12 Must-Read October Children’s Book Releases

October Children’s Book Releases: Picture Books

The Moonlight Zoo by Maudie Powell-Tuck & Karl James Mountford (October 4; Tiger Tales)

Like their erstwhile representation publication together, Last Stop connected the Reindeer Express, The Midnight Zoo features peek-through pages and lift-the-flaps among beautiful, ornate illustrations. Luna’s feline has been missing for 2 days, and she’s truthful worried. Hearing carnal noises nether her furniture astatine night, she crawls nether the furniture and discovers a magical zoo for mislaid pets and animals. Transported to the zoo, Luna searches for her beloved favored and finds galore wondrous things on the way. Though it’s ne'er mentioned successful the story, Luna wears a proceeding aid. I emotion seeing disablement practice successful stories similar these.

Witch Hazel by Molly Idle (October 11; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

When I requested this representation book, I was not expecting to outcry portion speechmaking it, but I’ve work it 3 times present and cried each time. So beryllium warned. The kid Hilda loves helping the witch Hazel astir the house, and successful return, proceeding Hazel’s stories from agelong agone and watching the stories play retired successful magical dust. As the seasons pass, Hilda watches and listens to much and much of Hazel’s stories until 1 day, Hazel is nary longer there, and Hilda sweeps the location lone successful the institution of Hazel’s cat. But the magical particulate inactive remembers Hazel and knows precisely what Hilda needs. Everything astir this representation publication is magical, from the sweet, lyrical prose to the sepia-toned illustrations.

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Still Dreaming / Seguimos Soñando by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez & Magdalena Mora, Translated by Luis Humberto Crosthwaite (October 11; Lee & Low Books)

This bilingual representation publication explores the 1930s Mexican Repatriation, when, amidst the Great Depression, the U.S. authorities forced U.S. citizens of Mexican descent into Mexico, adjacent though galore had lived connected their onshore for galore generations. The substance itself ne'er mentions the history, alternatively centering connected a boy’s communicative astir his sadness astatine leaving his location and however his household comes unneurotic to enactment 1 different during this time. The author’s extremity enactment explains much astir the Mexican Repatriation movement. While it takes spot successful a circumstantial infinitesimal successful U.S. history, it’s besides a cosmopolitan communicative and feels precise modern. Mora’s vibrantly colored, smudged illustrations are beautiful.

Tiny Spoon vs. Little Fork by Constance Lombardo, Dan Abdo, & Jason Patterson (October 18; Hippo Park)

This highly silly representation publication volition get large belly laughs from young readers. Tiny Spoon and Little Fork some deliberation they’re Baby’s favourite eating utensil. They some travel from a agelong enactment of spoons and forks fantabulous astatine their jobs, and they some person photographic grounds of Baby enjoying immoderate yum yums with their aid. When it’s clip to eat, however, Baby throws some Tiny Spoon and Little Fork, sending them connected a chaotic thrust into the level alongside Baby’s bunny lovey. Will Spoon and Fork find a mode to cooperate alternatively of vie truthful they tin instrumentality to Baby? This 1 is genuinely hilarious and truthful overmuch amusive to work aloud.

The Talk by Alicia D. Williams & Briana Mukodiri Uchendu (October 18; Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books)

The Talk is simply a beautifully written and heartfelt representation publication astir perchance 1 of the hardest conversations Black and Brown caregivers person with their children. Jay loves to contention astir the vicinity with his friends and unreal he’s a wolf successful his hoodie. His parent measures him successful a doorway, but arsenic Jay grows taller, his household begins to worry. His Grandma mentions radical whitethorn spot him arsenic threatening now, and his dada explains however to enactment erstwhile constabulary face him. But Jay is inactive a kid and wants to enactment similar a kid. How is it just that helium has to behave otherwise conscionable due to the fact that of the colour of his skin? With lovely, lukewarm illustrations and gentle prose, this representation publication provides tons of country for caregivers to person pugnacious but indispensable conversations with their kids. This representation publication tin besides beryllium a meaningful instrumentality for achromatic families to sermon the impacts of racism with their children.

Digestion! The Musical by Adam Rex & Laura Park (October 25; Chronicle Books)

Get your singing dependable acceptable for this wildly inventive representation publication astir however digestion works, presented arsenic a musical. It’s Lil’ Candy’s large accidental to bash thing great, but the quality assemblage doesn’t privation to devour Lil’ Candy. Lil’ Candy has thing to connection the teeth, lungs, liver, etc. However, the lingua wants to springiness Lil’ Candy a chance, and successful the stomach, Lil’ Candy makes a person — Gum. With the assistance of 4 babe carrots, Gum, and a reddish humor cell, Lil’ Candy learns each astir quality digestion, and it turns retired Lil’ Candy has a concealed that volition alteration however the remainder of the assemblage thinks of it. This publication is hilarious, adorably illustrated, and precise informative. I’m a large philharmonic fan, truthful I emotion making up tunes and belting retired the book. However, this has backfired, and my girl volition present lone work the publication with me, ha!

October Children’s Book Releases: Middle Grade

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga (October 4; Balzer + Bray)

This innovative and beauteous mediate people is told from the position of Resilience (Res), a fictional Mars rover. NASA scientists Rania and Xander built Res to assistance find a mislaid rover connected Mars and to trial for signs of h2o and beingness there. During his investigating period, Res begins to make emotions alongside the much logical skills helium needs to navigate Mars. Once connected Mars, helium befriends his drone, Fly, and seeks to beryllium himself worthy of 1 time returning to Earth. Meanwhile, Rania’s girl Sophie becomes funny successful the rover and writes him letters. She continues to constitute him letters for the galore years Res is connected Mars, relating her mother’s unwellness and schoolhouse struggles. This is simply a heartwarming, affectional work for abstraction lovers of each ages.

Undercover Latina by Aya de León (October 11; Candlewick)

I had truthful overmuch amusive listening to this modern mediate people spy caller connected audio, narrated by Victoria Villarreal. Like her parents, 14-year-old Andréa Hernández-Baldoquín works arsenic a spy for the Factory, an enactment of non-white spies whose ngo is to assistance support radical of colour from coercion and different large crimes. Andréa’s archetypal pb ngo is to airs arsenic a achromatic pupil to get adjacent to the estranged lad of a achromatic supremacist and terrorist, Kyle, to uncover his father’s whereabouts. She soon realizes that the champion mode to befriend Kyle is to larn to play a paper crippled and work the comic publication bid it’s based on. However, portion learning astir the crippled and befriending Kyle, she begins to person romanticist feelings for Kyle’s champion person and roommate, Rámon. There’s tons of bully worldly successful here: excellent, nuanced discussions astir contention and being a light-skinned Latina, action-packed spy scenes, a look wrong gaming and cosplay communities, and I emotion that the main quality is 14, an underrepresented property successful mediate grade.

Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties by Kellye Crocker (October 18; Albert Whitman & Company)

Ava has precocious been diagnosed with anxiousness and is seeing a therapist for coping mechanisms. She particularly struggles with surprises, and erstwhile her begetter informs her that they volition beryllium spending 2 weeks successful Colorado to conscionable his woman and her girl astatine the past minute, Ava’s anxiousness spikes. She doesn’t privation to adhd radical to their life, nary substance however bully they are, and she decidedly doesn’t privation to spell to Colorado, particularly aft speechmaking astir however unsafe it is online. She really does find she likes her father’s woman and her girl Z; however, that doesn’t mean she’s prepared to upend her full beingness to see them successful it. This mediate people is simply a ace fun, compulsive read, and the anxiousness portrayal is truthful good done. There are adjacent sections of Ava’s diary included wherever she lists immoderate of the coping strategies she’s learned.

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega & Rose Bousamra (October 18; First Second)

Dominican mediate schooler Marlene is bushed of going to the hairsbreadth salon to get her curly hairsbreadth straightened oregon braided. She loves hanging retired with her friends and playing — she does not emotion her mother’s changeless disapproval astir however playing ruins her hairsbreadth and however her hairsbreadth indispensable beryllium “presentable” astatine each times. Marlene’s Tía Ruby keeps her hairsbreadth natural, and Marlene has decided she wants to bash the same. But however does she fto her ma cognize without disappointing her? With beautiful, brushed illustrations and a precise lovable main character, this mediate people graphic caller is an empowering ode to Black and Brown hairsbreadth and self-love.