Allyn Johnston at S&S/Beach Lane has acquired The Farmer and the Monkey and The Farmer and the Circus by Marla Frazee, two wordless picture books that will continue the story begun in Frazee's Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award-winning The Farmer and the Clown. Publication is scheduled for 2020 and 2021; Steven Malk at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.
Cheryl Klein at Scholastic/Levine has bought The Great Santa Stakeout, a picture book collaboration between librarian and blogger Betsy Bird, and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat. The story centers on Freddy Melcher, Santa's #1 fan, who will stop at nothing to get a picture with Santa on Christmas Eve, but outwitting the big man proves harder than he imagined. Publication is set for fall 2019; Kait Feldmann will edit. Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management represented the author, and Jodi Reamer at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Kendra Levin at Viking has acquired, in a preempt, Hannah and the Ramadan Gift by human rights activist and host of the @ResightIslam podcast Qasim Rashid. The picture book tells the story of Hannah, who comes to realize that though she may be too young to perform many of the rituals of Ramadan with the grownups in her family, her empathetic actions toward her friends reflect the true meaning of Ramadan. Aaliya Jaleel will illustrate; publication is slated in time for Ramadan 2021. Tanusri Prasanna at Foundry Literary + Media represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Kate Harrison at Dial has bought two picture books by Tiffany Stone, illustrated by Mike Lowery: the pun-filled Knot Cannot, in which a piece of rope envies the freedom and abilities of his friend Snake, until danger threatens and he learns the value in his own form, and a follow-up in the same vein, Wood Could. Publication of the first title is planned for spring 2020; Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the two-book deal for Stone at auction for world rights, and Susan McCabe at Lilla Rogers Studios represented Lowery.
Carol Hinz at Lerner/Millbrook has acquired world rights to A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson (l.), a poem that celebrates girls, ambition, and being true to oneself. Nina Crews will illustrate the picture book using photo collage; publication is scheduled for spring 2020. Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary represented the author, and Marietta Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Emma Ledbetter at Abrams has bought world rights to Skulls! author Blair Thornburgh's (l.) Second Banana, illustrated by Mae's First Day of School author-illustrator Kate Berube, about navigating the disappointment of being cast as second banana in the class play, figuratively or literally. Publication is set for fall 2020; Uwe Stender at Triada US Literary Agency represented the author, and Lori Kilkelly at LK Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Clarissa Wong at HarperCollins has acquired, in a preempt, debut author Joanna Ho Bradshaw's (l.) Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, a picture book in which a Chinese girl realizes that her eyes, like those of her mother, grandmother, and little sister, are beautiful and hold love, and stories of the past and the future. Dung Ho is set to illustrate. Publication is expected in winter 2021; Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author in the deal for world rights, and the illustrator represented herself.
Susan Kochan has bought world rights to The Treasure Boxby Dave Keane (Who Wants a Tortoise?), illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell, a picture book about a grandfather and grandchild's poignant ritual, and how that ritual must change after Grandpa's death. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Christy T. Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the artist.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has acquired world rights to We Are a Garden by Lisa Westberg Peters (l.), illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov, a picture book that illuminates the many immigrants who have made their homes in North America through the centuries. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Susan Cohen of Writers House represented the author, and Studio Goodwin Sturges represented the illustrator.
Erik Anderson at the University of Minnesota Press has bought Miriam Busch and Larry Day's Eleanor Wonders, a picture book about a beret-sporting elephant who adores sea creatures, but never imitates them quite well enough to satisfy herself. But when she mistakenly plummets into deep, scary water, she must summon what she's learned over the course of her "failed" adventures to rescue herself from a dicey situation. Publication is set for spring 2020; Hannah Mann at Writers House represented the author and the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
David Saylor at Scholastic Press has acquired a new picture book by Max Amato, author-illustrator of Perfect (spring 2019). Amato's new, as yet untitled book features two very competitive ice cream cones, each vying to be tastier and snazzier than the other. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Wendi Gu at Janklow & Nesbit brokered the deal for world rights.
Kristin Rens at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has bought, in a six-figure deal, Ember and the Ice Dragons and a second middle grade fantasy by Heather Fawcett, author of the Even the Darkest Stars series. Pitched as The Golden Compass meets The Last Unicorn, Ember tells the story of a 12-year-old dragon, transformed into a human girl by her adoptive magician father, who travels to Antarctica and joins an ice dragon hunt in order to sabotage it. Publication is slated for October 2019; Brianne Johnson at Writers House did the deal for world English rights.
Stephanie Pitts at Putnam has acquired, in a six-figure preempt, The Loose Ends List author Carrie Firestone's debut middle-grade novel, Dress Coded, about an eighth grader who starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion, while also dealing with changing friendships and her older brother's vaping addiction. Publication is planned for summer 2020; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has bought, in an exclusive submission, Pack of Dorks and The Reckless Club author Beth Vrabel's The Cub Report, in which a group of free press-loving middle-schoolers create their own newspaper when the town paper folds. Publication of book one is scheduled for spring 2020; Nicole Rescinitti at the Seymour Agency brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Miriam Newman at Candlewick has acquired The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins (The Turnaway Girls). The middle grade fantasy novel follows three sisters, cursed with insomnia and abandoned to the care of a magical mansion, who must unravel the mystery of their home's origins and their parents' disappearance when one of them falls ill. Publication is set for fall 2020; Patricia Nelson at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Whitney Leopard at Random House Graphic has bought Victoria Grace Elliott's middle-grade graphic novel Yummy in an exclusive submission. Peri is a food sprite who loves desserts and explores the history of everything from ice cream to cookies and other desserts from around the world. Publication is planned for 2021; Steven Salpeter at Curtis Brown sold world rights.
Clarissa Wong at HarperCollins has acquired, in a preempt, in a two-book deal, Cullen Bunn and Cat Farris’s The Ghoul Next Door, a middle grade graphic novel about an 11-year-old boy who befriends a ghoul after she helps him complete his history project—a model of a historic cemetery—but when she brings him home to meet the family, he is given a choice: become a ghoul himself by eating the dead, or death. Publication is slated for summer 2021 and summer 2022; Charlie Olsen at InkWell Management negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Candice Keimig at ABDO has bought world rights to the chapter book series Sylvie by debut author Ali Bovis (l.), illustrated by Jen Taylor. From a paint party for pets to a coastal cleanup, young aspiring activist Sylvie Schwartz has big plans to save the world, if only the world would stop getting in her way. Publication for the four books is set for spring 2020; the author represented herself, and Lucie Luddington at Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Chelsea Eberly at Random House has acquired debut author Kevin van Whye's Date Me, Bryson Keller! Everyone at Fairvale Academy knows of Bryson Keller's pledge: that for one week— Monday to Sunday— he will be the perfect boyfriend to the first person to ask him out, but when closeted Kai Sheridan asks him out, everything changes. This #OwnVoices YA romance featuring a biracial main character is pitched as an LGBTQ To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Publication is planned for summer 2020; Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic brokered the deal for world English rights.
Rosemary Brosnan at HarperCollins has acquired two new YA novels by Elizabeth Acevedo, author of the NBA and Printz Award winner The Poet X. The first, Clap When You Land, is a dual narrative novel in verse about two girls who learn of each other, and discover that they are half-sisters, after their father's death in a plane crash. The first book will publish in spring 2020; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for North American rights.
Kendra Levin at Viking has bought, at auction, Patrice Caldwell's YA speculative fiction anthology A Phoenix First Must Burn. The collection features stories centering Black girls and gender nonconforming teens by Elizabeth Acevedo, Amerie, Dhonielle Clayton, Jalissa Corrie, Somaiya Daud, Charlotte Davis, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Justina Ireland, Danny Lore, L.L. McKinney, Danielle Paige, Rebecca Roanhorse, Karen Strong, Ashley Woodfolk, and Ibi Zoboi. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Pete Knapp at Park Literary negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Jordan Brown at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has acquired a new novel by Elana K. Arnold, author of the 2019 Printz Honor-winning Damsel. Red Hood is a contemporary tale of terror about a girl who, upon each full moon, finds that with her menstrual blood comes the power to hunt men who take the form of wolves. Publication is scheduled for winter 2020; Rubin Pfeffer of Rubin Pfeffer Content did the deal for world English rights.
Farrin Jacobs and Lisa Yoskowitz at Little, Brown have bought world rights to Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad's (l.) The Proudest Blue, written with S.K. Ali and illustrated by Hatem Aly. It tells the story of two sisters on one's first day of hijab and the way this expression of faith deepens their bond and brings them new strength and pride. Publication is set for fall 2019; Greg Ferguson at Full Fathom Five represented Muhammad, John Cusick at Folio Jr. represented Ali, and Robbin Brosterman at the Bright Agency represented Aly.
Annie Berger from Sourcebooks Fire has acquired The Bone Witch trilogy author Rin Chupeco's Wicked as You Wish, the first book in the A Hundred Names for Magic series, set in a world where fairytales are part of history. The heroine, a girl descended from the Filipina heroine Maria Makiling, allies with the prince of Avalon to retake his kingdom from the Snow Queen after Avalon's most powerful weapon—a firebird—shows up on her doorstep. Publication is planned for 2020; Rebecca Podos at the Rees Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.
Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has bought Kalynn Bayron's Cinderella Is Dead, a YA fantasy in which queer black girls team up to overthrow the patriarchy in the former kingdom of Cinderella. Publication is slated for spring 2020, with a second untitled YA to follow in spring 2021; Jamie Vankirk at Rainbow Nerds Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen has acquired The Art of Losing author Lizzy Mason's next YA novel, Between the Bliss and Me, about the limits of the mental health system. It follows an 18-year-old girl who learns that her long-absent father has schizophrenia and is homeless, so she sets out to find him, and herself. Publication is scheduled for fall 2020; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management brokered the deal for world English rights.
Jennifer Ung at Simon Pulse has bought, in a six-figure auction, author Akemi Dawn Bowman's sci-fi debut, The Infinity Courts. Pitched as Warcross meets Black Mirror, the book follows a Japanese American teen who finds herself in Infinity, a world in which the human consciousness goes after death, where she battles an AI entity posing as a queen that's hacked its way into the afterlife with the plan to take over and control everything. Publication is set for spring 2021; Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management did the two-book deal for North American rights.
Whitney Leopard at Random House Graphic has acquired world rights to Jose Pimienta's YA graphic novel Suncatcher. The story, which began as a Kickstarter, follows Beatriz, a young musician growing up in Mexicali who learns that her grandfather's soul is trapped in his guitar; she goes on a journey to discover the truth about her grandfather's life while at the same time learning a few truths about herself. Publication is planned for 2021; Pimienta was unagented.
Sarah McCabe at Simon Pulse has bought Ashley Shuttleworth's debut YA urban fantasy, A Dark and Hollow Star, set in Toronto, in which a queer cast of characters—a half-Fae teenager, a temperamental ex-Fury, and a Fae prince—must track down a serial killer whose murders are threatening to expose the hidden faerie Courts to the human world. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Mandy Hubbard at Emerald City Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.
Jen Besser and Mekisha Telfer at Roaring Brook have acquired YA author Amanda Panitch's middle-grade debut, How Leah Nevins Built a Golem, about a Jewish girl who builds a golem to care for her ailing grandfather when he develops Alzheimer's, not realizing that golems always turn against their creators. Publication is scheduled for summer 2020; Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House brokered the two-book deal for North American rights.
Joan Powers at Candlewick has bought Jo Knowles's latest middle grade novel, Meant to Be, about nine-year-old Ivy, whose family has moved into temporary housing after losing their house to foreclosure. Ivy loves her new home, until one of her friends moves away unexpectedly, and Ivy and her friends learn that even though some changes are out of their control, they can control their friendship. Publication is set for spring 2020; Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary did the deal for world English rights.
Daniel Reynolds at Workman has acquired world English rights for songwriter and author-illustrator Sandra Boynton's board book Dinosnores, in a two-book deal. Boynton has been publishing with Workman for 37 years, for a combined total of 24.6 million books in print. Dinosnores shares the story of a group of very noisy dinosaurs who snore throughout the night. Publication is planned for fall 2019; the author was unagented.
Neal Porter at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has bought world rights to Golden Kite Award author Jessixa Bagley's (Boats for Papa) new picture book, Daisy, about a warthog who has trouble fitting in until she meets a like-minded friend. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Alexandra Penfold at Upstart Crow Literary brokered the deal.
Christy Ottaviano at Macmillan/Christy Ottaviano Books has bought world rights to a picture book biography of painter Andrew Wyeth by author-illustrator Gene Barretta. The book, planned for 2021, highlights Wyeth's experiences as a boy born into a family of talented artists living in an environment that inspired a legacy of masterworks. Lori Nowicki at Painted Words Agency represented the author.
Renee Hooker at Penguin Workshop has acquired art educator Jennifer Sendros-Keshka's (publishing under the name Jenny Pinkerton) picture books Play with Clay and Play with Paint, the first two books in a series that explores creativity, possibility and change through everyday art materials. Publication for the first book is scheduled for March 2020; Elizabeth Bennett at Transatlantic Agency did the deal for world rights.
Deirdre Jones at Little, Brown has acquired debut author-artist Chad Otis's Oliver the Curious Owl, the story of a little owl that wants to know more than just who, but also what, where, when, and why about the magical world we live in. Publication is slated for spring/summer 2020; Robin Rue at Writers House did the deal for world rights.
Rotem Moscovich at Disney Hyperion has bought North American rights to The Perfect Seat, a picture book collaboration between Minh Lê (l.) (Drawn Together), and Gus Gordon (Herman & Rosie). The picture book concerns a young moose and his Dad who are almost ready for story time but first need to find the perfect seat. Publication is set for November 2019; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management represented the author, and Charlie Olsen at InkWell Management represented the illustrator.
Janine O'Malley at FSG has acquired Jory John's (l.) This Book Will Put You to Sleep, to be illustrated by Olivier Tallec. The picture book, which makes a promise it doesn't come close to delivering on, is scheduled for publication in winter 2021. Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions did the deal for world rights.
Andrea Tompa at Candlewick has won at auction world rights to I'll Go and Come Back by Rajani LaRocca (l.), illustrated by Sara Palacios. A tribute to long-distance family relationships and cross-cultural connections, the story follows a girl on a trip to India. When she finds herself homesick, her grandmother knows the cure, and the girl knows just how to welcome her grandmother when she visits the U.S. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Brent Taylor at Triada US represented the author, and Kendra Marcus and Minju Chang at Bookstop Literary represented the illustrator.
Allison Moore at Bloomsbury has bought world rights to Dozens of Dachshunds, a counting story about dogs on parade featuring the beloved breed in an array of humorous costumes, by Stephanie Calmenson (l.) and illustrated by Zoe Persico. Publication is set for winter 2021; Susan Cohen at Writers House represented the author and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
