The Most Anticipated Kids’ & Young Adult Books of 2026

Grab a piece of cake and get ready to learn all about birthdays with Ms. Rachel — the New York Times bestselling author and fastest-growing phenomenon in children’s educational entertainment. This upbeat and colorful storybook includes over 25 stickers!

Bold, brightly colored pictures, lift-the-flap pages, and entertaining rhymes bring Pop-up Peekaboo! Chick to life, and provide lots of opportunities for parent-and-child interaction and hours of spring-themed fun. Learn all about little chicks and their lifecycles here!

Everyone has tantrums — kids, and even moms — in this tender yet funny picture book about an especially impossible-to-put-on pair of shoes. With expressive text from bestselling author Julie Fogliano and timeless art from three-time Caldecott honor medalist Marla Frazee, here is a story that takes readers through a downward spiral of a shoe-inspired tantrum and is a reminder that even in moments of frustration, we are always our most loveable selves.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of The Wonderful Things You Will Be comes an enchanting picture book about a child finding their “wild” self. With gorgeous illustrations, this book is the ideal addition to any bedtime reading routine or read aloud. The Wildest Thing beautifully expresses a timeless message about little ones unleashing their inner “wild” and encouraging their budding imagination and unique individuality.

Pizzasaurus cares about one thing and one thing only: PIZZA! And he’s inviting you to a prehistoric pizza party in this hilarious picture book from the beloved author of Wordy Birdy and Mary Had a Little Glam.

A family tidies up the house together in this heartwarming sing-along picture book from beloved children’s musician and performer, Raffi. It’s clean up time! Mama and Papa are picking up around the house until a small voice cries out, “how can I help?” Follow one jubilant kid as they spend the day helping their family with age-appropriate chores, and learns that tidying up together makes for a happy, loving home.

Children! Quiet your engines! Zoom off to sleep with a new “things that go” bedtime story about race cars — from the creators of the bestselling Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? series.

A joyful exploration of a child’s loving relationship with the land that supports and nurtures her as she grows. From the day she’s born, a child feels the love and power that come with being part of something bigger. She’s a new spring leaf, alive and growing, as strong as the ancient cedars and as radiant as the glittering night sky. She is one with the amazing forces of nature that surround and nurture her, and that she nurtures in return.

From Grammy Award-winning musician Laufey comes a bewitching picture book about overcoming mistakes and believing in oneself. Mei Mei is a little bunny with a big dream. She wants to make the world happy with her music! Her first recital at the H’Opera House is approaching, and she’s been practicing harder than any bunny ever has. But the butterflies in her stomach flit and flutter. When Mei Mei plays the wrong note in front of everyone, will she be able to find the melody to make it right?

The hilarious crayons from the #1 New York Times bestselling The Day the Crayons Quit are ready to make a splash in the bath! The perfect book to read any time of day, but particularly at bath time.

Dubbed “the Internet’s librarian” — and now host of the relaunched Reading Rainbow — Mychal Threets invites all to take a look and find themselves at the library! Perfect for little readers who are regular visitors and those who might be stepping into the stacks for the first time.

Every other book was written in the past. But this book? This book was written in the future. Turn the pages to get a glimpse at the world of tomorrow and its unexpected words, strange social customs, and mind-blowing colors! From the award-winning duo Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris comes a funny, visionary picture book that kids will want to read again and again.

This new seasonal title in the #1 New York Times bestselling Grumpy Monkey series celebrates fathers and grandfathers — plus we learn where Jim gets his grumpiness from!

Tina was fearless. Tina was resilient. Tina was kind. And Shay is determined to follow in her footsteps in this lyrical and encouraging picture book inspired by the life of Tina Turner.

Inspired by Corinne Bailey Rae’s award-winning hit song, this picture book celebrates music’s unique power to soothe or energize us when we need it most.

From Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts comes an empowering story about friendship, the power of teamwork, and achieving goals together. Told with Jalen’s signature wisdom and gorgeous art by Nneka Myers, Better than a Touchdown carries a message we can all learn from: That by working together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.

U.S. Men’s Soccer’s Captain America, Christian Pulisic, tells a story of focus, determination, and most of all, confidence — all the soccer superpowers you need! Just in time for the 2026 World Cup!

Teeny is starting a new school, and boy, is she nervous. At her last school, the kids weren’t so nice to her — they called her names and made fun of her for being short. So when she meets Tilly, the tallest kid she’s ever seen, the knots in her stomach only grow. Will this new classmate make her feel too tiny all over again? With lots of courage, Teeny finds out that a little bit of kindness is all she needs to find a new best friend. Actress Beanie Feldstein shares a brand-new friendship story that celebrates loving each other just as we are.

Max and Chaffy are back in another adventure, and this time they’re diving below the waves to explore the ocean floor! From bestselling author Jamie Smart comes another vibrant, highly visual graphic novel about discovering new things, making friends, and returning what’s been lost to its rightful owner.

Bluey is off to play at Chloe’s house for the day, and Mum and Dad are busy. Bingo needs something to do to pass the time — maybe even a problem to solve. Can she find a way to play on her own? Read along to find out!

The fourth and final installment of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series based on the worldwide phenomenon The Last Kids on Earth! In this final adventure, our superheroes must face a mysterious new threat: Someone is stealing kids’ schoolwork-margin doodles and turning them into an army of animated sketches! What can our heroes do against the manic, illogical brilliance of living doodles?!

The Sweet Valley Twins are no strangers to vying for attention. But when their mom starts focusing on helping a friend, the twins face a tough choice: Should they team up against her or make room for someone new in their family? Dive into the fun and drama of this New York Times bestselling graphic novel series!

The girls of PAWS have a bone to pick with a group of rival dog walkers in the fifth book of this heartwarming and hilarious graphic novel series that is the Baby-Sitters Club for pets!

The second adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling Chronicles of Whetherwhy series from acclaimed author Anna James. Perfect for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, Impossible Creatures, and Greenwild!

Visit 100 places with 100 Rebel Girls as your guide. What is the place known for, and how do children live and experience it? With 100 interviews with real Rebel Girls, this book is sure to inspire kids to be a global citizen and realize that they too are a Rebel Girl.

A fresh, unexpected horse-kid series from an unexpected horse-kid herself, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The War That Saved My Life and Fighting Words.

Perfect for fans of Powerless, Lightlark, and Red Queen, this heart-pounding romantasy forces a girl to make an impossible decision: Watch the boy she loves get exiled for lack of magic, or pass her formidable powers off as his own.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the School for Good and Evil series comes a renegade thriller, about a teenager elected President of the United States, sparking a global revolution of young leaders — until one of them is murdered and he’s the prime suspect.

It’s all fun and games until someone ends up dead … An unforgettable YA murder mystery set in an escape-room themed game show, by Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, and Tamara Moss, rising star and acclaimed author of Lintang series.

A group of girls does Death incarnate’s bidding in this haunting speculative young adult novel by the author of The Year of the Witching.

An unputdownable romantasy following a young woman posing as fortune-teller at a magical traveling carnival, where the handsome boy who once broke her heart resurfaces and warns her that the carnival is more sinister than it appears.

An action-packed YA contemporary fantasy debut that brings vibrant Malaysian folklore to life. Prodigal Tiger is a rich, cinematic celebration of Malaysian magic and folklore, as well as an emotional exploration of never quite feeling like your whole self after living in the diaspora.