Picture Books I Can't Wait to See

The title says it all! Here you will find all sorts of picture books that are recently out, or coming out soon, all on order for ICPL. I'm waiting, albeit not so patiently, for these new books to get in. #ReadWoke

The paper boat

Thao Lam

ON ORDER BOOK
Read Woke

"Thao Lam’s family came to Canada as refugees during the Vietnam War. When Thao started thinking about how to tell this story, she couldn’t stop thinking about ants: small, seemingly insignificant creatures who are able to travel amazingly long distances overwater, work hard, and thrive on almost every continent on the planet. Boat People starts with a story inspired by Thao’s mother’s life: a young girl watches as a bowl of sugar water is put out to attract (and get rid of) some pesky aunts. As the adults around her frantically make plans for escape, she dips her chopstick into the bowl to save the drowning insects. When the army arrives, the family must flee, and in the chaos, the girl and her mother become separated from the others, and get lost in the jungle. The mother gives the hungry girl a bun wrapped in paper, which she then folds into a paper boat. After they eat, the girl spots a trail of ants in the moonlight. They follow the insects to water and manage to meet up with the boat that will take them to safety. The story switches to the perspective of a family of ants who have boarded the paper boat. Their journey is full of peril. The sun is relentless, the ants are attacked by seagulls, they starve, a storm capsizes their boat, and many ants are lost. The survivors, however, cling to each other, creating a raft of their own bodies, eventually making it to shore. One ant ends up on a kitchen table, surrounded by food, much like the table from the first scene. But the family members around this table aren’t quite the same. The grandmother is no longer there, the little girl has grown, and she’s been joined by a baby sister. But they seem happy, and most importantly, they are safe. As the story ends, the reader zooms out to see that they are but one family in an apartment building full of families, in a busy city full of apartment buildings full of tiny, seemingly insignificant creatures, working hard and thriving. With this picture book, Thao is returning to an earlier format: the wordless picture book of sequential art. But she has pushed herself again with the artwork—and this story is a collage of simple shapes, clean geometry, and impressionistic washes of colour. Its simplicity belies its great depth of feeling. This is a heartfelt, one-of-a-kind book on every level."--

Five on the bed

Addie K. Boswell

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books

A young girl, her parents, and their dog and cat appear on, under, and next to the bed as they all get ready to sleep in this counting book featuring cut paper illustrations.

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Just look at that cover! I'm really looking forward to using this one in storytimes.
- Casey

When we are kind

Monique Gray Smith

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books, Read Woke

"This beautiful picture book looks at how the simple act of being kind, to others and oneself, affects all aspects of a child's life."--

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Yet another that I can't wait to use in storytimes. Monique Gray Smith's books are wonderful and I bet this is no exception.
- Casey

In the Half Room

Carson Ellis

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Picture Books

Out the door

Christy Hale

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Picture Books

Follows a girl through her day in a busy city as she travels to school and back again.

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I really like Christy Hale's "Water, Land" and am hoping that "Out the Door" is just as fun.
- Casey

The nice dream truck.

Beth Ferry

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books

Curls

Ruth Forman

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Picture Books

Off to see the sea

Nikki Grimes

ON ORDER BOOK
Read Woke, Picture Books

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Nikki Grimes is another favorite author, and this cover is so striking!
- Casey

The whole hole story

Vivian McInerny

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books

"Zia imagines what might happen if the hole in her pocket became big enough to fall right through"--

OONA.

KELLY DIPUCCHIO

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books

Puppy in my head.

Elise Gravel

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books

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Puppies and mindfulness? I'm there!
- Casey

A sled for Gabo

Emma Otheguy

ON ORDER BOOK
Read Woke, Picture Books

Gabo, shy with other children and having no sled or winter clothing, yearns to go sledding and his neighbor's granddaughter, Isa, helps him find a way.

Our little kitchen

Jillian Tamaki

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books

"A crew of resourceful neighbors comes together to prepare a meal for their community. Includes a recipe and an author's note about the volunteering experience that inspired the book"--

Milo imagines the world

Matt de la Peña

ON ORDER BOOK
Read Woke, Picture Books

While Milo and his sister travel to a detention center to visit their incarcerated mother, he observes strangers on the subway and draws what he imagines their lives to be.

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The team behind "Last Stop on Market Street" and "Carmela Full of Wishes" are back, and this one looks great!
- Casey

IN MY MOSQUE.

M. O YUKSEL

ON ORDER BOOK
Read Woke, Picture Books

Out of nowhere

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

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Picture Books

A beetle courageously sets out in search of his best friend--a caterpillar that arrived out of nowhere and vanished without warning.

It's so quiet

Sherri Duskey Rinker

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books

Little mouse cannot sleep because it is too quiet--but when he really listens he finds to night is full of all sorts of sounds, so many if fact that it is too noisy to sleep.

There is a rainbow

Theresa Trinder

ON ORDER BOOK
Picture Books

In a time of pandemic, two children try to navigate social distancing, distance learning, and the other challenges of 2020, with the help of family, friends, and the rainbow that unites them.