Fall always feels like a magical time, an opportunity for new beginnings. For bibliophiles, it’s a special time, too—it’s the season when scores of new titles are released. This year’s Fall Preview picture books are absolute treasures; below are a few I’m especially anticipating.

Several kid-lit giants return with can’t-miss new works. Caldecott honoree Brendan Wenzel’s Every Dreaming Creature (Little, Brown, Sept. 26) is a beautifully surreal lullaby in which a narrator imagines transforming into a series of animals, from a vibrantly hued salamander to a massive elephant. Sydney Smith’s Do You Remember? (Neal Porter/Holiday House, Oct. 3) tells the story of a parent and child adjusting to a new home after a big move; Smith once again demonstrates the keen emotional awareness that has long distinguished his work.

Jason Reynolds fans will be thrilled to learn he’s making his picture-book debut. In There Was a Party for Langston (Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum, Oct. 3), vividly illustrated by Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey, he lays down verse that’s more than worthy of his subject. Poet Langston Hughes’ words bounce across the page, as full of energy as the people who gathered in 1991 at the opening of an auditorium named for him at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center.

Those eager for more picture-book biographies should read Jyoti Rajan Gopal’s Desert Queen (Levine Querido, Oct. 3). Gopal’s spellbinding verse blends with Svabhu Kohli’s sumptuous artwork for the heartbreaking yet uplifting tale of Queen Harish, an Indian drag performer who persevered despite prejudice.

Several noteworthy books pay tribute to the ties that bind. In Kim Rogers’ A Letter for Bob (Heartdrum, Sept. 19), illustrated by Jonathan Nelson, a child bids farewell to the family car, now on its last legs. Anchored in everyday joys, this is a stirring ode to Indigenous family life. Reminiscences about a lost loved one also figure heavily in Xelena González’s tenderly told Remembering (Simon & Schuster, Aug. 29), illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, in which a Latine family honors a deceased pet.

On a lighter note, Frank Viva’s Gotta Go! Toon Level 2 (Toon Books/Astra Books for Young Readers, Sept. 5) is another reminder of the importance of family. When Owen has to pee now, it’s Grandpa who distracts the child with a series of hilarious dances. Viva’s inspired design results in a charming graphic novel for the youngest set.

Some of my favorite upcoming works plant seeds of social activism, like Amanda Gorman’s captivating Something, Someday (Viking, Sept. 26). Aware that many readers are upset about the state of the world, the national youth poet laureate urges them to be “a little hopeful” as well. Christian Robinson’s collage artwork depicts a group of children transforming a trash heap into a well-tended garden—a kid-friendly metaphor for the way a community can effect change. 

Readers seeking a role model will find one in Muslim athlete Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir. Her poignant picture-book autobiography, Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball (Kids Can, Sept. 5), co-written with Judith Henderson and illustrated by Katherine Ahmed, explains how her dreams of playing professionally were dashed when she was told she couldn’t wear her hijab on the court—a moment that spurred her to lobby for change. Margaret Chiu Greanias’ How This Book Got Red (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, Oct. 1), illustrated by Melissa Iwai, is set in a world dominated by black-and-white pandas. A red panda feels unseen and unheard—until she writes a book about red pandas.

Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.