A Bundle of New Board Books

| Tasha
Cover image for Baby Botanicals Series by Jillian Miao, illustrated by Riley Samels. Cover features a blue and orange bird on a wooden block looking at a worm in the dirt under yellow and orange flowers.

Baby Botanicals Series by Jillian Miao, illustrated by Riley Samels

  • Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
  • Publication Date: February 10, 2026
  • Reviewed from pdf provided by publisher
  • ISBNs: 9780593519028 & 9780593419042

From loss and a cancer diagnosis comes this lovely pair of board books in a new series. Written to reflect the walks the author takes with her daughters as well as her mother’s love for gardens, these two board books shine with wonder and a joy at gardens and nature. The first book, Good Morning, Garden!, takes small children directly into the garden, under the earth and getting their hands dirty. The second book, Peekaboo, Flowers!, focuses on the beauty of the blooms and the butterflies they invite. With bright and fresh illustrations and simple words, these board books are just right to help welcome spring. 

Just right for a springtime snuggle outside. Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Cover image for Breathe a Rainbow by Julie Koon, featuring a smiling cloud over a rainbow with falling raindrops in different colors.

Breathe a Rainbow by Julie Koon 

  • Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
  • Publication Date: April 28, 2026
  • Reviewed from copy provided by publisher
  • ISBN: 9781419780431

This board book uses calming strips to encourage small children to take a breath. Each double-page spread offers both a mood and then a new breathing exercise to do while running your finger over each strip. The strips are offered in a variety of shapes and textures from ribs to dimples to stars. A rainbow design is offered if you feel like a thunderstorm, a flower if you are stuck in the mud, an ocean wave for whirling worries. Filled with bright colors and very effective tactile moments of calm, this board book will work well in public library settings. 

Take a breath with this meditative board book. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Cover image for I Am Here by Kim Hyo-eun, translated by Aerin Park, featuring a child seating in the grass under a blue sky looking at a worm.

I Am Here by Kim Hyo-eun, translated by Aerin Park

  • Publisher: Scribble
  • Publication Date: May 5, 2026
  • Reviewed from pdf provided by publisher
  • ISBN: 9781964992419

Told in the most basic of words, this gentle board book starts with the baby looking up at the sky. They are under the sun, under the clouds, under the rainbow, under a bird. It moves closer. They are under their mother’s hat and then under their mother in a carrier. The book then turns, and looks at what is beside the baby. There is Grandpa, a cat, ants, a leaf, a stick. Finally, there is me! Smartly crafted, this board book shows the meaning of under and beside while exploring a baby’s world. Children will love seeing similar things around themselves as they and their family look around too.

A quiet baby-sized adventure. Appropriate for ages birth – 2.

Cover image for Lawn-Mowing Day! By Breanna Carzoo, featuring a skunk with a manual mower, a raccoon riding on a mower, and a fox with a push mower.

Lawn-Mowing Day! By Breanna Carzoo

  • Publisher: Little Simon
  • Publication Date: March 3, 2026
  • Reviewed from copy provided by publisher
  • ISBN: 9781665973472

The first in a new series of board books, this one focuses on lawn mowing. Three big-eyed animals, a fox, skunk and raccoon find that the grass has grown too tall. Time to mow the lawn! There are all kinds of equipment to use, each with its own prep and sound. Then you can make shapes with the stripes in the lawn. When you are done, smell the cut grass. Then take a nap, play some more and wait for the grass to grow tall again. Filled with a lot of energy and a joy for doing a job well, I don’t know of another board book about mowing the lawn. 

Sure to be loved by little ones with their own toy lawn mowers. Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Cover image for Now I See series by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, featuring a close up of two eyes under a yellow hat.

Now I See series by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

  • Publisher: Tundra Books
  • Publication Date: April 7, 2026
  • Reviewed from NetGalley e-galley
  • ISBNs: 9781774886694, 9781774886656, 9781774886731 & 9781774886779

This new board book series from two major children’s book creators is a reason to celebrate every season. With one volume per season, the books are simple enough for even the smallest child to enjoy. Barnett keeps his language limited, sharing small elements of a child’s world, including a cat, a red wagon, a sweet treat and a perfect hat. Klassen’s illustrations keep it simple too with a wry sense of humor that shows how each season differs even as Barnett’s words repeat from book to book. 

A small triumph perfect for small children. Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Leave a comment