10 to Note: Spring Preview 2020

Sifting through 2000-some-odd books each season and picking ten that I’m most excited about/intrigued by is always a tough task, but this time out was especially challenging. Why? Because spring 2020 is full of great-looking books.

So many great-looking books.

Below are ten books publishing in March, April, and May that jumped out to me.

Picture Books

Lift by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat

May 5, 2020 | Little, Brown | Grades K-2

The Drawn Together team is back at it with another book bursting with imagination and heart. Lift is a cinematic visual feast with a side of sibling rivalry and acceptance.

Weekend Dad by Naseem Hrab, illustrated by Frank Viva

May 5, 2020 | Groundwood | Grades K-2

A departure from her LOL-worthy Ira Crumb books, Naseem Hrab tells a heartfelt story about divorce that will ring true with plenty of young readers.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade

March 17, 2020 | Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan) | Grades K-2

Sticking up for our natural resources: always a worthy cause. This story about taking a stand also features what will likely go down as some of the most glorious watercolor artwork in any picture book this year.

Chapter Books

Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo

May 5, 2020 | Knopf (Random House) | Grades K-2

Lauren Castillo branches out from picture books with this wonderful new illustrated chapter book series. On a journey to find her lost stuffed animal, Hedgehog is joined by a cast of memorable animal characters in a book that brings to mind Beatix Potter, The Wind in the Willows, and Winne-the-Pooh. To quote Jay-Z: “Oh, it’s timeless.”

Middle Grade Fiction

We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

April 8, 2020 | Greenwillow (HarperCollins) | Grades 3-7

A Newbery winner tells a sibling story set in the 1986 lead-up to the Challenger disaster. Dang.

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

April 7, 2020 | Wendy Lamb Books (Random House) | Grades 3-7

With three starred reviews and counting, this book about a girl navigating her parents divorce sounds like Stead at her finest.

Graphic Novels

Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley

May 5, 2020 | Random House Graphic | Grades 3-7

Because . . .

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

April 14, 2020 | Dial (Penguin) | Grades 4-7

An unexpected book from Roller Girl and All’s Faire in Middle School creator Jamieson, who worked closely with Omar Mohamed to tell his Kenyan refugee camp story. A story that runs the gamut of emotions: sadness, humor, love, hope and all points in between.

Nonfiction

Clever Hans: The True Story of the Counting, Adding, and Time-Telling Horse by Kerri Kokias, illustrated by Mike Lowery

May 5, 2020 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin) | Grades K-3)

Sometimes you finish a nonfiction book and you just think “I’m glad someone made a book about this.” This is that kind of book. A true story about a horse who was pretty good with numbers – or was he? Clever Hans dives into the myth of this famous horse.

Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack by Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez

May 26, 2020 | Lee & Low | Grades K-5

Let me tell you something about me – you show me a nonfiction picture book about the invention of any kind of snack or dessert, and I am going to want to read that book. This book, about the ultimate snack food is directly in my wheelhouse.

Filed under: Previews