Maria Modugno at Random House has acquired two picture books by Jory John (author of All My Friends Are Dead) and Bob Shea (Dinosaur vs. Bedtime) in a preempt. In the first book, called I Will Chomp You, a creature warns readers to stop reading or he will chomp them, as the reader discovers that the narrator's threats are an effort to protect his precious cakes. Publication is set for fall 2015; a companion volume is scheduled for fall 2016. Steve Malk of Writers House brokered the deal for world rights.
Alexandra Cooper at HarperCollins bought world English rights to Nantucket Blue author Leila Howland's middle-grade debut, called Forget-Me-Not Summer. It's the story of three sisters who leave L.A. to spend the summer at their aunt's rambling cottage on Cape Cod – where they must trade their separate bedrooms for a rustic attic, chic parties for clambakes, and smartphones for sailboats. Publication is slated for 2015; Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger did the three-book deal.
Erin Clarke at Knopf has bought Eat, Sleep, Poop: A Memoir (in Progress), a debut picture book by Alexandra Penfold, an agent at Upstart Crow and a former editor at Paula Wiseman Books at Simon & Schuster. In the book, a newborn recounts his rigorous daily schedule of... eating, sleeping, and pooping. Publication is set for spring 2015; Susan Ginsburg at Writers House brokered the deal for North American rights.
