The Only Way To Dance, written by Cristina Quintero and illustrated by Eugenia Mello. tundra, Penguin Random House. 2026. $24.99 ages 3 and up

"You're going to need music.

Your dance might require 
violins, trumpets and a 
guitar or two. 

It might need nothing more than
a simple drum, echoing out of
the very tips of your fingers. 

By telling this story directly to her readers, Ms. Quintero makes it feel very personal and uplifting as she shares the notion that everyone can dance if they find the music that speaks to their very soul. It is a lovely celebration of the world of dance and the value of movement in a child's life. 

A young girl steps out into her community as rain patters down on her umbrella. She and her mother have a destination in mind; the dance studio down the street. She is told that, if she wants to dance, she will first need any kind of beat; a space that suits her; music and sounds; perhaps speakers.

"Dancing could be a tradition that
tells where you come from
or a family ritual that reminds
you of where you belong."

As she makes her way past various studio spaces, she is witness to wide variety in the ways people celebrate dance. When she gets to her own dance class, her exuberance shows in the greeting she offers, and she is READY to dance her way! In this book that follows Ms. Quintero's The Only Way to Make Bread (tundra, 2023), she pays tribute to dance from around the world. Her text encourages readers to discover the joys and benefits ot finding their own path to the kind of dance that speaks to their souls.

Ms. Mello's artwork was drawn by hand on an iPad, and portrays the brilliant color and the glorious movement of each of the dance forms. Using black-and-white to show the child guide as she moves through the studio while watching the many dancers is a lovely touch. Changing perspectives is a wonderful way to ensure careful attention to the beauty and lure of dance for all. 

Backmatter adds cultural context and information for the sixteen dances represented here. There is also a lesson for learning the Columbian cumbia.  Readers will want to return to the start and find each dance described. It's a visual delight from start to finish, and a perfect book for music classes, or a great readaloud anytime. 

A Riddle of Eels, written by Nicholas Day and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor. Random House Studio. Penguin Random House, 2026. $27.99 ages

"It is easy to see how people might disagree
about the terrifying, isolated Komodo dragon, 
it's terrifying! It's isolated! 

rar!

It is less easy to see how people might 
disagree about the eel. 
The eel is not rare. The eel is not 
terrifying. The eel is not isolated.
The eel is all around us.

glub!"

Sibert medalist Nicholas Day begins by talking about all the books we read that give us facts that relate to what is familiar to many. He also presents some of what we know about eels; but adds 'the more we study it, the less we know about it.'  He then suggests that it would be helpful if the reader could suddenly become an eel and pass along all that is learned while being one. In that way, this picture book would tell us all we need to know about eels. 

Mr. Day moves on to report that the many who have studied the eel in the past have made statements that they felt were true from their observations. They presented their evidence and it was accepted until someone disproved it with another theory; on it went from one conclusion to the next. 

"All this disagreeing went on for centuries, because eels are both 
fascinating and bewildering, and after a while, everyone 
managed to agree on this: 

Eels are really easy to disagree about." 

It should be easier. People could stand at the mouth of some European and American rivers and watch as a billion eels swam up them. Even being able to touch and hold them did little to help with the learning. Where did they come from? Where were the babies? How did they make those babies if there were any? There were no easy answers. 

After many years and much study, Danish biologist Johannes Schmidt observed that all eels were born in the Sargasso Sea, migrated to the rivers of Europe and North America, and returned at the end of their lives to spawn new eels though he never saw a full-grown eel there. We are sure of those things, and that their migration journey is unimaginable. How do they know where they are going? As we come to the end of this remarkable book, what have we really learned about them? 

For all we do know about today's world, there is so much left to explore and reveal. 

Chatty and accessible for his target audience, Nicholas Day has done his research and presents it with questions in mind and few answers despite all the scientific study. It has humor and lively appeal. Cory Tabor's mixed-media digital artwork places readers in the middle of an eel's world with his agile, undulating forms and historical and contemporary settings. Illustrations are filled with motion and wonder, while adding context for the learning. The endpapers are brilliant and the book's case wrap offers a giggle. A closing note from the author further enlightens the text, while also focusing on the steep decline in eel populations. Sources are included. 

Small-Girl Zora and the Shower of Stories: A Tall Tale Based on the Life and Work of Zora Neale Hurston. Written by Giselle Anatol and illustrated by Raissa Figueroa. Viking, Penguin Random House. 2026. $24.99 ages 4 and up

"By the time all those stories bubbled forth, 
and Jamie and Tea Cake had laughed until 
they cried, Small-Girl Zora wondered if she'd 
be able to lug the watering can all the way 
back home. 

But when she looked inside, it was almost 
as dry as a bone! Only a few drops!"

Small-Girl Zora is not the kind of girl who does what others expect of her. She likes to climb high in trees and 'play tag with the moon' to the consternation of all members of her family. She doesn't wear a hat when she's playing outside on a sunny day; she loses her sandals; and she likes to get messy when she's in the outdoors. She LOVES to tell preposterous stories, with encouragement from her listeners. There are those who do not encourage her plan for changing the world with her stories. Zora does not listen to their complaining. 

She expects to inspire tears of joy and laughter whenever she tells those stories. To that end, she takes a watering can with her to collect the tears and use them to help end the drought that is plaguing her small town. She begins with a rich farm family; they don't want to hear her stories. She persists with a story of a serpent which scares the farmer's wife, wakes the farmer from his nap and leads to Zora leaving their home as quietly as possible. Moving on to the general store, she tells a story of 'magically multiplying eggs' that have kept her full for days. Nothing stops her from embellishing that story with other details until the store owner sends her packing. 

She has so many stories to tell! No one is giving her a chance to make them cry and add their tears to her watering can. Her stories do work on Janie and Tea Cake; they laugh until they cry. The watering can is filling up and getting pretty heavy. When she looks inside, a few drops are all she sees. Sad and dejected, she sits herself down. Janie and Tea Cake offer encouragement as they say her stories wash their troubles away. On the way home, with rain falling gently, she is able to consider that her stories are being shared, bringing smiles of happiness. Suddenly and joyfully, Zora realizes a very important thing. 

"The drought was over! 
Her storytelling had worked!" 

Ms. Anatol's word choice in sharing the exuberance that was Zora Hurston's life is humorous and inspiring for the children who will have the good luck of hearing it. Raissa Gigueroa's artwork creates a setting that takes readers back to Zora's childhood home and the historical setting for her early life. She weaves the reality of Zora's life with the magic of her storytelling in spreads that will capture attention and inspire a closer look. An extensive author's note reveals Zora Neale Hurston's life story and her influences on the author. 

Tom Nancy: The Sheep Who Swapped Brains with a Boy, written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by X. Fang. tundra, Penguin Random House. 2026. $26.99 ages 4 and up

 

"The next morning Tom Nancy went 
back to school. Felix tried to go too. 

"Look at that!' The children pointed 
and giggled. "A sheep followed you 
to school! Just like in a storybook."

Felix tried to tell them he was actually 
a boy, but nobody listened to a sheep."

Kevin lives on a farm with his parents and an assortment of animals that include an arrogant sheep named Tom Nancy. Because Felix looks ready to have a conversation, Tom Nancy speaks to him one day. He has an important question. 

"Do you want to see a marvelous thing?" 

Felix, being Felix, says yes. With Tom Nancy in the lead the two are off to the old barn, where Tom Nancy shows Felix a brain-swapping machine he has built. He explains its workings and suggests they try swapping brains for the day. It's easy to see Felix's vulnerability, and Tom is quick to take advantage. 

BING! 

Tom becomes everything Felix, and Felix is suddenly a wide-eyed innocent sheep. Tom Nancy loves his day as a boy! Everything about it makes him happy. Felix does what sheep do; he spends his day in the pasture chewing grass, which he finds 'interesting.' When Felix is ready to switch back, he is distraught to learn Tom Nancy has no intention of doing so. Tom Nancy takes advantage of every opportunity to keep his new identity, while Felix tries to explain to the other animals what has happened. The other animals are perfectly content with Felix as he now is. They like him that way, and have no warm feelings for Tom Nancy. 

Tom was happy until he has to deal with the realities of school, and the expectations of him concerning homework. He complains to his dad who isn't open to letting him stay home since he hasn't been helping with the chores. With warnings from both principal and father concerning the work he will be expected to do in the future, Tom runs to Felix with a request to switch back. When they get to the barn, Tom Clancy is met with a very big surprise; a comeuppance from Felix and the other animals concerning his future. 

X. Fang drew her eye-catching illustrations with graphite and then added color in Photoshop. She keeps characters center of attention against all backgrounds. Tom Nancy is quite the individual; everything about him is big and outrageous. This is one terrific picture book from the very funny and irreverent Mac Barnett.  

Shake This Book, written and illustrated by Dave Whamond. owlkids, 2026. $22.95 ages 3 and up

 

"You're clearly VERY strong! 

I feel weird. 

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? 

I think you may have shaken 
the book too hard. 

SOMETHING DOESN'T 
SEEM RIGHT ... "

Things in the animal kingdom seem just a little too quiet and mundane. A bright blue and bored-looking rabbit thinks it is time to 'shake things up'. A tiny caterpillar shows concern for upcoming nonsense. The rabbit knows just what to do. Get readers to give the book a shake! Why not? The other animals show concern - and well they should! 

A turn of the page and chaos ensues. All animals are strewn hither and you, with surprised and frightened looks for what is happening to them. Another turn of the page and each of the animals is now sporting another's body parts. The mayhem is described: 

"I'm half crab and half rabbit. 
I'm a CRABBIT!

I'm I guess I'm a 
LADY-PUG. 

Am I a KANGA-ROOSTER?"

There's only one thing to do now. Can you guess? Kids will know and will be tremendously happy to help the animals get back to their former selves, no matter how long it might take. Are you ready? 

Speech bubbles, bold colors, cartoonish and recognizable animals, and just the right amount of playfulness makes for a very appealing book for young children. You know you will be reading it often!  

Before You Came, written by Anne Renaud and illustrated by Nahid Kazemi. Peanut Butter Press, 2026. $17.95 ages 4 and up

"By night you filled my dreams - 
first steps and first words, 
sandcastles and swings,

rubber boots 
and mud
puddles, 
snowmen and 
toboggans."

If you are looking for a book to celebrate the birth of a new baby, this would be a lovely choice. In poetic language, the narrator speaks to the love and joy that is anticipated in the time leading up to meeting the little one. There is such love and emotion felt even before the baby's arrival. 

The words chosen to speak of both dreaming of and yearning for a child are beautiful and uplifting. It was a labor love for Anne Renaud who does not have children of her own, but wanted to capture the depth of the love and anticipation she was feeling for the coming birth of her niece. In an interview, she spoke of the powerful feelings she was experiencing.

 “That moment gave me a profound insight into what parental love must feel like: instinctive, fierce, and limitless. This book grew out of that emotional awakening and my desire to put words to a love that existed even before the child arrived.”

Nahid Kazemi's illustrations are wonderful. She captures all the feelings presented in Ms. Renaud's heartfelt words. Her color choices are warm and glowing through all the hopes and dreams expressed, while cooler colors give way at times to abstracts and even uncertainties. Many lovely scenes are created to expand meaning and to leave readers with the wonders of becoming caregivers.

Stray, by cale atkinson. tundra, Penguin Random House. 2026. $24.99 ages 4 and up

 

"I don't need them. 
I don't need anyone. 

Better out here
on my own ... 

Most of the time, anyway."

The brown dog introduced on the cover loves his life of freedom. No one tells him what to do, where he can go, or fences him in. It's a grand life for him.. There are so many ways that confine other dogs he sees, when tied to family life. His nose is his guide; he knows where the best smells can be found and where dangers lie. There are no tricks to be practiced and performed, and a bath? NEVER! 

Seeing other dogs trapped inside houses while he is romping around chasing squirrels, rolling in leaves and peeing on fire hydrants must make them jealous. He has memories of the home he once had; it wasn't a lot of fun there. In fact, they stuck him in a box with a Free sign on it when they no longer wanted him. He's on his own now, and doesn't need anyone. 

He will admit there are downsides: rainy days, loss of friends, loneliness, hunger, fatigue, and always on the run. Most people don't like strays, and send him away. Does he belong anywhere? Does he want to be a stray forever? Maybe there is someone who would like to throw a ball for him. When he is picked up by animal control, he loses the freedom he craves. The stories he hears at the shelter are many. Will there ever be anyone who wants them? 

"For me, it's you." 

This emotional look at connection and past trauma tugs at the heartstrings and makes for a powerful read with children. They will sense the vulnerability as it outweighs the joy found in being free to do everything on his own. Finding true friendship is a great healer for both child and pup.