The Secret World of Seahorses, written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Lou Baker-Smith. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2026. $26.99 ages 5 and up

 

"There are a lot of different kinds 
of seahorses. 

Some are knobbly. 

Some are spiky.

Most are small enough 
to fit in your hand.

And some are no bigger than 
the end of your little finger - 
so tiny that humans have only 
just noticed them." 

A secret world, indeed. Seahorses are not often seen, as they are very different from any other fish. Their ability to cling to coral and to change their color to avoid predators is quite remarkable. Only their eyes move as they search for food while also looking out for danger in their vicinity. They can be quick when needed, snapping up shrimp in mere seconds. Generally, they move about slowly and keep to themselves. 

Ms. Davies describes various kinds of seahorses; I had no idea. Not being able to see them has a lot to do with their habits. Unfortunately, the most notable reason has more to do with overfishing.

"An estimated 76 million are caught every year and turned into key rings and 
lucky charms or used to make teas and tonics." 

Their scarcity has to do with loss of habitat, poisoned by pollution and encroaching human activity. While letting readers know about the problems faced by these beautiful creatures, Ms. Davies lets them know that there are hopeful things happening as well. In Malaysia, Cambodia and England, efforts are being undertaken to offer protection and keep their environment safe. Any successful effort is sure to improve the ecosystem where seahorses play an important role. That news gives hope that more people will have a chance to 'see' a seahorse at some future time. 

In closing, she provides a lovely look at the mating dance that ends with the males carrying the eggs. He will do so for two weeks before giving birth to many new sea foals who will be there in the ocean, even if we can't see them. 

The text is informative and accessible for a young audience. Ms. Baker-Smith’s mixed-media artwork is full of color and movement, allowing readers to observe these delicate fish on a background of ocean blue. The coral reefs and seagrass meadows are very appealing and provide perfect opportunities for camouflage. Back matter on climate change and ways for families to help improve environmental concerns bring the book to an end. 
                                                                                       

Toad on the Go, written and illustrated by Jashar Awan. tundra, Penguin Random House. 2026. $24.99 ages 4 and up

 

"Toad does not stop at Hog's Wash and Shine. 

Toad does not stop for a bite 
at Red Belly's lunch line. 

Toad does not stop for ... "

This is such an exceptionally good read, especially if your littles like helping others and love to hear a story that makes them laugh. It's a great premise for a book that is sure to be read often. 

The opening scene happens before the title page is reached. A dog is driving along at speed when he remembers he left his coffee on the roof of his car. Distracted, he bumps into a light standard and has to call Toad for a tow. 

"Little ones. 

Big ones. 

Everyone makes mistakes. 

These things happen! "

Toad is back following his initial tale, Towed by Toad (tundra, 2024). Toad loves to stop and help any stranded driver in need of a tow. He takes the vehicles straight o Pop's Tire & Car Repair, where they are attended to by ... you guessed it, Pop! While Pop examines the latest arrival, Toad is off again to help Sharp Pat who has a flat. 

Toad is driving pretty fast as he hurries to provide assistance. He zips past every other vehicle on the road, and every nearby establishment as well. He stops for nothing. Sadly, the warning comes too late for Toad to slow down. The red light is up and Toad is watching for green, rather than what is in front of him. As soon as that light turns to green, he is OFF. Too quickly, it turns out. He slams into the car directly in front of him. Oh, dear! 

Luckily, no one is hurt. While Toad is quick to tell others that 'these things happen', he is quite sure nothing like that should happen to him. His friends reassure him about mistakes. It will be up to Toad to decide how he handles the situation, won't it? Will he tell Pop the truth, do you think? 

With winning digital art, and a positive message for little ones, this book will capture attention and encourage discussion about other such situations. 

Towed by Toad, written and illustrated by Jashar Awan. tundra, 2024. $24.99 ages 4 and up

 

"No matter who you are 
or where you are going ... 

... everyone needs help 
sometimes. 

That's where Toad comes in."

Introductory pages set readers up for the action to come. 

"Breakfast!

No time, Pop! 
Can't stop!"

Toad and his tow truck peel out of the garage in a big hurry. Along the way, readers take note of the many vehicles on the road, and the rush their drivers are in to get where they are going. They all have somewhere important to be. What bad luck it is when something goes wrong! Or is it? Certainly not when Toad in out there willing to provide his towing service to Pop's Garage. 

Pop offers lunch; Toad can't stop. Too much work to do. Flat tires, bumper benders, disobeying signs, broken engines all have owners keeping Toad busy every minute of the day. When he has helped everyone else, he hears loud and noisy sounds coming from his own tow truck. It's not good! When others offer help, Toad politely refuses, sure he can find the problem. Sadly, he cannot and Toad gets angry; angry enough to kick his own truck. Luckily, Toad knows just what to do. 

He calls his Pop, who brings his own tow truck. Together, they finally find time to eat a meal. Little ones will love it, and surely want to hear it again. They will pore over the digital artwork, taking in every bit of activity. They will certainly understand Toad's frustration at not being able to fix his truck, and understand how cool it is to call on his pop to help him out, just as he has been doing all day. 

 "Everyone needs help sometimes."

Explore The Far Side of the Moon, written by Jenny Jacoby and Consultant Dr. Sheila Kanani, and illustrated by Lea Woo. Thames and Hudson, Penguin Random House. 2026. $25.95 ages 10 and up

 

"You've brought almost all the food you'll 
need with you from Earth. Mission control 
prepared all your menus with your dietary 
needs and preferences in mind. All the food 
is vacuum packed so it can last for months 
without being refrigerated. Wet foods are 
freeze-dried, meaning the water has been 
taken out to make it lighter to transport into
space. Most importantly, everything has been 
designed to be eaten safely in microgravity 
without making crumbs."  

With all the excitement created by the Artemis II flight in April that took four astronauts on an exploratory trip around the moon, I am sure you have middle grade readers who will find this book to be of great interest. Though it is not about any specific space program, it thoroughly describes a fictional space flight in a accessible and informative manner. 

It refers to readers as mission specialists, while also defining the objectives of their mission. The space journey will take readers to look for ice in the Shackleton Crater near the south side of the moon. Finding ice there would greatly impact future missions for astronauts to turn it into 'drinkable water, breathable oxygen, or even rocket fuel!' 

Illustrated double-page spreads offer pertinent and descriptive facts about the crew, choosing personal belongings to pack, the spacesuit, the space rocket, what happens on launch day, boarding the crew module, a description of the launch director and a status checklist, prepartion for liftoff and lifting off into space, docking with the lunar space station, living in microgravity, using the toilet, food in space, the lunar lander, first steps on the moon, first impressions, the science part of the work to be done, finding a path on the lunar wilderness, the darkness, travel back to base, and finally the splashdown. It is a comprehensive and very informative accounting of the sum and total of such an amazing undertaking. 

Final pages show moon maps of both the near and far sides of the moon itself, followed by a graphic of the moon's phases, an excellent glossary and a useful index. 

This book gives interested middle graders a pretty clear look at how a real moon mission happens. A second reading will further impact those who want to understand even more and will leave them with some of the answers to questions they might have been asking as they watched the recent moon mission by the Artemis II crew. They will certainly feel more prepared when the Artemis III mission blasts off in the future. 

The Sweetest of Lemons, written by Daniel Nayeri and illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell. Levine Querido, Raincoast. 2026. $27.99 ages 4 and up

 

"But for the past few years, the sweetest lemon
had been stolen before they could pluck it to 
sell to the unhappy rich. Without the lemon, the 
family had fallen into poverty, and the mother 
was fearful for her sons' futures."

It's a long wait for a young boy living in Isfahan before he can visit his grandfather's farm again. The week finally ends and the family packs the car and heads off. Even that trip in a hot car across an empty landscape takes far too long. A brief stop along the way leads to a welcome visit with Abbas, a gifted storyteller. The child longs to hear just one story. After much cajoling, Abbas agrees and begins with the usual words ... 'Once there was, and once there wasn't ...' 

Abbas regales the family with a tale of a mother and her three sons. The family's sole treasure is a lemon tree that gives only one lemon each year. That lemon is so sweet it cures sadness. Before they can sell it to the rich and sad people, the lemon is stolen. It happens again and again; the family is now poor. Each of the sons do their best to discover who is stealing the lemon. In the third year, the youngest son devises a plan that cannot fail. 

As he watches, the son sees a dark cloud hiding a giant hand reach down to take the lemon. A perfectly-aimed arrow hits the hand and elicits a terrible roar. The two older brothers come at a run and do their best to retrieve the lemon from a nearby well. After two failed attempts, the youngest takes his turn. Enduring great difficulty, he falls deep into the well and lands in an underworld where a wise shepherd offers advice. The boy follows his sage advice. 

He soon hears singing and follows its sound to a princess trapped by a sleeping giant. Knowing the pain they have endured, the princess offers the lemon, and a chance to escape. The young man will not leave the princess. They race away from the giant. With great good luck, and once again taking the shepherd's advice in reverse, the two return to the family's lemon grove. 

"They lived together happily ever after 
and died together on the same day." 

In this story within another story, Daniel Nayeri pens a tale steeped in Persian folklore. It is adventurous and winding, offering readers a tale of perseverance, bravery, and finding love. It would be perfect for a family read on a seemingly endless road trip. 

Mixed media and gorgeous artwork embellish every step of the narrative and provide beautiful jewel-toned Persian patterns and calligraphy. To set the story in the present, Ms. Bell uses gouache; to help readers transition to the story told, she creates amazing collage images. 

Notes from both author and artist are included and allow readers to understand their connection to their culture and to storytelling. Wonderful!                                                                           

Houdini's Library: How Books Created the World's Greatest Magician, written by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mar Delmar. Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Random House. 2026. $24.99 ages 8 and up

 

"He never failed to escape. 

And he never failed to shop for books. 
Harry wandered antiquarian bookshops
in London. He browsed bouquinistes in 
Paris. Harry tracked down retired 
magicians, bought entire collections - 
pounds of posters, prints, and playbills.
Crates of books, thick and thin, small 
and tall, older and newer."

Harry Houdini was only four years old when he and his Hungarian family emigrated to the United States for a better life. His name was immediately changed from Erik Weisz to Ehrich Weiss; his family affectionately called him Ehrie. Settling in Wisconsin, it didn't take long before his father lost his job, and the family was forced to make their first move of many. His father arrived with an extensive book collection. Ehrie loves those books. 

After his father lost yet another job, the children had to quit school and find what work they could to help support the family. There was little money; Harry's father was forced to sell his books in support of his family. Ehrie was distraught and lost without them; he worked at tedious factory jobs to help put food on the table. In his free hours, he explored used bookstores. 

He found a book on magic and began to dream of a different life. He changed his name, in honor of the book's author, and his life's path. He studied magic for endless hours and bought as many books about magic as he could possibly find. It was the beginning of a long and famous life, along with his wife Bess and the books he continued to collect at every opportunity. He spent endless hours reading, eventually owning close to 15, 000 books in his library in Harlem and hiring his own librarian.  

While there ae many books to read about Houdini and his magic, this book by the brilliant Barb Rosenstock focuses on the reading that assured his success. It was a passion that lasted his entire life; books were how he learned to be the famous magician he became. It conveys an important lesson to readers about making the effort to keep trying to do something really well. 

The noteworthy illustrations were created using cut paper, acrylic, gouache, and glue. The collages, dioramas, and gouache paintings offer a cohesive and bold setting for this story that is indicative of the many successes experienced by Harry in his lifetime. Harry's love for books and reading is evident on almost every page. An illustrator's note in back matter explains the lengths she went to in the year and a half she spent creating Harry's world and his library, which is a true masterpiece. It is fascinating stuff, to be sure. 

In her author's note, Ms. Rosenstock adds further details concerning the library and what happened to it following Harry's death.     

"Books are Harry's greatest escape. They spark imagination. 

They bring the past to life. 

They make home feel like home."                                                                              

because of a shoe, written by julie fogliano and illustrated by marla frazee. alfred a. knopf, Penguin Random House.2026. $26.99 ages 2 and up

 

"and even when 
you are never putting on another shoe
(even the loosest shoe
even the tightest shoe)
for the rest of your life
and you hate the shoe
you hate every shoe
and you want all the shoes
to go to the bottom of the ocean
and get eaten by a shark"

I have read this AMAZING book a number of times since it arrived, and could not bring myself to write about it until I could read it just once more. I love it so much, and it absolutely took me back many years to when my husband and I were dealing with cantankerous toddlers longing for independence and acknowledgement of their ever-changing feelings. 

The adult in this ongoing conflict about a shoe puts into words exactly what is happening as the red-haired child runs, screams and continues to express all the 'even when ....' things that are making putting on that shoe an impossible task. Mom knows the child doesn't want to be reacting in such a dramatic way. She's sure all the flopping and inability to stop is not really the reaction the child wants to express. She's even willing to accept that the child will remain on the floor for all future endeavors from eating meals, attending school, working in an office, and so on ... 

When Mom finally loses her own temper and shouts and threatens dire consequences if those shoes are not immediately put on, the two begin to find calm in the chaos. Mom reminds that neither one of them are the people they have become. 

"you are still you
(funny sweet you)
and i am still me
(funny sweet me) 
and we are not a shoe
(not the tightest shoe
or the loosest shoe)

and we are not the yelling 
and the flopping 
and the throwing 
and we are not our 
maddest faces
and our angriest eyes"

Finally, with the little one tucked in her enveloping embrace, they find time to smile and have a hug and take a clear look at those very favorite shoes that have them in such a conflict. Shoes donned, they are off on a new adventure. The final spread is the absolutely perfect denouement. 

Julie Fogliano knows young children, and does an incredible job of creating this warmhearted ode to a toddler's need to feel all the feels on this day. The text moves forward in one-continuous-sentence, effective and so telling. Marla Frazee's impressive colored pencil and paint artwork turns on a dime to perfectly match the child's escalating emotions. She moves from soft warmth to the darkness of the powerful emotions they are both expressing. Once catch their collective breath and recognize the love they feel together, Ms. Frazee returns to the earlier softness. Love for each other is always there. 

It happens; it's hard; many are dealing with exactly the same thing. It helps to remember that, and this wonderful book reminds us of that.  It's  one of my favorite books for this year.