(Mt. Hood camping trip, 2006; photo by Rawley/use with permission only, please)

Hello, cats and kittens, what’s shaking? Would you like to know what I’m reading today? Of course you would. OK, I’ll tell you. None of these books are on the shelves yet, but here is a sneak peek:

• “Fierce Aunties!” is a fiercely great new picture book by Laurel Goodluck, with illustrations by Steph Littlebird (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; release date is April 15, 2025; all ages; $19.99). Goodluck’s intertribal background is Mandan and Hidatsa, from the North Dakota prairies; and Tsimshian, from an Alaskan rainforest. This book is a beautiful love letter to her mother and aunties, including Dody, Phyllis and Karen, as well as elders Aunt Alice and Aunt Lucy. They were born, respectively in in 1899 and 1901 and preferred to speak the family’s tribal language, Hidatsa. They were the family’s last generation to be fluent in the language. Steph Littlebird dedicated her illustrations (which are fantastic) to a long list of amazing family members, including her Grandma Mickey, aunties Sylvia, Julie, Carol, and everyone else who is “in my heart always.” This is a special, meaningful book about the power of love and strong females.

• Hello, hello, “Brave Buzzy Bee,” and welcome. Angela Li did the sweet-as-honey illustrations; Rima Fakih Slaiby and Theresa Alhayek wrote the rhyming picture book, which is pretty fun and bounces along. (Flamingo Books/Penguin Random House; on the shelves Feb. 25, 2025; ages 4-8; $18.99.) Buzzy Bee and his best friend Bumble are ready for the race, but a little apprehensive, too. His dad comes along with encouraging words: “Buzzy was excited for the race ahead but also nervous, so his daddy said, ‘Please be patient, little bee. Bee-lieve, and try your best bravely! Many things won’t go your way, but you can try again each day.‘”

• “Astronaut Hayley’s Brave Adventure” is the story of Ms. Hayley Arceneaux, who wrote her autobiographical story of 1) being a survivor of pediatric cancer and 2) becoming the youngest American to orbit Earth and oh, man. What an inspiring story! (Convergent Books; scheduled for release Feb. 18, 2025; all ages; $13.99.) Be sure to read the bios in the back about Arceneaux and illustrator Lucie Bee. She is a picture book illustrator residing in Yorkshire, Northern England. She works digitally, mostly, but “occasionally returns to her much-loved black tin of watercolors and box of colored pencils.” I love that. The art is bold and lifts the reader right up into space, with our characters.

• Time for one more, Eliza Kinkz’s “!Mistaco!” which is a very goofy and fun picture book — in Spanglish, my specialty — about making mistakes… and fixing them… and learning from them. What do you do when you have a rotten day at school, then all you want to do is hide in the car, but hello/goodbye bees, noooooo bees, go away, and… Then you end up having to help make the tortillas. Yeah. It’s a lot. The art, the story, the Spanglish, the great family and Izzy, a very funny and striking young hero — this gem has it all. (I love that it’s scheduled for publication on April Fools’ Day this year, thank you, Kokila/Penguin Random House for having a great sense of humor. Ages 4-8, $18.99, buy 2 or 4 copies, keep one and give the rest away as gifts. That’s what I say about all of these titles, come to think of it. Wonderful crop of books.)

The pick of the week is… all of them. It’s a great collection. Big high-five to “Fierce Aunties” and “Mistaco,” love you lots.

Disclaimer: All of the books included in today’s post were sent to me free for review purposes. Disclaimer here. See you next time!

WM