| Fountains, Flora, and Feeling Seen
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| Engimas await you in this month’s edition of Kids Kaleidoscope—below, find picture books with strange and surprising twists, a search-and-find about an unusual grandma, a nonfiction pick about disappearing plants, and other noteworthy children’s titles.
We also have a new collection of kid’s books in Spanish along with our new catalog, the latest reviews and accolades, and an introduction to the newest children’s press to join Consortium!
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Introducing Do Re Mi Books
Start date: June 1
We’re excited to welcome a new children’s press to our list, Do Re Mi Books! Read on to learn more about their books, and look for them in our Fall/Winter 2026–2027 catalog.
Do Re Mi Books is a children’s publisher based in London, UK, making playful, distinctive board books and picture books that celebrate the best in contemporary illustration. The Do Re Mi list includes translations of children’s books from around the world as well as electric, beautifully produced, child-focused originals. Do Re Mi is inspired by cute, weird, and funny stories and the charm and creativity of Japanese children’s publishing.
FEATURED TITLES:
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| | Toast
by Yu Akinaga
September 2026 • 9781917933018
The perfect size for little hands, this delightful toast-shaped board book is a playful introduction to the things we eat. Each spread features bright illustrations with toast toppings from around the world, fun characters, and a few surprises.
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This whimsical picture book is a forest fable about the magic of music, the warmth of friendship, and the small joys we cherish. Anna Haifisch is an internationally acclaimed graphic novelist and the artist behind a viral dog illustration, “Here’s the life I’ve always longed for.”
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K-Pop Witch Academy: A Trainee’s Dream launches a major new series guaranteed to captivate lovers of K-Pop Demon Hunters and Little Witch Academia. With over 50 pages of full-color chibi anime illustration, this fantasy adventure for middle-grade readers is a must-read for fans of manga, magic, and K-pop.
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The Fountain
by Lisa Loffredo
Transit Children's Editions • May 2026 • 9798893380897 • Ages 3-8 • iPage
One Tuesday morning, a yellow hat bobs to the surface of the town fountain. The next day, there’s a yellow drum. Then a yellow rocking horse, roller skates, cowboy boots, a garden gnome, things with moustaches. . . . One day, the Fountain vanishes—but its magic remains.
In a starred review, Publishers Weekly likens The Fountain to “The Magic Porridge Pot, Tove Jansson’s Finn Family Moomintroll, and Tomi Ungerer’s The Hat.” Kirkus Reviews adds, “Enigmatic yet utterly enticing—youngsters will have a ball,” while School Library Journal calls it “richly imaginative. . . . Filled with charm and gentle humor.” K–5 teacher-librarian Chrissy Wright (@librarychrissie) says, “This will be one of my favorite picture books of 2026. It packs whimsy, mystery, absurdity, and DELIGHT!”
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This beautifully illustrated title invites young readers to discover the incredible stories of thirty plants that once thrived and the urgent reasons they’re fading away. The book explores the silent disappearance of plant species due to climate change, deforestation, and urban expansion, but also offers a powerful call to action.
School Library Journal calls the book “an engaging introduction to paleobotany that will lead to further interest and research for elementary readers, with the author providing a helpful list of books and websites to cultivate more exploration on this topic.” Kirkus Reviews deems the book “quietly hopeful and illuminating.”
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One Person
by Wee Hae-June, illus. Yael Frankel
Blue Dot Kids Press • August 2026 • 9781736226421 • Ages 3-7 • iPage
All it takes is one person to stand by your side to make you feel seen. One Person explores the transformative power of kindness and how a single act can make someone feel valued and hopeful. Spare, poetic prose and subtle, poignant artwork tell a tale of the power of one person to hurt and heal, reject and welcome, and tear down and raise up.
School Library Journal calls One Person “touching” and “a lovely picture book for beginning a discussion about kindness and modeling the behavior we would like to see in others.”
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Grandma is very good at hiding, just like her pet chameleons. Join Ari on a hide-and-go-seek hunt for Grandma (and her pet chameleons) through the rooms of her amazing home. In this funny, interactive story, readers search and find Grandma on every spread and discover intriguing clues about her exciting life as a scientist, explorer and groovy grandparent.
“Kids will pore over each bustling, digitally illustrated spread as they seek evidence of Grandma’s presence,” says Kirkus Reviews. “For hours of diversion, seek out this tale of intergenerational bonding through play.”
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| | Los Muégano
by Jaque Jours
Transit Children's Editions • July 2026 • 9798893380279
★ “This funny and sweet picture book is inspired by the creator’s own real-life inseparable extended family. . . . Text and art adeptly work in tandem to visually show how Julia physically separates from her family in the text. A poignant illustration is the depiction of a broken plate with the family name, symbolizing how each member is a part of the family. This candy-sweet story about family bonds is an excellent addition to every Spanish-language collection.” — School Library Journal
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★ “A boy ignores warnings not to play near the beach in this bilingual story that draws upon Inuit lore. . . . The masterful, painterly art by Inuk illustrator Kyak-Monteith balances the bright white of the ice, the dark blue of the sea, and the emerging spring vegetation. Glimpses of houses and home interiors add to the sense of place, and the visual interpretation of the qallupilluit is distinct, memorable, and deliciously ghoulish. A striking story that steals the spotlight.” — Kirkus Reviews
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| | To the Last Gram
by Shreya Davies, illus. Vanessa Wong
Difference Engine • May 2026 • 9789819412174
“Davies’ poignant narrative finds resonating enhancement in Wong’s complementary illustrations, intimately capturing Divya’s journey in warm orange and brown tones. Wong’s sobering visuals (Divya's disordered eating traps her in an actual infinity loop) are balanced with deft humor (cereal pieces making perfect-10 dives into the milk). Gradually, purposefully, Divya discovers that life after anorexia can be ‘wonderful.’” — Booklist
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| | Once Upon a Pickup Time
by Johanna Lindemann, illus. Mareike Ammersken, trans. Christian Maclean
Floris Books • June 2026 • 9781782509578
“The unlined images evoke a sense of wonder. . . . The message is undeniably sweet and likely to stir readers who, like Ben, have complicated emotions around a parent who works long hours. . . . Inspired and soothing.” — Kirkus Reviews
“[A] relatable tale. . . . Energetic digital scenes with wash and pencil textures take readers along for the ride, depicting playground scenes and imagined visions of Dad at his supermarket job wielding a scanner against a rainbow of bar-coded monsters. Pickup time has rarely been so entertaining.” — Publishers Weekly
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New Collections: Music, Books in Spanish
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Catalog illustration by Yoshiko Hada from How to Be a Cat by Sam Voulters (Do Re Mi Books)
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| NEW: Consortium’s Fall/Winter 2026 Children’s Catalog
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Books for the CSLP Summer Reading Theme: Unearth a Story™
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