While summer break is fast approaching (or, for some, already here!), we created a list of exciting new and coming soon books perfect for pleasure reading. Browse below by publication date to find out when you can snag these books for your preteens and teens!
Discover THIS SUMMER SELECTION OF books →On June 19, 1865 in Galveston, TX, enslaved African Americans were finally informed of their freedom, despite the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation two years prior. Juneteenth is also referred to as “Freedom Day”, “Emancipation Day”, and “Juneteenth Independence Day.” The first celebrations of Juneteenth were about honoring former enslaved people. Today celebrations of Juneteenth consist of gathering with family, BBQs, parades, festivals, beauty contests, and other celebratory events to remember the lives of their enslaved ancestors.
For those who would like to learn more, we recommend reading “Juneteenth: The Growth of an African-American Holiday” and “So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth?”
Read below to find our staff picks for May 2023 and learn more about these must-reads!
Shelf Essentials is a backlist publishing initiative presented by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group to highlight picture books from beloved BIPOC Creators. With this program we lift up critically acclaimed stories, authors, and illustrators, and will encourage readers everywhere to celebrate different cultures and make storytime more inclusive. From tender family stories to important conversation starters, no bookshelf is complete without these essentials reads. Each season we will showcase five backlist picture books, all available in paperback, some for the first time.
To learn more about Shelf Essentials, check out our sales sheet here
and keep reading to preview our Spring 2023 Shelf Essentials selections!
The Yellow Áo Dài
By Hanh Bui; illustrated by Minnie Phan
Ages 3-6
On 04/25/2023!
Lovingly illustrated by Minnie Phan, Hanh Bui’s debut picture book, The Yellow Áo Dài, is a warm story of family, identity, and remembering those who came before.
Naliah is excited to perform a traditional Vietnamese Fan Dance at her school’s International Day. When she finds that her special áo dài no longer fits right, she goes to her mom’s closet to find another.
She puts on a pretty yellow one—only to accidentally rip it while practicing her dance. She’s horrified to discover that this was a very special áo dài that her grandmother had worn to dance at the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam.
But with a little help from her mom’s sewing kit and her grandmother’s loving legacy, Naliah learns not only how to mend the yellow áo dài but also how to believe in herself and make it her own.
DOWNLOAD THE Yellow áo dài activity kit HERE→Read below to find our staff picks for April 2023 and learn more about these must-reads!
The Corgi and the Queen by Caroline L. Perry; illustrated by Lydia Corry
Ages 4-8
On Sale Now!
#1 New York Times Bestseller!
Even a monarch needs a best friend and Queen Elizabeth II found one in a corgi pup she named Susan. From princesshood to queendom the pair forged an unbreakable bond, with Susan even participating in Elizabeth’s wedding day and joining her on honeymoon with Prince Philip. Over the course of her remarkable seventy-year reign the Queen had more than thirty corgi companions, and almost all were direct descendants of her cherished Susan.
Download the The Corgi and the Queen teacher’s guide and Activity kit here →
Sprout Branches Out
By Jessika von Innerebner
Ages 3-6
On Sale Now!
Discover the unbe-leaf-ably adorable story of a young plant with mulch to learn in this feel-good tale perfect for fans of The Bad Seed and Grumpy Monkey.
Sprout the plant lives on a small porch, in a little town. She’s only been able to grow two leaves and knows exactly why. Home is just not enough for her – she needs to venture out to the wild woods, the wise forest, and the lush jungle to find what she needs to thrive.
But once she’s out in the world, Sprout quickly learns that what she really needs may not be what she thought at all . . .
Meet a budding new picture book character with roots in this hilarious and heartfelt adventure about growing up, taking risks, and finding home again.
DOWNLOAD THE SPROUT BRANCHES OUT activity kit HERE→Read below to find our staff picks for March 2023 and learn more about these must-reads!
We Are All So Good at Smiling
by Amber McBride
Ages 14-17
On Sale 1/10/2023
ISBN: 9781250780386
They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.
Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.
They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.
The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.
“The choice of verse to tell this absorbing story is a strong one; readers are drawn along by the intense and vivid imagery, and the depictions of clinical depression, guilt, and grief are visceral. McBride explores the impact of the intersection between Blackness and mental illness … and the difficulties of two unusual young people finding refuge through friendship from the pressures the world exerts on them. Whimsy’s practice of Hoodoo and the empowerment she receives from the magic inside and around her help her contend with her depression and unravel her grief without negating a brutal, yet ultimately hopeful, reality. ..Important messages uniquely delivered.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“McBride makes exceptional use of the verse novel format, with some poems reading almost as detailed and descriptive prose, while other entries are just a few judiciously chosen lines that make readers slow down and work a bit to parse out full meaning.” —Bulletin of the Center of Children’s Books, starred review
“Raw and poignant and promising hope, even when it seems there is no way out… promises hope.” —Shelf Awareness
“McBride’s lush free-verse poetry creates a vibrant world teetering between the real and the magical, but the images and atmosphere act as background to serious issues … Although the subject matter is heavy, the book serves as a reminder that, as sorrow and loss come for everyone, no one is alone. Back matter addresses mental health and expands on the story’s elements from fairy tales and folklore.” —The Horn Book
