New Books in Children's Literature

From R.J. Palacio, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wonder and Brett Helquist, the illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events, comes The Haunted Playground (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2026), a spine-tingling Halloween picture book adventure! I cast the spell that brings to life this playground of the night. Here my phantoms come—but not to spook or fright. They’re here because they want to laugh, to frolic and be merry. They’re here because they need to take a break from being scary. When all the trick-or-treating is done and children are tucked in, ghosts are drawn to one special place: the Haunted Playground! Ruled by Rex Magnificus, ghosts arrive not to haunt but to play. But will the appearance of two human children interrupt their revelry? From two master storytellers, this Halloween story is a modern classic!

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Gentle: Hope and Healing at an Animal Sanctuary (A Gentle Barn Story) is a gorgeous picture book from one of the largest, most popular animal-rescue sanctuaries in America, Gentle Barn, about a baby animal healing and gaining confidence as he's welcomed to the farm.

Gentle beginnings.

A sick baby cow is welcomed to a sanctuary by a tender young girl.

Gentle healing.

Day by day, the young calf grows stronger because of the care of new friends.

Gentle joy.

Gentle is a sweet picture book about the transformative power that quiet love and kindness can have on any creature, based on the real-life animal sanctuary the Gentle Barn

Ellie Laks founded The Gentle Barn in 1999, a nonprofit organization that rescues and rehabilitates not only dogs and cats, but horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, emus, llamas, and donkeys. Ellie formulated her own "Gentle Healing" method, using a combination of animal communication, energy healing, holistic healing, holding therapy, and western medicine to heal animals no one else would take and had nowhere else to go. Ellie specializes in healing puppies with Parvo, calves from veal crates, and orphaned animals of all kinds.

The Gentle Barn is one of the largest and most beloved farm animal sanctuaries in the world. It is their goal to be the voice for animals, share their stories, and open the hearts of humanity towards all living beings.

For more information about The Gentle Barn, please go here.

Maci Zakarin is a Theatre actress, playwright, animal advocate, and poet living in Brooklyn, NY.

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In this, our second interview, I talk to celebrated author-illustrator Yevgenia Nayberg about her brand new book (April 14!), Another Tongue, published by Neal Porter Books. We discuss dual languages, both from the point of view of her journey from Russian to English which is recounted in the book, but also in the context of the two other languages that she masters, i.e., text and illustration. We also discuss another new book of hers:
Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters: A Graphic Memoir, published just three months ago, also by Neal Porter Books. Yevgenia shares her creative process, her upcoming book and advice for aspiring authors and illustrators.

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Stacy Innerst is a renowned children’s book artist and painter. His picture books have received a host of starred reviews and have been honored with the Sydney Taylor Book Award (for The Book Rescuer), the New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award (Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of RBG Vs. Inequality) and the SCBWI Golden Kite for Picture Book Illustration (The Music in George’s Head.).

In tour wonderful conversation, we celebrate his new book, Piece by Piece: How Stephen Sondheim Made Musical Puzzles Come Alive
written by Erin Frankel (Author), artwork by Stacy Innerst which launched with Caulkins Creek in April, 2026. We discuss Stacy's love for drawing, his metamorphosis from magazine illustrator to children's book artist (with an emphasis on artist), and how his deep love for history and music infuses his work.

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In this insightful interview, librarian, writer, blogger, Rachel Bachman
shares her astute thoughts on what makes an excellent picture book,
discussing both fiction and nonfiction, the advantages and disadvantages of being a female vs. male author, traditional vs. self-publishing, the celebrity pitfall, why some books are great and others not so, and who gets to decide.

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