chris discovers the source controlling his behaviors may have a different, more earthly origin. Earth to Chris Cleevy is a poignant exploration of OCD, the ups and downs of middle school, and what it means to accept yourself for who you are.

12-year-old Edgar Alden, also known as “Poe,” has always been an outcast. Obsessed with the macabre, he’s never remotely hit it off with other kids, who have called him “Creepy Kid” since kindergarten. Only Grandma ever really understood his love for the supernatural, but when she dies and his parents move into a dilapidated house on the other side of town, things for Poe quickly go from bad to worse. You see, Poe has a roommate. A dead one. A 12-year-old ghost named Violet, who’s been stuck haunting Poe’s room for longer than she can remember. Violet is territorial, kind of annoying, and tethered to the human world by her doll, Baby Jessica. But Poe quickly discovers that Violet isn’t the only spirit haunting his house. There’s a vengeful, violent entity in his basement, and it’s up to Poe to find a way to help them both cross to the other side. Creepy Kid’s eerie moments of suspense make it just right for spooky season, but its heartfelt exploration of grief and moving on are also sure to make readers laugh, cry, and wonder about the mysteries that might lie on the other side.

At the Better Pets Emporium, a roving Pet Adoption service, all kinds of fabulous (if a bit unusual) pets come out to play, including the How Do You Feel Seal who you can tell all of your problems to, the Me Llamo Llama who is exceptional at making friends, the Knittin’ Kitten who always keeps you warm, and many more.

With an important message about pet adoption and the responsibilities of ownership, this fun and humorous read aloud is a perfect addition to any animal-lovers bookshelf – whether you’re a new, experienced, or aspiring pet owner. 

This book came out earlier this summer and will be a hit with all young kids and their parents too!

Self Disclosure: I received copies of the above books to facilitate this featured books post. All books are highly recommended. Cover images were also included.