April
Title: Everybelly
Author: Thao Lam
Description:Maddie and her mom spend a sunny day at the local public pool where she meets and greets friends and neighbors. Maddie is waist-high on most of them, and she knows there’s an interesting person behind every belly she passes — like Jackie, the artist with a splatter of ice cream across their belly. Maddie’s splatter painting often leaves Mama speechless, too!
The poolside belly parade keeps Maddie How bellies can make excellent tables, how hard some people work to keep their bellies flat when Maddie prefers her belly full, and how you should never, ever stick your hands in other people’s bellies, no matter how soft and doughy they might look. (Maddie’s cat taught her that the hard way.)
As Maddie dances, swims and makes the long climb up to the diving board, Thao Lam’s celebrated cut-paper collage portrays bellies and bodies of all shapes and sizes — bellies with scars, tattooed bellies, growing bellies, growling bellies, bellies with six-packs, stretch marks, insulin monitors, freckles and more — proving that every belly deserves its place in the sun.
Title: Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear
Author Marissa Valdez
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: April 1, 2025
Description: Jacques is a little hedgehog with a BIG secret — he loves wearing underwear! But the hedgehog world has rules . . . You see, hedgehogs eat grubs. They make nests. They snort with their sniffly snouts. They do NOT. WEAR. UNDERWEAR. So what’s a critter to do about his undercover love of underpants?
Will Jacques muster the bravery he needs to fully embrace himself and share his love of tighty-whities with the world?
Get ready to fall head over heinie for this hilarious and unforgettable tale of identity, self-acceptance — and undies.
Title: Beatrix Butterfly Wings It for Once
Author: Maren Morris, Karina Argow
Illustrator: Kelly Anne Dalton
Publisher: Chronicle Chroma
Publication Date: April 8, 2025
Description: Beatrix Butterfly wakes up on the wrong side of the watermelon bed, starting her day not at all as planned. Feeling behind schedule and overwhelmed by her mile-long to-do list, she sinks back into bed covered by her cozy zinnia-petal duvet.
What’s the solution to Beatrix’s plight? Trusted friends to give her some help, of course! Ellis Squirrel encourages her to set aside her endless list and play it by ear. Lewis Ladybug, Salvador Slug, and Estela Earthworm inspire her to improvise and soar, all while finding unexpected joy and beauty in nature along the way. What started as an off day turns back on as Beatrix Butterfly evolves and grows by sharing her feelings, keeping a promise, helping others, and winging it for once.
Title: Orson and the World’s Loudest Library
Author: Laura Gehl
Illustrator: Stephanie Roth Sisson
Publisher: Astra Young Readers
Publication Date: April 15, 2025
Description: When Orson visits his local library, he likes to sit and read quietly by himself. However, not everyone is on the same page as him. One day, when the library is buzzing with activities like read-alouds and book club, Orson decides he’s had enough and lets everyone know how he really feels! But when he goes to cool off in a quiet room after his emotional outburst, he realizes that he may be missing out on all that the library and its sometimes not-so-quiet community have to offer.
Here is a story for book lovers who love trips to the library, kids with big feelings, and readers learning to share their passion for books with new friends.
Title: Don’t Trush Fish
Author: Neil Sharpson
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Description: Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish?
1) They spend all their time in the water where we can’t see them.
2) Some are as big as a bus—that is not okay.
3) We don’t know what they’re teaching in their “schools.”
4) They are likely plotting our doom.
This nature-guide-gone-wrong is a hilarious, off-the-rails exploration of the seemingly innocent animals that live in the water.
May
Title: Cats Love Books, Too
Author: Maria Coco
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Publication Date: May 6
Description: Cats love books, too! But why? Is it the scratchiness of the cover? Characters that leap off the page like they leap off, well, everything? Or could it be they love books for the same reasons we do? Discover all the possibilities in this delightful story about the joys of reading and companionship, perfect for both book and cat lovers!
Cats Love Books, Too is the companion book to author-illustrator Maria Coco’s Dogs Love Books, Too, perfectly capturing both the sassiness and sweetness of having a cat in your life and the stories they can inspire.
Title: Where are you Bronte?
Author: Tomie dePaola
Illustrator: Barbar McClintock
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: May 6
Description: This touching story about love, loss, and remembrance in the wake of losing a beloved pet is the final completed book written by beloved creator Tomie dePaola, with art by award-winning illustrator Barbara McClintock.
Where are you, Brontë?
The day you left me, I knew I would miss you.
And I did. Every day, every night.
But then, I knew you were right here, still with me, in my heart forever.
Children’s book legend Tomie dePaola tells the emotional and deeply personal story about overcoming his grief after the loss of his beloved dog, Brönte.
Title: Counting on Dad
Author: Valentina Jenkins
Publisher: Odd Dot
Publication Date: May 13
Description: Dads are all around us! This simple counting book invites readers to count and honor dads of all kinds—the every day heroes who make a difference! Dads cuddling; dads snoring; dads helping each other and their kids. It’s a heartwarming opportunity to celebrate all that dads are and do! With sweet animal characters and charming art, this is the perfect gift book for new dads and at Father’s Day and all year long.
Title: The Silver Shadow
Author: Mariesa Dulak
Illustrator: Alea Marley
Publisher: Walker Books US
Publication Date: May 16, 2025
Description: My toes hunt for grooves in the rough rock. And then . . . I see her.
While searching for wonders in the tide pools, a little girl discovers a silver shark, stranded in the shallows—sleek and quick, but still just a baby. The sun is high and the tide is out. How will the shark find its way home? Drawing on family memories of life in Barbados, award-winning author Mariesa Dulak and best-selling artist Alea Marley have woven together a spellbindingly beautiful story about our connections to the ocean and what we owe other living creatures.
June
Title: Marianne the Maker
Author: Kelly Corrigan and Claire Corrigan Lichty
Illustrator: George Sweetland
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Publication Date: June 3
Description: Marianne’s days are filled with schedules, structure, and soccer. There’s just one Marianne is a maker. She needs every minute of her weekends to scheme and dream, draw and design, to build and rebuild! This is the story of how a creator with a crackerjack imagination finds a not-so-great way to skip practice and create her masterpiece. But will her dad understand?
Told in delightful rhyme that bounces across George Sweetland’s gorgeous collage-style illustrations (chock full of hidden gems,) Marianne the Maker is sure to kindle the creative spark that lives inside all of us.
Title: The Day the Crayons Made Friends
Author; Drew Daywalt
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s
Publication Date: June 5, 2025
Description:The hilarious Crayons from the #1 New York Times bestselling The Day the Crayons Quit are back for another adventure – and this time they explore Duncan’s playroom. Will they want to leave the crayon box for good after they make new friends?
Duncan’s crayons just can’t seem to stay put!
After convincing one group of crayons to go back to work after they wanted to quit and rescuing another group who got lost in the most inconvenient places, Duncan’s crayons have disappeared once more.
But this time they’ve gone into his room to make friends. From Red Crayon, who fulfils his dream of driving a fire engine, to Blue Crayon, who meets a fashion doll desperately in need of a head, to fan favourite Esteban, who is off to tame a teddy bear (or as he would call it, a wild beast), each crayon has an exciting story to share about the new objects they’ve met and the new adventures they’ve had.
Title: What if… You Didn’t Make Snot? And Other Amazing Human Body Questions
Author: Emma Young
Publisher: DK Kids
Publication Date: June 5, 2025
Description: Prepare to learn all about the human body from blood vessels to the brain and nerves to nutrients. However, this isn’t another dry textbook. You’ll be drawn into each topic with one of 33 amusing questions that are guaranteed to make you think about anatomy in a whole new way. Author Emma Young explains the answers with humour and plenty of science facts that you’ll be racing to share with your friends and family.
Even reluctant learners will find What if you didn’t make snot? irresistible to dip into to find out the answers to the wacky, bizarre, and gross questions, making this a perfect gift for any child.
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