Hold

Illustrated by Zeke Peña
Hardcover
$18.99 US
On sale Apr 21, 2026 | 40 Pages | 9780593856987

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A funny, heartwarming picture book about a father and his child's boundless curiosity that reminds us what's important to hold onto in life.

It's time to leave the house, but...where are the keys?? As Daddy rummages through the mess, he hands a water bottle to his toddler and says, "Hold, please." This accidental request turns into an adventure when the child decides holding is fun and wants to hold EVERYTHING!

Before long, the toddler has their arms full with their favorite stuffie, toy plane, even the family pet, and has set their sights on more ambitious items—the rain, a tree, and more—until it becomes too much to hold. Luckily, Daddy's always there to hold them.
© Author photo by Leopoldo Macaya
Randy Ribay is a Filipino American author of young adult fiction. His novel Patron Saints of Nothing was a finalist for the National Book Award and the LA Times Book Prize. Randy was also a contributor to the Printz Award–winning anthology The Collectors, edited by A. S. King. His other works include An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes, After the Shot Drops, and Chronicles of the Avatar: The Reckoning of Roku. Born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest, Randy currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, son, and cat-like dog. View titles by Randy Ribay
© Zeke Peña
Zeke Peña is a Xicano storyteller and professional doodler from El Paso, TX, the Sun City. Sundust, his author-illustrator debut, is a love poem to desert culture and people. Zeke received the Ezra Jack Keats and the Pura Belpré Illustration Honors for My Papi Has a Motorcycle and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for his illustrations in Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide. He also illustrated the New York Times bestseller Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel. He is currently drawing more books in his tiny studio in NW Arkansas. View titles by Zeke Peña

About

A funny, heartwarming picture book about a father and his child's boundless curiosity that reminds us what's important to hold onto in life.

It's time to leave the house, but...where are the keys?? As Daddy rummages through the mess, he hands a water bottle to his toddler and says, "Hold, please." This accidental request turns into an adventure when the child decides holding is fun and wants to hold EVERYTHING!

Before long, the toddler has their arms full with their favorite stuffie, toy plane, even the family pet, and has set their sights on more ambitious items—the rain, a tree, and more—until it becomes too much to hold. Luckily, Daddy's always there to hold them.

Author

© Author photo by Leopoldo Macaya
Randy Ribay is a Filipino American author of young adult fiction. His novel Patron Saints of Nothing was a finalist for the National Book Award and the LA Times Book Prize. Randy was also a contributor to the Printz Award–winning anthology The Collectors, edited by A. S. King. His other works include An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes, After the Shot Drops, and Chronicles of the Avatar: The Reckoning of Roku. Born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest, Randy currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, son, and cat-like dog. View titles by Randy Ribay
© Zeke Peña
Zeke Peña is a Xicano storyteller and professional doodler from El Paso, TX, the Sun City. Sundust, his author-illustrator debut, is a love poem to desert culture and people. Zeke received the Ezra Jack Keats and the Pura Belpré Illustration Honors for My Papi Has a Motorcycle and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for his illustrations in Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide. He also illustrated the New York Times bestseller Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel. He is currently drawing more books in his tiny studio in NW Arkansas. View titles by Zeke Peña

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