Ladybug Nominee Profile

Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat (Dial Books, 2025)

Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish?

1) They spend all their time in the water where we can’t see them.
2) Some are as big as a bus—that is not okay.
3) We don't know what they're teaching in their "schools."
4) They are likely plotting our doom.

This nature-guide-gone-wrong is a hilarious, off-the-rails exploration of the seemingly innocent animals that live in the water.

About Neil Sharpson

Neil Sharpson lives in Dublin with his wife and their two children. Having written for theater since his teens, Neil transitioned to writing novels in 2017, adapting his play The Caspian Sea into When The Sparrow Falls. A huge fan of animation, Neil writes Unshaved Mouse, a comedic review blog mostly focusing on animated film and comic book movies. His website is: https://unshavedmouse.com/

About Dan Santat

Dan Santat is the National Book Award-winning, Caldecott Medal–winning, and New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and the road trip/time travel adventure Are We There Yet? His artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, including Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta series. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and many, many pets. His website is: https://sites.google.com/g.risd.org/dansantat/home

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud with the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq5p9R1FVWI
• Here's an interview with Dan Santat, illustrator of "Don't Trust Fish": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZS6SmqNRsg
• Check out these activity sheets with facts about fish: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Fish-Facts-Coloring-Pages.pdf 
• Writing exercise: Have students write a funny paragraph convincing others why fish cannot be trusted based on the book's silly premise.
• Here's a link to free fish coloring pages: https://mondaymandala.com/fish-coloring-pages/

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Swimming Creatures at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/02/ladybug-longlist-swimming-creatures.html 
• Parrotfish Has a Superpower by Jill Esbaum, a 2025 Ladybug Longlist title and Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian and Tim Bowers, a 2011 Ladybug winning title are both fun books about fish that you can count on. 
• For more books written or illustrated by Dan Santat, consider Built to Last by Minh Lê and Dan Santat, a 2025 Ladybug Longlist title, A New Day by Brad Meltzer and Dan Santat, a 2024 Ladybug Longlist title and After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan Santat, a 2018 Ladybug Nominee Finalist. 

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

2026 National Book Festival & Great Reads Selections!

 The 2026 National Book Festival is Saturday, August 22, 2026!

Discover Great Reads from Great Places with the Roadmap to Reading at the 2026 Library of Congress National Book Festival! The 56 Affiliate Centers for the Book each selected one book for Young Readers and one for Adult Readers to celebrate the people and places around our nation. Visit each stop on the Roadmap to Reading in Hall D of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from 9 a.m-8 p.m.

For a link to the author lineup of more than 80 authors at the festival, click here.

The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library has selected the book, Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully as our 2026 selection for Young Readers. 

Mattie could make almost anything – toys, sleds, kites, and a foot warmer. When she was just twelve years old, Mattie designed a metal guard to prevent shuttles from shooting off textile looms and injuring workers at the mills in Manchester, New Hampshire. Later, as an adult at the Columbia Paper Bag Company in Springfield, Massachusetts, Mattie invented the machine that makes the square-bottom paper bags we still use today. Over the course of her life, Marvelous Mattie earned the title of "the Lady Edison." This is the incredible story of the first woman to receive a U.S. patent.

The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library has selected the book, Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving as our 2026 selection for Adult Readers.

In 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging and sawmill settlement in northern New Hampshire, an anxious twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable’s girlfriend for a bear. Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, forced to run from Coos County—to Boston, to southern Vermont, to Toronto—pursued by the implacable constable. Their lone protector is a fiercely libertarian logger, once a river driver, who befriends them. In a story spanning five decades, Last Night in Twisted River depicts the recent half-century in the United States as “a living replica of Coos County, where lethal hatreds were generally permitted to run their course.” --Publisher’s blurb

Book of the Week (8/3/2026)

The Old Scarecrow by Tabatha Jean D'Agata (Hb Publishing House, 2025)

Farmer Fred faces a tough choice. His old scarecrow, Tom, has stood guard over the cornfield for years. But now, a relentless flock of crows threatens to devour his crops.

As the crows invade, Fred's bond with Tom is tested. It's not just about the corn; it's about tradition, loyalty, and what it means to protect.

Farmer Fred scratched his head as the crows swarmed the cornfield. Tom the scarecrow had been a loyal guardian for years. But with the corn disappearing faster than ever, Fred began to think it might be time for a change.

Will Goose, Cow, and a particularly shaggy Sheep (who desperately needs a shave) rally together to save their cherished scarecrow, Tom, from possible replacement?

However, help can often come in mysterious shapes and sizes.

Join Fred on this heartfelt journey. Will he choose practicality or sentiment? Dive into The Old Scarecrow and find out. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Tabatha Jean D’Agata is a writer who has authored several books for children. As a dedicated literacy columnist for the Parent Express Newspaper, she advocates for the importance of reading and writing in children's lives. D’Agata shares her love for writing by conducting workshops for children in schools and libraries, inspiring the next generation of storytellers. D’Agata resides in Hooksett, NH where she enjoys making memories with her family, tucking a penny in her shoe for good luck, sending wishes with dandelion fluff, and indulging in chocolate—because she believes chocolate fixes everything! 

Ladybug Nominee Profile

The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025)

Roz is not where she’s supposed to be.
 
You see, the robot wasn’t designed to live in the wilderness. But when she washes up on an island, she must learn from the animal inhabitants and adapt to her new, natural surroundings, and before long, the island begins to feel like home.
 
Filled with bestselling creator and award-winning artist Peter Brown’s stunning artwork, this moving picture book is the perfect gift for readers new to The Wild Robot or for longtime fans of the series that sparked a global phenomenon.

Note: This is NOT a continuation of the series. It is a picture book adaptation of the first book in the series, The Wild Robot.

About Peter Brown

Peter Brown is a writer and illustrator, known for his children's picture books. Brown was awarded the Caldecott Medal for his illustration of Creepy Carrots! Six books that he authored & illustrated have been New York Times bestsellers, including Children Make Terrible Pets, The Curious Garden, The Wild Robot, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, You Will Be My Friend!, and The Wild Robot Escapes. Peter lives in Maine with his wife, Susan (X. Fang), and their dog, Pam. His website is: https://www.peterbrownstudio.com/

Activities & Links

• Check out this animated Read aloud at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkjMO0ppSOY
• Here's an interview with Peter Brown about "The Wild Robot on the Island": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCpdGf4i-80
• Check out this activity kit for the animated film, "The Wild Robot" based off of the book series: https://www.dreamworks.com/downloads/WRB_Activity_Kit_HomeEnt_Complete.pdf 
• Design activity: Have students create a model of the island using text clues for the meadows, forests, and beaver pond.
• Here's a fun cut & color robot worksheet: https://rosiereader.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/robot-diy-rosie-reader.pdf

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Nature at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/02/ladybug-longlist-nature.html 
• Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex, a 2022 Ladybug Longlist title is another book about robots that you can count on. 
• For another book illustrated by Peter Brown, consider Creepy Carrots!, a 2013 Ladybug Nominee Finalist title. 

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

Ladybug Nominee Profile

Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World) by Corey R. Tabor (Greenwillow Books, 2025)

Cranky, crabby Crow does not want to play with Squirrel or do loop-de-loops with Hummingbird. He doesn’t have time for Rat or Bat. From high atop a telephone pole, Cat warns Crow that he will soon be all alone if he turns his friends away with his very cranky “kaw!” one more time. But, unbeknownst to all, Crow has bigger, world-saving fish to fry—he must protect planet Earth from an asteroid headed our way!

About Corey R. Tabor

Corey R. Tabor loves books. He especially loves picture books.
He is the author and illustrator of several award-winning books for children, including the Caldecott Honor-winning Mel Fell, the Geisel Award-winning Fox Has a Problem, Fox at Night, and Fox the Tiger, and the Sir Ladybug graphic novel series. Corey lives in Tacoma, Washington with his family and spends his time making pictures and stories. His website is: https://www.coreyrtabor.com/

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read aloud at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vkd2V2IV2c
• Here's a Q&A with Corey R. Tabor by Publisher's Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/97672-q-a-with-corey-r-tabor.html
• Check out National Geographic Kids' facts about the American Crow at: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/american-crow 
• Creative Writing exercise: Have children write a story imagining what their own favorite animal would do if they had a secret, world-saving job.
• Create a fun activity to decode the secret messages hidden in the book's end-papers.

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Flying Creatures at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/01/ladybug-longlist-flying-creatures.html 
• For more fun books about animals, consider Seals Are Jerks! by Jared Chapman, a 2025 Ladybug Longlist title, and I Am Not a Penguin by Liz Wong, a 2024 Ladybug Longlist title. 
• For more books by the author, check out Mel Fell, a 2022 Ladybug Nominee Finalist and Snail Crossing, a 2021 Ladybug Nominee Finalist. 

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

Ladybug Nominee Profile

Broken by X. Fang (Tundra Books, 2025)

When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama's favorite cup, she's convinced it's the end of the world. What if Ama is angry? What if she yells? What if she kicks Mei Mei out of her house? Mei Mei can't face it. But when Mimi, the innocent cat who witnesses her crime, ends up being blamed, the guilt is too much! Mimi's accusing eyes follow Mei Mei until she just can't take it anymore, and the truth comes spilling out.

With vibrant and moody cinematic illustrations and pitch-perfect pacing, X. Fang's newest picture book is filled to the brim with comedic drama and the comforting sweetness of a grandparent's forgiving hug.

About X. Fang

X. Fang is an award-winning illustrator and maker of books for young readers. She was born in Taiwan, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, bounced around Brooklyn and Philly before settling down in Midcoast Maine with her husband and son. Her website is: https://www.xfang.studio/

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdMqyegxiaw
• Here's an interview with X. Fang about "Broken": https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/03/13/broken-a-cover-reveal-and-conversation-with-x-fang/
• Reflection exercise: Ask children how Mei Mei might feel at different points in the story. Invite kids to share times when they made mistakes and how they handled them.
• Here's a fun Kintsugi activity for kids: https://rockyourhomeschool.net/resilience-activity/

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Emotions & Feelings at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/01/ladybug-longlist-emotions-feelings.html 
• For another book about honesty & apologies, consider I'm Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff and Julie Kwon, a 2025 Ladybug Nominee Finalist. 
• For another book by X. Fang, check out We Are Definitely Human, a 2025 Ladybug Nominee Finalist.
• For more books about family, consider My Dad is a Tree by Jon Agee, a 2024 Ladybug Longlist title, or We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens, a 2026 Ladybug Longlist title.

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

Ladybug Nominee Profile

If I Built a Town by Chris Van Dusen (Rocky Pond Books, 2025)

"My town will be swanky! My town will be swell!
My town will be prized as the best place to dwell!"

Jack has some great ideas for improving the community he lives in. And who better to describe them to than Mayor McKay! As they walk through the park together, Jack eagerly tells the mayor his plans for improving their town.

And what a town he has dreamed up! The zoo is packed with fantastic, Jurassic, and mythical creatures, the mail is delivered by super-fast hover vans, the health clinic travels right to your door, and a parade passes through each and every week. And don't forget the robots! All of Jack's plans include the most exciting and useful serving machines. But best of all, everything is free!

Jack's over-the-top creativity and infectious enthusiasm will inspire budding young inventors. It's a story time romp that you'll want to return to again and again.

About Chris Van Dusen

Chris Van Dusen was born in 1960 in Portland, Maine. He has been writing and illustrating books since 2000 when Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee was published. He lives on the coast of Maine with his wife Lori and a yellow lab named Opal. His website is: https://www.chrisvandusen.com

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud with the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll4z-AXOJPw
• Here's an interview with Chris Van Dusen & tour of his art studio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW9u0SbZrao
• Check out these activity sheets for the book: https://assetbucketpublic.7169.prh.com/9780/593/324/981/sales-assets/9780593324981_If%20I%20Built%20a%20Town%20Activity%20Sheets.pdf
• Map drawing exercise: Encourage students to draw a map of their own imagined town/city. Here's a link to some map ideas: https://www.treevalleyacademy.com/pirate-treasure-map/

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Imagination & Creativity at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/02/ladybug-longlist-imagination-creativity.html 
• For other books by Chris Van Dusen, check out Big Truck Little Island, a 2023 Ladybug Finalist, The Circus Ship, a 2010 Ladybug Finalist, and If I Built a House, the 2014 Ladybug winner.
• For other books about imagination, consider The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination by Brad Montague, Once Upon a Book by Grace Lin and Kate Messner or Treehouse Town by Gideon Sterer. 

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

Book of the Week (7/6/2026)

Ghost Chickens: Omelet from the Other Side by Adi Rule (Tundra Books, 2026)

After eating a glowing green egg, aspiring journalist Florence Fortescue can suddenly see that her house is overrun with ghost chickens in this delightfully bizarre and hilarious first book of a new early middle-grade series for readers aged 8 to 12!

Ten-year-old aspiring journalist Florence Fortescue did NOT want to move to the country, leaving her best friend and city life behind.

To make matters worse, Florence is shocked to discover a Minions-esque flock of ghost chickens running amok all over her new house — and her parents are oblivious! Clearly, Mom and Dad need to take their precious daughter back to the city RIGHT NOW. If only she could convince them . . .

Using her journalistic skills, Florence cooks up a sizzling exposé in her homemade newspaper: TERROR IN THE HAUNTED COOP! But when that plan fails, Florence has to enlist the help of her weird new neighbor, two bizarre dogs and maybe even the ghost chickens themselves! --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Adi Rule is the author of Nell and the Netherbeast, Why Would I Lie?, Hearts of Ice, as well as The Hidden Twin and Strange Sweet Song, which won the 2016 New Hampshire Writers' Project Literary Award for Outstanding Young Adult Book and the Vermont College of Fine Arts Houghton Mifflin/Clarion Prize. Adi is a member of the faculty of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing program at Lasell University. She lives in New Hampshire with two and a half warring cats, a macaw, a magician, and a small but mighty flock of chickens.

Ladybug Nominee Profile

Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe (A Paula Wiseman Book/Beach Lane Books, 2025)

Aggie is very excited to live on her own—until she finds out her new house is haunted. But no fear, the situation is nothing that can’t be fixed with a carefully considered list of rules: No haunting after dark. No stealing socks. No eating all the food.

But the ghost doesn’t like playing by the rules and challenges Aggie to an epic game of tic-tac-toe—winner gets the house.

About Matthew Forsythe

Matthew Forsythe is the award-winning author and illustrator of the books, Pokko and the Drum and MINA. 

He was also the lead designer on the animated show, Adventure Time at Cartoon Network, and the Oscar-nominated film, Robin Robin. He lives in Los Angeles. His website is: https://www.comingupforair.net/

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkwr9sC90z0
• Here's an interview with Matthew Forsythe about his artistic technique in illustrating his picture books: https://www.brushupmag.com/articles/interview-matthew-forsythe
• Check out these activity sheets for the book at: https://tinyurl.com/ycyzyt3a
• Here's a link to a printable ghost coloring sheet: https://www.firstpalette.com/pdf/ghost-large.pdf 
• Narrative writing exercise: While coloring their ghost sheets, encourage children to develop a ghost character by exploring its personality, appearance, and quirks. 

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Friendship & Cooperation at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/01/ladybug-longlist-friendship-cooperation.html 
• Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima, a 2023 Ladybug Finalist title, and There's a Ghost In This House by Oliver Jeffers are some other titles about ghosts. 
• For more books about friendship, consider The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen, a 2022 Ladybug Longlist title, or Norman Didn't Do It! (Yes, He Did.) by Ryan T. Higgins, a 2022 Ladybug Finalist title.

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

3 on a Theme: Numbers

 The Five Year Lie: A Domestic Thriller by Sarina Bowen

 Six Thousand Doughnuts by Thomas Tosi

 Twenty-Five to Life by R.W.W Greene 

Ladybug Nominee Profile

Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025)

A hilarious and thought-provoking picture book about two little cave rock formations who witness the entire history of the world.

DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.

Time flies for two charming little cave nubs, Stalactite and Stalagmite. Over millions of years, creatures and things pass in and out of their cave, everything from a trilobite, an ichthyostega, and a triceratops, to a ground sloth and a bat.

When you are an ageless rock formation, it’s nice to have a friend who’s always there. But what will happen when the two nubs grow enough to finally touch?

About Drew Beckmeyer 

Drew Beckmeyer received a Caldecott Honor for his picture book Stalactite & Stalagmite. He is an author-illustrator and schoolteacher based in Los Angeles. He is the author-illustrator of I Am a Tornado, The First Week of School, and The Long Island. He is the illustrator of Dear Wild Child. His website is: https://www.drewbeckmeyer.com/

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud & craft with the author/illustrator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZAO-fFRrsg
• Here's a video with Drew Beckmeyer about his research process in creating this book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E9LybaPooA
• Check out these activity sheets for the book: https://tinyurl.com/y3n4t26p
• Here's a guide to teaching environmental fiction & nonfiction: https://tinyurl.com/fpr7yr43
• Watch SciShow Kids' video about caves, stalactites & stalagmites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp-AGTtmjjA
• Check out Britannica Kids' webpage about geologic time: https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/geologic-time/390244
• Here's an interview with the author/illustrator about Stalactite & Stalagmite: https://jenabenton.com/2025/03/21/simply-7-with-drew-beckmeyer-stalactite-stalagmite/

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Nature at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/02/ladybug-longlist-nature.html
• I Am a Tornado, a 2024 Ladybug Nominee title is another book authored & illustrated by Drew Beckmeyer. 
• For more books about rocks, consider A Pocket Full of Rocks by Kristin Mahoney, a 2026 Ladybug Longlist title, Rick the Rock of Room 214 by Julie Falatko, a 2025 Ladybug Longlist title or When You Find the Right Rock by Mary Lyn Ray, a 2025 Ladybug Longlist title by a NH author/illustrator. 

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

Book of the Week (6/15/2026)

Dominic Bean and the Mammoth Melt by Emilie Christie Burack (Groundwood Books, 2026)

At first, twelve-year-old Dominic Bean is not happy when he and his sister are “dumped” with eccentric relatives on a New Hampshire cattle farm while their scientist parents work on a secret project in the Canadian Arctic. Coping with what he sees as parental abandonment, plus the pressure of bullies, schoolwork and wrangling Harriet (a stubborn pregnant Highlander cow with long, sharp horns) bring out the worst in Dom.

But the sleepy farm turns out to be full of surprises. A developer is trying to buy the Bean family land to build an Arctic-themed amusement park under a plastic dome. Dom’s nemesis at school, Edith, turns out to have a way with Harriet. And reading his dad’s old journal leads Dom to an ancient woolly mammoth tusk that his father once found in the farm’s bog.

Dom learns that his jam-making aunt and whiskey-distilling uncle are in fact in cahoots with his parents on a secret project in the old milking barn ― a project that, if successful, will “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth and possibly help save the planet.--Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Emilie Christie Burack's debut novel, The Runaway’s Gold, was a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a winner of the New England Book Festival. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in New Hampshire, where she is the co-founder of the New Hampshire Book Festival.

2026 Ladybug Voting Materials

The 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award Voting Materials are now available!

Voting materials, including picture ballots, paper tally sheets, as well as an online tally sheet, are available on the Ladybug web page, here.

We will be posting information about a different Ladybug nominee each Friday throughout the Summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day. A post about the first Ladybug nominee will go out on Friday, June 26, 2026 here on the Book Notes Blog.

New Hampshire children, from preschool to fourth grade, will select the winning picture book when they vote in November 2026. The deadline for sending in votes is Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 4:30 pm. 

2026 Great Stone Face Award winner!

Faker by Gordon Korman is the winner of this year's Great Stone Face Award with almost 400 votes!

"Trey knows how the trick works: His dad gets him into a school full of kids with rich parents. Trey makes friends, and his father makes connections. Soon, there’s the con, where Trey’s dad suckers the other parents into giving him money for one of his schemes. Once the money’s in the bank, Trey, his sister, and their dad go on the run … until they set up somewhere else and start again.

Trey believes his father when he says no one’s getting hurt. After all, these parents have money to spare. Still, Trey’s getting tired of running … and lying … and never having a friend longer than a few months. But how do you get your family to stop lying when your lives depend on it?" --Publisher's blurb

For more information about this award, visit: https://www.nhlibrarians.org/CLNH-Book-Awards

Book of the Week (4/27/2026)

My Sister, the Freak: A Graphic Novel by Dani Jones (HarperAlley, 2026)

From New York Times bestselling illustrator Dani Jones comes a heartfelt exploration of sisterhood, forgiveness, and outer space invasions.

Mary Seaver lives in her own world. It’s not her fault if sometimes her enthusiasm creates chaos. To Mary, that’s what being 10 years old and a huge science fiction fan is all about. Allison “Al” Seaver is Mary’s older sister—and she’s everything that Mary is not: cool, calm, collected, and super popular.

So it makes sense that when aliens invade their hometown of Pleasant Valley, Mary’s trying to warn everyone about the end of the world while Al’s just hoping it will all go away before the spring dance. But when a secret emerges from their family’s past, Mary and Al find themselves turning to their most unlikely ally: each other.

Dive into Dani Jones's debut original graphic novel, a hilariously tender investigation of sibling dynamics, aliens, and what it is that makes us human. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Dani Jones is an illustrator, artist, and writer based in New Hampshire. She is the creator of the children's book MONSTERS VS. KITTENS (Stan Lee's Kids Universe) and the comic MY SISTER THE FREAK. She loves to draw silly creatures, cute animals, and pictures for kids. Her hyper cat is named Charles and he loves to sit with her at her desk while she draws.

Book of the Week (4/20/2026)

Bonebag by E. M. Elliott and David Elliott (Astra Young Readers, 2026)

Trapped in a dark forest with his cold-hearted parents, Bonebag leads a cruel and isolated existence. However, he feels deep in his bones that things weren’t always this way: he has known happiness before. Why does it feel like it was in a past life?

When Bonebag discovers a locket that burns him to the touch, and a ghostly girl beckons him into the deep woods, he must grapple with the riddle of where he came from and how he came to be. Only then can he begin to rewrite his fate.

From New York Times bestselling author David Elliott and his son, E.M. Elliott, this powerful middle-grade fantasy will take readers on a quest that tackles the mystery of belonging with high-octane twists and turns along the way. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

David Elliott lives in New Hampshire with his wife and a Dandie Dinmont terrier. David is a New York Times bestselling author with over 35 published or soon-to-be published books to his name. These include, his provocative novels-in-verse Bull, and Voices, as well as many picture books and middle-grade novels. Bonebag is his first book to be co-written with his son, E.M. Elliott.

3 on a Theme: Sports

Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went From the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace

Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston Marathon by Kim Chaffee

Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird by Keith O'Brien  

Ladybug Finalists for 2026

Based on two rounds of voting by New Hampshire's library community, we have chosen The Ladybug Picture Book Award finalists for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award. New Hampshire children, from preschool to fourth grade, will select the winning picture book when they vote in November 2026. The deadline for sending in votes will be Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 11:30 pm. Voting materials will be posted on the Ladybug web page in June and a voting guide will be released around Labor Day. 

The 2026 nominees for the Ladybug Picture Book Award are: 

• Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe
• Broken by X. Fang
• Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World) by Corey R. Tabor
• The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho, Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Dan Santat
• Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat
• If I Built a Town by Chris Van Dusen
• The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood and LeUyen Pham 
• Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale From a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer
• The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown 

Ladybug 2026 Shortlist

The first round of Ladybug Picture Book Award voting closed earlier this week and we are ready to move on to round 2.

Eighty-five people weighed in on the long list of nominees and we have eliminated from consideration any title that did not get at least 7 votes. This left us with a shortlist of 18 titles from which NH librarians are invited to vote for the 9 titles that they think should be nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
 
The Final Round 2026 Ladybug Nomination Survey is now open and will remain open until Sunday, 3/22/2026.

PLEASE NOTE that you can only vote once from your device (phone, computer, whatever you use to browse the web) so don't preview the survey, as you will not be able to go back again to vote.

To help make sure as many people as possible in the NH library community have an opportunity to check out these books before voting for the final nominees, we have linked each of the titles below to a video of the book being read. We did not create any of these videos; they are from a variety of sources. Where there was a version available read by the author, we chose that, otherwise we chose the best depiction of the book that we could find.
 
2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award Shortlist:

Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe
The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake by Devin Elle Kurtz
Bear and the Three Goldilocks by Patrick Horn and Dan Yaccarino
Broken by X. Fang
Cat Nap by Brian Lies
Cranky, crabby crow (saves the world) by Corey R. Tabor
The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho, Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Dan Santat
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson  and Dan Santat
The Humble Pie by Jory John and Pete Oswald 
If I Built a Town by Chris Van Dusen
If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall
The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood and LeUyen Pham 
Never Give a Baby a Library Card by Erin Sandberg and Tom Booth
Old Blue is My Home by Lita Judge
Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird and Andrea Tsurumi
Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale From a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer
The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown
Zip Zap Wickety Wack: A Story About Sharing by Matthew Diffee

Book of the Week (2/23/2026)

Beatrix and the Unicorn by Lita Judge (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2026)

Inspired by the famous Unicorn Tapestries, acclaimed author-illustrator Lita Judge weaves together a beautiful picture book about a servant girl searching for a real unicorn—and with it, the promise of friendship.

Long ago and far away, a girl named Beatrix wakes each day to her chores in the castle. She serves the meals and scrubs the floors. And when no one is looking, she gazes at the tapestry of the unicorn in a garden. The unicorn is the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen, but it’s only made from thread. Beatrix knows if she could find the real unicorn, she would never feel lonely again, so late one evening, she gathers what she needs for a long journey and slips out into the night… --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Lita Judge is the award winning author and illustrator of 30 fiction and nonfiction books including The Wisdom of Trees. Her other picture books include Born in the Wild, Red Sled, Hoot and Peep, and One Thousand Tracings, winner of the International Reading Association Award and an ALA Notable Book. Her book, Flight School, was adapted into an off-Broadway musical and is currently running in New York and China. She lives in Peterborough, NH.