44 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY FEBRUARY 2, 2026
HarperCollins/Storytide The Littlest Elephant: A One and Only Ruby Story by Katherine Applegate, illus. by Lita Judge (Mar. 17, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06- 335778-5). The herd is preparing for Ruby’s Tuskday, a day to celebrate that she is growing up, in this picture book adaptation of The One and Only Ruby , third in Newbery Medalist Applegate’s One and Only series. Ages 4–8. Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate (May 5, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-322117-8) follows a homeless dog named Wombat in the aftermath of a catastrophic fire in her community. Ages 8–12. HarperCollins/Storytide Release Me by Tahereh Mafi (Apr. 7, $21.99, ISBN 978-0-06-341905-6), continuing the Shatter Me: The New Republic series, takes place 10 years after the fall of the Reestablishment. Ages 14 and up. HarperCollins/Versify Can’t You See It’s Coming? , edited by Erika N. Turner (July 21, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-358- 62335-9). In this horror anthology, 10 Black femme and non-binary writers unpack the ways in which fear and anxiety inform the Black American experience. Ages 13 and up. Series World of ¡Vamos! gains Tough Times: El Toro & Friends: A Graphic Novel by Raúl the Third, colors by Elaine Bay (Mar. 3, $12.99, ISBN 978-0-06-339628-9), ages 6–10. HarperCollins Christian/ Tommy Nelson That’s What Heroes Do by Adam Kinzinger, illus. by Katie Melrose (May 5, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-4002-5272-5). Military veteran and former congressman Kinzinger teaches kids about the everyday heroes all around them. Ages 4–8. Winnie’s Pile of Pillows: Making Room for the Things You Love Most by Dana K. White, illus. by Sarah Jennings (Feb. 17, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-4002-4951-0). Winnie the Walrus declutters her messy room when she discovers the importance of making space for the things you love most. Ages 4–8. Helvetiq Chomp! Our Health and World in Fangs, Tusks and Teeth by Yoann Cantine, illus.
On the Road to Happy by Goldy Moldavsky (May 5, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-06-337225-2). Eleven-year-old Gigi spends a transforma- tive summer in a Jewish bungalow colony in upstate New York, where she makes friends and connects with her family and immigrant heritage in new ways. Ages 8–12. Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros (Mar. 10, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-309224-2). Queso wishes under the full moon to see his late father again, and is suddenly back in 1985 with the boy who will grow up to be his dad. Ages 8–12. Shim Jung Takes the Dive by Julia Riew (Apr. 28, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-329407-3). Jung finds herself in a magical underwater kingdom in this fantasy inspired by Korean myth and based on Riew’s viral TikTok musi- cal. Ages 8–12. Some of Us Are Brave by Saadia Faruqi (Feb. 10, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-338953-3). Three very different kids navigate fear and friendship through the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 Houston. Ages 8–12. Breakout by Dhonielle Clayton et al. (June 2, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-321750-8). In this thriller from the team of YA authors behind Blackout , a group of elite teens is trapped at a luxurious resort off the coast of Florida, where their spring break takes a deadly turn. Ages 13 and up. Wayfarers by Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro (May 19, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06- 332458-9). A girl trying to outrun her prob- lems and a boy discovering the outside world for the first time let down their walls as they travel across the country on a life-changing road trip. Ages 13 and up. Estela, Undrowning by René Peña-Govea (Mar. 3, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-342995- 6). Seventeen-year-old Estela is thrust into citywide debates about merit, identity, and diversity, after she places second in the Latiné Heritage Poetry Contest behind a non-Latinx student. Ages 14 and up. Few Blue Skies by Carolina Ixta (Feb. 3, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-328791-4). Paloma sets out to protect her family and community from a major corporation taking over her town. Ages 14 and up.
smallest kid on the pitch to the greatest soccer player of all time. Ages 4–8.
Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, illus. by Erica Salcedo (June 16, $21.99, ISBN 978-0-06- 347415-4). Two friends learn the meaning of “you are what you eat” when Saffy wakes up with spaghetti for hair and Lumo opens his eyes to see that his hands have sprouted chicken fingers. Ages 4–8. Series FGTeeV grows with The Big Shrink! A Graphic Novel , illus. by Miguel Díaz Rivas (Mar. 3, $23.99, ISBN 978-0-06-334953-7), ages 8–10. HarperCollins/Heartdrum Here Come the Aunties! by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illus. by Aphelandra (Feb. 10, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-337469-0), shines a light on aunts by kinship as well as family friends, neighbors, and community members who step up to fill the important role of “auntie.” Ages 4–8. An Expanse of Blue by Kauakanilehua Māhoe Adams (May 19, $19.99, ISBN 978- 0-06-341795-3). This debut novel in verse centers a Native Hawaiian girl who fights back against the confines of her strict family and wrestles with the meaning of home after learning an unspeakable truth about her father. Ages 13 and up. Medicine Wheels by Byron Graves (June 2, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-06-316042-2). During a summer spent with his grandparents on Wolf Creek reservation, Bryce reconnects with his Ojibwe community as he emulates his late father’s skateboarding skills and practices for the local championship. Ages 13 and up. HarperCollins/Quill Tree The Cow in the Dark at Night by Jess Hannigan (July 21, $19.99, ISBN 978-0- 06-343777-7). A naïve cow—followed by her exasperated guardian cat—heads into the night to find new friends and adventure. Ages 4–8. The Deepest Blue by Shauntay Grant, illus. by Daniel Minter (June 2, $19.99, ISBN 978- 0-06-325138-0). A girl goes on a dive to explore a sunken slave ship and forges a con- nection with her ancestors. Ages 4–8.
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