Wordplay TBR Pile: Children's
Wondering what your kids might be interested in from this year’s Wordplay lineup? Not sure what books your elementary student and middle schooler might both find interesting? Need some new picture book suggestions with gorgeous illustrations? Look no further! We’ve got lots of awesome recommendations for picture books, graphic novels, children’s chapter books, and middle grade novels to excite even the most reluctant reader in your family!
Picture Books
Dads by John Coy and Wing Young Huie (April 7, 2020)
Age range: preschool–grade 2
Perfect if your child likes: photographs, family stories, diverse families and parents
Johnny’s Pheasant by Cheryl Minnema (November 1, 2019)
Age range: 3–8 years
Perfect if your child likes: nature, adventure, animals, family stories
The Yawns Are Coming! By Christopher Eliopoulos (April 28, 2020)
Age range: 4–8 years
Perfect if your child likes: sleepovers, superheroes, dinosaurs, friendship stories
Llama Unleashes the Apocalypse by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox (May 5, 2020)
Age range: 4–8 years
Perfect if your child likes: animals, jokes, imagination, silly stories
Children's
Samuel Morse, That’s Who!: The Story of the Telegraph and Morse Code by Tracy Nelson Maurer (June 25, 2019)
Age range: 4–8
Perfect if your child likes: technology, history, travel, science, inventing, imagination
Shadow in the Woods and Other Scary Stories by Max Brallier (July 7, 2020)
Age range: 5–7 years
Perfect if your child likes: scary stories, mysteries, suspense
The Sewer Rat Stink by Tom Angleberger (May 5, 2020)
Age range: 7–10 years
Perfect if your child likes: fantasy stories, detectives, adventures, curiosity
Middle Grade
King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender (February 4, 2020)
Age range: grades 3–7
Perfect if your child likes: courage, LGBTQ+ coming of age stories, friendship, fantasy
The Chaos Curse by Sayantani DasGupta (March 3, 2020)
Age range: grades 3–7
Perfect if your child likes: suspense, dramatic conflict, fantasy, far-off places
The Collectors, A Storm of Wishes by Jacqueline West (October 22, 2019)
Age range: grades 3–7
Perfect if your child likes: fantasy, magic, adventure, friendship
Path to the Stars: My Journey From Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist by Sylvia Acevedo (September 4, 2018)
Age range: grades 5–7
Perfect if your child likes: Girl Scouts, overcoming obstacles, school, math, science
Keep It Together, Keiko Carter by Debbi Michiko Florence (May 5, 2020)
Age range: Grades 4–8
Perfect if your child likes: friendship stories, coming of age stories, first crushes
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park (March 3, 2020)
Age range: grades 5–7
Perfect if your child likes: courage, community, achieving goals, friendship
Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo (September 24, 2019)
Age range: grades 5–12
Perfect if your child likes: coming of age stories, independence, adventure
When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed (April 14, 2020)
Age range: grades 8–12
Perfect if your child likes: graphic novels, courage, family, diverse perspectives