Best Children’s and YA Books of
April 2020
by the Brightly Editors
Our April reading theme is Togetherness, an encouragement to connect with your children (and teenagers!) through books. Below are 20 of the most exciting new children’s and YA books being published in April. We hope these reads are heartening, stimulating, and provide you and your loved ones with a moment of connection.
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Picture Books
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Big Shark, Little Shark
Available from:Originally a Step 1 in the Step Into Reading series, now the littlest bookworms can get in on all the shark-toothed fun with this board book primer on opposites. Big Shark and Little Shark have a lot of differences between them, but the one thing they have in common is a hearty appetite.
(On Sale: 4/7/20)Also available from: -
The Little Engine That Could: 90th Anniversary Edition
Available from:Don’t miss out on this lovingly re-illustrated anniversary edition of The Little Engine That Could, introduced by the legendary Dolly Parton. With grit and positivity, the Little Blue Engine has been chug-chug-chugging her way up the mountain and into readers’ hearts for 90 years and counting.
(On Sale: 4/7/20)Also available from: -
Madame Badobedah
Available from:Mabel’s parents run the Mermaid Hotel, and when a strange new guest arrives under the name Madame Badobedah, Mabel becomes convinced that the elderly woman with the curious cargo must be a supervillain. Over time, Mabel’s fanciful backstories make way for a sweet intergenerational friendship. (If you recognized the author’s last name, it’s true! Sophie Dahl is the granddaughter of Roald Dahl.)
(On Sale: 4/7/20)Also available from: -
Crocodiles Need Kisses Too
Available from:A rhyming picture book for animal-lovers, Crocodiles Need Kisses Too proves that all species deserve a little loving, even the prickly (porcupines), spindly (spiders), and slithery (snakes) — all of whom are rendered as irresistibly adorable as their fuzzy, cuddly counterparts.
(On Sale: 4/7/20)Also available from: -
Brooklyn Bailey, the Missing Dog
Available from:We could all use a feel-good story about neighbors helping neighbors, and Brooklyn Bailey’s got it, with an adorable dog to boot. On a sunny morning in Brooklyn, Yatam and his mom are walking to school when their pup Bailey gets spooked and slips her leash. But a happy ending is on the way, as the entire neighborhood pitches in to reunite Bailey with her family.
(On Sale: 4/7/20)Also available from: -
Bedtime Bonnet
Available from:Black nighttime hair traditions are joyfully reflected with Bedtime Bonnet, as a young girl watches her family members get ready for bed and discovers that she’s misplaced her bonnet (again!). Multiple hair textures and routines are represented: a cap for Daddy’s waves, a scarf for Mama’s curls, and so on. Will our narrator find her bonnet in time?
(On Sale: 4/7/20)Also available from: -
How Long Is Forever?
Available from:Mason is feeling particularly impatient waiting for Nan’s pie to cool — it’s taking forever, he says — so Grandpa distracts him by asking Mason if he can do the math on how long forever really is. Sweet and expressively illustrated, How Long Is Forever? ends on an answer that’ll tug your heartstrings.
(On Sale: 4/7/20)Also available from: -
I Am Leonardo da Vinci
Available from:The newest addition to the Ordinary People Change the World series, I Am Leonardo da Vinci profiles the art-world icon and delves back into da Vinci’s childhood inspirations. Prepare the finger-paint supplies because you’re about to have a little artist on your hands.
(On Sale: 4/14/20)Also available from: -
A New Kind of Wild
Available from:For Ren and Ava, the concept of home means very different things. For Ren, it’s wildlife and wonder, populated by his imagination; for Ava, it’s a bustling city where she’s never alone. When Ren moves to Ava’s city, she helps him find the magic in his new home.
(On Sale: 4/21/20)Also available from:
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Chapter Books and Middle Grade
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The List of Things That Will Not Change
After her parents’ divorce, much of 10-year-old Bea’s life changed — but much of it stayed the same too, and she keeps a list in her favorite notebook. Now, Bea is on the precipice of more change: a blended family, with the addition of her dad’s new husband, Jesse, and Jesse’s daughter, Sonia. Rebecca Stead, author of the award-winning When You Reach Me, insightfully captures Bea’s emotional journey.
(On Sale: 4/7/20) -
Echo Mountain
Available from:The author of Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea returns with a historical saga led by a fierce young girl. Still reeling from the Great Depression and an accident that put Ellie’s father in a coma — an accident that’s being pinned on Ellie — Ellie’s family has moved into the forest under Echo Mountain. When Ellie learns of a healing woman at the top of the mountain, she embarks on a quest to put things right.
(On Sale: 4/21/20)Also available from: -
The Last Kids on Earth: June’s Wild Flight
Available from:The latest in the action-packed Last Kids on Earth series finds June separated from the group and dragged to a town overrun with a whole slew of creatures the kids haven’t yet encountered. June will have to give it all she’s got to survive and make it back to Wakefield.
(On Sale: 4/7/20)Also available from: -
When Stars Are Scattered
Available from:This beautifully rendered graphic memoir recounts the experiences of brothers Omar and Hassan, who spent most of their boyhoods in a refugee camp in Kenya. Hoping for a better future, Omar must make the difficult choice of going to school when it would mean constantly leaving his nonverbal brother’s side. While tragedy exists in this story, so does hope, warmth, and humor.
(On Sale: 4/14/20)Also available from: -
The Water Bears
Newt Gomez lives on Murphy Island, an unusual (and possibly magical) place. More than anything, Newt wants to go to school on the mainland, where he can stay with his extended family and avoid memories of the bear attack he survived last year. Just when Newt’s about to get his chance, life throws him for another loop.
(On Sale: 4/21/20)
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Young Adult
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Girl Crushed
Would You Rather? author Katie Heaney makes her triumphant foray into YA fiction with Girl Crushed, the story of Quinn and Jamie, BFFs turned girlfriends turned exes. Quinn is devastated when Jamie dumps her, especially now that she has to navigate senior year without her best friend. Quinn turns her broken heart to Ruby, the ultra-cool girl, but can she really move on from Jamie?
(On Sale: 4/7/20 -
Dancing at the Pity Party
Available from:Part homage to a beloved mother, part grief memoir, and part guide for fellow motherless humans, Dancing at the Pity Party is a poignant graphic memoir from a refreshing voice and talented illustrator. Tyler Feder was 19 when she lost her mom to cancer, and while the event itself was devastating, so was the isolating aftermath — she just wanted people to get it. With candor and humor, she beautifully recounts her experiences of love, loss, and resilience.
(On Sale: 4/14/20)Also available from: -
Girls Save the World in This One
Available from:Best friends and zombie enthusiasts June, Imani, and Siggy are beyond excited for their day at ZombieCon, and it lives up to their expectations — and then crashes into undead territory. That is, an actual zombie apocalypse hits the con, and the girls have a whole lot of work to do if they’re going to save the world. This action-packed horror comedy is equal parts packed with girl power.
(On Sale: 4/14/20)Also available from: -
Time of Our Lives
Deciding where to go to college is fraught enough without throwing family pressures into the mix, but that’s the fate of Fitz and Juniper, who meet on a college tour in Boston. Fitz is only on the tour to make his single mother happy; she has early onset Alzheimer’s, and he’s not going to move so far away. Juniper, meanwhile, is making her tightknit family totally unhappy with her desire for space. As the two reflect on their choices, they also lean on each other.
(On Sale: 4/21/20) -
Verona Comics
The author of Hot Dog Girl returns with a modern, queer take on Romeo and Juliet. Ridley and Jubilee fall in love at a comic convention prom, but their lives (and thus their relationship) are complicated: their parents are in an all-out feud, Ridley’s coping with mental health challenges, and Jubilee has a high-pressure audition on the horizon. Compassionate and authentic, Dugan’s newest juggles several important conversations for teens and young adults.
(On Sale: 4/21/20)
