Monday, December 23, 2019

2020 Preview

Here's a preview of the KidlitArtists books coming out in 2020 - the preview so far features 24 books! 

We'll continue to update as we get more book covers and descriptions.

Amber Alvarez
by Diana Murray and Amber Alvarez



See lions snuggle on the savanna and groundhogs play on the prairie in Diana Murray's 
Wild About Dads, a heartwarming picture book that celebrates dads of all kinds―
featuring illustrations by Amber Alvarez!
Dads can help you reach up high,
and help to keep you warm and dry.
Dads are strong, dads are brave,
but sometimes dads could use a shave.
Everyone loves dads―humans, lions, frogs, prairie dogs, and even pelicans! 
See all these animals snuggle their little ones in this sweet, rhyming picture book 
that celebrates fatherhood in its many forms.
Perfect for Father’s Day and showing dads how much they mean to you 
every day of the year.


Lisa Anchin
by Linda Elovitz Marshall and Lisa Anchin



Discover the fascinating life of world-renowned scientist Jonas Salk, 
whose pioneering discoveries changed the world forever.

Dr. Jonas Salk is one of the most celebrated doctors and medical researchers 
of the 20th century. The child of immigrants who never learned to speak English, 
Jonas was struck by the devastation he saw when the soldiers returned from 
battle after WWII. Determined to help, he worked to become a doctor and 
eventually joined the team that created the influenza vaccine. But Jonas wanted 
to do more. As polio ravaged the United States--even the president was not 
immune!--Jonas decided to lead the fight against this terrible disease. In 1952, 
Dr. Jonas Salk invented the polio vaccine, which nearly eliminated polio from this 
country. For the rest of his life, Dr. Salk continued to do groundbreaking medical 
research at the Salk Institute, leaving behind a legacy that continues to make the 
world a better place every day.

This compelling picture book biography sheds light on Dr. Salk's groundbreaking journey 
and the importance of vaccination.


Brooke Boynton Hughes
by Barbara Bottner and Brooke Boynton Hughes



Help Archer find his missing turtle hiding in the pages of this picture book!

How Many Times Have I Told You to Pick Up This Room?
Archer's pet turtle is missing! Mom is sure he's somewhere in Archer's messy bedroom...
or the back yard... or somewhere in the house. Archer looks everywhere inside and out 
but can't find his turtle until he learns to think like one! However, sharp-eyed young readers 
will easily find the missing pet hiding thoughout the messy pages of this book.
Here is an imaginative and interactive story with the added bonus of showing why 
it's a good idea to pick up your toys.

Allison Farrell
by Joan Holub and Allison Farrell


When the road signs take a vacation, chaos and hilarity ensue--
and they quickly learn how important they are.

School is ending for the summer, and the stick figures on the school crossing sign are 
jealous of all the vacation plans they hear the students making. The stick figures 
work hard--maybe they deserve a vacation, too! So they abandon their signpost and 
set off on an adventure, inviting along all the other underappreciated road signs they 
meet on the way. It's all fun and games for a while, especially when they stumble 
upon a fantastic amusement park. 
But the people they've left behind are feeling their absence, and soon there are traffic 
tangles and lost pedestrians everywhere. The signs are more important than they 
realized, and now it's time for them to save the day!

Irena Freitas
Thoughts are Air
written by Michael Arndt, illustrated by Irena Freitas
Dial Books, Fall 2020
A picture book written in verse by Michael Arndt, illustrated by Irena Freitas
The book uses the alchemy of air, water, and earth as metaphors to explore the 
transformation of our thoughts into our words and actions and ultimately their impact on 
the world around us.  



Kimberly Gee


Bear is very, very, very GLAD today! He’s taking his first ballet class. 
But he’s a little nervous too. This sweet and silly picture book is an honest exploration 
of feelings that little ones—and grown-ups!—are sure to relate to.

Bear is so excited that today is dance day! He has his new leggings, slippers, 
and tutu, and he is ready to go. But when he gets there, he feels a little shy, a little unsure, 
and even a little afraid. What can make him feel better? Dancing, of course!

This charming companion to Mad, Mad Bear is a celebration of how stepping out and 
doing the things we love makes us feel happy…even if we are a little apprehensive at first!

Susie Ghahremani
Marcus Ewert and Susie Ghahremani


With whimsical, rhyming stanzas, She Wanted to be Haunted offers a delightful, 
lyrical twist on the ever-important question of how to be your very best self.
Clarissa the cottage is adorable . . . bright pink, with windows that wink, and 
flowers growing all around. But Clarissa doesn't want to be adorable--being cute is boring.
Couldn't she be like her father, a creepy castle home to vampires and crypts? 
Or like her mother, a witch's hut full of spells and smells? If only she were haunted! 
Then she'd be less ordinary . . . What will it take for Clarissa to go from adorable to horrible?


Susie Ghahremani
Little Muir's Night
John Muir and Susie Ghahremani
August 2020


Jessica Lanan
A Kid of Their Own

 Megan Dowd Lambert and Jessica Lanan


 In this fresh and funny follow-up to the Ezra Jack Keats Honor Book A Crow of His Own, rooster Clyde is forced to adjust to new roommates on the farm when Fran the goat and her kid, Rowdy, take up residence. Can Clyde handle having a new kid in town?

Rooster Clyde has just settled in and found his voice when everyone demands that he take his hard-earned crow down a notch so as to not disturb newcomer Rowdy. That doesn't sit well with Clyde. Neither does the fact that motherly goose Roberta seems to have taken the new animals' side. The farm community learning to deal with a young member of the group is the main story in text and is paired with a wordless story in illustrations that shows Farmer Jay and Farmer Kevin getting ready for their adopted child to arrive on the farm.

Corinna Luyken
Kate Hoefler, Corinna Luyken



A tender and timely story of compassion and finding common ground with others, 
perfect for fans of I Walk With Vanessa and Thank You, Omu!


Juana Martinez- Neal
Beth Ferry, Juana Martinez-Neal


From New York Times best-selling author Beth Ferry and Caldecott Honor winner 
Juana Martinez-Neal comes a sweet-and-salty friendship story 
perfect for pirate-lovers and fans of The Night Gardener.

Captain Swashby loves the sea, his oldest friend. And he loves his life 
by the sea just as it is: salty and sandy and serene.

One day, much to Swashby’s chagrin, a young girl and her granny commandeer 
the empty house next door. All Swashby wants is for his new neighbors to GO AWAY 
and take their ruckus with them.

When Swashby begins to leave notes in the sand for his noisy neighbors, 
however, the beach interferes with the messages that are getting across. 
Could it be that the captain’s oldest friend, the sea, knows what 
Swashby needs even better than he knows himself?



Debbie Ridpath Ohi
written by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi


Dorothia Rohner
Written by Dorothia Rohner, illustrated by Vanya Nastanlieva

A simple, friendly game of Duck, Duck, Goose goes off the rails in giggle-inducing 
confusion when a silly goose tries to make it all about him.

“Are you kidding me? I am Goose!” A literal-minded goose derails a favorite 
childhood game—Duck, Duck, Goose—by objecting when Pig, Fox, Dodo, and 
other players are tapped as “Goose.” Distraction, squabbling, and asking for 
snacks threaten to end the game completely. Bossy Rabbit restores calm, 
but Goose doesn’t understand what the problem is until he gets a taste of 
his own medicine as several ducks arrive and join in, each insisting, “I am Duck!”
 Engaging animal characters cavort through this spirited, laugh-aloud romp.


Robin Rosenthal


Count up to 10 and back down again in this picture book starring 
10 traveling dogs and one very tenacious cat!

One by one, each dog escapes its yard and joins the adventure in this hilarious 
counting story. Vehicle-obsessed readers will love seeing all the modes of 
transportation that the pups use—until the family cat decides to round them 
all up to go back home.
Gabi Snyder’s charming text and Robin Rosenthal’s delightful illustrations are a 
surefire combination in this winning picture book.

Robin Rosenthal
Big Ideas for Little Philosophers:
Truth with Socrates
Imagination with René Descartes
Happiness with Aristotle
Equality with Simone de Beauvoir
written by Duane Armitage and Maureen Doyle, 
illustrated by Robin Rosenthal, Published by Putnam, Summer 2020.

Molly Ruttan

Adopting an extraterrestrial leads to hilariously mixed results!

When a family goes for a stroll one morning and encounters an adorable little 
creature with no collar or tag (who just happens to be sitting in the wreckage of an 
unidentified crash-landed object), they happily adopt the lovable stray. They name him 
Grub and set about training him, but that works surprisingly . . . poorly. Taking him for a 
walk is an unexpected adventure, too. As hard as they try to make Grub feel at home, i
t's just not working. Could he already have a family of his own? Maybe he isn't really 
a stray, after all--just lost. But how on earth will they be able to find his family when he 
seems to come from somewhere . . . out of this world?


Alexandra Thompson


A foodie French bulldog finds a forever home in this heartwarming and adorable debut 
picture book, sure to appeal to fans of Gaston, Ellie, and Little Elliot, Big City.

Meet Louie. He's a dog of very fine taste. He knows every chef in town, and each day he 
wanders the city, visiting his favorite restaurants. It's a good life, except... 
Louie is all on his own. 
What Louie wants more than anything is a family.

But try as he might, Louie can't seem to find a family that's right for him. At the beach, 
he meets a little boy and his mother... but they're eating green jello salad and sardine 
sandwiches (Louie's least favorite foods!). At his favorite sushi restaurant, Louie 
spies a father and daughter with an open seat at their table... but their cat chases 
him away. At the park, he meets a nice family having a yummy barbecue, but when they 
invite him to play frisbee... Louie just can't keep up. Where-oh-where will Louie find a 
just-right family of his very own?


Heidi Woodward Sheffield

Papi is a bricklayer, and he works hard every day to help build the city, brick by brick. 
His son, Luis, works hard too--in school, book by book. Papi climbs scaffolds, makes 
mortar, and shovels sand. Luis climbs on the playground and molds clay into tiny bricks 
to make buildings, just like Papi. Together, they dream big about their future as they 
work to make those dreams come true. And then one Saturday, Papi surprises Luis with 
something special he's built for their family, brick by brick.

Heidi Woodward Sheffield
Leslie Helakoski and Heidi Sheffield

“We look at the world every day.
You and me.
Do we see the same things?
Do you see what I see?”

In beautiful, evocative rhyme, this lovely picture book helps children consider 
the colors of their everyday lives . . . and imagine how others around the world 
experience the very same things.

No matter where they live, all children gaze at the blue sky, bask in the warmth 
of the golden sun, dig in the rich dirt, and watch clouds grow soft and rosy at end of day. 
Through the eyes of one inquisitive and thoughtful young narrator, young readers 
explore the idea of perspective, and come to realize that all of us, everywhere, share 
the colors of the world.



Liz Wong
Helaine Becker, Liz Wong




The most powerful pirate in history was a woman who was born into poverty 
in Guangzhou, China, in the late 1700s. When pirates attacked her town and 
the captain took a liking to her, she saw a way out. Zheng Yi Sao agreed to 
marry him only if she got an equal share of his business. 
When her husband died six years later, she took command of the fleet.
Over the next decade, the pirate queen built a fleet of over 1,800 ships and 70,000 men.
On land and sea, Zheng Yi Sao’s power rivaled the emperor himself. 
Time and again, her ships triumphed over the emperor’s ships.
When she was ready to retire, Zheng Yi Sao surrendered ― on her own terms, of course. 
Even though there was a price on her head, she was able to negotiate her freedom, 
living in peace and prosperity for the rest of her days.


Andrea Zuill
Nelly Buchet, Andrea Zuill


Here is the oh-so-hilarious and adorable story of a blended family-- using just a few 
words in various configurations-- from the pets' point-of-view!

Cat and Dog live with their human in a suburban house with a big backyard. 
Sure, they fight like.... well, cats and dogs, but they're used to one another. 
Dog-- a different dog-- lives a happy only child life in the city with his dad. 
He has the bed to himself, he never has to share his toys, and that's the 
way he likes it. So what happens when the Dog's dad and Cat and Dog's mom 
move in together? Well, it's chaotic. There's not enough room on the bed,
for starters. But as the seasons pass, the three animals become a trio and 
learn to (mostly) love one another. Just as they're settling into a cozy life as a 
threesome, along comes..... a baby! This laugh-out-loud picture book, which 
cleverly uses two repeating words, is sure to strike a chord with kids dealing 
with the ups-and-downs of settling into a blended family of their own.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing all beautiful books. I can't wait to check them out.

    ReplyDelete