 |
|||||
|
|||||
|
First Person
 Somali Author Shugri Salh on the Power of Words Shugri Salh is the author of the memoir The Last Nomad. Born in Somalia, she spent her early years living with her grandmother in the desert as a nomad. After civil war broke out in her home country, she emigrated to North America. Here, Salh reflects on her picture book debut, Suuban’s First Day, current events, and how words have the capacity both to heal and to harm. more  In the News
 James Daunt Sees a Bright Future for Barnes & Noble With more than 700 B&N outlets now open across the country, CEO James Daunt opines on the lifecycle of hardcovers, his commitment to stocking books from publishers of all sizes, and what lies ahead for the bookselling chain. more  Brown Bag Films Has New Leadership, MandateThe animation company, acquired by Scholastic as part of its purchase of 9 Story Media Group, plans to expand its reach beyond the preschool market to include new platforms and older audiences. Caitlin Friedman, formerly Scholastic Entertainment’s SVP and general manager, will oversee global production across Brown Bag’s studios. more
Q & A
 Robert Mgrdich ApelianDebut creator Robert Mgrdich Apelian serves up Fustuk, a YA graphic novel about food’s ability to foster connection. Seventeen-year-old Katah remembers little about his late father, an acclaimed chef in the Pars Empire. Recurring dreams of his father soon lead Katah to a powerful spirit named Az, who agrees to cure Katah’s gravely ill mother in exchange for a dish that is comparable to what Katah’s father once made. Apelian spoke about the feeling of being stuck in between cultures, and the stress of wanting to be perfect. Q: What research did you do to create the cultural signifiers used throughout the book? A: A lot of mythological references and cultural touchpoints like textures and fabrics were built off things from my own life. But of course, I wanted these things to have meaning and be accurate, so I did do a lot of research. It’s a bunch of things that maybe nobody will ever notice, but that I think are cool and add depth. more Out Next Week
 Hot Off the Presses: Week of January 19 Among the books hitting shelves next week are a picture book highlighting a ritual for natural hair, a middle grade novel about a tween discovering her royal ancestry, a YA mystery about exonerating a late Black teen, and more. more In Brief
 In Brief: January 15, 2026Recently an author discussed her latest middle grade novel in New York City, a cartoonist celebrated her picture debut with a school visit, and authors talked baseball during a stock signing. more
Rights Report
 Liz Kossnar at Little, Brown has acquired Christian Trimmer's YA debut, Grace at the End of the World, a road-trip story set during a zombie apocalypse, in which 19-year-old Grace, overcome with grief after the death of her last living relative, makes a rash decision: to go in search of her celebrity crush, pop star Harry Park. On the perilous road trip to California, she finds an unlikely best friend in Aidan and meets other survivors who show her that life is still worth fighting for. Publication is set for winter 2027; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group did the deal for North American rights.   Sydnee Monday at Kokila has bought debut novel-in-verse Girl Gods by National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree K-Ming Chang (Bestiary), in which two queer teen girls, propelled by rage and grief, make a deal with a Chinese sea goddess for the ability to project their consciousness into different bodies so that they might escape the cycle of reincarnation. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; Julia Kardon and Ellen Goff at HG Literary sold North American rights.  Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books has acquired, in a preempt, Cerulean by Sajni Patel (A Drop of Venom), a dark feminist YA reimagining of The Little Mermaid meets Pirates of the Caribbean, about a fierce Atlantean princess's high-stakes adventure across sea and land, alongside a ghostly pirate, to seek retribution on men who prey on sirens for their powers. Publication is slated for summer 2027; Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary Management sold North American rights.  Regan Winter at Disney-Hyperion has bought world rights to the Monster Middle School middle grade series by Brandon T. Snider (l.), illustrated by Scott Brown. Four kids learn that their boring middle school is actually a sentient monster that needs their help capturing another monster that has escaped into their town. Publication of the first book is planned for summer 2027; Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret represented the author, and Justin Rucker at Shannon Associates represented the illustrator in the two-book deal.  Nancy Siscoe at Knopf has acquired world English rights to The Seventeenth Quest by Elisabeth Kamakawiwoole, with black-and-white illustrations by Elise Hurst. In this debut middle grade novel with echoes of The Wild Robot and The Little Prince, a curious robot and a daring girl embark on an unforgettable quest and discover what it means to be human. Publication is set for fall 2026; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author, and Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House represented the illustrator.  Ruqayyah Daud at Little, Brown has bought, in an exclusive submission, The Unsung Hero of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman, set in the same world as her acclaimed middle grade animal fantasy, The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest. The novel follows a cowardly jackrabbit thrust into a race against impending doom in order to save the wandering souls he guides—and himself—from oblivion. Publication is scheduled for summer 2027; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary sold world English rights.  Krista Vitola at Simon & Schuster has acquired North American rights to The Witch at Bittersweet End by debut author Talia Military. In this spooky middle-grade story with horror and mystery elements, a girl moves to a sleepy small town and discovers it is hiding many dangerous secrets, aimed at fans of Small Spaces and The Bellwoods Game. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Gemma Cooper at Gemma Cooper Literary negotiated the two-book deal.  Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has bought, at auction, Henry Clark's middle grade novel Time Travelers Welcome, in which two siblings try to help their best friend overcome a tragic loss by playing a game where they have to figure out which of the guests at their family's B&B is a time-traveler in disguise. Publication is planned for spring 2028; Michelle Witte at Mansion Street Literary Management brokered the deal for world rights.  Emily Daluga at Chronicle has acquired world English rights to To Her Own Beat by Brinda Shah, a middle-grade novel-in-verse about Sumati, a Bharatanatyam dancer who is finding her voice and her confidence amid the fat-shaming she receives while preparing to perform at her sister's wedding and do a solo in her dance class. Publication is slated for spring 2027; Eric Smith while at P.S. Literary and David Gyulai at P.S. Literary handled the deal.  Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow Books has bought, at auction, No Room for Birds and a second untitled picture book by debut author Eloise Narrigan. Deep in the birch woods, Guin the Goat Witch does all her important witchy work all by herself, but soon she finds she is not alone in her tidy little hut. Some bird is trying to make itself at home on her shelf, but a spell for unwelcome birds should do just the trick… right? Publication is set for summer 2027; Alexandra Levick at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.  Martha Rago at Random House has acquired Tita Berredo's If You Try to Draw a Monkey, part of the Seuss Studios line of Beginner Books, inspired by selections from Dr. Seuss's archival sketches, and celebrating the joy and adventure of drawing one thing that becomes many others along the way. Maria Correa will edit; publication is scheduled for spring 2028. Sorche Fairbank at Fairbank Literary sold world English rights.  Christy Ottaviano at Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano Books has bought Snow Day with Daddy by Gina Perry. In this nod to Virginia Lee Burton's Katie and the Big Snow, puppy Marie is a hard worker and eager to help her dad snowplow their town. But before they can finish, an unexpected problem presents itself that will require help from others in their community. Publication is planned for winter 2028; Sean McCarthy at Sean McCarthy Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.  Mary Kate Castellani has acquired two author-illustrated picture books by Shadra Strickland, in an exclusive submission. Be Big is a chant that encourages girls to feel big within and out; Day Trip is a semi-autobiographical story celebrating the beauty of togetherness and quality time between a mother and daughter who try to escape the heat of a summer day. Publication is set for fall 2027 and 2028; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words sold world rights.  Samantha Swenson at Tundra Books has bought world rights to Pip the Little Seahorse by Emily Arrow (l.), illustrated by Ashlyn Anstee, a picture book about a seahorse named Pip whose squeak is too small to be heard amid the cacophony of the bigger, louder creatures in the ocean. Publication is slated for spring 2027; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Catherine Laudone at S&S/Beach Lane has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Rulers of the Deep Blue Sea by Tim McCanna (l.) (Cold), illustrated by Gavin Scott, a rhyming nonfiction picture book about great white sharks, orcas, and what happens when these two apex predators meet. Publication is scheduled for summer 2028; Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Nicky Lander at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.  Michael Yuen-Killick at Red Comet Press has bought world rights to A Gentle Light: The Story of Noor Inayat Khan by Shirin Shamsi (l.), illustrated by Tara Anand, a picture book biography about Noor Inayat Khan, the first female (and first Muslim) radio-operating British Special Operations Executive operating in France during World War II. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services represented the author, and Chad W. Beckerman at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.  Karen Boss at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to Hanging Out with Nani, a picture book poetry story by Geisel Honoree Vikram Madan (l.), and Cathleen Schaad has bought world rights to illustrations by Ishaa Lobo, in which a boy in a South Asian family bonds with his maternal grandmother when she comes from India to help with a new sibling. Publication is set for spring 2028; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Dena Neusner at Apples & Honey Press has bought world rights to Solly and the Elephant by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso (l.) (Regina Persisted), illustrated by Siona Benjamin, a picture book based on a Bene Israel folktale from 17th-century India about a young man whose kindness to an elephant saves his life. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; the author and illustrator represented themselves. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
  Robin and the StickE.B. Goodale. Abrams, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4197-8083-7 Little Robin, sporting a bright red hood from which a single curl peeks, always carries a stick. When a large branch falls across the sidewalk, Robin sees it as the ultimate prize, but it won’t budge, and Mama sets a firm boundary: “It’s only a stick if you can pick it up off the ground.” In comical but deeply empathic vignettes, Robin keeps on tackling the branch, and eventually succeeds—as the child becomes their biggest self yet, wanting becomes doing and the quarry becomes a stick. more  Books Good Enough for You: The Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom, Editor of Extraordinary Children’s BooksNancy Hudgins, illus. by Aura Lewis. Abrams, $19.99 (192p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7567-3 In this intriguing biography, debut author Hudgins pays tribute to acclaimed editor Ursula Nordstrom, who shaped 20th-century American children’s literature with her unwavering belief that kids’ books “should be realistic and authentic so readers could see themselves in the stories.” Insightful quotes from Nordstrom and delightful fine-line illustrations from Lewis pepper this enriching work, which also features sidebars offering practical writing tips and advice on how to “Be Like Ursula” for both young readers and aspiring authors. more  The Magic of Someday SoonMichelle Lee. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-374-39093-8 All her life, now-12-year-old Zoe has traveled with her widowed artist mother, but she has few memories of her father, who died when she was four. In Maravel, Fla., Teddy, also 12, yearns to preserve what’s left of her great-grandparents’ prehistoric theme park, Fossil Gardens. Posing as a city council member, Teddy reaches out to Zoe’s mom via email, commissioning the artist to restore Fossil Gardens’s two surviving statues. Hopeful that visiting her father’s hometown will help jog her memories of him, Zoe, pretending to be her mom, accepts Teddy’s invitation. more  The Oks Are Not OkGrace K. Shim. Kokila, $19.99 (352p) ISBN 979-8-217-00184-2 Korean American 17-year-old Elena Ok has carefully crafted her image to ensure she stays at the top of the Los Angeles social heirarchy. Meanwhile, her parents are focused on training her older brother Gavin to take over the family’s fast fashion brand. But when the business goes under seemingly overnight, the Oks leave their Calabasas mansion for a quaint house in Blaire, a “microscopic” farm town located in a National Radio Quiet Zone, which means no Wi-Fi, putting an indefinite hold on Elena’s career. It’s a culture shock for the siblings, who have only ever experienced a privileged upbringing. more  Bad Kid: My Life as a “Troubled Teen”Sofia Szamosi. Little, Brown Ink, $25.99 hardcover (392p); $18.99 paper ISBN 978-1-5235-2738-0; ISBN 978-1- 64375-197-9 Szamosi recalls her experience being labeled as a “troubled teen” during the early 2000s in this no-holds-barred graphic novel memoir. “When I was 13, I was sent away,” Szamosi begins, in a sequence that depicts her being awakened by her mother and two strange men, who corral the teen into a car and transport her to New Horizons, a long-term behavioral correctional facility in Virginia, and the first of several programs into which she would be enrolled. more |
January 15, 2026
 
E-mail not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
To Our Readers Because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, we won't have an issue of Children's Bookshelf next Tuesday. Look for our next issue on Thursday, January 22. People Random House Children's Books has four promotions. Lydia Gregovich has been promoted to editor at Delacorte Press, from associate editor. Estefania Valencia has been promoted to assistant editor, Random House Studio, from editorial assistant. Juliet Goodman has been promoted to senior designer, art/design, from designer. Jules Buckley has been promoted to junior designer, art/design, from design assistant. | ||||
