I was so happy to receive some book mail recently! I am looking forward to reading and reviewing these soon.
From Megan Beatie Communications:
Image: Amazon
So-Hee and Lowy by Anna Kang. Illustrated by Christopher Weyant. 40 p. Two Lions, April 22, 2025.
Publisher synopsis: From the creators of Theodor Seuss Geisel winner You Are (Not) Small and Christopher Award winner Eraser comes a heartfelt story about the power of friendship.
So-Hee is lonely. She doesn’t have a brother or sister, nor does she have many friends. More than anything, she longs for a pet she can hold and love. The trouble is, she’s allergic to just about everything. When So-Hee meets a snake named Lowy, all at once, her life starts to change in unexpected ways.
From Scholastic:
That's Not Funny, David! by David Shannon. 32 p. Orchard Books/ Scholastic Inc., March 4, 2025. 9781546123187.
Publisher synopsis: David is determined to get laughs out of everyone -- even from those who might not find his antics amusing! From cannonballs into the pool to slurping his spaghetti to telling funny jokes during class, David is a natural comedian. But David learns that not all of his tricks are funny... like sticking things up his nose! Still, this troublemaker will always have the last laugh and, of course, the enduring love of his mom.
Once again, David Shannon entertains us with young David's mischievous shenanigans in this lighthearted story that's sure to leave readers of all ages laughing. With millions of copies in print and five sequels, No, David! hit the ground running in 1998 and was a Caldecott Honor Book, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, and a classic for over 25 years. Based on a book the author wrote and illustrated when he was five, David captures the timeless no-no's familiar to every child.
Dog Man 13: Big Jim Begins by Dav Pilkey. 224 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., December, 2024. 9781338896459.
Publisher synopsis: Get ready for another unforgettable book in the #1 worldwide bestselling series from acclaimed graphic novelist and award-winning illustrator Dav Pilkey. AND coming soon, the Dog Man movie from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures!
For more heartfelt and humorous adventures, join Flippy and Li'l Petey in the Cat Kid Comic Club series. Have fun with creativity with the official coloring book, Dog Man with Love. And don't forget about the series that started it all: Captain Underpants!
Afia in the Land of Wonders by Mia Araujo. 304 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., April 15, 2025. 9781338856729.Publisher synopsis: Afia has always felt like half of a whole. Her twin sister, Aya, is perfectly happy with fulfilling their family's expectations of them. But Afia dreams of exploring the world beyond her secluded cliffside home of Dafra. She dreams of adventure. When she meets a charming shape-shifter named Bakame, who dazzles her with promises of a magical land called Ijabu, Afia decides to take her destiny into her own hands. Although it will mean leaving everything she has ever known behind, including her beloved sister, Afia follows Bakame into the forbidden forests surrounding Dafra, from which no one has ever returned. Filled with magical sights, a charismatic Queen and her intriguing court, Ijabu is everything that Afia has ever dreamed of. But she soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and this fantasy world demands a terrible price. With the help of a mysterious trickster, Afia must evade the Queen's hunters and the lost dreamers of Ijabu, who wish to pull her deeper into their web. Now, Afia must find the courage to survive while standing on her own--or risking losing herself completely to the wonders of Ijabu. Debut author-illustrator Mia Araujo weaves an extraordinarily luminous and beautiful story, inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/i, about what it takes to find your true self, even if it means facing your deepest fears.
The Cartoonists Club by Raina Tegemeier & Scott McCloud. 288 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc. April 1, 2025. 9781338777215.
Publisher synopsis: Makayla is bursting with ideas but doesn't know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but keeps focusing on what she feels are mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and is excited to try something new. They come together to form The Cartoonists Club, where kids can learn about making comics and use their creativity and imagination for their own storytelling adventures!
Run Away with Me by Brian Selznick. 320 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., April 1, 2025. 9781546110224.
Publisher synopsis: Danny is sixteen and spending his summer in Rome. As his mother works all day in a museum dedicated to the preservation of books, he wanders the city’s ancient, lonely streets, not really sure what he’s looking for... until a voice calls to him, and a strange, beautiful boy steps into his life. Angelo.
Soon Danny and Angelo are spending all their time together. Danny has never felt anything like this—the electricity of attraction, the fear of abandonment, the sweetness of belonging. He’s in love for the first time, but he’s also painfully aware that when the summer ends, he’ll have to return to America. In the meantime, Angelo, who seems to know all of Rome’s twisting corners and hidden histories, delights in sharing its sights and secrets... even as he holds his own secrets just out of Danny’s reach.
