CANDLEWICK

From an award-winning author comes a moving wordless story about hope and leaving one’s beloved home country, told with powerful illustrations by a Ukrainian artist who is herself a refugee.On a snowy street, two girls live across from each other with their families and their cats. But one day, when conflict comes to their city, they all must grab a few possessions and ride on the crowded overnight train away from the place they know as home. Through the eyes of the girls’ feline companions, we glimpse the pain of relocating under duress, while imagining a fantastical, hopeful future to come. Well suited for discussing and fostering empathy with young children, this wordless storyline by Gideon Strerer pairs with raw, emotive illustrations by artist Polina Doroshenko, who escaped Kyiv, Ukraine, with her daughter at the start of the war.

Move over, Dog Man – there are new superhero pups in town!Once they were the Super Dog Dogs, armed with real powers, paw-some and unstop-paw-ble, until a malicious magic squirrel turned them into babies. Waaah! But as this hilarious romp proves, heroism, whether dispensed while in diapers or while potty trained, is the Super Puppies’ destiny. When a baby stuffed bunny goes missing, Corgi Baby, Pug Baby, and Poodle Baby are called to save the day—or rather, night. Sure, they may be in diapers, and Pug Baby may be scared of the dark, but if they stick together (like poo on a shoe!), there’s no problem they can’t solve. This high-octane young graphic novel is paw-sitively bursting with quirky humor, silly adventures, and colorful, kid-centric art. For emerging readers looking to gain confidence or just looking to howl with laughter, it’s Super Puppy Babies to the rescue!

Come on down to the swamp! Dance the night away in this rollicking read-aloud illustrated by award-winning picture book creator Felicita Sala.The warm, vibrant atmosphere of the swampland meets the high energy of a competition in this charming story that celebrates a passion for dance—and reminds us not to prejudge based on appearances. Deep in the swamp, the animals are preparing for the most exhilarating night of the year: the Blue Moon Ball. The music is loud, the food is delicious, and the dance floor is sparkling in the moonlight. But everybody cowers when the most dreaded creature in the swamp arrives—the fierce (and fearsomely chic) alligator Blanche. With rhythm and razzmatazz, Blanche twirls around the floor, rapt stares all around her. But will she win the contest? What might happen to the judges if she doesn't? All is not as it seems in this fun, glamorous story for young animal lovers or anyone looking to get lost in a new adventure.

A pitch-perfect and exquisitely illustrated storybook with all the earmarks of a classic explores the transformative friendship between a salty lighthouse keeper and a heroic mouse.A bighearted and masterfully illustrated maritime adventure from a New York Times bestselling author evokes the magic of earning a place in another’s heart—and finding friendship, home, and purpose against the odds. Miles off a rugged coast, in the middle of nothing and nowhere, stands a lighthouse, a beacon for boats. Inside lives a solitary keeper, a hero to sailors . . . and to the little mouse who lives in the lighthouse, too, and believes they can be friends and helpmates. Every day, the mouse shadows his role model, waiting to prove himself. But the keeper sees only a pest—until one dark day when the winds shift and monstrous clouds roll in. Poignant and alive with dramatic sea-swept landscapes at world’s end, this homage to the power of hope, to the joys of true companionship, and to pluck and determi