{"id":232018,"date":"2024-01-22T04:55:31","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T09:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/?p=232018"},"modified":"2024-01-24T23:17:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T04:17:51","slug":"from-board-books-to-middle-grade-10-great-new-childrens-books-out-in-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/from-board-books-to-middle-grade-10-great-new-childrens-books-out-in-january\/","title":{"rendered":"From Board Books to Middle Grade: 10 Great New Children\u2019s Books Out in January"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like a lot of passionate readers, I fell in love with children\u2019s books as soon as I was old enough to sound out words on a page. And, like some readers\u2014maybe like you?\u2014I never fell out of love. If we ever happen to bump into each other at the library, please pass me a stunningly illustrated picture book, a laugh-out-loud chapter book romp, or a young adult novel so emotionally resonant that I can\u2019t help remembering exactly what it feels like to be a teenager; I\u2019ll happily take them all.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be even happier, actually, to recommend a few of my favorite new children\u2019s books to you. Hundreds of honestly excellent titles, from the simplest board books to the most lyrical and complex novels, are published for young readers every year, and it can be hard for those of us looking for a great new read for our kids, our students, or ourselves to know where to begin. (Even I, a professional children\u2019s book author and amateur mom, get easily overwhelmed at the bookstore.)<\/p>\n

But I hope you\u2019ll use this column as a starting point in your search. Every month, I\u2019ll let you know about some of the new releases that have caught my eye: the ones I can\u2019t wait to share with my kids, the ones I admire for their artistry, and the ones I can already tell I won\u2019t be able to put down.<\/p>\n

Here are ten books publishing this January (except for\u00a0You’re Breaking My Heart<\/em>, out February 6) that I\u2019m looking forward to enjoying throughout the new year:<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

\"Angela's<\/p>\n

Jordan Scott, Angela\u2019s Glacier<\/a> (illustrated by Diana Sudyka)<\/strong>
\n(<\/strong>recommended for ages 4-8)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This picture book\u2014about a girl who grows up in Iceland near the glacier Sn\u00e6fellsj\u00f6kull\u2014is a small marvel. Its text, by Jordan Scott, moves with the rhythms of poetry; it\u2019s the sort of thoughtful language that quickly engages young audiences without growing stale for grown-ups after multiple readalouds. Its art, by Diana Sudyka, is similarly appealing for all ages, with breathtaking watercolor-style spreads full of playful details. And the book\u2019s description of a child\u2019s deep connection with the natural world will resonate even with those who haven\u2019t had the pleasure of meeting a glacier in person. Adults who don\u2019t speak Icelandic will be relieved to note the phonetic guide to pronouncing Sn\u00e6fellsj\u00f6kull<\/em> at the beginning of the book; after a few recitations, both readers and listeners will be pros.<\/p>\n

\"Forever<\/p>\n

Brittany J. Thurman, Forever and Always<\/em><\/a> (illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice)
\n<\/strong>(recommended for ages 4-8)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Olivia loves her dad, and when he goes off to work as an EMT each day, she can\u2019t help but worry about him. She sometimes sees men on the news, Black men like her dad, who don\u2019t come home safe to their families at the end of the day, and she searches for ways to calm her fears: cooking breakfast, making art with her mom, counting the cars that pass by, and eventually braiding a bracelet for her father “to protect you always.”<\/p>\n

Brittany J. Thurman\u2019s gentle, expertly crafted text is perfect for sharing with even the tiniest readers, providing an opening for more complex conversations with kids who struggle with worries like Olivia\u2019s while also offering understanding to any child who misses their parent. Shamar Knight-Justice\u2019s illustrations of family life feel as warm and comforting as a bear hug.<\/p>\n

\"Who<\/p>\n

Laura Gehl, Who Laid These Eggs?<\/em><\/a> (illustrated by Loris Lora)
\n<\/strong>(recommended for ages 2-4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

If a young child in your life is passionate about books full of flaps to flip, you\u2019ll need a copy or three of this vibrantly illustrated board book. The clutch of eggs on each spread can be raised to reveal the kind of animal that laid it\u2014an ostrich, a salmon, an alligator.<\/p>\n

But the real hidden gems are the science facts included on the inside of each flap: interesting enough to capture adult readers\u2019 attention, concise enough to read aloud quickly before your little one slams the flap shut, and occasionally weird enough to share with friends during circle time at preschool (did you know that the pigments that color salmon eggs are the same as the ones found in carrots?).<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Emma Bland Smith, The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America\u2019s Cook<\/em><\/a> (illustrated by Susan Reagan)
\n<\/strong>(recommended for ages 7-10)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This picture book biography of 19th-century culinary expert Fannie Farmer should be a hit with kids who love to mess around in the kitchen. The accessible, cheerfully feminist text celebrates Farmer\u2019s application of scientific principles to the process of preparing a meal, and the extensive endmatter is a great launchpad for any reader who wants to do more rigorous research of their own.<\/p>\n

Recipes for two notoriously tricky cooking projects, popovers and angel food cake, are included in the text; I\u2019m hoping they\u2019ll give me some of Farmer\u2019s confidence in the kitchen when my family tests them out.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Lisa Yee, The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum<\/em><\/a> (illustrated by Dan Santat)
\n<\/strong>(recommended for ages 8-12)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been a devoted fan of Lisa Yee\u2019s writing ever since I picked up her hilarious and heartwarming debut novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, <\/em>twenty years ago. For Yee\u2019s latest project, the first in a series, she\u2019s teamed up with illustrator (and recent National Book Award winner) Dan Santat to create an art-filled adventure about a strange, secretive boarding school that turns out to be a training ground for a group of crime-fighting kids called the Misfits.<\/p>\n

New arrival Olive and her classmates have to stop a villain and save the school, all while providing plenty of chuckles and thrills for middle-grade readers.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Zetta Elliott, The War of the Witches<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/strong>(recommended for ages 8-12)<\/strong><\/p>\n

If my daughter were writing this list, The War of the Witches <\/em>would make an appearance for sure; it\u2019s one of her most anticipated reads of the year. It\u2019s the fifth book in the Dragons in a Bag<\/em> contemporary fantasy series\u2014but it\u2019s also the final <\/em>book in the series, which means you can start reading Dragons in a Bag <\/em>right now and zip through all five installments without having to wait a year between adventures.<\/p>\n

Jaxon, who was first entrusted with delivering a brood of baby dragons from Brooklyn to the magical realm back in book one, goes on increasingly exciting and dangerous magical missions as the series continues, and in The War of the Witches<\/em>, he\u2019s not just saving dragons. He\u2019s got to save the entire human realm from a creature called the Scourge that wants to drain the world\u2019s magic.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Linda Crotta Brennan, <\/strong>The Selkie\u2019s Daughter<\/em><\/a>
\n<\/strong>(recommended for ages 8-12)<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are countless tales of selkies, the seal folk of Celtic legend, but this debut middle grade novel from author Linda Crotta Brennan feels fresh and surprising. Brigit is half-selkie, half-human, and completely out of place growing up in her small village on the coast of Nova Scotia. When someone in the village begins killing young seals, the selkie king takes his revenge, and Brigit sets out to try to save her family and her community.<\/p>\n

Brigit\u2019s narration is compelling, and the story has a sense of place so strong that when you turn the pages, you can practically feel the sea salt under your fingers.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, You\u2019re Breaking My Heart<\/em><\/a>
\n<\/strong>(recommended for ages 12 and up)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich has written a number of excellent books for younger readers, and I\u2019m looking forward to her new genre-busting YA novel that combines emotionally resonant writing with elements of speculative fiction to explore how we come to terms with grief. Harriet Adu is reeling from sadness and guilt after her older brother\u2019s death in a school shooting and her own subsequent move to a new high school in Harlem.<\/p>\n

Her world is recognizable and utterly believable, but there\u2019s a hint of the strange and fantastic shimmering at its edges that will pull readers onward as they try to figure out what\u2019s really happening to Harriet, and whether reality is something that can\u2014or should\u2014be changed.<\/p>\n

\"Poemhood:<\/p>\n

Amber McBride (editor), Taylor Byas (editor), Erica Martin (editor), Poemhood: Our Black Revival<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/strong>(recommended for ages 13 and up)<\/strong><\/p>\n

A poetry anthology for teens will always pique my interest, and this one, which explores and celebrates Black culture and folklore, looks particularly thoughtful and well curated. The selections include work by classic and contemporary Black poets, which means that famous forebears like Gwendolyn Brooks and Audre Lorde share space on the page with much-loved writers working today like Ibi Zoboi and Kwame Alexander.<\/p>\n

The editors, accomplished poets themselves, provide context at the end of each poem to guide readers of all ages who may be unfamiliar with historical references or new to the experience of reading poetry.<\/p>\n

\"Yours<\/p>\n

Sally Nicholls, Yours from the Tower<\/em><\/a>
\n<\/strong>(recommended for ages 14 and up)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Historical fiction told through correspondence between teenage girls? I\u2019m on board faster than you can say I Capture the Castle, A Brief History of Montmaray, <\/em>or Sorcery and Cecelia. <\/em>A UK import making its stateside debut this month, Yours from the Tower<\/em> is set in late-Victorian England and Scotland, where good friends Sophia, Polly, and Tirzah have each set out on new adventures after leaving boarding school.<\/p>\n

Sophia is tasked with finding a husband during the London Season, Polly works at an orphanage in Liverpool, and Tirzah is stuck in Perthshire with her grandmother, relying on letters from the others for entertainment. The girls’ voices sparkle with personality and humor, making this exactly the sort of novel I\u2019d love to sink into for a few chilly winter hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like a lot of passionate readers, I fell in love with children\u2019s books as soon as I was old enough to sound out words on a page. And, like some readers\u2014maybe like you?\u2014I never fell out of love. If we ever happen to bump into each other at the library, please pass me a stunningly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15775,"featured_media":232022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43069,6,43070,43135],"tags":[93054,93060,93043,4904,81765,93064,93048,93055,93047,83479,93061,76028,8517,93053,93057,93063,93050,89760,93065,93051,93049,93046,93045,93062,93052,93056,93044],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/the-selkies-daughter.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5rKFr-Yme","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232018"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15775"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lithub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}