The GREAT Frog, written and illustrated by Katie Palazzola. Neal Porter Books, Holiday House. Penguin Random House, 3036. $24.99 ages 4 and up

""Is there a Great Oak Tree to look after 
the acorns?" Peedie asked.

"Sure. Maybe," said Kit. 

"There should be a looker-after for 
everything little," Peedie declared. 

Kit nodded, and they made an
acorn pile."

In her debut picture book for young readers, Ms. Palazzola introduces Kit and Peedie, siblings who spend plenty of time in nature. In his first encounter with frog eggs, Peedie wonders why they gather in blobs. Kit has the right advice; to keep little kids with sticks like Peedie's from poking them. Peedie would like to be a protector. Kit explains the Great Frog does that job. 

The Great Frog? Kit continues providing needed information for her brother who wonders how long it will take for the eggs to become frogs. Patience is the first order of business, Kit explains. One will become the next Great Frog, riding a horse named Tarnation and wielding a lasso to catch shooting stars. Every question from her brother is answered with a heavy dose of imagination and entertainment. A moon castle, a big telescope, a fountain are needed to protect so many little ones. 

Do they know who the next Great Frog will be? Only the Great Frog knows, he is told. Even after Kit admits that she was not telling the truth about the Great Frog and that she just wanted to tell Peedie a story he would like, Peedie proves he has learned an important lesson from his sister. 

Everyone can be a looker-after, just like the Great Frog: those who care about each other, the earth and its many blessings, and even themselves ... and that's a good thing!

Finding Lost, written by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Rocky Pond Books, Penguin Random House. 2025. $24.50 ages 9 and up

"As Geno and I walk to get our strawberry
cheesecake Blizzards, the wind hits the road
signs, and they make a rattling noise. Cars go

by on the road and I wonder about the people 
inside. Where are they going and what kind of
lives do they have? How many of them like 
pasta salad called rotini with green olives and 
red peppers and chunks of smelly cheese? 
How many of the people listen to thrash metal
music from a band called Tankard? Have any 
of them ever seen dolphins in the Siuslaw?
How many lost a parent when they were a kid?"

It's been more than two years since Cordy's dad died in a boating accident while he was out making a living on his fishing boat. Her mom quit nursing school to support herself and her two children. They live in the boathouse of a rich family, whose main house her mom takes care of while they live somewhere else for most of the year. It is a dreary life in a wet and often dreary small town in the Pacific northwest. It's been a lot of change for a young girl to handle. 

When a small, unkempt, and hungry dog follows her home from school one day, Cordy hopes they will not find the dog's owner. Lost, appropriately name for his circumstance, fits right in with the whole family in no time at all. It is only great good luck, with some needed research and help from her younger brother Geno, that brings Cordy and Lost to a free vet clinic one day. She has learned that Lost's terrible breath may be a sign of poor health. Dr. Mazari proves to be just what the family needs. Lost has many infected teeth, and it will take a great deal of money to have them pulled. 

Cordy's mom and Taj (the vet) discuss ways the family might handle the financial difficulties. Their meeting at the clinic leads to more visits and changes in the family dynamic which bothers Cordy. She isn't sure about Dr. Mazari, or about the way her mother is becoming close to him. Through some obstacles, the family perseveres and the changes that finding Lost brings make for fine storytelling. 

The Oregon setting is a vital part of this warm family story. Readers have their senses awakened through being a part of the natural world that Cordy loves. All characters are valid and worth knowing. They care for each other as they all adapt to meaningful changes in their lives. Realistic and truthful when dealing with the grief and struggles following her father's death, Cordy is a character whose first-person voice  and expressions will have readers cheering her on, and hoping for the best. 

It is a warm and memorable read. 

The House With Nobody In It, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2026. $19.99 ages 3 and up

 

"This room has a table. 
And there is a clock 
on the wall. 

Let's go into the next room."

I don't often post board books to my blog; that is, unless they are written by Jon Klassen. He continues to amaze with his thoughtful and inspired writing. In this new book, he invites readers inside to explore a house with no residents. The door is open and there is no sign of anyone as the tour begins. The first room has a chair, the second has a table and a clock. Do you notice the interior is getting darker as the exploration continues? 

In the room with a stool and a lamp, a ghostly shape also appears. The walls have changed from warm yellow, to cool blue, to forest green. Moving on, with the ghostly figure appearing at the door of the next room, there is only a bed in an even darker green room. One more door leads to a room with boots only, and the last door offers a chance to move outside into a moonlit evening. 

Repeating the first few lines again at the end adds to the eerie feelings explored. 

"There is nobody 
in this house. 
There used to be somebody. 
But there is nobody 
now." 

Die-cuts, an unmentioned, though evident, resident, and diminishing color in the visited rooms deepens the mystery, and proves that Jon Klassen knows how to tell a ghost story for even our youngest readers. 

Don't miss it! 

Phoenix, written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Dial Books for Young Readers, Penguin Random House. 2026. $24.99 ages 9 and up

 

"After a bit more discussion, but not much, 
Miss Chelsea and Harper's mom agreed to 
table the conversation. It meant they'd wait
to decide about Harper keeping Phoenix - 
though how long they would wait, Harper
didn't know. At least it gave her time to 
show how hard she could work, and how 
excellent Phoenix could be once he'd
gotten healthy again. As long as he got 
healthy quickly enough."

What an admirable start to a new series this is! Harper has just been hit by a BOMB. She learns through middle school gossip about her father's affair with her best friend's mother. Now, her parents are divorcing and her mother has decided that the two of them will move to a new place for a new start. Their move from urban Knoxville to the small rural town of Sommer Springs is a shocker. Their new home is a tiny house, cramped for the two of them and very unappealing to Harper. It is located close to a riding barn, owned by Miss Chelsea who is renting them their new accommodation. Harper cares about none of it. 

When a starved and terribly neglected horse is dropped at the stable from a kill truck, life changes for both horse and girl. Harper names him Phoenix, and determines to do all it takes to bring the horse back to good health. She does not know that she needs rescuing as much as Phoenix does. Her mother and Miss Chelsea don't want her to get her hopes up as Phoenix is very sick. It's too late for that advice. Harper works around the barn, takes lessons, learns what she needs to know to care for Phoenix as best she can. As Harper deals with the pain of betrayal and divorce, she helps her horse deal with mistreatment and his own pain. 

There's an admirable cast of characters: Miss Chelsea, the barn owner; Dante and Night, both riders at the stable and classmates of Harper; Emma, a young rider with great confidence, Harper's mother and eventually her father, and her former best friend, Cat. So much is broken; only time can help mend the hurts.  Real and relatable, the story is compelling and a powerful introduction to a brand-new series. It will find many fans beyond those who love stories about horses. 

Who's Making That Big STINK?, written by Darrin Lunde and illustrated by Eric J. Chen. Charlesbridge, Penguin Random House. 2026. $21.99 ages 6 and up

 

"MMMM ... 

Who's making that big STINK?!

It smells like buttered popcorn?

A binturong.

Binturongs give off a strong 
popcorn smell. They produce
the same chemicals that give 
popcorn its pleasant smell. 

Not every animal with a 
strong odor smells bad."

This is just the kind of book that kids love to read. It provides well-researched facts that can be quite unexpected, and even elicit some giggles. After reading it, interested kids have surprising (and somewhat gross) conversation starters to share with anyone who will listen. 

The text describes 13 different plant and animal species whose aromas cause a stir. The format is easy to follow: a reaction to the smell, a question about who is responsible for it, an apt description of the smell itself, and a short and revealing answer to the original repeated question. The skunk and stinkbird may be familiar to readers; the sea hare and bombardier beetle may not be. The variety makes for new learning for the many who will read this with a few ewws of their own.  

In follow-up quick facts, Mr. Lunde addresses the scents of beavers, spadefoot toads, ring-tailed lemurs, hippos, grey kangaroos, hyenas, and even humans whose 'pungent odor' tends to attract mosquitoes. Erica Chen's digital illustrations are colorful, placed in accurate settings, close-up and very expressive. Kids will love the swirling funky smells that each creature emits.
                                                                                     

https://youtube.com/shorts/1tccKR_BL4A?si=BpNYHJ5clrj2GAhn

Eon: my pet tardigrade. Written by Cybele Young, with illustrations by Cybele Young and Nell Jocelyn. tundra, Penguin Random House. 2026. $24.99 ages 4 and up

 

"I kept a keen eye on my pet tardigrade. 

But one day I lost sight of him! 
I thought Eon was gone forever. 

I searched 

and searched ... "

Do you know the word tardigrade? I did not; it turns out that it is an invertebrate that is barely visible to a child's eye. A young girl with her eye to her microscope makes the discovery while looking for something else. Imagine her surprise when he showed up there! Tiny and pink, with two visible eyes, he plodded slowly under her careful observation. He was barely a tickle when she held him on her palm. Oh, she wanted to hug him. 

She would do her best to take care of him. Could she? How? She had so many ideas. As she watched and imagined she gave him the name Eon. Through research she learned about tardigrades, also known as water bears. There was so much more to learn than that; 'he is a master of extremes', having the ability to live in the coldest ice, the hottest volcanoes. And even more: 

"The tallest mountains
and the deepest oceans. 
The tangliest woods 
and the ooziest muds." 

Tardigrades are even found in outer space. Could she create that kind of space in her bedroom for her tiny pet? It was very easy to lose sight of him. After a very long search, the tardigrade she found was completely changed. His big secret lay in his ability to tuck in, curl up and become like a speck of dust to blow away and find a new place that was just right. She did that for him, and hoped for the best.His new world would be perfect for him, and the new friends he found. Might she see him again one day? 

An author's note connects Cybele Young to her encounter with a tardigrade, and all that she learned from it. She also introduces Nell Jocelyn and her exceptional artwork as a collaborator in creating the imaginary world of a young girl and her desire to keep the bearlike creature safe. You will need plenty of time to carefully observe and appreciate the delicate and engaging work done to create a world, specially meant for a tiny tardigrade.

Fourteen Ways of Looking at Jellyfish, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2026. $26.99 ages 8 and up

 

"XII.
By the numbers.
Nearly four thousand jellyfish species;
only fifty with venom deadly to humans. 

Bodies 95 percent water. 
Lifespans from a few weeks
to eighteen months. 
One mouth serves two purposes:
eating food and expelling poop. 
Before you kiss a jellyfish, think twice."

Here are 14 Roman numeral numbered poems that explore the wonder of these ancient ocean dwellers in every possible way: history, biology and even mythology. The poetry is remarkable from first to last entry, sharing facts through rhythmic language that mirrors the ways jellyfish move and live in their ocean home. About the only things I thought I knew about the jellyfish were what they look like and how dangerous they are. I had no idea about their names, their astonishing and beautiful forms, or that they date back to before the dinosaurs. All that by number III!

Moving from one exceptional spread to the next, I quickly discovered there is much I didn't know. Now, I do. Bioluminescence glows through them in numerous colors; in the dark they appear blue, violet, yellow, and red. Scientific classifications are as varied as their shapes. Ms. Weatherford suggests that instead of trying to remember all that, it's okay to 'just call them jellies'. I will take her advice. The fact that they are made of nerve bundles helps to explain the lack of other organs and bones. 

The life cycle is made clear for young readers, although it differs at times and the results of a boom in the births can end up with there being too many in one place with no room for all; causing them to wash ashore to their certain demise. While I have great admiration for every Bagram Ibatoulline 'watercolor, acrylic gouache, pen, pencil, colored paper and digital tools' work of art, I found myself poring over the accompanying image for this poem. A large jelly invites rapt attention from numerous ocean creatures with a detailed drawing of the jellyfish life cycle. It's quite wonderful! 

Even more impressive is how the artist shifts from one style to another to offer perspective for the variety in the poems presented. IX describes the hugeness of two jellyfish in terms of length and size; the image created allows readers to compare both to a nearby diver. Graphic panels are sharply diagonal to show the danger for a child stung by a jellyfish and the pain felt before transfer in an ambulance. 

Each spread shows a different way to consider the jellyfish, both narrative and illustrative. The poems speak to the wonders of learning about something elusive and little known to most people. Each spread is a surprise to its readers as shown through the careful observation of the artist. It is sure to inspire awe in readers and listeners. This tribute to jellyfish is exactly the book I would love to share in classrooms for years to come. 

A bibliography and further resources close this sensational collaboration.