Notable 2021 Children’s Book Follow-Ups, Sequels, and Companion Books
This year I’ve noticed a bunch of children’s books that follow previously published books in some way. We have some follow-ups, some sequels, and some companion books. What’s the difference?
A sequel is typically a story that connects to a previous story in some way.
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A companion is a standalone story with characters from a previous book.
A follow-up is a word that gets thrown around that could mean sequel or companion, or it might be a story with new characters but in a thematically or visually similar world to a previous story.
I also tried to avoid including obvious series books in this post. For instance, I didn’t include the latest Dog Man book, because we all know that’s a planned series and books will keep coming out.
Any I missed? Let me know in the comments.
Title: Pax, Journey Home
Follows: Pax
Title: Yes & No
Follows: Big Cat, Little Cat
Title: Room to Dream
Follows: Front Desk, Three Keys
Title: Agent Lion and the Case of the Missing Party
Follows: Agent Lion
Title: Billy Miller Makes a Wish
Follows: The Year of Billy Miller
Title: Trick or Treat, Crankenstein
Follows: Crankenstein and A Crankenstein Valentine
Title: Bear Wants to Sing
Follows: King Mouse
Title: Just Like That
Follows: The Wednesday Wars, Okay for Now
Title: Recognize: An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life
Follows: The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth
Title: Big Feelings
Follows: All Are Welcome
Title: Witches of Brooklyn: What the Hex?!
Follows: Witches of Brooklyn
Title: Return of the Underwear Dragon
Follows: The Underwear Dragon
Title: Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge
Follows: Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market, Vamos! Let’s Go Eat
Title: Hurricane
Follows: Blackout, Blizzard
Title: Merci Suárez Can’t Dance
Follows: Merci Suárez Changes Gears
Title: Triceratopposite
Follows: Stegothesaurus
Title: Amos McGee Misses the Bus
Follows: A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Title: Fallout
Follows: Bomb
Title: Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City
Follows: Scary Stories for Young Foxes
Title: Trillions of Trees
Follows: Billions of Bricks
Title: Out of My Heart
Following: Out of My Mind
Title: The Ambassador of Nowhere, Texas
Follows: When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
Title: Upstander
Follows: Bystander
Title: Tyrone O’Saurus Dreams
Follows: Brontorina
Title: LMNO Pea-quel
Follows: LMNO Peas
Title: I Love My Fur!
Follows: I Love My Fangs!
Title: Friends Forever
Following: Real Friends
Title: Sunny Makes a Splash
Following: Sunny Side Up, Swing It, Sunny, Sunny Rolls the Dice
Title: Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse – and Dandy Too!
Following: Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse
Title: Egg Marks the Spot
Following: Skunk and Badger
Title: This Is Still Not a Book!
Following: This Is Not a Book!
Title: Set Me Free
Following: Show Me a Sign
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About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
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Great list!
I’ll add—
Title: Set Me Free
Following: Show Me a Sign
Thank you! I added it in
Thank you!
Ooh, this is a wonderfully curated list! Thank you for sharing! So many familiar friends! I can’t wait to see ALL of these! (And now I’ve added to my shopping list. Send funds!)
Jennifer
Room to Dream, sequel to Front Desk and Three Keys by Kelly Yang.
Thanks for the list!
Thank you! I added it
Thank you, Ellen!
Great post!
I have a companion book coming out with Troy Cummings in October. 🙂
NOT NOW, COW (Abrams Appleseed, April 2021)
ONE SHEEP, TWO SHEEP (Abrams Appleseed, Oct. 2021)
Thank you, Tammi!
I’d also add: Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares, Tristan Strong Keeps Punching, Narwhal’s School of Awesomeness and InvestiGators Ants in Our P.A.N.T.S.
Thank you, Sarah!
Love this post. Tracey Baptiste has a picture book coming in Sept. LOOKING FOR JUMBIES which is related to her MG Jumbie series.
Thank you, Stephanie!
Great list!! I had missed a couple and grabbed them for my watch list. Most excited about the new Skunk and Badger book. And Just Like That! Maybe his best yet. I’ve read it 3 times already–and read the other previous books too.
I’d add…
Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery by Ally Carter, (Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor)
Franklin Endicott and the Third Key (Book 6 Deckawoo Drive, but maybe my new favorite),
The Raconteur’s Commonplace Book by Kate Milford (WOW) (Follows The Thief Knot). I bought and read the whole series after reading this. Most interesting series– you can read it in more than one order. How does she do that??
Picture Books:
Summer Camp Critter Jitters by Jory John and Liz Climo (Follows First Day Critter Jitters)off
Off to See the Sea by Nikki Grimes and Elizabeth Zunon (Follows Bedtime for Sweet Creataures)
The Little Butterfly that Could by Ross Burach (Follows The Very Impatient Caterpillar)
Farmer and the Circus by Marla Frazee (Follows the Farmer and the Monkey)
Thank you, Deborah!