In an effusive pep talk turned picture book, Prasadam-Halls and Prabhat encourage self-appreciation. Familial connection provides initial grounding (“You are your mother’s bright eyes”), while ensuing lines broaden outward with sensorial comparisons (“You’re the gleam/ of ripe mangoes”). Surrealistic, candy-colored renderings enhance the verse’s buoyancy with energetic depictions that follow two youths, portrayed with brown skin, embracing their individual uniqueness as well as cultural ties. Oversize flora—from peaches to jasmine—gesture toward life’s dimensionality, and ribbons of paint provide an ebullient feeling of movement and flow. As final pages build to a crescendo, the result is a rousing takeaway: “Burn bright! Stand tall!/ A brilliant new star...// the BEST OF ALL.” Ages 3–6. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

Via empowering stanzas that end with the words “remember who you are,” the authors Prince, sisters from the Lake Babine Nation and Nak’azdli Whut’en, present teachings as a means of tapping into ancestry to create a strong tomorrow. Reiterative, singsong lines reference matriarchal culture, ancestor resilience, truth-speaking, and more (“You were created with everything you need to succeed”) before moving into visions of days to come (“You will ensure the safety of your people”). In stipple-textured colorblock scenes, General, who belongs to the Turtle Clan and the Mohawk Nation, focuses on simple figures and landscapes across a work that emphasizes living “firmly rooted in our past and inspired by our future.” Characters are portrayed with various abilities. A closing note provides context. Publishing simultaneously: A bilingual English- and Plains Cree-language edition. Ages 3–5. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

Color becomes an emotional language in this empathic picture book that demonstrates how feelings “are as colorful as a rainbow and change all the time.” From the “dazzling white” of morning’s blank slate to evening’s “mysterious black,” first-person comparisons relate a day’s worth of feels, many loosely propelled by social interactions, while a mixture of pencil-gray drawings and semi-monochromatic scenes highlights each hue. First, the protagonist finds a friend and feels “tickled pink,” but when that pal joins with another, the speaker cascades through “puzzling purple,” “fiery red” anger, and more until a caregiver’s embrace conjures “a fresh, new blue.” The kaleidoscopic range of sentiments suggests that as feelings ebb and flow, each can be named and processed. The protagonist is portrayed with pale skin and dark hair; background characters are shown with various skin tones. Ages 2–5. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

Scientific storytelling and surreal art encourage respect for life and its origins in this reverential illustrated work. Lyrical, informative narration by poet and scientist Isett presents the ocean, air, ancient planet Theia, sun, plants, and symbionts as “forgotten teachers” who have “left indelible lessons in our DNA.” Touching on myriad topics—including amniotic fluid’s oceanic correlation (“When our mothers made us, they too cupped a pocket of brine from genetic memory and created an Ocean in their wombs”) and Earth’s influence on circadian cycles (“Like dancers, we move to this rhythm”)—text enjoins readers to “imagine new ways to bring these forgotten teachers back into our human stories.” Taking inspiration from medieval illuminated manuscripts, per an artist’s note, Biçen’s delicate drawings, washed in dreamy pastels, feature human hands and eyes as recurring motifs, making for a mystical, tarot card–like feel: optic orbs walk on human legs across mountain landscapes, while mushrooms sprout from prismatically arranged geometric shapes. This trippy portrait of interconnection persuasively supports the creators’ assertion that educating oneself about the teachers addressed ensures that “the story of life on our planet can be carried into the future.” Human figures are portrayed in yellow and pink hues. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this eerie and atmospheric graphic novel by Smith (Misfits of Magic), 18-year-old Autumn Ackerman is shocked to find her childhood imaginary friend Barnaby—a green-skinned fae creature wearing business attire—injured behind the coffee shop where she works. Because her single mother can’t afford college tuition, Autumn believes that all that awaits her following her high school graduation is a boring life serving coffee at the café—until Barnaby introduces Autumn to Evan Fade, one of a select group of humans capable of seeing Night Folk like Barnaby. Evan, who facilitates interactions between Night Folk and the human world, takes Autumn under his wing, helping her navigate her own heretofore unknown link to the fae realm. Angular lines and understated yet expressive facial features command readers’ attention, and the color palette leans into saturated blues and muted greens, Autumn’s bright red scarf acting as an anchor throughout. Glowing yellow accents illuminate scenes depicting magic, and grainy fade-ins and fade-outs cinematically segue between the magical and real dimensions. This propitious series starter promises intrigue, adventure, and fresh takes on fantasy tropes along the unmoored protagonist’s quest toward greater understanding of both the worlds around her and herself. Human characters are depicted with pale skin. Ages 14–up. Agent: Moe Ferrara, Triada US. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

Debut creator Partridge leverages fantasy allegory surrounding death and grief in this reflective and heartfelt speculative graphic novel. After crashing her truck and becoming stranded, cautious teen Selena stumbles upon a countryside inn, an unusual establishment purportedly located at the edge of the world, where departing visitors embark on a one-way ferry to the mysterious Great Unknown. Alice, the inn’s bubbly clerk, offers Selena room and board while Selena repairs her truck, provided she runs errands around the property. As time passes, Selena befriends the inn’s quirky inhabitants, including stylish elderly Iris and wary teenage newcomer Lily, who encourage Selena to stay as long as she’d like. But something about the robed ferry operator, Charon, and the portentous intermittent ringing of a dinner bell set Selena on edge. Softly inked lines and cozy Earth tones invite readers into an alluring world where tea is poured with great care and unspoken questions linger in the halls of a quaint yet ominous way station residence. Beneath the surface-level charm of the impish sentient mushroom creatures that frolic about the inn’s fields and Charon’s sometimes comical silence is a profound meditation on grief and letting go. Characters are portrayed with varying skin tones. Ages 13–up. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

When orphaned siblings Max and Molly M’Chawi flee their home amid an oppressive New Jersey monarchy, they find themselves aboard a dirigible en route to the moon. Disembarking the aircraft, the siblings rescue Prince Grakko, a Latin-speaking humanoid vampire bat, from a violent altercation and encounter the Groos, a species of mechanically savvy apelike creatures with blue fur. As they travel along the moon’s surface, the tweens must evade massive spiders that sing in iambic meter, human pirates warring with Prince Grakko’s people, and their own pursuers, recently arrived from Earth. The pair soon learn about their mysterious ancestors; unearthing this knowledge allows Max and Molly to unlock powerful abilities, which they use to help the moon’s citizens diffuse their increasingly volatile disputes. Uncanny, otherworldly illustrations by Mutch (The Rough Pearl) convey character conflicts heightened by prejudice and systemic inequality. The result is an ambitious and lengthy graphic novel—inspired by the Eurocentric tales the creator consumed in his youth and updated for a more inclusive present, as addressed in an introduction—that’s equal parts steampunk adventure, mystical fantasy, and contemporary allegory. Human characters are depicted with varying skin tones. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

“If you’re not a jock, you’re a nobody” is the motto of Muscletown, where middle schooler Arnie, who has asthma and isn’t a natural athlete, is treated like a social outcast by his peers, particularly the Brohemians, bullies who terrorize kids in local green space Boyle Park. When Arnie meets his new neighbor, former NFL player Mort Cohen, the footballer reveals that his athletic prowess was aided by a Zeus-crafted magic medal that grants terrible athletes the skills they need to solve a problem. Once the issue is resolved, the magic fades and the medal must be passed on. Mort offers it to Arnie, with explicit instructions to stay focused on his goal and keep the medal secret. Now imbued with godlike athleticism, Arnie swears to end the Brohemians’ reign of terror. Soon, however, Arnie’s sudden popularity—garnered after showing off his epic new skills—sways him from his mission, forcing him to tap back into his moral code. Expert comedic timing by Heagerty (Lumberjackula) alongside DuBois-Thompson’s layered, dynamic coloring—including bright contrasting hues and ample use of light and shadow—makes for a raucously fantastical graphic novel take on bullying’s impact and the power of living one’s own truth. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Jessica Mileo, InkWell Management. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

Intergenerational lessons on self-sufficiency become the cornerstone of survival for a pair of siblings in this quietly hopeful graphic novel by Suwannakit (Sad, the Dog), set in a world ravaged by climate change. In a fifth-floor walk-up apartment, an elderly woman and her two grandchildren are unable to escape an apocalyptic storm. Rising floodwaters chase them to the roof, where they shelter in a utility shed below the building’s water tower. The following morning, the trio finds that the city they live in is gone, replaced by “water all around.” Expecting help that never comes, the children are bolstered by Grandma, who teaches them basic skills, including knot-tying, starting a fire, collecting rainwater, growing a garden, and catching fish. Appreciation of their togetherness, along with Grandma’s stories, give their lives purpose, and the fall harvest shows their hard work paying off. But as the storms continue, threatening the sanctuary of their rooftop, Grandma tells the children that “with each ending a new beginning unfolds. Embrace it”—advice the siblings carry to the work’s surreal climax. Transparent watercolor washes are layered with graphite powder, while gouache and acrylic paints render finer details for a dreamy, fantastical feel. Characters are depicted with varying skin tones. Ages 7–11. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink

This timely novel by Mickelson (The Weight of Everything) centers 18-year-old Maya, a budding writer who, like her siblings before her, is evicted from her father’s luxurious Manhattan apartment following her high school graduation. Believing his children should make their own way, as he did, Maya’s multimillionaire father forces her to get by without financial help beyond college tuition. Frustrated but stalwart, Maya plans to support herself by working at the public library and freelance-writing. Feeling abandoned by her mother, a doctor who moved back to her native Guatemala two years earlier, and her siblings who also left N.Y.C., she accepts her older coworker’s offer to share a studio apartment, where neighbors and a community activist group are frequent guests. Seeking a quiet refuge for her work, she joins a shared writing space managed by her distrustful neighbor Jake. Over the course of the smoothly wrought narrative, Maya encounters immigration issues challenging individuals in her new neighborhood, expands her literary leanings beyond her beloved classics, and pursues a relationship with Jake. Though Maya’s father reads like a one-dimensional villain, an opportunity to expose his financial support of a disturbing anti-immigrant politician injects tension throughout this accessible offering. Characters are racially diverse. Ages 13–up. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/22/2025 | Details & Permalink