Percival, Kari. Fall Day, All Day. Kari Percival, Illus. Rise, 08/2026. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-593-88862-9. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.     

A diverse group of young children play outside on an autumn day and describe what they see: “Wow, Chipmunk! How many acorns fit in your cheek pockets?” As they discover different natural aspects of the season, the illustrations show various flora and fauna with small captions naming the animal or plant. The evocative illustrations are dominated by earthtones, and were constructed using digital woodcut printing techniques which are well-suited to the book’s theme. This could inspire fall-related art and science projects such as leaf identification and leaf rubbings. The final page lists more things to look for, collect, or study relating to the coming of fall.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Meserve, Jessica. House That Love Built, The. Jessica Meserve, Illus. Tiger Tales, 08/2026. [28]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-66430-095-8. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.      

This cumulative story begins with “This is the raindrop that fell to the ground. This is the storm that raced and chased the raindrop that fell to the ground.” After their homes are wiped out during a storm, the forest animals rebuild, working together to restore their nests, dens, burrows, and dams. The text is patterned after the classic “The House That Jack Built,” although it is not as repetitive. Still, the story will inspire audience participation when read at storytime or in classrooms. The dramatic watercolor illustrations show the devastation of the storm and depict the animals with expressive eyes. The hand-lettered text is placed on the page in waves that will draw in the reader and add to the movement of the storm, and is well-matched to the artwork. A relatable story about working together.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Biedrzycki, David. Last Leaf, The. David Biedrzycki, Illus. Charlesbridge, 09/2026. [36]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-1-62354-695-3. GRADES Kindergarten–3. HIGH ADDITIONAL.

In this brief story about self-esteem and perseverance, an elementary school-aged soccer player (who presents as white) believes she is the worst player on her team. But her supportive parents help her to stick with it and she is also inspired by the one autumn leaf that is still hanging on to the tree in her yard. The digitally created illustrations are particularly noteworthy, conveying considerable emotion and action, as the main character plays, falls, is drenched with rain, and is repeatedly challenged with obstacles. The color pallet goes from autumn golds and oranges to rainy blue hues as soccer season progresses and the girl’s skill improves. The text uses just a few words and phrases because the artwork tells so much of the story.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Reno, Ginger. Many Ways of Being Native. Johnson Yazzie, Illus. Charlesbridge, 10/2026. [28]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-1-62354-675-5. GRADES Kindergarten–1. ADDITIONAL.          

Hawk arrives in the night, whispering verses to sleeping children, presenting visions of what they can become. Although the text focuses on Indigenous children growing up to become scientists, singers, Olympians, authors, and more, the author’s note reflects that any child could be encouraged to pursue their dreams via this simple rhyming story, no matter what they look like or their background. Acrylic paint illustrations provide a dreamlike setting with slightly blurred people and places, providing few clear details and leaving the reader’s imagination to decide what the people truly look like. This may include brown, red, or blonde hair; light or medium brown skin, or other features entirely. Useful for discussions on growing up, stereotypes, types of people, and especially about the differences between Indigenous/Native people. The author is Cherokee and the author’s note describes the Hawk as an important symbol to the Cherokee people.

Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library

Andres, Silvia Romeral. Mina and the Monster. Silvia Romeral Andres, Illus. Charlesbridge, 10/2026. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-1-62354-664-9. GRADES Kindergarten–1. ADDITIONAL.

The storyteller’s tale of the monster in the forest does not scare Mina, in fact it encourages her to defy the tale and go out into the snowy forest to prove her bravery. Pastel and pencil illustrations show the darkness of the storyteller’s nightime tale, the whiteness of the snowy forest, Mina’s white skin, red sweater, and blue scarf; plus the white, puffy monster that Mina does not end up finding, despite it being on many pages. Observant readers will see how the monster helps and protects Mina during her long, cold search – even though Mina never actually sees the monster. While showcasing her bravery, the story also shows how foolish Mina was to venture out into the snow, without company or supplies. Readers will be quick to point out the monster on many of the pages, while wondering why Mina never sees the monster herself.

Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library

Offsay, Charlotte. Quiet Ocean, The. Abi Cushman, Illus. Beach Lane, 05/2026. [36]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.99. 978-1-66597-517-9. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.      

In this clever cumulative story, a pufferfish sets off a chain reaction when it pops a bubble, startling a squid, who scares a turtle, and so on. The text has a pattern that may remind some readers of Audrey Wood’s The Napping House (Houghton Mifflin, 1984) and includes alliteration and onomatopoeia which will engage readers. The cartoon-style, full-color illustrations, accomplished with digitally colored pencil drawings, show sea creatures with expressive facial features in the ocean environment. Sure to be a great readaloud because the audience can call out the repeating phrases as they accumulate. A companion to The Quiet Forest (2024).

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Milford, Kate. Rialto. Clarion, 04/2026. 480pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-3284-6691-4. GRADES 4–6. HIGH ADDITIONAL.          

Milford, the author of the Greenglass House series, returns with a new mystery aimed at older middle-grade readers. Sisters Ivy, age fourteen, and Dahlia, age twelve, travel with their parents to Rialto, an abandoned theme park, to visit their Mom’s best friend, Sally. Dahlia, recently diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, feels smothered by her sister’s hyperattention. Ivy, in turn, doesn’t like change and can feel Dahlia drawing away. The novel’s strength lies in its nuanced portrayal of an anxiety disorder. Once they reach the park and make friends with Sally’s son, Remy, they find themselves drawn into a complicated mystery surrounding Rialto Park. However, the pacing drags as Milford adds unending layers to Rialto’s magic and history. The adult characters tend to overshadow the relationship between Ivy and Dahlia. While patient readers will discover gorgeous prose, those seeking a more straightforward mystery may find the tempo of the novel frustrating. Ivy and Dahlia present as white, while Remy is Black.

Kristin Shaw-Hall—Belvedere Tiburon Library

Moor, Zewlan. Say Hello Like an Armadillo: And Other Animal Greetings from Around the World. Karen Obuhanych, Illus. Nosy Crow, 06/2026. [36]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 979-88-87771-16-8. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.    

A preschool teacher shows her students how to greet others the way animals do: “Say hi like beluga whales – Click your tongue and shake your fin!” The rhyming text shows various ways animals greet each other by describing the greeting and spelling out the sounds made. The charming illustrations show the diverse, chubby-cheeked children and their parents using bright colors set against a white background. This book would be a great choice for storytime because the group could act out the greeting, and it would pair well with Audrey Wood’s Quick as a Cricket (Child’s Play, 1982). The book ends with two pages listing various animal greetings.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

Randall, Julian. Shook. Nathan Walker, Illus. Henry Holt., 08/2026. 256pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-2508-8205-9. GRADES 3–6. OUTSTANDING.

Randall’s novel in verse is a lyrical first-person narrative told from the perspective of upcoming eighth-grader, Malik Page, “Shake,” a black male protagonist from the West side of Chicago. As the captain of the basketball team, he feels pressure to excel, but when he breaks his ankle, everything changes. Riddled with guilt over the cost of his medical care, the challenges of making the varsity team, and the growing distance between him and his best friend, Kayla, Malik navigates a complex world. Randall’s turn of phrase captures the stirring emotions of Shake’s burden to be the best and unearths his building anxiety. More than a sports story, it bridges the difficulties of mental health, family expectations, and friendships. Shortlisted for the 2026 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, give this to fans of Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover (Clarion, 2015).

Yesica Hurd—Berkeley Public Library

Scott, Brandon James. Skeleton and the Cat, The. Brandon James Scott, Illus. HarperCollins, 07/2026. [64]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.99. ‎ 978-0-0634-5588-7. GRADES Preschool–2. OUTSTANDING.

Established illustrator Scott offers five vignettes about a developing friendship between an unlikely pair: a curmudgeonly introverted skeleton and a perky cat. Digital illustrations are brighter than one might expect from a skeleton story. Despite being dressed in a macabre black robe and pants, there is something friendly about this skeleton and the stories impart a peaceful, quiet feeling. It provides a fun new addition to the fall cannon without being an expressly Halloween story. At 64 pages, this runs longer than the typical picture book, but includes significant breaks between each chapter, meaning it could be read in one sitting or over a few sessions, depending upon the audience’s attention span.

Beth Gousman—Montclair Elementary School / Oakland Unified School District

Connors, Jerrold. Stampede! Jerrold Connors, Illus. Union Square, 08/2026. [40]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-45495-922-9. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.      

After a cow is bitten by a horsefly, bored calves Jasper and Cleo set off a stampede of the herd that goes around the world, from a farmers’ market, to the rainforest, to the Sydney Opera House, in this silly circular story. “Stampede!” is repeated throughout the story which will engage a storytime audience, even though the story doesn’t totally make sense. The full-color cartoon illustrations may remind some of Dav Pilkey’s work (Captain Underpants) or Looney Tunes cartoons, and feature racially diverse characters, and animals with distinctive facial expressions. Be sure to show the storytime listeners the map of the cows’ journey on the endpapers.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool

McLemore, Anna-Marie. We Could Be Anyone. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends, 05/2026. 288pp. Fiction. Trade $20.99. 978-1-2503-7058-7. GRADES 7–12. HIGH ADDITIONAL.      

Orphaned teen siblings Lola and Lisandro have made a career out of staging and subsequently exorcising ghost hauntings. Struggling through the 1920s trying desperately to save enough to move to a city that will offer more safety for Lisandro’s queer identity and their Mexican heritage, they are compelled to take on their largest job yet– cleansing the spirits of an opulent and oft-contested hotel and resort. Lisandro and Lola are aided by supporting queer and trans characters, all of whom must contend with the ways their racial identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations stand in contrast to the hotel’s white, upper-class guests and owner. The novel soars in its critique of capitalist corruption and its depiction of the tender joys and messy conflicts of queer found family. However, several disparate threads of magical realism, Greek mythology, and Mexican folklore distract from the central plot.

Sicilia Smith—Alameda Free Library

Lyall, Casey. Whale, That Was Unexpected. Kathryn Durst, Illus. Tundra, 06/2026. [48]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-77488-361-7. GRADES Preschool–3. OUTSTANDING.   

An old fisherwoman named Maude and her dog Claude go out for their daily fishing trip when they and their small boat are swallowed by a whale. Maude stays calm and throws a party, joined by others who have been swallowed, described in a repetitive, cumulative fashion: “Farewell crab, king of the sea. Farewell octopus, permanently.” The humorous tale has a surprise ending that may remind some readers of the folktale The Fat Cat by Jack Kent (Scholastic, 1971). Done with gouache and charcoal, the cartoonish illustrations set the story in a small village in Northern Canada or Alaska. This will make a great readaloud due to the repetition and dry humor, and some will pick up on Maude’s unperturbed attitude that being swallowed by a whale is no big deal.

Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool