What’s new in the world of kid lit this autumn? Cats, for one—I count no less than five feline-related stories among this year’s Fall Preview titles. I’m especially partial to Brian Lies’ picture book Cat Nap (Greenwillow Books, September 30), in which a mischievous kitten, chasing a mouse, leaps into a framed poster for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Both creatures find themselves interacting with real-life works housed there, among them a Georgia O’Keeffe landscape, a 14th-century French prayer book, and an ancient Egyptian ceramic hippo—all of which Lies re-created by hand. The result is a true masterpiece. Don’t sleep on the backmatter, either; in an age when artificial intelligence has made generating images effortless, Lies’ parting message—the artistic journey matters just as much as the finished product—is one we all need to hear.
While the selections on our Fall Preview list are wildly different, from goofy read-alouds to tales of terror, like Lies’ work, they’re all clearly labors of love. Take Eric Velasquez’s picture book The Polar Bear and the Ballerina (Holiday House, October 14). When an artistically minded polar bear leaves Central Park and lumbers across town to Lincoln Center to enjoy a ballet performance, the theater workers recoil—until the young Black girl starring in the show intervenes. With its elegantly dreamy visuals, this nearly wordless tale speaks volumes: Ballet is indeed for everyone.
The rise of a new talent is always a thrill. Howie Shia, a celebrated children’s animator, makes his literary debut with Ra! Ta! Ma! Cue! (Annick Press, September 30), a fanciful picture book about children wielding the power of music to stand up to the monsters menacing their community. Shia balances dynamic visual compositions with compelling text; the titular refrain—a well-known marching drum pattern—is a rallying cry that youngsters will eagerly echo during read-alouds.
Just as rewarding is a new work from a beloved creator, and what’s better than a book from Derrick Barnes? The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze (Viking, September 23) follows a Black eighth grade football talent who’s idolized by his town—until he leaves the big game midway through it after learning that his best friend was the victim of racist violence. Barnes threads this beautifully crafted novel with trenchant observations about the precarious role Black athletes and entertainers hold in American society: worshipped until they step out of line, then cast aside and shunned.
Finally, as a committed nonfiction reader, I’m especially excited for Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal’s middle-grade work Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels (Bloomsbury, October 14). I’ve found that kids are never more absorbed than when they’re a bit grossed out—and there’s no shortage of that here. Blood? Check. Guts? Yup. But Fitzharris and Teal also offer important food for thought, arguing that grave mistakes indirectly led to breakthroughs such as pacemakers, blood transfusions, and organ transplants. It’s a sound lesson for would-be doctors—or anyone trying to get over a case of perfectionism.
Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.
