Summer 2026 Featured Reads: Kids Picks

Sep 21, 2026 - Waterloo Public Library
Featured Reads

These picks for young readers feature picturebooks, fiction, and nonfiction to spark curiosity and imagination.

Picturebooks

The Outermost Mouse
Lauren Wolk
The Very Noisy House
Sally Nicholls & Gosia Herba
Watermelon Pool
Bonsoir Lune; illustrated by Bonsoir Lune
Odds and Ends
Maija Hurme; illustrated by Maija Hurme
Spendin' Time
Gary R. Gray Jr.; illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell
Incredibly Fast and Not at All Fun
Tadgh Bentley
Ritu in the Sun
Moniza Hossain; illustrated by Mercè López
The Dumped Truck
Daniel Bernstrom; illustrated by Marcelo Verdad
Do You Really Know Flamingos?
Brandon Todd
A Fish Like Me
Jamie Sumner; illustrated by Devon Holzwarth

Fiction

Inbetweens
Faith Erin Hicks
Roar
Varsha Bajaj
Styx and Stones
Gary D. Schmidt & Ron Koertge
Squalo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa: A Graphic Novel
Kara Bodegón-Hikino
The Second Life of Snap
Erin Entrada Kelly
Casting April
Wendy Lu
Opting Out
Maia Kobabe
The Book of Jupiter
Robin Stevenson
Friend Group
Lisa Greenwald
The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James
Mike Dawson
The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy
Angela Cervantes
The Case of the Pilfered Pearls
Margi Preus

Non-Fiction

I Am Not Boring: The True-life Story of a Log
Lena Podesta
Bollywood Beat!
Anita Yasuda; illustrated by Devika Oza
How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the-Pooh
Annette Bay Pimentel; pictures by Faith Pray
Chopsticks Are
Chloe Ito Ward; illustrations by Lynn Scurfield
Buzz: A Family Guide to Bugs and Bees How To Spot Them
Richard "Bugman" Jones; illustrated by Sara Boccaccini Meadows
Get connected!: The Story of Communication From Hieroglyphics to Body Language
Kay Barnham; illustrated by Emans
A Forest Begins Anew
Louise M. Aamodt ; illustrated by Elly MacKay
Reaching Across the Sky: A Celebration of Bridges
Christy Hale
Waterloo Public Library

WPL’s Check It Out blog is your go-to destination for all things literary, curated with care by your trusted library staff. With insightful book reviews, reading suggestions, helpful resources and more, we’re here to inspire and guide you on your journey through all that the library has to offer.