A VERY GOOD PARADE, written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2026. $26.99 ages 4 and up

 

"Gabby was very good 
at getting people to join 
the parade. 

FEEL THE CITY BREAKIN'
AND EVERYBODY SHAKIN'
AND WE'RE STAYIN' ALIVE
    STAYIN' ALIVE "

The title page shows a little one, all decked out with a starred cape, a crown, a tutu and a spatula; what is she ready to do? The opening page shows just exactly what she has in mind. Gabby announces loudly to her gramma that it is time for a parade! Out she goes, calling out to all the neighborhood kids to join her. Miguel says he has no skill to bring to the parade but his dad's horn which he can't play. Gabby thinks it's a fine horn even if he doesn't play it. Miguel joins. 

Everyone is invited to join the parade, with whatever they have.  Anthony worries that he has nothing but his aunt's big cowboy boots. Gabby encourages him to wear them in their grand parade. Everyone she meets is convinced they have an important role to play, including Noah who's pushing a stroller. By putting the baby on his shoulders, Noah becomes the Tallest Baby in the World! What more could one ask? 

Gabby even rescues a young boy from two bullies; he is asked to join, they are not. Only nice people are to be included in Gabby's parade. As they go, there are more and more interested in joining. Finally, they reach the park and it's time to stop and PERFORM. Spatula in hand, Gabby leads all paraders in a cacophony of sound and performance that ends with Miguel finally coaxing a BAROOMPA out of his horn! The crowd of adults that has gathered to watch is spellbound. When Gabby's gramma, who has been following since Gabby stepped outside, announces dinnertime, the parade is over. In the darkness, the participants head for home. What a success!  

Gabby is one superb parade marshal. She leads with conviction and encouragement, and accepts all participants (except the bullies). Digital art creates a perfect accompaniment to the text, adding a familiar setting and impressing with the energy and enthusiasm that one little girl sparks. Speech bubbles, onomatopoeia, and regular text tell this story with humor and delight. It's simply wonderful!   

How Not To Rescue a Snail, written by Naseem Hrab and illustrated by Kelly Collier. Owlkids 2026. $22.95 ages 4 and up

 

"Even though
the new trail feels 
like a little change to 
Grammy Slug, it feels 
like a big change to Snail. 
And big changes make 
Snail feel anxious. 

We can play I Spy 
along the way. It'll 
be fun! 

I do love I Spy ... "

I do hope you have met Snail prior to today. This book is the fourth in a series and fans will know that Snail is happy to live a life without much change. He likes to call it 'living a little'. There are things he loves: a tv that's not too loud, reading with a best friend, staying up a bit late when Grammy Slug comes by. Life is good. 

Whenever Grammy visits, they follow a set routine as they catch up on each other's news. Grammy is much more adventurous than Snail is. She likes to talk about old times; she also likes to try new things. Seeing a new and unexplored trail is very exciting for Grammy and she encourages Snail to try it with her. As they play I Spy to distract from Snail's reluctance to take part, they suddenly spy a HAND!

That hand is determined to rescue Snail. It takes him away from Grammy and plops him on a bed of moss. Not able to see Grammy and scared, Snail retreats into his shell. In the meantime, the hand is doing the same for Grammy. Fortuitously, Grammy is plopped down on Stump, Snail's best friend. While Snail stays inside, he hears outside voices belonging to his neighbors and tells them his story which is exactly what has happened to them. They are all just wanting to be home. It's Snail to the rescue! Despite a small setback, Snail takes his task to heart and all's well that ends well. 

Readers will cheer for Snail as they enjoy the tender, detailed and humorous images created by Kelly Collier. 

In One Whale's Breath, written by Jessica Kulekjian and illustrated by Cinyee Chiu. Kids Can Press, 2026. $21.99 ages 8 and up

"with ten minutes left before 
the whale's next breath ... 

a bold shark cuts through the 
water with a 
swish-swash, 
always moving 

Some sharks, such as the great white, 
must swim with their mouths open 
so that water continuously reaches 
their gills. If they stop swimming, 
they stop breathing!"

Did you know that a humpback whale can hold its breath for fifteen minutes? If you didn't, you will be astonished to learn all that it can do within that amount of time while making its way through its ocean environment. As it inhales through its blowhole, it prepares to dive. It can then swim underwater for 15 minutes, even longer when it is at rest. As it dives, it scares a school of sardines, causing them to make a rapid exit from its path. A nearby octopus breathes in and out, crabs make their way to a safe place in the sand. 

With ten minutes of breath left, it meets other sharks that cannot stay underwater as long as it does. It also passes a camouflaged sea turtle quietly in hiding until the threat is gone. Other creatures of the ocean must absorb the oxygen they need as they have no lungs or gills for breathing. Soon, there are only five minutes before the humpback must surface. Passing a kelp forest and coming near mama otters with their babies, the humpback reaches upward, where sea gulls fill the sky, to exhale, breach, and catch another breath.

"and now that time's up ... 

an EXHALE
turns into 
a leap, 
a spin
and spray, 
carried away on the wind
like a song " 

The smaller font information provided concerning each phase of the whale's underwater adventure is very helpful, giving readers a chance to learn about other denizens of the deep and how they breathe. The illustrations were created with gouache and pastel, then finished in Photoshop. They offer a clear picture of  the underwater world and the creatures found there. The importance of oxygen and breathing techniques will be of interest to anyone wanting to know more about ocean life. Back matter shares an author's note, further information, and a list of resources. 

Off The Wall: Making Stuff Together, by Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal. Neal Porter Books, Holiday House. Penguin Random House. 2026. $26.99 ages 4 and up

 

"Look how dirty my hands are! 

Wait!

Let's pick up this chalk.

Let's put them on the wall! 

Our handprints look like pigtails! 

Look who we made! 

She's beautiful!"

Oh, what fun! Two dear friends write a book about friends making art together! The five kids, one dog and one cat love to make stuff and to play. As one starts a tic-tac-toe game, another joins, and then the cat shows an interest. The children include the cat in their fun, just as a leashed pup and another kitty-loving child arrive at a brisk pace. Chaos ensues. Two other participants arrive to lend their helping hands and add to the 'making stuff' event. Perhaps together they can make everything even better. They do! 

The backdrop of Brown Kraft paper gets more and more beautiful as they discover what colors look good with each other. The more they add, the more excited they get about the resulting artwork. By using everything they have at their disposal, their imaginations can run wild. And then ... an accident that changes the tone of their encounter. One group of children takes umbrage and threatens to leave with various parts of the work they have done. Such a rumble they create. 

Finally a brave and very loud voice makes itself known with the command to STOP! 

"All of this is OURS. 
Remember?"

They do remember and life becomes better again. With everyone helping, their masterpiece is the best they can make it. BRILLIANT!

Two artistic styles, skin colors Green, Chartreuse, Vermillion, Robin, and Bubblegum for the kids and orange and pink for the pets, double-page spreads that showcase movement and action, and charming dialogue between characters will have readers basking in the joy shown in the creativity shared.  Art truly is for everyone here!
                                                                                         

Indigo Hands,nwritten by Sita Singh and illustrated by Maithili Joshi. Anne Schwartz Books, Penguin Random House. 2026. $26.99 ages 7 and up

"And so we head to the studio at last. 
In front of its carved wooden doors, 
we take off our shoes
and step inside. 

I've never seen so many shades of blue! 
Hanging on the walls are fabrics the 
color of the sunny sky, of the little 
flycatcher that sings outside my 
window, of the vast ocean."

Once her eyes open, Neela is excited to realize it is the day she and her Dadu are going to her grandfather's indigo studio. It's a long walk. As they go along, they pass the indigo patch where women in colorful saris work at trimming the branches of the tamarind trees. They carry those branches to the water tanks at the farm where the leaves will be soaked: it is a process Dadu calls fermentation. 

Neela does not understand where the beautiful blue comes from. Dadu explains oxidation which is the second part of the process. As they eat the lunch Dadu has brought along, they listen to the men singing and watch them work. After a nap, Neela and her grandfather press on to the studio where she sees the many wondrous shades of blue hanging all around them. It's time to get started creating Neela's own indigo cloth. It takes time again; the end result is magical. 

With indigo hands, the two show patience. Dadu tells his granddaughter about all the people around the world who grow indigo as they have done. When the cloth is finally ready to carry, it is time to make their way home after a very exciting day. It is a gift for her baby brother, given knowing that one day Neela will introduce him to dipping his hands in a pot of indigo as she has done. 

This is an important cultural tradition in Neela's family. That is evident as her grandfather leads her (and the book's readers) through every step of the process. Told from a child's perspective shows the importance of being introduced to an age-old tradition. Digital artwork does real justice to the many facets of the work done to create the depth and beauty of the lasting blue color. Backmatter includes an author's note, facts about indigo and its history, a glossary and a list of resources for further reading. 
                                                                                   

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris. Harper, 2022. $16.99 ages 8 and up

 

"The navigation on this thing is busted.

First Cat, can you make any sense of 
that map?

MEOW.

Then I'll just have to point this 
thing upward and hope we pop
past the Land of Frost."

This hilarious graphic novel is the book Chelsea chose for our book club read this month. She read it quickly and suggested I do the same. I had read about this series; I had not seen any of the four books. Start with the first was a grand idea. To say it's as funny as the title suggests is testament to this collaboration between Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris, close friends and equally keen on humor and crazy antics for their young readers. 

When rats from another galaxy begin to eat the moon, scientists launch a cyber cat to protect our closest celestial neighbor. This First Cat in Space is destined to deal the rats. A toenail-clipping robot (LOZ 4000) is a stowaway and the cat's companion for the mission. The Moon Queen greets the two and joins them on their quest. Their mission to deal with the Rat King takes them through a crazy mix of geography that includes a frozen wasteland, wild seas, and forest. The fast pace is captured perfectly by Shawn Harris as he creates compelling characters who move from one improbable place to the next. In full color, the art is as entertaining and hilarious as Mac Barnett's madcap plot. 

One question is constant: despite the many obstacles placed in the way, will the cat tasked with ridding the moon of the Rat King and his minions ever get to taste a slice of pizza? 

An expanded version of their Live Cartoons that were released on Instagram during the pandemic, the quirky humor and wonderful artwork up that hilarity in graphic novel form and has fans who eagerly read each new adventure. To add to the fun of discovering this first cat in space, visit www.thefirstcatinspace.com to see about joining the official FIRST CAT FAN CLUB. 

Be on the lookout for The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom, The First Cat in Space and the Wrath of the Paperclip, and The First Cat in Space and the Baby Pirate's Revenge.  

Coming this fall: The First Cat in Space Activity Book.  

Twelve Daring Grays: A Whale Migration Adventure. Written by Nora Nickum and illustrated by Elly MacKay. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 20236. $24.99 ages 5 and up

"And then the tide turns. 
Eight feet of water. 
Seven feet. 
The twelve long to eat more,
but the mudflat will soon be dry, 
and any lingering whales, stranded. 

They abandon the feast 
just in time."

It's February and more than 20,000 gray whales are ready to begin a northern journey from southern California to their feeding grounds in the Arctic. It takes two long months, and as they travel their blubber is depleted to the point where many cannot continue. It is the most amazing thing that twelve of the whales veer from the traditional route taken, leaving the others in order to head east toward the Salish Sea. Why? 

The mud banks of the Salish Sea are rife with millions of nourishing ghost shrimp. The daring challenge lies in the whales needing to move into the shallow waters when the tide comes in. Not wanting to end up stranded there, they move quickly, eat as much as they possibly can, and leave just as quickly when the tide waters recede. 

"The water recedes,
revealing evidence
that their daring plan worked. 

Thousands of pits in the mud - 
whale-size bite marks."

They stay for days, eating whenever the tide rises. After a few weeks, they are ready to push on to the cold Arctic feeding grounds. They will stay until the end of summer when they have enough new blubber for their return to the warmth of the California Baja, just in time to welcome new calves. Will those calves make the same trip one day? 

Elly MacKay's luminous artwork is as beautiful as ever: 'The photographs are scenes created with paper, ink, wire, colored filters, and light.' Each spread captures the reader's attention and allows them to travel alongside these magnificent creatures through gorgeous ocean waters. It is a remarkable journey!

Back matter adds fascinating facts concerning the gray whales and the researchers with Cascadia Research Collective who discovered the daring side trips taken to make their full migration possible each year. An invitation to DIVE DEEPER includes places to find more information.