11 Lovely New Picture Books, August 2025

Fish Friends Forever written by Kerry Ferguson, illustrated by Aliaa Betawi
FRIENDSHIP & GRIEF
Incredible! I highly recommend this sweet epistolary story about the girl’s bond with a fish named Frank and her grief when he dies. In diary entries, she shares all about Frank’s interests, the lullaby she wrote him, and the games they play together, until one day he dies. She processes her grief with ups and downs and a range of emotions; she even gets mad at her mom for buying a new fish. But eventually, she loves her new fish and realizes maybe Frank would like her, too.

The Compound Noun Treasure Hunt written by Kimberlee Gard, illustrated by Sandie Sonke
GRAMMAR
When a bull…dog finds a treasure map, he embarks on a treasure hunt for gold. Along the way, he meets a dragon…fly and a sun…flower, as well as other gold colored things, but none are what he’s looking for. Perfectly timed page turns between the compound words will keep readers predicting as they anticipate what Bulldog will find, and which second words will go with the first ones to make compound words; words that start with HEDGE, WHEEL, RAIN, and more. Beautiful illustrations will enchant readers who will beg for repeated readings of this playful, non-didactic way to teach compound words.

Hope Rode written by Lauren H. Kerstein, illustrated by Becca Stadtlander 
HISTORY / LIBRARIANS
I adore this historical story that shows passionate packhorse librarians traveling by horse in all kinds of weather to places where they weren’t always welcome, but they would make a difference. In emotional life-changing moments, we see the gift of books and literacy that changed lives, giving the gift of literacy, knowledge, and hope. And the writing is superb–I can’t get enough of the vivid verb choices and figurative language. (Mentor text, anyone!?) “The first stop appeared ahead. / Flush-cheeked children approached with curious eyes. / Laundry danced on the line. Chipped wood creaked as the librarian stepped in.“

Ellie Has a Secret written and illustrated by Amelia Bothe
ALLEGORY / SECRET
A stunning allegory about the weight of a secret! At school, Ellie takes a shell from the class sandbox and puts it in her pocket. She loves her stolen treasure, but something surprising comes out of the shell–a dragon-ish creature who says he’s Ellie’s secret. Even though The Secret grows and becomes heavier, it’s Ellie’s alone –and she is thrilled. All day, Ellie doesn’t tell, and The Secret grows enormous, lurking, suffocating. Ellie realizes she needs to tell her mom what happened and that she’ll give it back. When she does, she feels the weight of The Secret lift off her and slither away.

A Place for Us by James E. Ransome
WORDLESS / UNHOUSED
Beautiful illustrations in saturated colors share an emotional slice-of-life of an unhoused boy and his mom. We feel the weight of their situation deeply, as well as the loving bond between mother and son. The story begins when the mom picks up her son from school and they walk through the city, spend time at the library, and then find a spot on a park bench where they sleep for the night. She sits guard while the boy lies down with his head on her lap. In the morning, the boy gets dressed in a new shirt, combs his hair, brushes his teeth at the water fountain, and returns to school. There’s a lot to unpack in this story with no words.

Sundust written and illustrated by Zeke Peña
DESERT / IMAGINATIVE PLAY
Pulsing with life and vivid neon-accented, earthy illustrations, this is a slice-of-life story of imagination, desert ecosystem, mythology, and sibling sensory exploration. Two kids leave the border into the desert, the galaxy at the end of their street, where they follow sundust, finding a field of creosote sundrops, an old nopal tree, and old rocks. They feel the Sun’s tough love on their skin, making them “hot cooked tostaditos morenas beautifully dark doradites.” They return home for dinner, changed.

How the Forest Feels Sensory Play Nature’s Way written by Wendi Silvano, illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen
SENSES IN NATURE
Rhyming is hard, but rhyming with delicious word choice? Even harder! Wendi Silvano is successful in writing rhymes with incredible sensory details in this sweet grandfather-grandson adventure in nature. Focused on the sense of touch, we follow the duo as they explore fuzzy to fluffy, rough to silky, sticky to smooth. “Flattened and smooth is the path, worn and old. Wrinkly and warm is the hand that you hold.”

Bob the Vampire Snail written and illustrated by Andrea Zuill
VAMPIRE / FUNNY
A thousand percent hilarious, this is the story of Bob the snail, who has become a vampire. Poor Bob is starving because his usual foods taste terrible. Thankfully, he discovers delicious, red, ripe…tomatoes! Because the sun burns him, and he has to sleep upside down, which he hates. Frankly, it’s hard being a vampire! But there’s one thing about being a vampire that isn’t too bad– mesmerizing others to do his bidding!

Victor and the Giant written and illustrated by Rafael Yockteng, translated by Elisa Amado
BRAVERY
One regular day, Victor is drinking his hot chocolate when suddenly, a giant eats EVERYTHING, including Victor’s mother and the entire city. The giant goes to sleep, and Victor pulls his nose hair to wake him up. Then he gives the giant a solution — spit out the city, and Victor will give him hot chocolate. (With a little help.) I love the pencil drawing illustrations and the heroic main character.

Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book written by Maria Dolores Aguila, illustrated by Erika Meza
COUNTING / LATINX CULTURE
From one cozy casita to four tias laughing, ten dedos stealing tasty treats, and twelve guau guas from perritos and fourteen segundos in slow motion, this is the counting story of a loving extended family gathering to eat menudo, a special soup from Mexico. But when the soup spills at 15, what will the family do? Take a deep breath, start counting again, and prepare the soup again. You’ll love the joyful exuberance filling every page in this celebration of culture, family, and delicious food.

Ms. Rachel and the Special Surprise Encouraging Speech and Learning Through Play and Music written by Ms. Rachel, illustrated by Monique Dong
INTERACTIVE SING ALONG
Join Ms. Rachel to search for something special. She finds lots of boxes with a bus prompting the song “The Wheels on the Bus” or a teddy bear prompting the teddy bear song, and finally finds one last box — that has a mirror. (Hooray, it’s you who is special!) This will be a fun, interactive read aloud with lots of guessing and singing.

The Grumpy Ghost Upstairs written and illustrated by Mamiko Shiotani
FRIENDSHIP
A grumpy ghost reluctantly makes a friend with a little girl in a lovely character arc of transformation with gorgeous, dark illustrations. Upstairs in the attic lived a ghost who liked being alone. But his solitude is interrupted when a little girl begins to explore the attic. And she doesn’t mind the ghost being scary. Annoyed, he even goes into her room and shouts BOO. What do you think the girl does? She isn’t scared. She’s thrilled that the ghost came to visit! Surprised, the ghost realized he isn’t as grumpy anymore, and he likes getting to know a new friend.