Not to Be Missed New Picture Books

Do you know that feeling?  The crisp unwrinkled pages.  The “newness” smell.  The larger than life eyes as you gawk at the gorgeous illustrations.  That feeling inside that you just read something awesome. Yep, it’s that, I just discovered a great brand-new book feeling.

Today, I’m sharing some of those books that I haven fallen in love with so far this year.  These are books that have hit the market in 2016.  Let’s dive into that new book feeling.

Full Disclosure:  *Some of the books listed below were review copies that the publishers sent to me. All opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve followed Jonathan Fenske since his very first book, Love Is In The Air.  I like to think of him as one of Growing Book by Book’s oldest friends.  He is back with *Barnacle is Bored.  On the surface, it’s a cute little story about a barnacle who hangs out under a pier wishing for more.  But, peel back the layers and the book has lots of little nugget lessons.  It’s great for preschoolers and bigger kids too.

If I had to pick one book on this list to give the “Most Gorgeous Illustrations Award” to, it would be The Night Gardener by Terry and Eric Fan.  A boy discovers a tree outside his window that has been sculpted to look like an owl.  These topiaries keep popping up around town.  Who is creating these masterpieces and for how long?

Another beautiful book on the list is Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Treckentrup. Remember that “feeling” I talked about at the beginning of the post?  Oh this book… the thick heavy pages feel like you are holding a piece of art.  I love the care and detail that went into publishing this book.  The die-cut pages add to a wonderful story of a tree and the animals that live there as they journey through the seasons.

Ok, I’ve been going on and on about beautiful books.  But, a great picture book has to have wonderful pictures to add a layer to the reading and viewing experience. Flora and the Peacocksby Molly Idle is the newest Flora book.  You may remember Flora and the Flamingo and Flora and the Penguin.  The dance continues through lift-the-flaps and a gorgeous giant fold-out spread.

My 5 year-old can not get enough of Bloom by Doreen Cronin.  Bloom is not your average fairy. She loves mud, has dirt under her nails, and wild hair.  After not feeling accepted, she ventures off to live in the woods.  When the kingdom she left begins to fall apart, the king and queen come to her for answers.  They don’t believe the answer that she shares though.  It takes a common girl to connect with Bloom and help save the kingdom.  In the process, the young girl learns about finding your voice and standing up for yourself.

*Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey isn’t a new book.  But, the 75th Anniversary Edition of Make Way for Ducklings is NEW!  Yes, this book has been in print for 75 years.  The collector’s edition includes an audio cd and a gorgeous map of Boston.  Now is the perfect time to grab a copy of the book if you don’t already own it.  Make sure to check out this duck alphabet activity that we did with the book.

Books about owls are popping up all over.  Journey with *Hoot and Peep by Lita Judge as they soar through the Paris sky taking in all the sights and sounds.  The story is also a sweet lesson in sibling love and learning.

One thing that all of us struggle with is, “Who am I?” Thunder Boy Jr.by Sherman Alexie is the story of a boy who struggles with being named after his father. He is finding his place in the world and a name that fits him.   Alexie was interviewed by NPR and asked what he hoped kids would  take away from his book.  He said, “The idea that, you know, you don’t have to be like your family to be a part of your family; that in fact you can extend the borders of your family. As one person, as one member of a family, you can make your unit larger with your ambitions and your ideas about yourself.”

The Airport Bookby Lisa Brown is a great read for any child who will be taking their first airplane ride.  Airports can be very busy places with lots of new experiences.  The book shows us all the steps we take from takeoff to landing.

The Tree in the Courtyard: Looking Through Anne Frank’s Window by Jeff Gottesfeld gives us a different perspective on the war and Anne Frank’s family.  Told from the perspective of the tree outside of Anne Frank’s window we learn about Anne’s life.  Plus, we learn how this special tree survived through so much turmoil.

Do you need to see and hear things?  Check out some more of our favorite new books in the video below.

What new book has given you “that feeling?”
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