MacMillan

This Duck and That Duck are trying to make sense of their Big Puddle and the ever-changing world around them. And we can’t help but root for them as they learn to swim (“‘How do you know?’ That Duck asked. ‘It just feels like swimming,’ This Duck answered.”) and dip and dunk, and then to run and hop and fly. Once the restless itching sets in, they know it’s time to fly South, wherever that is. By paying attention to others that are “Like us, only not us,” these two duck friends do so much more than just waddle in a line. A kindhearted ode to figuring things out. Ages 3–7. - Michelle

Good friends—a frog, a porcupine, and a skunk—go fishing (or at least they call it that) in one of these sweet short stories from award-winning picture book writer and artist Philip Stead. Emotional, sensitive creatures populate this lovely, slower-paced world, which is imbued with a gentle humor. If you liked Frog and Toad, these charming tales will make you feel right at home. Ages 3–7. - Tera

In the joyous woods where a crumbled-down house hides, a pair of inquisitive children explore and imagine who might have lived there. This picture book is the best kind of read-aloud, casting a spell with its playful, rhythmic text, while the pictures reveal one enchanted scene after another. I thoroughly enjoy this book, and I always want to turn back to the beginning once I get to the end. The depth of feeling is rich. Highly recommended. Ages 4–8. - Tera

Two really funny books about a boy and girl who are befriended and aided by extra-ordinary companions. (One is an anthropomorphic inkblot. The other is a clever, sweet, green-hued, demigod-like well-dweller—in a chicken suit.) Heartwarming and zany, with great artwork. For kids who found Wild Robot irresistible. Grades 3–6. - Ga

A little bit spooky, this dark fairy tale merges with contemporary life in a provocative, original take on fairyland. From Brooklyn to the Hinterland, Alice races to stay one step ahead of the malevolent, seductive, otherworldly forces that know her name a little too well. You think you’ve read enough fairy-tale remixes, but this one is worth staying home and curling up under the covers for. Ages 13 and up. - Tera

Everything about this cookbook is beautiful, from the photography to the writing. Whether about the showstopping Tahcheen-E-Morgh (Baked Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken) topped with barberries and pistachios or the everyday Masst-O-Khiar (Yogurt Cucumber), Deravian’s descriptions of the aromas and flavors of her family’s Persian food make these recipes irresistible. Prepare to be seduced. - S.B.

Yeoman warder Christopher Skaife describes himself as being ornithivorous in relation to his job, inhaling all that there is about ravens, no matter the area of study (science, mythology, art, etc.). And while he covers some of those topics in this book, it’s his personal stories that kept me reading late into the night. Skaife’s voice will rumble in your head and you’ll feel like you’re just swapping stories over a pint with a friend. - Rachel

“How do we find meaning in our actions when the world seems to be coming to an end?” asks Jonathan Franzen in the opening essay of his new collection. It’s no secret that Franzen is a bird lover, and The End is largely concerned with the plight of birds. But even as he convincingly details birds’ worth and wonder, he also writes of the deeply confounding tension between climate change’s looming results and the maddening lack of preservation of specific systems right now. Luckily, the pleasures of reading Franzen’s essays make dipping into this fraught subject feel like a rich necessity, with intelligence, humility, and even optimism winning out. - Chorel

Don’t miss our event with Jonathan Franzen on November 29th.

A fun, fast-paced action thriller featuring a snarky math superhero who has some serious character flaws. Cas Russell is good at math, so good that she intuitively performs vector calculus at lightning speed, allowing her to dodge both incoming fists and bullets. She’s a mercenary “retrieval expert” with ambiguous morals, available for hire in Los Angeles, and her latest job is proving to be much more challenging and dangerous than she anticipated. - Trey

Sharon Bolton’s latest gothic-tinged crime fiction The Craftsman is set at the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, where the UK’s largest witch trial was held. Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady attends the funeral of a child murderer whom she arrested 30 years before, only to find evidence all these years later that the case isn’t closed after all. This promises to be a twisty, chilling read, perfect for the colder, darker nights. - Ilana