New & Noteworthy: Fairy Tales, Poetry, and Graphic Novels for Kids
Our Best Books for Kids committee is hard at work, narrowing down the vast pool of new books. Here are some fairy tales, poetry, and graphic novels that are getting good reviews. Look for them on the shelves in your local library and test them out with your kids.
Fairy Tales
Old Misery by James Sage, ill. Russell Ayto
Quirky and offbeat, the story of a skinny old lady aptly named Old Misery.
The Dragon Slayer: Folktales From Latin Americaby Jaime Hernandez
Fantasy and folklore from Latin American accompanied by bold illustrations.
Poetry
Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendshipby Irene Latham & Charles Waters, ill. Sean Qualls & Selina Alko
Irene, who is white, and Charles, who is black work together on their fifth grade poetry project.
Crawly School for Bugs: Poems to Drive You Buggy by David Lee Harrison, ill. Julie Bayless
A collection of funny poems about the insect students and faculty at Crawly School for Bugs.
Hidden City: Poems of Urban Wildlife by Sarah Grace Tuttle, ill. Amy Schimler-Saffor
A nice blend of science and nature demonstrating that nature can thrive anywhere.
The Horse’s Haiku by Michael Rosen, ill. Stan Fellows
A collection of spare haikus about horses, and nature and poetry accompanied by beautiful illustration.
In the Past: From Trilobites to Dinosaurs to Mammoths in More Than 500 Million Yearsby David Elliot, ill. Matthew Trueman
Poems about prehistory and all its creatures.
Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney, ill. Brian Pinkney
A celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. focussing on the last few months of his life.
Graphic Novels
All Summer Long by Hope Larson
A middle-grade coming of age story about summer, friendship, and finding what makes you happy.
Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
Vera feels too Russian at school and not Russian enough in her Russian summer camp.
Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Joe Todd-Stanton
Marcy must overcome her fear and rescue her father from the clutches of the Sphinx.
Peter and Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths by Graham Annable
An unlikely friendship between two sloths with opposite personalities.
Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.
Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!