Fall Book Watch: Board Books and Picture Books
- Nov 14, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 20, 2018
Grace and I are going to be looking ahead to the books coming out each season so we can get an idea of what's coming to shelves. Fall is almost ready to give way to winter (already?!) so we're launching the series now with a look at what's just come out in the last few months.
These lists, and on all of our Book Watch lists, are not exhaustive by any means, but titles that jumped out at us; maybe we love the style, or the story captures our imagination, or we're fans of the author or illustrator. If you're so inclined, you can take a look for yourself at all the books going on sale from major publishers in Publisher's Weekly's On-Sale Calendar, or by checking out the lists provided by specific publishers you know you love.
You might keep track of the movies that are coming out and make a note of when they're coming to theaters—why not do the same with "theater of the lap"? Here are the books out this fall that we're excited about:
Board Books
September
- Baby 101: Anatomy for Babies by Jonathan Litton, illus. by Thomas Elliott
This adorable series was released in September (Botany for Babies, Architecture for Babies, and Zoology for Babies are out simultaneously) and provides a sweet introduction to language on each topic with pretty, vibrant illustrations.
I'm pretty excited about this one: an interactive book that uses a mirror to turn abstract or ambiguous shapes into something recognizable.
October
This is a board book by the same author of a book I loved that came out this past year, Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.
Picture Books
September
I'm not a huge fan of acrostic poetry, but I love the unique digital collage in this book.
A beautifully done book about immigration told by Yuyi Morales, who came to the US from Mexico in 1994 with her infant son and little else. Yuyi Morales is also the author of Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book, which we've talked about on other lists.
This is a book I feel like I really need to pick up and spend some time with, but it stood out to me. Judging by the description, it feels heavy with metaphor, which could be effective or annoying. The illustrations look pore-able, though, which is always a plus in my book.
A singable space book by an expert in astrophysics? Yes!
An All-of-a-Kind Family picture book! Fans of the chapter books, originally published in the 1950's, will be happy to see their favorite family in a new format.
A hilarious book about bedtime avoidance tactics by the author of The Day The Crayons Quit.
An intro to activism for the younger set. What can you do, as a citizen of your town, city, state, country?
A companion to the Caldecott Honor Book Green, this book looks like another beautiful exploration of color.
Super excited about this one! We're big Matthew Cordell fans over here.
A beautiful and heart-wrenching biography of Sojourner Truth.
October
Fans of fairy tales are most likely already familiar with this series by Bethan Woollvin, and I'm in love with her illustration style.
Hélène Druvert's images are stunning, and this tour of New York looks like it'll fall right in line with her other fabulous books.
Oh, the joy of meta-storytelling! There's a wall in the middle of this book. What's on the other side?
- Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo That Changed the World by James Gladstone, illus. by Christy Lundy
I may have gotten a little chill just reading the description of this book. Science, history, Civil Rights, and Christy Lundy? Sold.
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