It’s Henry’s first day of school – he’s a little nervous so he wears his fish suit to help him feel brave. Join him as he realizes, little by little, that he can be brave all by himself – no fish suit required. Well, maybe one piece of it!

Also loved by Hannah P.!

Poor Joan is stuck in an inconvenient cone, but she still finds a way to bring joy and laughter to those around her!

Willow is scared of almost everything, but they love wildflowers! The only way to get to them is face their fears and go on an adventure. Will they be brave enough?

When Little Ghost goes into the world looking for his own place to haunt, they’re all occupied. This is a unique ghost story about sharing space and being kind.

Dare I say…my favorite picture book of the year? Atmospheric illustrations and rhythmic text harmoniously bring the rush of crashing waves and rumbling clouds to life as two siblings chase the magic of an incoming storm. It’s an ode both to the adventures and awes of exploring and to the warmth of coming home.

Your favorite artist’s favorite artist’s favorite little golden book.

Because all babies need/deserve to know words like “monogram,” “hors d’œuvre,” and “Rolls-Royce,” old sport.

A girl and her family move to the city where she feels she’s lost her wild, until she follows a bird to the wild spaces of the city. Beautiful illustrations highlight the character’s initial sadness and ultimate joy on her journey.

Aurora moved to the United States and learned how to speak English. Nena, her dog, did not. When they go out, Aurora teaches her new friends how to communicate with Nena, and that love and friendship is a universal language.

Aurora se mudó a los Estados Unidos y aprendió a hablar inglés. Sin embargo, su mascota Nena, no. Cuando salen a pasear, Aurora les enseña a sus amigos nuevos cómo comunicarse con Nena, y que el amor y la amistad son un idioma universal.

A girl is invited to ride horses with a friend. Her nervousness turns to delight. This book is a treat and informative because it also shows how to tack and take care of a horse.

Over the Garden Wall meets Scooby Doo – with trains! Marietta’s father was a detective looking for children who had gone missing in the mysterious woods outside their town. Now Marietta’s father is missing and it is up to her to solve the case!

I have no idea what Mousse is, but he is the absolute cutest and desperate for a vacation. Aren’t we all? So Mousse boards a train and heads south where he meets a host of odd characters and makes friends with other beach goers. This book is recently translated from French and sweetly celebrates life’s small moments.

A mother duck finds a strange egg in her nest and immediately accepts it as her own. When a fire breathing duckling hatches from the egg, he goes on a quest to find his place in the world, and ends up back at home, using his fire-breathing abilities to help those around him.

A strange new friend named Morel mysteriously comes to visit Casey, and his parents are instantly smitten: praising him, bending rules for him, favoring Morel over Casey, mistaking him for their own son? This unnatural encounter makes Casey question what is really happening, what is real, is he even himself anymore?! I loved this creepy, murky tale of invasion, replacement, and also, friendship.

Jazzy is a young witch who doesn’t like learning magic. After her first broom riding lesson goes poorly, she discovers her new secret passion: Bicycles! Unfortunately, Jazzy’s family run the local broom shop and want to teach her the business. What will Jazzy do?

It all starts with a painting, a bad bet, and a cursed dragon lord. Truyan’s forgeries have always been flawless until one lands her in a royal engagement. In this Beauty and the Beast–inspired fantasy, a con artist agrees to marry a man she’s never met to pull off the ultimate scam. But the price of failure is more than death — it’s everything.

Crack open this graphic novel and fall head first into the magical misadventures of Blue and her Raven Boys. Whether a long-time fan or a newbie to Maggie Stiefvater, any lover of magic and dark whimsy will devour this!

Also loved by Ester!

Edge. Of. My. SEAT. This was everything I needed to be yanked out of my reading slump—a thought-provoking sci-fi mystery, a suspenseful dystopian thriller, and a coming of age story at its core.

Suddenly a Murder captivated me so I was excited to read another mystery by Lauren Muñoz. Very Dangerous Things did not disappoint. The high school has a yearly murder mystery event to test the criminology students. Xavier is supposed to be the victim, only he ends up the real victim. It looks bad for Sierra, Xavier’s ex-girlfriend. She teams up with Xavier’s best friend Dulce to solve it. Secrets and suspects abound!

This quickly became a crowd favorite at Saturday Storytime and is now my go-to for a silly and engaging book to read aloud. (For best results, read it in your very best race car announcer voice.)

Story of an orphan girl who is a chimney sweep in Victorian London. Hard, dangerous work but she has a piece of coal that changes into a protective Golem. Fantasy and historical.

The Prison Healer was such a joy to read. I found myself constantly thinking about the characters whenever I wasn’t reading it, itching to get back to the story. The characters are believable and relatable and their stories had me choked up on multiple occasions. Absolutely unputdownable!

Sprout Book Club: August Selection

The August 2025 Sprout Book Club selection is Forts by Katie Venit and Kenard Pak. What is a fort? It can hide beneath a tree in the forest or perch high in the branches in your yard. It can be inside or out, a place for animals or people, a place for reading or cuddling with your cat. This delightful picture book is a bounty of creativity in nature and at home.

Early praise for the book:

“A childhood essential transformed into poetic beauty.” – Kirkus, starred review

Sprout Book Club is the book subscription box for picture book lovers. Every month members will receive a first edition picture book. Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite picture book lover for 3, 6, or 12 months. 

Spark Book Club: August Selection

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