10 to Note: Spring 2026

Here are 10 books coming out this season (March, April, May) that I’m looking forward to.

Picture Books

All the Ice Cream in the Land by Emmy Kastner

May 5 | Simon & Schuster | Grades K-2

Anyone else up for a greedy king story? I always am. In this cumulative tale, the royal subjects assume the princess wants “all the ice cream in the land”, but what she really wants is quite different.

Bear for a Day by Corey R. Tabor

May 19 | Greenwillow (HarperCollins) | Grades K-2

I have Corey R. Tabor season tickets. Based on his stellar track record, I’m in for any new book he releases. This one, about the day in the life of a bear, takes an unexpected turn about halfway through, causing the reader to see the book from a completely new perspective.

Loops by Jashar Awan

March 3 | Simon & Schuster | Grades PreK-2

Fresh off his Caldecott Honor win for the excellent Every Monday Mabel, Awan is back with that book’s spiritual twin: a story about perseverance in the face of shoelaces.

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Chapter Books

Destiny Ink: Sleepover Surprise by Adeola Sokunbi

April 1 | Nosy Crow | Grades 1-3

In the first book in this highly illustrated chapter book series, Destiny is headed to her first sleepover. She’s excited and nervous. Thankfully, what she doodles comes to life, so she can be prepared.

You’re a Winner, Gracie Wei (Gracie Wei #1) by Kristen Mei Chase, illustrated by Basia Tran

March 3 | Knopf | Grades 2-4

It’s a high-stakes spelling bee showdown in this first book in a series. Gracie wants to make the “Wall of Wei” – a place Gracie’s family displays their accolades. So she sets her sights on the 4th grade spelling bee.

Sherlock Roach and the Case of the Crunchy Crumb by Joe McGee, illustrated by Jannie Ho

May 5 | Simon Spotlight | Grades 1-4

Sherlock Roach and his loyal partner Dr. Wormston are on the hunt for a missing crumb, collecting clues to crack the case.

Middle Grade Fiction

A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic or Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm by Philip Stead

April 7 | Neal Porter Books (Holiday House) | Grades 4-6

The (second) subtitle for Stead’s first foray into middle grade fiction is “a story out of order”, and it delivers, kicking things off on chapter thirteen. Full of Python-esque absurdity and a whole lot of goats, this book has already picked up a bunch of stellar reviews. Fans of The Phantom Tollbooth should be on high alert.

Roohi and Nate Are Not on the Same Page by Supriya Kelkar and Jarrett Lerner

March 3 | Abrams | Grades 3-6

Unlikely friends team up to save the library in this illustrated novel from two of my favorite creators.

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Graphic Novel

A Fishboy Named . . . Sashimi by Dan Santat

April 14 | Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan) | Grades 2-4

A Dan Santat graphic novel is always a special event. Sidekicks, The Aquanaut, and A First Time for Everything are some of the best out there. In Sashimi, he leans into the humor, as the fishboy tries to fit in with the humans.

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Nonfiction

If I Were a Plant by Gaia Stella

May 5 | Little Smith (Penguin) | Grades PreK-1

Illustrated books with nonfiction concepts for pre-readers (that aren’t board books) are pretty rare, so this STEAM-themed picture book caught my eye. A kid imagines what it would like to be a plant, dropping facts along the way.

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