12 Of The Best New Children’s Books Out June 2023

Mexican American comedian Jesús Trejo’s debut picture book features a young Jesús helping his landscaper Papá for a workday. Papá puts Jesús in charge of the magical water jug. When the water is all gone, he tells Jesús, it means it’s time to go home. Jesús is eager to help, but as his Papá works hard on properties, Jesús gets a little overzealous with the water. Peacocks look thirsty, as does a sweater-clad dog. And, of course, Jesús needs water, and it only makes sense to cool himself down by splashing himself with water. With all this water waste, the magical water jug empties fast, and to Jesús this means it’s time to go home. But they’ve only finished three houses, and Papá says there are 11 more to go. Thankfully, Jesús is able to refill the water jug and learns a valuable lesson about water waste. This is a really fun father/son picture book with Spanish words interspersed throughout the text.

This magical and absurd bedtime read is reminiscent of Maurice Sendak. Each night, a new baby takes the lead on the march of the Midnight Babies, whose goal is to go anywhere except to the land of Sleep. They venture through the Forest of Nightlights, swim through the Sea of Stories, dodge the Army of Teddies, and more. However, as they journey through each land, some babies are wooed to sleep until only the intrepid leader remains. Will the leader also succumb to sleep, especially when faced with cuddling? My daughter and I have read this imaginative picture book many times now.

Joy visits her grandmother’s house in South Carolina every summer, but this is the first summer she’s helping Grammy in the garden. Grammy teaches her more than just basic gardening skills; she teaches Joy how to listen to the Earth’s heartbeat and to remember her ancestors who cared for the soil before her. At first Joy doesn’t hear the Earth’s heartbeat, and she struggles to understand what Grammy means. But by consistently practicing mindfulness throughout the summer as the pair plants spinach, okra, and more, something clicks, and by the end of their time together, when Joy listens to the Earth, she hears its heartbeat. This is a beautiful story about the connection between gardening, heritage, and intention, with vibrant illustrations.

Kindergartner Molly is so excited for picture day at school. There’s already a spot waiting for her first school picture on a wall of family photos. She wants this picture to be perfect; however, her mom thinks she should wear a poufy dress, which is not Molly’s style. She packs her brother’s tuxedo to wear instead, and when it comes time for pictures, Molly ditches the dress and struts out in the tuxedo. While it’s not the look her mom expected, she loves her daughter exactly how she is, unique style and all, and proudly hangs up the picture. This is an affirming picture book published in partnership with GLAAD about letting kids be their authentic selves.

This is an amazing nonfiction biography collection about disabled athletes that I could immediately tell was written by a disabled author. Many books about disabled athletes either focus on being inspirational or on trauma; this collection instead shows the complexity and nuance of the disabled experience and allows the athletes to speak about both the daily challenges and joys of being disabled. For example, dancer Annabelle Geib, who has spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, describes the difficulty in navigating her middle school’s hallways and her worry about falling, while she also takes joy in dancing TikToks with her sister. There’s a lyrical storyline from beginning to end, while each page has a one-paragraph biography of the disabled athlete illustrated. In addition to Geib, there’s paralympic champion Will Groulx, who competes in recumbent hand cycling, and adaptive CrossFit star Dr. Andrea Woodson-Smith. At the end of each paragraph-long biography, Prevo asks the athlete to describe a daily challenge and joy.

This is a beautifully written contemporary middle grade novel set in a small town and told from two perspectives, one written in prose and the other in verse. Drew and Mia were born on the same day in the same hospital, but Mia’s family moved away soon afterward. The two reconnect 12 years later when Mia returns to live with her grandmother for the summer. They both decide to train together for a half marathon along with Drew’s dad, but in the meantime, both are dealing with very serious problems: a parent with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, moving away from home, temporary separation from a father, a dying grandmother, losing a home, financial woes, and friends moving away. Both are good kids trying to make the best out of tough situations. While sad, it is ultimately a hopeful read and just such a tender and lovely book. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Mark Sanderlin and Charley Flyte.

Eden has recently had to abandon a promising gymnastics career after a serious injury, and is having a bit of an identity crisis. When her mom, the CEO of the period products company MySecret, presents at Eden’s middle school discussing periods, Eden is verbally bullied by another classmate. She and her friend Maribel fight back, and the bully ends up with a broken wrist and the two girls are suspended. They end up spending their days volunteering at a community center, where they learn about and decide to become involved in a period equity nonprofit. However, when Eden begins protesting and advocating for free period products in schools and food pantries, her mom becomes angry. She believes Eden’s activism is a threat to her business. This is a really fantastic conversation starter for middle school students. I also love that it includes trans characters and shows that period products are not just for girls and women.

This heartbreaking novel-in-verse centers a Muslim family in crisis. Twelve-year-old Adnan loves table tennis, is color blind, and is extremely specific about what he will and won’t eat. He’s very close to his older sister and 2-year-old brother, and his mom is pregnant and he can’t wait to meet his newest sibling. He’s thrilled to make the finals in a table tennis tournament being held in Florida. The tournament occurs during Eid, so the whole family decides to visit cousins in Florida to celebrate Eid together so Adnan can participate in the tournament. Unfortunately, a horrific tragedy occurs, and Adnan’s younger brother drowns in a pool. This beautiful and complex novel shows how the family and community pull together in a time of immeasurable grief.

Survival stories tend to be popular with middle schoolers, and I have found a new favorite with this very realistic, moving read, one I imagine will be on some award lists next year. Twelve-year-old Raymond has never had much stability in his life. His parents move constantly, and he’s been in and out of children’s homes. They recently moved into a trailer in River Mill, North Carolina, but when they leave without Raymond and turn their trailer keys in to the landlord, Raymond has nowhere to stay. He finds a hollow tree trunk in the woods behind his middle school for him and his dog to sleep in and checks out a survival book from the library. He’s able to make this work for a long time, with his grades only suffering a bit, but several complications force him to ask for community help: a coyote attacks his dog, a snake bite, and difficulty finding food in the winter. But community members and fellow students are willing to listen, respect, and help where needed.