20 Excellent New Picture Books, March 2024

Let’s Play in the Park / jugemos en el parque written by René Colato Laínez, illustrated by Nomar Perez
BILINGUAL BOOKS
Written in English and Spanish, this is the story of two boys, Joe and José, who spend the day at the park. They play, swing, go down the slide, and even clean up. You’ll love reading the English and Spanish phrases and will learn new vocabulary words that you may not know.

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You’re Going to Love This Book! written by Jory John, illustrated by Olivier Tallec
FUNNY / META
If you like silly meta books, this will be your new read aloud favorite. The narrator, an ardvark, tells us we’re going to love the book and lists the reasons. The book has actual homework, sprouts, a chore list, raisins, and a dentist. What do you think so far? Not what you were expecting, were you? But the silliness will carry you through to the last page.

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A Flicker of Hope A Story of Migration written by Cynthia Harmony, illustrated by Devon Holzwarth
MONARCH MIGRATION / REFUGEES
FREE BOOK ACTIVITIES FOR THIS PICTURE BOOK
Readers will love this parallel story of Lucia’s dad’s migration north to work on a farm alongside the monarcas’ migration north. Side by side we see their journeys by land and air. Back at home, Lucia waits for the monarcas and for Papá to return until one day on el Dia de los Muertos it happens! Autumn, the butterflies and Papá arrive to fill her heart.

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Bird is Dead written by Tiny Fisscher and illustrated by Herma Starreveld
DEATH
Experts on children’s grief recommend using the words dead and death– instead of euphemisms, so I immediately loved the title. I also LOVE the cool collage and pen and ink art. The story is written entirely in dialogue showing birds talking about their bird friend who is dead. They discuss crying and being sad. They have a funeral and say goodbye in their own way, showing that people can express grief differently. They also discuss that it’s forever, another important thing kids need to understand. Then, they decide to have a tea party and talk about their friend.

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The Book That Almost Rhymed written by Omar Abed, illustrated by Hatem Aly
FUNNY
Long-time readers know that I have very strong feelings against (bad) rhyming books. BUT THIS?! This book I love! Love, love, love. It’s funny and playful, and it works — because it’s not trying to rhyme… exactly. A little boy writes a rhyming book which sounds great until his silly little sister comes along and makes some, er, changes. “I wrote a smooth and seamless story about a brave knight’s quest for glory. He yearned for treasure all his own, and so he journeyed, all alo- // ALONGSIDE A FIERCE AND FRIENDLY DETECTIVE!” Now that the little sister is there, the siblings find the treasure map and search space and the ocean, dance with pirates, fight an armadillo…with a pillow, and squabble until the boy realizes his sister is a good storyteller, too.

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Come Out, Come Out, Chameleon! written and illustrated by Jonty Howley
FUNNY
Kids will LOVE this hilarious and interactive book about an old man who can’t find his lost chameleon that he’s never actually seen. Will readers find it on each page? Look closely! Yes, you will find him. But will the man ever find his chameleon? This is the perfect book to read aloud to preschoolers!

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The Cat Who Couldn’t Be Bothered written and illustrated by Jack Kurland
FEELINGS / SADNESS
Simple yet bold art on white backgrounds shows a black and white cat lying down, stretching, sitting, and declining his animal friend’s invitations to play, go to a party, explore, or go to Mars. Finally, the cat explains that it’s NOT that he can’t be bothered, it’s that he’s feeling SAD and wants to do nothing. His friends can relate! They ask if they can do nothing with him. The next last spread shows them all lying down with contented smiles. I love that this book shows a character feeling his feelings and supportive friends who listen and care.

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Wake Up, Woodands written by Karen Jameson, illustrated by Marc Boutavant
SPRING
Read this book as spring beckons around the corner. The children call out to the playfully-named woodland creatures like Tiny Whiskers, Little Buzz, Long Ears, Small Paws, Bright Wings, Red Tails, and Big Eyes, to wake up! Poetic text shows that winter is leaving and spring is arriving. “Frost is fading / Spring’s parading / Peek out from your hiding places. Graze with Mom in grassy spaces.” Blue skies, green grasses, and clover-filled fields are brightly illustrated as the children wander the woods toward a spring welcoming picnic party.

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Flap Your Hands written and illustrated by Steve Asbell
AUTISM
Written in second person, you get to experience the fun of stimming to help when the world feels overwhelming. Maybe you wave your wrists like a conductor, and the world is your orchestra. You might choose a word with a funny sound and say it out loud. You might do a happy-flap or spin and flop down. It can help you calm down and handle big feelings! The illustrations feel movement-filled and celebratory. This book is a much-needed book that celebrates the needs of autistic kids.

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The Storyteller written by Lindsay Bonilla, illustrated by Noar Lee Naggan
GRANDPARENT DEATH
Griffin’s grandmother tells him stories of his own bravery in the woods against the wolf as well as fairy tales and stories of their family history, filling his mind and heart. So when the Storyteller’s voice fades to a whisper, Griffin remembers the stories and invites the Storyteller for a final story. And when she climbed the beanstalk to leave, she reminded him to keep the stories alive. So he did. And she lived forever in his words. How sweet and tender and true is that? I loved the gorgeous artwork in browns and greens and the message of family legacy and storytelling.

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Cattitude written by Bianca Shulze, illustrated by Samara Hardy
CATS
My friend Bianca doesn’t only write The Children’s Book Review or host a fantastic podcast…she also writes picture books like this one. Life with Cleo the cat means Cleo is in charge. She hides in small spaces, she sits on your head, she chases mice, she’s the best at surprising the family, and she has so much energy! Basically, she does whatever she wants. (She’s complicated!) With appealing, colorful artwork from the talented Samantha Hardy plus a very silly story, this darling book captures the essence of cats through loveable Cleo.

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Lost Words An Armenian Story of Survival and Hope written by Leila Boukarim and illustrated by Sona Avedikian
ARMENIAN HISTORY / REFUGEES
This is the story of a boy whose parents sent him out of Armenia for his safety — and who missed his mom so much he lost his words. He walked with his sisters for days and months to safety, grew up, and had children of his own but never again saw his mom. Simple but effective storytelling shows the pain of refugees separated from their families and introduces readers to the Armenian genocide.

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Wren’s Nest written by Heidi E.Y. Stemple, illustrated by Eugenia Nobati
BIRD WATCHING / FAMILY
First of all, I must say that I adore the illustrations more than I can express. They’re captivating! The text is a sweet generational story about a bird-loving girl named Wren with a kind Grandpa who helps her watch her special wren box, tells her wren stories, and teaches her about bird watching. When Wren’s family moves to a new house, she’s disappointed not to see wrens but one day she finds phoebe eggs that hatch and fly away just as a new family member, baby Phoebe, arrives.

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Turtle-Turtle and the Wide, Wide River written by Jane Hillenbrand, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
TURTLES / FRIENDSHIP
Repetition, onomatopoeia, simple text, and a big storm make Turtle-Turtle’s adventure 100% engaging to read aloud. When Turtle-Turtle gets knocked off his spot by a big storm, we learn along with turtle that he can hold his breath underwater and swim. A perfect preschool read aloud!

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Daisy the Daydreamer written and illustrated by Jennifer P. Goldfinger
DAYDREAMING
Daisy has her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds (imagining, mostly) which makes listening hard. (Who can relate?!) She REALLY wants to be line leader to the aquarium, but when she doesn’t listen to all the things the teacher says, Molly gets picked instead. What does Daisy do? After feeling bad, she draws a picture and shows it to her teacher. That’s when the teacher sees Daisy’s unique talents and makes her the official aquarium artist! I love Daisy’s problem-solving and that the teacher values Daisy’s gifts.

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Ready to Soar written and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld
TRUSTING YOURSELF
In this story about trusting yourself, a child crafts a paper airplane to soar. But before he can, different birds tell Riley to make the airplane different — bigger, fancier, and faster. Rile feels discouraged and upset, especially after the new and supposedly improved airplane crashes. Riley returns to the original plan with a new, supportive friend who celebrates Riley’s idea. Woo! Off the airplane soars!

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Joyful Song A Naming Story written by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal
JEWISH / LGBTQ+
Zachary and his moms are walking to the temple with his new baby sister. Along the way, they greet their neighbors who ask for the baby’s name, but the moms only share the baby’s nicknames because the real name will be revealed at the special ceremony. Zachary invites his neighbors who walk with them. to temple. When they have the ceremony, it’s a joyful time when the real name is revealed. They they all walk back home.

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The Thingamajig written and illustrated by Rilla Alexnder
MYSTERY
When Little Elephant’s parent misplaces their thingamajig, Little Elephant asks his animal friends. Turns out they all have lots missing things with silly names, too. Like the hoo-zee-wots-it that makes thunder or the shis-moo to carry things or a doop-ee-dit for eating. The animals describe their missing things for Frog and it turns out that they all are describing part of the same thing — parts of a water bottle. Can you help them all find something else that matches their descriptions instead of the water bottle? Back matter shares other words in different languages to describe something you don’t know the name of.

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Looking for the Eid Moon written by Sahtinay Abaz, illustrated by Sandra Eide
EID
Sara wants to find the crescent moon for Eid, the end of Ramadan. She and her sister Lulu search everywhere for it but they don’t see it which makes Sara sad. That’s when Lulu thinks of an idea! She makes a glittery moon rock filled with coins for her sister. Happy to be together, the sisters snuggle into bed thinking it’s the best Eid ever.

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