A Dog Detective, a Pet Dad, and an Adorable Octopus: 10 New Picture Books We’re Excited About This Spring!

How to Code a Sandcastle, by Josh Funk, illustrated by Sara Palacios 
A perfect beach read for your young coder! How to Code a Sandcastle tells the story of a girl named Pearl who wants to build the perfect sandcastle but something always goes wrong (ie frisbees and dogs). With a little help from her robot Pascal, Pearl decides to build the sandcastle using code, and breaks the problem down into small steps. This fun and empowering story is a great intro to both coding and reading!

Dad By My Side, by Soosh
This sweet book actually started out as a series of illustrations posted on Instagram by author and illustrator Soosh that went viral and it’s easy to see why. These gorgeous watercolor illustrations of a girl and her larger than life father are a lovely accompaniment to the simple and heartfelt text about a beautiful father-daughter relationship. “He teaches me. And I teach him too.” A great read for Father’s Day, or any other day you need to be reminded to reach for the stars.

Ta-Da!, by Kathy Ellen Davis, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita 
This magical picture book showcases the power of the imagination, and brings you back to a time when a cardboard box could be a crystal castle. When a friend comes over to play and uses his own magic “powers” to try and destroy the girl’s fun she has to come up with ways to overcome his obstacles. Ta-Da! With a little help from snack time, these two warring magicians discover the beauty of teamwork over hot cocoa and marshmallows.

The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs: The Story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation, by Kate Messner, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe 
This book is based on a real life hero Ken Nedimyer. Ken grew up in Florida and was obsessed with the ocean and as an adult is now helping to rebuild the world’s coral reefs, which are dying out at a scary rate. This inspiring story is great for kids, but parents will probably also learn something about this fascinating process, which involves hanging small coral colonies on dying reefs or underwater trees. Ken has now planted tens of thousands of these coral colonies and is teaching others around the world about the process. This book underscores the impact that just one person, who started with just one colony, can make.

Doll-E 1.0, by Shanda McCloskey
A lot of kids would be excited to get a new doll—but not Charlotte! Charlotte is our awesome tech obsessed protagonist, and she is at a total loss about what to do with her new toy doll, that just sits there and stares. Once Charlotte finds out that the doll has a battery pack, she decides to make a few tech updates and ultimately (after a mishap with the family dog) creates her perfect play companion—Doll-E 1.0

The Detective Dog, by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie 
Detective Dog Nell is a pretty spectacular pup. Her amazing sense of smell helps her solve all sorts of mysteries, which is particularly helpful for her 6 year old owner Peter, who tends to misplace everything. Nell takes on her biggest case yet at Peter’s school when someone steals all the books! Will Nell be able to sniff out this criminal before the school bell rings?

Play This Book, by Jessica Young, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman 
This fun and interactive book is perfect for the budding musician! Come join the band and play the instruments on these pages—from drums to the trombone. Once the show is over don’t forget to take a bow and listen to the thunderous applause on the last page. Encore readings may ensue!

Pie Is for Sharing, by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, illustrated by Jason Chin 
As an only child who didn’t exactly love sharing, I definitely could have used this book! It turns out that pie, books, trees, hideouts, and just about everything else under the sun, is a lot better and more fun when shared with friends. Noted!

Pet Dad, by Elanna Allen
Plum wants a pet; Plum’s dad does not want a pet. At all. So Plum decides to do the next best thing and turn her father into a pet! But taking care of a pet grown up is harder than it looks (they like to eat “disgusting foods, like kale and quinoa” for one). Plum soon discovers the secret to caring for this pet is easy; he just requires lots of hugs. A heartwarming book, just in time for Father’s Day!

Hello, My Name Is…:How Adorablilis Got His Name, by Marisa Polansky, illustrated by Joey Chou  
This adorable story about how a cute little octopus got its name, Adorabilis, is actually based on a real animal discovered in 2015! In this story you get to meet all of the other creatures in the sea who have special traits that helped give them their names—like the clown fish, who has brightly painted stripes, and the Moon Jelly; a jellyfish with a dusty glow. The candy colored illustrations make for an extra sweet reading experience.