7 Notable New Picture Books

Read the Book, Lemmings! By Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora
Everyone knows lemmings will follow each other and jump off cliffs. WRONG! This myth about lemming behavior took hold following the 1958 release of the Disney nature film, White Wilderness. However, as the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and other authorities have pointed out, the filmmakers imported lemmings to non-native habitat and induced them to engage in uncharacteristic behavior. They actually won’t plunge off cliffs in nature. But in Ame Dyckman’s funny new book, charmingly illustrated by Zachariah OHora, the lemmings themselves haven’t gotten that message. They think they’re all supposed to follow each other and jump off cliffs. Foxy and his friend, Captain PB, repeatedly rescue the lemmings from the icy ocean while trying to convince them to read a book about themselves so they’ll know how to behave.

The Boy and the Whale, by Mordicai Gerstein
If the chilly Arctic waters in Read the Book, Lemmings! leaves you shivering, warm up with the tropical ocean depicted in The Boy and the Whale. Inspired by a video he saw of a real-life whale rescue, Caldecott Medal-winner Mordicai Gerstein crafted this tale of a boy who works with his father catching fish for a living. One day they find an injured whale entangled in their fishing net. While the boy’s father laments the loss of the net, and tells his son it’s too difficult and dangerous to free the whale, the boy has other ideas. He sneaks back out to the ocean and dives to cut the whale free, prompting the whale to deliver a joyful freedom celebration.

Hey Black Child, by Useni Eugene Perkins and Bryan Collier
Keep the joyful vibe going with Hey Black Child, the new picture book version of the famous poem. Useni Eugene Perkins originally wrote this inspiring verse as the lyrics to the closing song for his 1975 children’s musical, Black Fairy and Other Plays. The poem, which encourages kids to learn about their history and revel in their potential, caught on, and has been erroneously attributed to Countee Cullen, Maya Angelou, and other poets over the years. Bryan Collier’s vibrant collage illustrations give the words fresh life with depictions of black people excelling as astronauts, ballerinas, politicians—you name it! “Do what you can do,” Perkins enjoins kids, “and tomorrow your nation/will be what you want it to be.”

Frankenbunny, by Jill Esbaum and Alice Brereton
We can’t all be as uplifting as Useni Eugene Perkins, especially if you happen to enjoy scaring your little sibling. In Frankenbunny, Spencer the rabbit’s older brothers like to terrify him by telling him stories about the monster Frankenbunny. Spencer is spooked, even though he tries to be brave. But one day he discovers his brothers’ plans to frighten him by dressing up as Frankenbunny, and he finds his true courage by turning the tables on them.

Little Owl’s Egg, by Debi Gliori and Alison Brown
The impending arrival of a new brother or sister might not be as scary as Frankenbunny, but it still can make a kid nervous. In Little Owl’s Egg, Little Owl’s mommy tells him a new baby owl will be joining their family, but Little Owl prefers to speculate that the egg has alternative contents. Maybe instead of an owl, the egg contains a baby worm, crocodile, or elephant! He relishes imagining the mess each of these creatures would make, until mommy Owl assures him, “You’ll be my new Big Owl, and I’ll love you always.”

Play Dates Rule!, by Rob McClurkan
So maybe Little Owl isn’t going to end up with an elephant for a little brother, but in Rob McClurkan’s new book, the spirited Ezra invites an elephant over for a playdate, and boy do they make a lot of noise and mess! Ezra and his friend Finley the elephant learn that playdates “sure do have lots of rules,” as Ezra’s frantic parents concoct new laws to try to reign in the chaos. Any parent who has ever been run roughshod over by a playdate will chuckle at this story and agree, yeah, having that kid over was kind of like giving an elephant the run of the house.

Thunder Horse, by Eve Bunting and Dennis Nolan
The little girl in this story has a fantastic, quirky aunt Aldora who gives her the most fabulous gift: “a tiny horse, no bigger than a puppy.” Aldroa tells her she found him “on a hidden Greek island,” and that he will grow and change and one day want to leave. So the little girl cares for the tiny horse as he gets larger and sprouts wings, loving every minute that she has with this marvelous Pegasus, and when the time comes, she lets him fly away. This fanciful story provides a beautiful and gentle lesson in the art of enjoying ephemeral things while they last. Dennis Nolan’s luminous pastel illustrations will set the stage for a night of pleasant dreams.