Monthly Staff Picks | March, 2026

March is here! Spring is… thinking about it. And a new batch of Monthly Staff Picks are here at Little Village Toy & Book Shop!

Our Adult selection this month is a real treat for those looking for a Spring-time read, as Chloe Dalton’s acclaimed ‘Raising Hare’ is now in paperback. This nature memoir follows the author as she takes in a newborn hare she finds in the English countryside and is both a heartwarming tale of their relationship and how hares have been viewed across the history of art, literature, and folklore.

The sun shines. The temperature falls. Snowfall is in the forecast once again. And beloved author Kevin Henkes is asking ‘Is It Spring?’; this month’s Picture Book pick, full of colorful illustrations, is perfect for little ones looking to explore the signs as Spring slowly begins to show itself but Winter seems to want to stay.

For Middle Readers, and fans of all ages, our selection is ‘Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World ’- just in time to prepare for this month’s latest entry. From the world of the bestselling Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland comes this collection that sees the dragons of Pyrrhia and Pantala join forces to tell the histories of their tribes through all-new short stories, letters, songs, recipes and so much more. Featuring full-color maps and new illustrations throughout, this is a delightful expansion of the much loved fantasy series.

There be dragons in store for our YA readers this month, too. ‘A Language of Dragons’ by S.F. Williamson is our YA Pick this March; a thrilling alternate history fantasy set in 1920s London sees one young woman’s efforts to free a dragon ignite a civil war.

Visit us in store this March for 20% off all our Monthly Staff Picks, while supplies last!

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Monthly Staff Pick | February, 2026

February has arrived and with it a new selection of Monthly Staff Picks here at Little Village Toy & Book Shop!

For adults this month, we have ‘Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space’. This riveting history follows decades of spaceflight all leading to a moment-to-moment account of the 1986 tragedy that forever changed America.

‘Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee’ is our Picture Book selection this month and is a seasonal New England favorite. Author and Illustrator Chris Van Dusen’s Mr. Magee returns, with his pet dog Dee in tow, as he heads out to ski and slapstick hi-jinks ensue in this fun read aloud tale for all ages.

Our Young Adult pick this month is ‘Alanna: The First Adventure’, the first book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, by beloved fantasy author Tamora Pierce. This fantasy adventure classic follows Alanna as she finds a way to switch places with her brother and disguise herself in order to train as a page, all in the hopes of fulfilling her dream and setting her off on the road to knighthood.

And, releasing this Tuesday 2/3, for Middle Readers we have ‘The Lions’ Run’ from the award-winning Sara Pennypacker as our pick this month which is a thrilling historical WWII adventure of animals, friendship, and resistance!

Visit us this February for 20% off all of this month’s selections, while supplies last, and for so much more!

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New Releases | January 6th, 2026

• New Release List (Click to Expand)

  Activity Books

  • Where's Bluey? at Easter: A Search-And-Find Book

  Adult Fiction

  • Last Twilight in Paris (First Time Trade) - Jenoff, Pam (Author)

  • Meet the Newmans - Niven, Jennifer (Author)

  • The Pacifist - Bixby, Lyn (Author)

  • Skylark - McLain, Paula (Author)

  Board Books

  • The Goodnight Train Baby on Board - Sobel, June (Author), Huliska-Beith, Laura (Illustrator)

  • Bunny in the Middle - Denise, Anika A (Author), Denise, Christopher (Illustrator)

  • Your Truck: (A Board Book with Minimalist Illustrations That Explores Ownership, Imagination, and Perspective) - Klassen, Jon (Author), Klassen, Jon (Illustrator)

  • Like So - Forman, Ruth (Author), Figueroa, Raissa (Illustrator)

  • The Cat in the Hat's Super-Dee-Dooper Seek and Find!: With Over 100 Silly Things to Find (Dr. Seuss Seek and Find Board Books) - Random House (Author), Brannon, Tom (Illustrator)

  • Say Peekaboo! Chick's Easter Egg Hunt - Forni, Anne (Author), Braun, Sebastien (Illustrator)

  • Pop-Up Peekaboo!

  • Bluey: Where's the Easter Egg?: A Search-And-Find Book

  • There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover! - Colandro, Lucille (Author), Lee, Jared (Illustrator)

  • Leprechauns Everywhere! - Yav, Yuli (Author), Smietanka, Ela (Illustrator)

  Chapter Books

  • Sea Otter Sunrise (Magic Tree House 40) - Osborne, Mary Pope (Author), Ford, Ag (Illustrator)

  Children’s Reference

  • Zenguin - Smith, Danna (Author), Hanson, Sydney (Illustrator)

  Children’s Science & Nature

  • Explore the National Parks with Dr. Seuss's Lorax: A Dr. Seuss's the Lorax Nonfiction (Dr. Seuss's the Lorax Books) - Worth, Bonnie (Author), Ruiz, Aristides (Illustrator)

  Fun & Games Book

  • Mega Evolution Handbook (Pokémon)

  Graphic Novels

  • Pizza and Taco: Go Viral!: (A Graphic Novel) (Pizza and Taco) - Shaskan, Stephen (Author)

  Great Outdoors

  • The White Ladder: Triumph and Tragedy at the Dawn of Mountaineering - Light, Daniel (Author)

  History

  • Save Our Souls: The True Story of a Castaway Family, Treachery, and Murder - Pearl, Matthew (Author)

  • Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster - Soboroff, Jacob (Author)

  Just the Facts

  • Carlotta's Special Dress: How a Walk to School Changed Civil Rights History - Walls Lanier, Carlotta (Author), Frazier Page, Lisa (Author), Brantley-Newton, Vanessa (Illustrator)

  • Who Is Jenna Ortega? (Who HQ Now) - Anderson, Kirsten (Author), Who Hq (Author), Malan, David (Illustrator)

  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Picture Book Edition - Kamkwamba, William (Author), Mealer, Bryan (Author), Zunon, Elizabeth (Illustrator)

  Manga & Adult Graphic Novels

  • Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: DC Compact Comics (DC Compact Comics) - King, Tom (Author), Evely, Bilquis (Illustrator)

  Middle Readers

  • Magicalia: Thief of Shadows - Bell, Jennifer (Author)

  • Love Rolls in (Just Like Home, Book One) - Downing, Erin Soderberg (Author)

  • Kitten Delivery (Just Like Home, Book Two) - Downing, Erin Soderberg (Author)

  My First Readers

  • Big Dog and Little Dog: 5 Tales of Adventure: 5 My First I Can Reads in One! Big Dog and Little Dog, Big Dog and Little Dog Getting Trouble, Big Dog a (My First I Can Read #475) - Pilkey, Dav (Author), Pilkey, Dav (Illustrator)

  • Camping Trip! (Disney Stitch) (Step Into Reading)

  • Search for the Snowy Wolf (Minecraft) (Step Into Reading) - Shawish Dutka, Nada (Author), Batson, Alan (Illustrator)

  Mystery & Thriller

  • The Invisible Woman: A Thriller - Patterson, James (Author), DiLallo, Susan (Author)

  • The First Time I Saw Him - Dave, Laura (Author)

  Personal Growth

  • Penguin Select Classics: How to Win Friends and Influence People: (Original, Unabridged Classic, Premium Hardbound Collector's Edition, Ideal for Gift (1ST ed.) - Carnegie, Dale (Author)

  Picture Books

  • Momo Sees the Sea: A Seuss Studios Book (Beginner Books) - Dwivedi, Avani (Author)

  • There's a Shark in the Park! (Dr. Seuss's Red Fish, Blue Fish) (Little Golden Book)

  • I Am Maleficent (Disney Villains) (Little Golden Book) - Owens, Mary Ellen (Author), Érica, Nathanna (Illustrator)

  • Bored - Sala, Felicita (Author), Sala, Felicita (Illustrator)

  • Arctic Adventure: A Tundra Tale - Gopal, Jyoti Rajan (Author), Cook, Alexandra (Illustrator)

  • The Most Wonderful Gift in the World - Obradors, Mireia Olivé (Author), Wessex, Anastasia (Illustrator), Yuen-Killick, Angus (Translator)

  • A Book of Loves - Rylant, Cynthia (Author), Rylant, Cynthia (Illustrator)

  • The Wildest Thing - Martin, Emily Winfield (Author), Martin, Emily Winfield (Illustrator)

  • Happy Birthday, Wonderful You!: Encouraging Imaginative Play and Social Skills (Ms. Rachel): Includes 25 Stickers - MS Rachel (Author), Dong, Monique (Illustrator)

  • Mummy Pig's Baby Shower (Peppa Pig) (Little Golden Book)

  • If It Were My Birthday Party--By the Cat in the Hat (Beginner Books)

  • Dolly Parton Ultimate Fan Edition Little Golden Book Biography: 22 Bonus Pages! Stickers! (Little Golden Book Biographies) - Hopkinson, Deborah (Author), Dong, Monique (Illustrator)

  Political Sciences

  • The Storm Is Here: The Path to January Sixth - Mogelson, Luke (Author)

  • Storm at the Capitol: An Oral History of January 6th - Jalonick, Mary Clare (Author)

  Romance

  • Rings of Fate (Deluxe Limited Edition) - de la Cruz, Melissa (Author)

  Social Sciences

  • American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate - Lichtblau, Eric (Author)

  • The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality - Montell, Amanda (Author)

  Spinner Rack Books

  • Elmo's Cookie Challenge (Sesame Street) (Pictureback)

  • Peppa Pig: Big Brother George

  Young Adult

  • A War of Wyverns (Language of Dragons #2) - Williamson, S F (Author)

  • Dragon Cursed - Kova, Elise (Author)

  • My Throat an Open Grave - Bovalino, Tori (Author)

This Week’s Top 5 Picks

• Where's Bluey? at Easter: A Search-And-Find Book

  Celebrate Easter with Bluey, Bingo, and all their friends and family in this search-and-find activity book, based on the wildly successful animated series Bluey, as seen on Disney+!

  Hooray, it's Easter! The Heeler family has so many plans to celebrate. But with the chaos of the holidays, it's easy for things--and family members--to get lost. Help Bluey and her family search for painted eggs, baskets, sweet treats, and more in this colorful and exciting activity book that's perfect for celebrating Easter! Filled with fun surprises and an answer key in the back, this interactive seek-and-find is Easter fun the whole family can enjoy.

• The Invisible Woman: A Thriller

  From New York Times bestselling author​ James Patterson, an undercover FBI agent investigates a family with suspected ties to organized crime--by posing as their live-in nanny.

  No one sees her, but she sees everything. Elinor Gilbert was once a young woman with a thriving career at the FBI.

  Now decades past solving crimes with the bureau, she is personally and professionally forgettable.

  Which is exactly what her former FBI boss needs. He disguises Elinor as a middle-aged nanny, and casts her as an agent on the inside of his investigation into a New York art dealer suspected of ties to organized crime.

  But as Elinor pushes toward the truth, her superpower--anonymity--morphs into a fatal flaw.

  The more the invisible woman integrates into her "host" family, the more dangerously memorable she becomes.

• Save Our Souls: The True Story of a Castaway Family, Treachery, and Murder

  From the bestselling author of The Taking of Jemima Boone, the unbelievable true story of a real-life Swiss Family Robinson (and their dog) who faced sharks, shipwreck, and betrayal.

  On December 10, 1887, a shark fishing boat disappeared. On board the doomed vessel were the Walkers--the ship's captain Frederick, his wife Elizabeth, their three teenage sons, and their dog--along with the ship's crew. The family had spotted a promising fishing location when a terrible storm arose, splitting their vessel in two and leaving those onboard adrift on the perilous sea.

  When the castaways awoke the next morning, they discovered they had been washed ashore--on an island inhabited by a large but ragged and emaciated man who introduced himself as Hans. Hans appeared to have been there for a while and could quickly educate the Walkers and their crew on the island's resources. But Hans had a secret . . . and as the Walker family gradually came to learn more, what seemed like a stroke of luck to have the mysterious man's assistance became something ominous, something darker.

  Like David Grann and Stacy Schiff, Matthew Pearl unveils one of the most incredible yet little-known historical true stories, and the only known instance in history of an actual family of castaways. Save Our Souls asks us to consider who we might become if we found ourselves trapped on a deserted island.

• There's a Shark in the Park! (Dr. Seuss's Red Fish, Blue Fish) (Little Golden Book)

  Splash into a fun-filled adventure with Red and Blue! This adorable Little Golden Book, based on Netflix's new series Dr. Seuss's Red Fish, Blue Fish, teaches the littlest readers about opposites.

  Red Fish and Blue Fish drank tea in the park,

  But swimming nearby was an awfully big shark!

  Follow Red Fish and Blue Fish as they try to avoid a big, scary shark and learn along the way that he might not be so dangerous after all! This playful, rhyming Little Golden Book features a story from Netflix's preschool show Dr. Seuss's Red Fish, Blue Fish, based on the beloved Dr. Seuss classic One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

  Little ones will giggle while they learn that you should never judge others based on their looks!

• The First Time I Saw Him

  Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall's pulse-pounding journey in the riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Apple TV+ show, The Last Thing He Told Me.

  How far would you go for a second chance?

  Five years after her husband, Owen, disappeared, Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have settled into a new life in Southern California. Together, they've forged a relationship with Bailey's grandfather Nicholas and are putting the past behind them.

  But when Owen shows up at Hannah's new exhibition, she knows that she and Bailey are in danger again.

  Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up with them. As a thrilling drama unfolds, Hannah risks everything to get Bailey to safety--and finds there just might be a way back to Owen and their long-awaited second chance.

  A gripping, rich, and deeply moving novel about the power of forgiveness, The First Time I Saw Him picks up right where the epilogue for the "genuinely moving" ( The New York Times) The Last Thing He Told Me left off, giving readers the eagerly awaited and absolutely exhilarating sequel to Dave's global blockbuster.

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Monthly Staff Pick | January, 2026

To kick things off this January, our selection for adults is the fan-favorite and addictive ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ (now in paperback!); join Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive an intergalactic game show in this wildly fun adventure full of humor and heart.

For YA readers this month we are featuring ‘My Life with the Walter Boys’. The romance novel from Ali Novak that inspired the hit series, sees teenager Jackie move across the country following a tragic accident to live with the Walters… and their eleven sons and daughter.

We’ve got a Classic retold for Middle & Chapter Book Readers with ‘A Winter’s Tale (Peter Rabbit)’, this retelling of Beatrix Potter’s ‘The Tale of Mr. Tod’ follows beloved characters through the snowy woods in a perfect wintry read for all ages.

And speaking of wintry reads, ‘Frostfire’ is our Picture Book selection this month. This playful adventure from writer and illustrator Elly MacKay follows two fox sisters on a winter walk as they discover the magic in nature after hearing, what could only be, the roar of a snow dragon.

Visit us this January for 20% off all of this month’s selections, while supplies last, and start your year off with a great read!

New Releases | December 23rd, 2025

• Pop-Up Peekaboo! Tree (Pop-Up Peekaboo!)

  Watch a tiny seed grow into a leafy apple tree in this interactive pop-up book. Hands-on, tactile elements and delightful imagery will encourage the development of motor skills and early learning.

  Bold, brightly colored pictures, lift-the-flap pages, and entertaining rhymes bring Pop-Up Peekaboo! Tree to life, and provide lots of opportunities for parent-and-child interaction and hours of nature-themed fun. Learn all about trees and their lifecycles here!

  Babies and toddlers will love lifting the big flaps to find five peekaboo surprises pop up from the pages: a single shoot emerging from a tiny seed, a sapling growing roots under the ground where worms and beetles burrow, bugs and birds making homes in the leafy tree, flower buds bursting into bloom, and fuzzy fruit buds growing into crisp and juicy apples.

  Find out how trees grow and where apples come from in this board book that teaches your little ones about nature and wildlife.

  Inside the pages of this adventure pop-up book, you'll find:

  Hands-on play elements that build a wide range of learning skills.

  Look-and-find peekaboo games that reward curiosity.

  Rhythmic, read-aloud text that aids language development.

  Rounded edges and chunky board book pages, protecting babies and their growing teeth!

  This pop-up book has been designed as an all-round activity learning experience to get the most out of story time. Read aloud the lively rhymes that create the amusing story for your kids to follow, and play a guessing game of who is behind the flap! The rhymes and the easy-to-read text help little ones remember the new words they are learning for early language development.

  This interactive book for 2-year-olds helps teach young children object permanence, which is an important step in childhood development. Turning the pages and moving the pop-ups helps toddlers learn motor control for improved dexterity.

• H.P. Lovecraft's the Shadow Out of Time (Manga) (H.P. Lovecraft Manga) - Tanabe, Gou (Adapted by), Tanabe, Gou (Illustrator), Davisson, Zack (Translator)

  From the modern horror master Gou Tanabe, comes the manga adaptation of H.P Lovecraft's The Shadow Out of Time. First published in 1936 in the legendary pulp magazine Astounding Stories, this is the complete story in one volume with tip-in title page in metallic gold ink and eight pages in color!

  Professor Peaslee of Miskatonic University has been acting very strange--could he be out of his mind? No...his mind is out of him!

  Just because one lives in Arkham--just because one teaches there at Miskatonic University--it doesn't mean one has any interest in the occult--in the abnormal. That was always the view of Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee, a respectable professor of political economy. Until that one Thursday in 1908, when Professor Peaslee suddenly began to see in front of him not his students in their lecture hall, but strange shapes inhabiting a grotesque chamber. He collapsed unconscious, and when he awoke, he was strange...very strange.

  Seemingly unable to recall his identity, the mind inside the body of Nathaniel Peaslee was oddly uninterested in the person he had been. The psychologists were baffled as he sought not to recover his old memory, but to obsessively study the world around him, travelling to distant lands, reading occult books, disturbing others with his odd perspectives on time and existence. He alienated and frightened people--his friends, his wife, even most of his children, except for his youngest son, who believed that one day Nathaniel Peaslee would come back.

  And then, in 1913, Professor Peaslee did come back, with no memory of his strange sabbatical, but deeply disturbed by the dreams and visions it left him with. His search for the past five years gone missing from his life will lead Peaslee to other cases of lost identity resembling his...and eventually to an ancient city in the Australian desert--from where a long-vanished race still casts their shadow out of time.

• Absolute Flash Vol. 1: Of Two Worlds (Absolute Universe) - Lemire, Jeff (Author), Robles, Nick (Illustrator)

  Without the mentor, without the family, without the Speed Force, he's still the Absolute Scarlet Speedster! Superstar creators Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles are taking the Flash into the Absolute Universe with a top-to-bottom reinvention, perfect for new readers and longtime fans alike!

  An astonishing new version of DC's iconic characters is here! In the Absolute Universe, familiar heroes have been reinvented from the ground up with origin stories that completely reshape both their abilities and their circumstances but maintain the core characteristics that fans have known and loved for decades!

  Wally West's world has been turned upside down. Now quite literally on the run from the people he once trusted, he must navigate an impossible world full of dangers he never knew existed - and he must do so without the help and guidance of his former mentor.

  The Flash joins the Absolute Universe in a bold new take on the DC Universe's Scarlet Speedster, written by award-winning author Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), and illustrated by Nick Robles.

New Releases | December 16th, 2025

• New Release List (Click to Expand)

  Coloring Book

  • Where's Waldo? the Official Coloring Book (Where's Waldo?) - Handford, Martin (Author), Handford, Martin (Illustrator)

  Manga & Adult Graphic Novels

  • Batman and Robin: Year One - Waid, Mark (Author), Samnee, Chris (Illustrator)

  • Parasyte Paperback Collection 1 - Iwaaki, Hitoshi (Author)

  Mystery & Thriller

  • The #1 Lawyer: A Thriller - Patterson, James (Author), Allen, Nancy (Author)

• Where's Waldo? the Official Coloring Book

  Put your eagle eye to a new challenge in this official coloring book featuring iconic scenes from the globally best-selling Where's Waldo? adventures!

  Bring busy Where's Waldo? scenes to life by coloring them in and search as you go. What colors will you choose? Can you find Waldo and his lost pencils in every scene? (The hunt is even trickier in black and white!) When you reach the end of the book, read the checklists for even more things to find! Wow! With quality art paper, this book can be enjoyed by young and old artists alike! And it features over sixty pages to color that will take you on an adventure from the saloons of the Wild West to the bright lights of a Broadway stage.

• The #1 Lawyer: A Thriller

  Biloxi's best criminal defense attorney has never lost a case -- then his client's beautiful wife is murdered, and America's #1 lawyer suddenly becomes its #1 suspect in this thriller from the world's #1 bestselling author.

  Stafford Lee Penney is a small-town lawyer with a big-time reputation for winning every case he tries. In his sharp suits and polished Oxford shoes, Penney is Biloxi, Mississippi's #1 Lawyer and top local celebrity. Just as Penney notches his latest courtroom victory, his wife is scandalously killed. He spirals into a legal and personal losing streak, damaging his reputation and ruining his career.

  That's when Penney makes a bold decision. He stops trading on his power-lawyer identity and creates a new one: lawyer lifeguard. Moonlighting at the beach, showing up to court in flip-flops, mentoring a law student, the new Penney is at first unrecognizable.

  It's said that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. But when Penney is accused of murder, the #1 Lawyer will find a way to triumph.

• Batman and Robin: Year One

  Billionaire Bruce Wayne is grappling with his new role as guardian to orphaned Dick Grayson, while Batman faces the challenge of unleashing Robin on Gotham's ruthless underworld!

  Join superstars Mark Waid and Chris Samnee as they explore the earliest days of the Dynamic Duo!

  The early years of Batman and Robin were anything but smooth sailing. Join fan-favorite creative duo Mark Waid and Chris Samnee as they explore the first year of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson's partnership, both as a newly minted father and son in the eyes of the public and as the crime-fighting Batman and Robin to the criminal underworld of Gotham City! Dick may be capable and enthusiastic, but does he have what it takes to stand up against the deadliest costumed villains the city has to offer? And Batman may be prepared for anything--but is he prepared to be responsible for the life and safety of a teenage sidekick?

• Parasyte Paperback Collection 1

  Experience the immortal horror manga as it was originally meant to be read! For the first time in more than a decade, the Parasyte Paperback Collection pairs Hitoshi Iwaaki's original, black-and-white art with a revised translation and updated interior and cover design.

  Teenager Shinichi wakes up one night to discover a creature crawling under the skin of his right arm. This is a Parasite, a creature that takes control of a person's body and turns it into a shapeshifting monstrosity hungry for human flesh. Shinichi has managed to stop his parasite with a tourniquet, and as a result, it takes over only his arm, leaving two consciousnesses sharing one body and dependent on each other to survive. As parasites take control of more and more people, rumors spread of brutal murders committed by terrible abominations--heads splitting open to reveal mouths of sharp teeth, batlike wings erupting from backs, blades tearing through soft bellies. Only Shinichi knows for sure that these rumors are all true. But can he find a way to live without destroying everyone he cares about, much less save the rest of humanity?

  Complete in eight volumes, Parasyte Paperback Collection features the translation, lettering, and size of the recent, acclaimed hardcover Parasyte Full Color Collection. This timeless manga inspired the global smash hit anime Parasyte -the maxim- and the live-action TV drama from the director of Train to Busan, Parasyte: The Grey.

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