When you work with books, a lot of time is spent looking ahead and all of the amazing things on the horizon. But it’s good to take a step back and ackhowledge the books we can reach for right now and hand directly to our readers.
This September, we published 6 outstanding books that received three or more starred reviews. Hopefully these have already earned a place on your shelves, but if you somehow missed them, here’s a reminder!
Cat Nap
An Indie Next Pick Kirkus Best Book
“Utterly beautiful, playfully fun, and, above all, breathtaking.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Mr. Lies has set a new standard for ingenuity” —Wall Street Journal
With lush paintings and intricately constructed 3-D artwork, bestselling and Caldecott Honor–winning author-illustrator Brian Lies introduces a sleepy kitten whose afternoon nap transforms into an epic journey through art, time, and history. Perfect for fans of They All Saw a Cat, Museum Trip, and Jumanji. Includes a note from the author about how the illustrations were created.
In the warm, late afternoon sunlight, a girl sits on the couch reading a book. Her kitten dozes nearby. But when Kitten notices a mouse and dives after it through a framed poster on the wall, an epic chase through time, art, and history ensues. Is it a dream? That’s up to the reader to decide, but for the kitten, every leap and bound is full of suspense and makes for a masterpiece.
Caldecott Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies creates a truly unique picture book journey that invites young readers through the galleries of an art museum as well as through time, space, and history. As the cat and mouse leap from one page to the next, they are portrayed in the style of masterful artworks from history—an ancient Egyptian relief, an illuminated manuscript, a stained-glass window, a ceramic dog—each painstakingly and lovingly re-created in its original media by Brian Lies. When the sly mouse gets away, Kitten finds himself lost and alone. Will art help him find his way home?
This visual showstopper by an award-winning and bestselling picture book creator offers readers a page-turning cat and mouse chase, an introduction to famous works of art throughout history, an epic adventure story, and a homecoming. Backmatter includes information about how each of the illustrations in the book was created, notes on the original artworks featured in the book, and an afterword inviting young readers to make, create, and build things.
“A felicitous feline with mice on the brain leaps into adventure—and art. . . . On each spread, both Kitten and his prey are visually transformed, matching the style of the work in question—and wreaking a bit of chaos along the way. . . . Amid. . .meticulously rendered art, the kid-friendly storytelling, anchored by a spirited refrain (“Does Kitten follow? Of course he does”), remains at the heart of the narrative. Utterly beautiful, playfully fun, and, above all, breathtaking.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Caldecott Honoree Lies turns a cat-and-mouse tale into a handcrafted visual tour through art history in this immersive picture book. . . . Both a labor of love and a flight of imagination, it’s a journey that should leave an indelible paw-print on readers. Back matter details the artistic process and highlighted works.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A cat who chases a mouse, gets lost, and finds its way home again. Perhaps a simple story, but it’s how this story is told that makes it such a breathtaking feat. . . . This jaw-droppingly good picture book is a delight in and of itself, as well as a potent reminder that the process of making art is just as valuable as the end result.”
— Booklist (starred review)
“Lies took on a mighty creative challenge with Cat Nap, and the result is a delightful romp through art history—and a masterpiece in itself.” — BookPage (starred review)
“An unusual game of cat-and-mouse takes place in this visually stunning and highly creative picture book.”
— Horn Book (starred review)
“Will picture book readers take up the message in this dazzling display of artistic versatility, that art is something they can make themselves as well as admire in books and on museum walls? Of course they will.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)
“With its lyrical text, handcrafted visuals, and journey through global artistic traditions, Cat Nap is a feast for the eyes and imagination.”
— Shelf Awareness (starred review)
The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER * INDIE NEXT PICK * FIVE STARRED REVIEWS!
Breathtaking suspense, unforgettable characters, and a pinch of magic combine in the dual stories of two young people—one in 731 China, and one in 1931 Chinatown—on perilous journeys to save their families. An instant classic from the beloved and bestselling author of the Vanderbeekers series.
“A page turner that is at once epic and intimate. This is a must read!” —Lisa Yee, New York Times bestselling author of The Misfits
In ancient Chang’An, Han Yu sells steamed buns in a bustling market full of whispers about his ability to summon tigers.
In New York’s Depression-era Chinatown, Luli gazes out from the roof of her parents’ restaurant, dreaming of dim sum and Chinese art.
Familiar rhythms rule the contained-but-contented lives of Han Yu and Luli. But when plague strikes Chang’An and financial crisis threatens Luli’s family, Han Yu and Luli must each venture out into the larger world—and into danger-filled adventure—to save what they love most. Filled with wondrous caves and conniving thieves, desert storms and magical lakes, Karina Yan Glaser’s epic and rewarding novel is a testament to the bravery required to face the unknown and the power of art to connect us through the ages.
“The work of a virtuoso, this is quite simply dazzling and the best book I’ve read in a long time.” —James Ponti, New York Times bestselling author of City Spies
“Make space on your shelf for this delectable, suspenseful adventure. Glaser infuses each unforgettable story line with immersive sensory details, situating the reader on the dusty trails of Han Yu’s trek or surrounded by Manhattan pushcart vendors calling out their delicacies for sale.”
— Horn Book (starred review)
“A vibrant masterpiece, not to be missed. In this fabulously crafted tale, Glaser brings not one, but two, periods of history to life, while showing how deeply connected they—and we—are.”
— BookPage (starred review)
“Thrilling, heartwarming adventures highlight commonalities that span centuries.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Absorbing. Polished prose renders the characters’ treacherous quests, throughout which the protagonists encounter both wayward strangers and lifelong friends, making for an endearing tribute to bravery and friendship.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Though separated in time and place, [Han Yu and Luli’s stories are] told in a realistic manner with an occasional hint of magic. The main characters emerge as heroes in this engaging narrative, which encompasses their interconnected family stories. Memorable.” — Booklist (starred review)
Dear Acorn (Love, Oak)
Told through poetic letters, this inventive collaboration from Newbery Honor winner Joyce Sidman and two-time Caldecott Honor artist Melissa Sweet reveals the everyday conversations between “big” and “little” objects in our ecosystem. Delightful!
Dear Sky,
Hello! It’s me, Bubble!
I’m here!
Someone’s breathed me
awake!
What is it like to be little? What is it like to be big?
Award-winning poet Joyce Sidman explores both in this lyrical picture book. Whether it’s a small bubble writing to the enormous sky, or a mighty oak reassuring its tiny acorn, these surprising and delightful poems examine how we’re all connected—in both big and small ways. Brilliantly illustrated by Caldecott artist Melissa Sweet, Dear Acorn (Love, Oak) will have readers dreaming up messages of their own to this big, beautiful world.
Scarlet Morning, Book 1: Scarlet Morning
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER
From the powerhouse creator of Nimona comes a breathtaking illustrated novel, the start of a duology, following two orphans who leave the only home they’ve ever known to sail with an eccentric crew of pirates.
Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for fifteen boring years in the colorless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs . . . until one very stormy night, when Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door. They cut a deal with the captain: Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she takes them, too. After all, if their parents aren’t coming, Viola and Wilmur might as well have a grand adventure to find them.
Setting sail into the treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must uncover the facts behind legend—and the key to saving all of Dickerson’s Sea from obliteration—before the truth tears them apart.
Wickedly funny, deeply emotional, and sharply incisive, Scarlet Morning is a tale of love, betrayal, and the extraordinary lengths we’d go to save a world broken beyond repair.
Let’s Get Together
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award–winning author Brandy Colbert gives The Parent Trap a fresh, funny, and delightfully unexpected update in this story of two girls—one raised by her single father, the other in the foster care system—who meet by chance…only to discover they’re identical twins.
Kenya Norwood likes things just the way they are. She’s lived all her life in Pasadena with her dad and grandmother, she’s attended the same school with the same friends since pre-K, and she’s always the center of attention. Even as she’s about to start middle school, she knows one thing for sure: none of that is going to change.
For Liberty Perry, change is all she’s ever known. Her mother disappeared when she was a toddler, and ever since, she’s never stayed in one place for very long. But things seem different with her new foster mother, Joey. Maybe in this home, in this school, change won’t come so quickly.
Except everything changes the day Liberty and Kenya meet—and discover they are identical.
Neither of them is ready to find out she has a twin sister (in fact, they’re unsure if they even want one), and when the girls learn the truth of how they were separated, it’s clear that no one else in their lives was ready for this, either. But the connection they share might be even stronger than the things that kept them apart—and teaming up might be the only way to set everything right.
Silenced Voices
In this moving intergenerational tale perfect for fans of Messy Roots and Illegal, Eisner-nominated creator Pablo Leon combines historical research of the Guatemalan Civil War with his own experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant to depict a powerful story of family, sacrifice, survival, and hope.
Langley Park, Maryland, 2013
Brothers Jose and Charlie know very little about their mother’s life in Guatemala, until Jose grows curious about the ongoing genocide trial of Efrain Rios Montt. At first his mother, Clara, shuts his questions down. But as the trial progresses, she begins to open up to her sons about a time in her life that she’s left buried for years.
Peten, Guatemala, 1982
Sisters Clara and Elena hear about the armed conflict every day, but the violence somehow seems far away from their small village. But the day the fight comes to their doorstep, the sisters are separated and are forced to flee through the mountains, leaving them to wonder…Have their paths diverged forever?