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School and Library Spotlight
 Back-to-School Books for Fall 2025 Though summer has only just started, teachers and librarians are already hard at work preparing for the new academic year. We’ve gathered a list of some back-to-school stories to help kids transition into the classroom. more   Educators Model Handwriting’s Effects on Literacy, Learning, and Life Something happens in the brain when you put pen to paper. PW spoke with three educators who are integrating handwriting activities to boost their readers’ penmanship and literacy skills—and discovered a few surprises along the way. more Obituary
 Katie CunninghamChildren’s book publisher Katie Cunningham, known as a visionary editor with a keen eye for new talent who championed inclusivity and representation in the projects she took on, died on July 4 at her home in Hudson, Mass., following complications from ovarian cancer. She was 43. Cunningham spent 20 years at Candlewick Press, and in March was named publisher at Nosy Crow Inc. more On the Scene
 Children's Books at ALA: A Photo Essay Librarians and publishers gathered in Philadelphia for this year’s American Library Association annual meeting, held June 26–30, where dozens of authors and illustrators were also in attendance, meeting librarians, speaking on panels, accepting awards, and signing copies of their books. Click through for our extensive photo highlights from the conference. more In the News
 Mellon Foundation Appoints Carla Hayden as Senior Fellow The Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropic supporter of the arts, has announced the appointment of Dr. Carla Hayden as a senior fellow. The former Librarian of Congress will pursue scholarship, writing, and research projects while also serving as a strategic partner and counsel, working in collaboration with Foundation leadership and staff, advising on opportunities to support and advance libraries, archives, and other organizations in the public knowledge ecosystem. MORE Q & A
 Gus GordonVeteran illustrator Gus Gordon makes his solo graphic novel debut with the middle grade comic Into the Bewilderness, featuring guitar-playing brown bear Luis and his grumpy best pal Pablo, a mole. When Luis wins two tickets to attend a play in the Big City, the friends leave their idyllic forest behind on their journey toward the sprawling metropolis. Gordon spoke with us about his love of opposites, and the changes he’s experienced over his 30-year career. Q: What was behind Luis and Pablo's Odd Couple vibe? A: I love contrasts in storytelling, and not just visually, because obviously Luis is a big bear, and Pablo is a little mole. I decided to have their personalities be just as contrasting as their sizes. On one hand, you’ve got Luis, who’s very childlike and curious, whereas Pablo is cynical and cantankerous. It’s much easier to write dialogue for characters when they are so different, because they set each other off. more
Rights Report
 Sara Schonfeld at HarperTeen has acquired North American rights to Cara Stout's Fairytale in Progress series. The first book, Enchanted to Meet You, is a romance in which a teen gets cast as a princess at Fairytale Gardens, with the mission to expose potential fraudulent activities, with only one problem—she has to ignore the sparks that fly with the handsome casted prince, who also happens to be the owner's son. The books were originally published in the U.K.; book one will publish in winter 2026, and book two, A Knight Before Christmas, will publish in spring 2026. Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal.   Vanessa Aguirre at Wednesday Books has bought, in an exclusive submission, Until the Last Light Goes Out by Courtney Gould (What the Woods Took), a YA horror pitched as a "Miami Gothic" where in order to save her best friend, the daughter of an infamous massacre survivor must go into the abandoned, neon-lit island resort where her mother's high school classmates were murdered, only to discover something far more sinister lying in wait. Publication is set for fall 2026; Claire Friedman and Jessica Mileo at InkWell Management did the two-book deal for North American rights.  Katherine Jacobs at Blink has acquired Beyond the Dust by Schneider Family Award Honoree Alison Gervais. In this dual-narrative YA novel, a teen girl interning in a Colorado history museum finds herself experiencing the deadliest labor strike in American history through the eyes of a Hungarian girl with whom she feels a mysterious artistic connection. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; Shannon Hassan at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.  Stacy Whitman at Lee & Low/Tu Books has bought North American Spanish and English rights to Dream Away the Night by Amparo Ortiz (l.), illustrated by Karen De La Vega, a YA graphic novel retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream set in Puerto Rico, revolving around a secret supernatural school in El Yunque National Forest, and the characters' adventures in the forest one magical night. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency represented the author, and Sol Salinas at Astound US represented the illustrator.  Maya Marlette at Scholastic has bought Sylvia Liu's Friends Furever, a middle grade novel in which a pug and a French Bulldog scheme to "parent trap" their owners to become besties again, while the girls navigate new interests and friends in sixth grade. Publication is set for fall 2026; Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.  Celia Lee at Simon & Schuster has acquired Loops by Geisel Honor author-illustrator Jashar Awan, a picture book about the perseverance and positive self-talk needed to learn to tie your shoelaces, and be a big kid. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Erica Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio negotiated the deal for world English rights.  Kelly Barrales-Saylor at Ten Speed Young Readers has bought world rights to Cassandra Berger's The Little Polka Dot, a debut picture book about a polka dot who embraces their differences and does their own thing. Publication is planned for 2026, with a second book to follow in 2027; Kevin O’Connor at O'Connor Literary Agency brokered the deal.  Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has acquired The God of Sleep, a bedtime picture book by Lev Grossman (l.), illustrated by Huỳnh Kim Liên, which takes readers on a journey to find the elusive god of sleep, who is needed to bring a sound slumber to the world. Publication is slated for winter 2026; Janine Kamouh at WME sold North American rights for the author, and Kate Webber at Good Illustration Limited sold world rights for the artist.  Simon Boughton at Norton Young Readers has bought world rights to Picadillo for Paulina, a picture book by mother-son writing duo Newbery Honor author Ruth Behar (l.) and Gabriel Frye-Behar (c.), illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina (r.). Young Paulina's decision to become a vegetarian is met with skepticism by her meat-based picadillo-loving grandparents, until just maybe a creative new recipe can please the entire clan. Publication is set for summer 2026; Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Birch Path Literary represented the authors, and Claire Morance at Painted Words represented the illustrator.  Lauri Hornik at Penguin/Rocky Pond has acquired world rights to The Missing Piece, a humorous picture book about a boy searching for the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle and the cat who's trying to help, by Timmy Woitas (l.), illustrated by Bats Langley. Publication is scheduled for summer 2027; Amy Stern at Sheldon Fogelman Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.  Matt Phipps at Putnam has bought Shelly and Claude by Leslie Helakoski (l.), illustrated by Alex Willmore, a picture book about an odd-couple pair of ghost crabs—one a homebody and introvert, the other outgoing to a fault—who learn the value of being good neighbors despite their differences. Publication is slated for spring 2028; Garrett Alwert at Emerald City Literary represented the author, and Nicky Lander at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
 Dinky the TinysaurMaggie Edkins Willis. Beach Lane, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66595-796-0 When the young, pale-skinned protagonists of this digitally illustrated comedy by Edkins Willis lobby their parents for “an itty-bitty, travel-sized, cute-as-a-button TINYSAUR,” the ask seems nigh impossible. But readers soon discover that the family lives in a community where pet dinosaurs are the norm, and an adopt-a-saurus event yields the perfect petite prehistoric pet—a green T-rex-like dino, whom they name Dinky and who is small enough to balance on a fingertip. more  A Lost CauseFelicita Sala. Abrams, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4197-6691-6 Pablo the pig, a “scatterbrain” in his mother’s words, manages to lose all manner of objects: a new backpack, the shoes off his feet, and perennially left-behind stuffie Mr. Crunch. Tired of going above and beyond to retrieve Pablo’s belongings, Mom and Dad lay down the law: “You will have to look for things all by yourself.” But this tough love doesn’t register with the distractible Pablo until his room’s chaotic clutter stands between him and a fitting show-and-tell item. more  The Bionic BoyLynn Plourde. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-593-11137-6 Fifth grader Benji Ames-Cyr especially dislikes the stares and comments he gets when people notice he “was born without hands.” Though he tries to emulate the can-do attitude of his favorite superheroes, he often feels like the opposite of super, particularly because he can’t hold the hand of his spirited seven-year-old sister Becka. Then Benji attends a speech by staff sergeant Dirk Snyder, a quadruple amputee who uses a prosthetic arm and legs following an IED explosion. Benji resolves to become more like Snyder, who was “greater than any superhero I’d ever seen before.” more   Dear JackieJessixa Bagley, illus. by Aaron Bagley. Simon & Schuster, $24.99 hardcover (288p) ISBN 978-1-5344-9658-3; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-5344-9657-6 Childhood best friends Jackie and Milo are dreading entering middle school, and once the school year begins, Jackie struggles to maintain their dynamic as Milo opts to bond with his new soccer teammates. Jackie endures cruel critiques from her peers about her appearance. She resolves to give herself a makeover for picture day, but when students ridicule her visible body hair—and Milo joins in the jeering—things begin to go downhill for the once-close besties. more  Confessions from the Group ChatJodi Meadows. Holiday House, $18.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-823461-22-6 When eighth grader Virginia Vaughn’s pals tease her about an encounter with her crush Grayson—a social pariah among her classmates—she vehemently defends herself, leading to a friendship-ending blowout between Virginia and her three besties. The next day, screenshots of the mean things she’s said about fellow students in her friends’ group chat are posted online. Feeling isolated, the 13-year-old attempts to befriend Grayson while also seeking refuge in an anonymous texting friendship with someone known only as Knight Errant, with whom she connected via a wrong number message. more  ShowstopperLily Anderson. Holt, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-25037-039-6 This year is Afro-Boricua 17-year-old Faye’s final summer attending Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp with her closest friends. But the camp vibes go sour before the program can even begin when its director is found dead backstage at a previous job. Despite Faye’s suspicion that there’s something sinister at play—a feeling that’s exacerbated by the appearance of a mysterious figure wearing a commedia dell’arte mask—her fellow campers seem convinced that the situation is just a series of tragic events and theater pranks gone wrong. As the body count rises, Faye struggles to both ensure her and her friends’ safety and make it big in her final show. more |
July 8, 2025
  
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People Annette Kiesow has joined Random House Children's Books as photo editor, National Geographic Kids; most recently she was photo editor at Kiesow Photo Editing. Bestsellers  Children’s Frontlist Fiction#1 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. Click here  Picture Books#1 The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Click here Sneak Previews  Take a look ahead at some of the big titles for children and teens due out this fall, from picture books to YA novels, in our exclusive roundup. MORE Follow Us  Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram! Bookshelf Archives Looking for a previous issue of Children's Bookshelf? Click here for our archives page! CONTACT US
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Children's Bookshelf
Editors: Diane Roback and Emma Kantor Assistant Editor: Iyana Jones Digital Producer: Michael Seidlinger Send editorial questions about this e-newsletter to: childrensbooks@publishersweekly.com For additional assistance, contact us by email or at the address below. Copyright 2025, PWxyz, LLC. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and the PW Logo are trademarks of PWxyz, LLC. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. To view back issues of Children's Bookshelf, click here. You are receiving this email because npkvdejmf6@nie.podam.pl subscribed to one of Publishers Weekly's newsletters. If you are not npkvdejmf6@nie.podam.pl, then please disregard this message. Update your newsletter preferences here. PW takes spam very seriously. This email message meets all the requirements of the United States CAN-SPAM Act and Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). To remove yourself from the Children's Bookshelf email list, unsubscribe.  |
