Kayak Rides, Gingerbread Men, and the Festival of Colors: 10 New Picture Books We Love

Festival of Colors, by Kabir Sehgal, Surishtha Sehgal, and Vashti Harrison
This vibrant and joyful picture book introduces children to the Indian festival, Holi, which celebrates inclusiveness, new beginnings, and the triumph of good over evil. Young readers everywhere will delight in how the children in the story create colorful powders from flower petals and toss them in a beautiful technicolor spectacle to celebrate.

The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School, by Laura Murray and Mike Lowery
This latest installment in the Gingerbread Man’s rhyming adventures is ready just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. While a tricky Leprechaun wreaks havoc at school, the Gingerbread man follows a set of clues to eventually outsmart him.

Love, Mama, by Jeanette Bradley
This sweet and tender story about a mother’s love pulls at the heartstrings. A baby penguin yearns for his mother to come back from a trip, and while she is away he receives a special delivery to help him understand he is always loved. This is a perfect book to help little ones cope with small and big separations from their parents.

Edie is Ever So Helpful!, by Sophie Henn
Like the many precocious characters who came before her, Edie is a loveable trouble-maker whose enthusiasm to help may trump her actual helpfulness. Parents will knowingly laugh at how un-helpful Edie is (even if she has best intentions) and kids will love her messy creativity.

Yellow Kayak, by Nina Laden and Melissa Castrillon
Laden sends a young child and a friend on a grand adventure in a yellow kayak, where they’ll encounter creatures of the sea and delight in the exhilaration of discovery, while triumphing over dark storms and uncertainty. The adventure comes alive through the whimsical, vibrant, and stunning illustrations by Melissa Castrillon.

Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten, by Laura Veirs and Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
This biography from singer songwriter Laura Veirs will introduce young readers to the life of Libba Cotten, a folk musician most famous for a song she wrote when she was only 13 years old: “Freight Train”. From her humble beginnings playing guitar left-handed, upside down and backwards, to her rediscovery of music as a housekeeper in the Seeger household, Libba Cotton toured the music world well into her old age.

Everybunny Count!, by Ellie Sandall
Kids will love counting along with the everybunnies who play hide and seek and explore the natural world. They’ll find and count with the animals in the forest and discover a special surprise in the fox’s den.

Bub, by Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Bub the monster is tired of his parents shouting about naming the new baby and endlessly praising his oldest sister, Bernice. Middle children everywhere will rejoice when Bub the monster takes a stand.

Magnolia Mudd and the Super Jumptastic Launcher Deluxe, by Katey Howes and Valerio Fabbretti
Magnolia Mudd loves to create outlandish inventions with her Uncle Jamie, who always pushes her to go big or go home. When he announces his marriage to Miss Emily and asks Magnolia to be a flower girl in the wedding, Magnolia has no intention of dressing to impress, but finds another way to make a splash on the big day.

Champion: the Story of Muhammad Ali, by Jim Haskins and Eric Velazquez
With photo-like images, Champion covers the legendary boxer’s life as a child, a professional athlete, and an activist, as well as his life with Parkinson’s Syndrome. This in-depth biography is informative and inspiring; perfect for young readers who want to learn about Muhammad Ali’s moving legacy.