It’s April Fools! But this isn’t a joke, folks. I actually met my own deadline this time. Here are the April releases I just can’t wait to get my hands on… when I have time for free reading, that is. Eventually, I’d love to post reviews of these books. We’ll see what the future holds. Yip-yip a dibby, dibby do-wop a dooooooooo!

Picture Books

Chapman, Jared. Fruits in Suits. (4/11/17)
0 stars. I just adored Chapman’s previous greengrocery masterpiece Vegetables in Underwear and I have high hopes this new one will keep just as well.

Daywalt, Drew. The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors. illus. Adam Rex. (4/4/17)
4 stars. How can you even escape the promotional ads for this one? I’m seeing it everywhere. I’m not even mad about it.

Kvasnosky, Laura McGee. Little Wolf’s First Howling. illus. Laura McGee Kvasnosky & Kate Harvey McGee. (4/11/17)
3 stars. I feel like I haven’t seen a book from Kvasnosky in a while and this one looks gorgeous (love that gouache resist technique!).

Raczka, Bob. Niko Draws a Feeling. illus. Simone Shin. (4/1/17)
1 star. Just click through the spreads on Edelweiss/Amazon—or, better yet, buy the book. You won’t be disappointed in the visuals. Let’s see if the story matches.

Schwartz, Joanne. Town Is by the Sea. illus. Sydney Smith. (4/11/17)
4 stars. After Sidewalk Flowers, I’m hooked on Smith’s illustration style.

Early Readers

Snyder, Laurel. Charlie & Mouse. illus. Emily Hughes. (4/11/17)
2 stars. Mixed-race children in an early reader? WHERE HAS THIS BOOK BEEN!? We need more, more, more!

Juvenile Fiction

Behar, Ruth. Lucky Broken Girl. (4/11/17)
1 star. I’m all about the immigration stories right now, given what’s been going on in our country…

Iwasa, Megumi. Yours Sincerely, Giraffe. (4/1/17)
3 stars. The layout and illustrations alone call to mind Phantom Tollbooth and The Little Prince.

Young Adult Fiction & Nonfiction

Heligman, Deborah. Vincent and Theo. (4/18/17)
5 stars. I’m no art history buff but the hype alone has made me all curious. 5 stars, huh?

Lyga, Barry. Bang. (4/18/17)
3 stars. Not gonna lie: I’m afraid to read this one. Gun violence and suicide are not things I want to read about on a daily basis. But they are things that we need to talk about.