Lynne Polvino at Clarion Books has acquired Imagine, a picture book featuring the lyrics of John Lennon's iconic song and illustrated by Jean Jullien. The book follows a young pigeon on a journey to spread a message of peace and tolerance; it will be published in partnership with Amnesty International. The North American edition will launch simultaneously with the U.K. and Australia editions on September 21, 2017, the International Day of Peace, with more than 10 additional countries expected to publish in 2017. Rachel Williams at Frances Lincoln sold North American English-language rights.
Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has bought two YA novels by Wolf by Wolf author Ryan Graudin. The first book, Invictus, an SF novel with a historical twist, is described as Dr. Who meets Guardians of the Galaxy; the second book is currently untitled. Publication is planned for fall 2017 and fall 2018; Tracey Adams at Adams Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Robin Herrera at Oni Press has acquired world rights to the middle grade graphic novel Ghost Hog, written and illustrated by Eisner Award nominee Joey Weiser. The story follows Truff, a young boar killed by a hunter, as she navigates her new afterlife and tries to let go of her desire for revenge. Publication is slated for 2018; the author was unagented.
Jill Davis at HarperCollins has bought world English rights to Eric Barclay's Sheep Dog and Sheep Sheep. The book stars a sheep and a sheep dog, who form an unlikely friendship as the sheep tries to teach the sheep dog how to do its job. It's scheduled for fall 2018; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words brokered the two-book deal.
Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has acquired One Snowy Day, a picture book by Diana Murray (l.), illustrated by Diana Toledano, in which one playful puppy and two children go on a counting adventure. Publication is set for fall 2018, Brianne Johnson at Writers House represented the author and Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary represented the illustrator.
Julie Bliven at Charlesbridge has bought world rights to the nonfiction picture book Seashells: Not Just for Shelter, written by Melissa Stewart (l.) and illustrated by Sarah Brannen. It will explore the different ways seashells use their hard exterior for protection, feeding, stabilization, and more. Publication is scheduled for summer 2018. Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary represented the author and Steven Chudney of the Chudney Agency represented the illustrator.
T.S. Ferguson and Natashya Wilson at Harlequin Teen have acquired at auction Heroes actress Dana L. Davis's debut YA novel, Seven Days of Stone. It tells the story of a teen girl who, in the wake of her mother's death, travels from Chicago to Los Angeles to live with a father she has never known, and who may in fact not be her real father. Publication is planned for summer 2018; Uwe Stender at TriadaUS Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Katherine Perkins at Putnam has bought the next two YA historical novels from Stacey Lee (Under a Painted Sky). Dear Miss Sweetiefocuses on a Chinese teenager in 1890s Atlanta who moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a wildly popular newspaper advice column. When a black man is accused of assaulting a white woman, "Miss Sweetie" uses the power of her pen in an attempt to change the outcome of the trial. Publication is slated for 2018; Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary brokered the deal for North American rights.
Whitney Ross at Tor Teen has acquired two YA titles by Ann Aguirre. In Like Never and Always, a 17-year-old girl wakes in the hospital following a car crash that killed her best friend to discover everyone calling her by her dead friend's name, and when the bandages come off, it's not her face in the mirror anymore. The first book is scheduled for 2018, with the second to follow in 2019. Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights.
Alison Weiss at Sky Pony Press has bought Carrie Ann DiRisio's Brooding YA Hero's Guide to Achieving Main Character Status, a "self-help" guide and activity book that pokes fun at YA tropes, narrated by @BroodingYAHero from Twitter. Publication is set for spring 2017; Melissa Edwards at Stonesong negotiated the deal for world rights.
Jennifer Ung at Simon Pulse has acquired Crystal Chan's All That I Can Fix, about a teenager of mixed race whose world turns upside-down after his father's failed suicide attempt, only to flip again when a zoo of exotic animals is set loose nearby, causing news crews, gun control supporters, and gun rights advocates to descend on his small town. It is tentatively scheduled for summer 2018; Tina Wexler at ICM Partners sold North American rights.
Kate Egan at KCP Loft has bought Someday, Somewhere, a debut YA novel by Lindsay Champion, an editor at lifestyle website PureWow. Structured like a violin sonata and told from two perspectives, the story is set in New York City and explores how worlds collide after a chance encounter leads to a relationship based on lies between a rich but flawed teen violin prodigy and a girl from a tough New Jersey town who is transfixed by his performance at Carnegie Hall. Publication is planned for spring 2018; Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary brokered the deal for world English rights.
Andrea Pinkney at Scholastic has acquired National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine's middle grade novel The Incredible Magic of Being, about anxiety-ridden Julian, an amateur astronomer, whose belief that the magic of the universe can save us is discounted until his family moves to Maine and their new next-door neighbor becomes an unwitting accomplice in Julian's theories. It’s slated for fall 2017; Linda Pratt at the Wernick & Pratt Agency did the deal for North American rights.
Christy Ottaviano at Christy Ottaviano Books has bought Locked in Ice! Nansen's Daring Quest for the North Pole, a middle grade adventure biography of Fridtjof Nansen, the pioneer of polar exploration, with a focus on his harrowing three-year journey to the top of the world, written by Peter Lourie, author of Jack London and the Klondike Gold Rush. Publication is set for 2018; Susan Ramer at Don Congdon Associates negotiated the deal for world rights.
Liz Kossnar at Simon & Schuster has acquired world rights to the first three books in the Ada Lace chapter book series by Emily Calandrelli (l.), host of Xploration Outer Space and a correspondent on Bill Nye Saves the World, illustrated by Renée Kurilla, about Ada Lace, a third grader with a love for science and technology, and a nose for trouble. The first two, Ada Lace, On the Case and Ada Lace Sees Red, will publish simultaneously in fall 2017. Jennifer Keene at Octagon represented the author and Jennifer Rofé at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Arthur Levine at Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books has bought Saffron Ice Cream, Iranian illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh's first picture book as both author and illustrator. The book juxtaposes Kheiriyeh's trip to the beach on the Caspian Sea in Iran against her first trip to the beach on Coney Island in New York City, pointing out the similarities in sights and sounds as well as the differences. Publication is scheduled for 2018; Carrie Hannigan at Hannigan Salky Getzler sold world rights.
Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has acquired Elise Parsley's Neck & Neck, the picture book tale of a proud giraffe whose self-esteem is tested as he competes with a "long-necked" balloon for a child’s attention. Publication is scheduled for 2018; Steven Malk at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.
Neal Porter has bought As Warm as the Sun, a picture book by Kate and James McMullan, for his imprint at Roaring Brook Press. Their first collaboration since their I Stink! vehicle series, the book is a tribute to the couple's French bulldogs Toby and Pinkie, and a universal story of new friends and sibling rivalries. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties brokered the deal for North American rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired world rights to When Angels Sing by Michael Mahin (l.), to be illustrated by José Ramírez, a picture book biography of Carlos Santana, whose pioneering sound fuses American blues, rock, and jazz traditions with the sound and feel of Latin American and African music. Publication is tentatively set for fall 2018; Minju Chang at BookStop Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.
Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has bought world rights to Pope Francis: Builder of Bridges by Emma Otheguy, the first picture book biography of the religious leader, to be illustrated by Oliver Dominguez. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Adriana Domínguez of Full Circle Literary represented the author, and Abigail Samoun at Red Fox Literary represented the illustrator.
Laura Godwin at Laura Godwin Books has signed two picture books written by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Joey Chou. When The Snow Is Deeper Than Your Boots Are Tall presents a great, big snow day as experienced by a very young child;Group Hug tells of a forest of friendly animals who learn the contagious happiness that hugs can bring. Publication is planned for fall 2018 and winter 2019. Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author and Kirsten Hall of Catbird Productions represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee has acquired Snowball Moon by Fran Cannon Slayton (l.), to be illustrated by Tracy Bishop, about a night of snowy fun for neighborhood children when a full winter moon suddenly appears. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017. Linda Pratt of Wernick & Pratt Agency represented the author and Mela Bolinao of MB Artists represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
