Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books has acquired Rules for Fake Girlfriends by Raegan Revord, actor on the TV series Young Sheldon, pitched as Anna and the French Kiss meets I Kissed Shara Wheeler, a YA rom-com about 18-year-old Avery Blackwell, who follows clues her mother left her before she died, clues that lead her to Brighton College in England and a chance meeting with a girl that leads to fake dating and maybe real love. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Rick Richter at Aevitas Creative Management brokered the two-book deal for North American rights.
Tiara Kittrell and Ruta Rimas at Putnam have bought, at auction, in a six-figure, two-book deal, The Freedom of Falling by Reese's Book Club LitUp Fellow Arriel Vinson. The debut contemporary YA novel-in-verse follows 16-year-old Jaelyn Coleman, who falls in love for the first time at her local, beloved roller-skating rink, just as news hits that it's shutting down amid her neighborhood quickly gentrifying. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025; Jodi Reamer at Writers House did the deal for North American rights.
Michelle Lee at Dial has acquired, at auction, Just Between Us, a YA graphic novel by Adeline Kon, pitched as Laura Dean meets Check, Please. Lydia, a star figure skater losing her passion for the sport, finds herself unexpectedly drawn to her rival on the ice in the high-pressure year leading up to the Olympics, in this queer coming of age story about first love, talent, and the golden dream. Publication is set for fall 2025; Tamara Kawar at DeFiore & Company sold world rights.
Andrea Colvin at Little, Brown has bought, in an exclusive submission, Middle School Monsters by Robin Easter (Upstaged), a middle-grade graphic novel about an awkward seventh grader's attempt to fit in at her new school, which is derailed by the fact that she's convinced she's a werewolf. Things go further awry when the class "weird girl" and self-proclaimed vampire decides to become her friend. Publication is planned for 2026; Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management sold world rights.
Julia McCarthy at Atheneum has acquired world rights to The Monarch by Kirsten Hall (l.). illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, creators of The Honeybee. The picture book celebrates the tenacity of the monarch butterfly and its wondrous migration cycle. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025; the author and illustrator represented themselves.
Frances Gilbert at Doubleday has bought world rights to Squash and Pumpkin: #SquashGoals by G.G. McQueen (l.), illustrated by Michael Slack. Squash is tired of all the attention Pumpkin gets each fall with pumpkin-spiced everything and creates a plan to become the hottest new gourd of the season. Publication is slated for summer 2025; John Cusick at Folio Literary Management represented the author, and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Sylvie Frank at Disney-Hyperion has acquired world rights to debut author Daniele Arndt's (l.) Pig & Skunk: Battle of the Stink and a follow-up title, illustrated by Abhi Alwar (Summer Is for Cousins), a picture book about best friends competing for the title of who is smelliest. Publication is set for spring 2027 and spring 2028; Jennifer Newens at Martin Literary Management represented the author, and Alexandra Levick at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books has bought world rights to two picture books by Torrey Maldonado (l.) that show how family isn't always blood-related. Uncle will be illustrated by Bea Jackson (c.) and publication is planned for fall 2025; Just Right will be illustrated by Teresa Martinez (r.) and publication is planned for spring 2026. Charlotte Sheedy at Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency represented Maldonado, Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented Jackson, and Aurora Barlam at Astound US represented Martinez.
Danielle Collins at S&S/Beach Lane Books has acquired world rights to two picture books by Rekha S. Rajan (l.) (This Is Music): That Swingin' Sound: The Musical Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, a dual picture book biography of the two jazz icons' paths to fame and eventual partnership, illustrated by Ken Daley (c.); and The Numbers Race, about female mathematician Shakuntala Devi who the world knew as "the human computer," illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat (r.). Publication is slated for fall 2025 and fall 2026, respectively; Lilly Ghahremani at Full Circle Literary represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrators.
Kate Prosswimmer at McElderry Books has bought world rights to Best Buds by Becky Scharnhorst (l.), illustrated by Jiarui Jiang. This picture book follows a boy who moves to a new town and has no trouble making friends... with plants. He amasses more and more leafy "friends," leaving the adults around him to wonder whether he might want a human friend. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025; James McGowan at BookEnds Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Kate Fletcher at Candlewick has acquired world rights to Sadia Heil's (l.) debut picture book, Baba's Car, about a girl who longs for a family adventure in her Baba's taxi, illustrated by Sarthak Sinha (Farah Loves Mangos). Publication is set for spring 2026; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary Studio represented the author, and Aliza R. Hoover at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Alyson Day at HarperCollins has bought world rights to My Melanin Is Music by Maisha Oso (l.), illustrated by Tatiana Gardel, which celebrates the symphony of shades in our skin tones as the sound of perfection. Publication is planned for winter 2026; Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author and illustrator.
Catherine Laudone at S&S/Paula Wiseman Books has acquired world rights to Wonderfully Wild by Jessica Stremer (l.) (Great Carrier Reef; Lights Out), illustrated by Josée Masse. Students' hearts shatter when an old willow tree falls during a storm. But when one student suggests growing a new tree, the class embarks on a wonderfully wild idea to rewild their entire campus. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Natascha Morris at Tobias Literary Agency represented the author, and Claire Morance at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Arthur A. Levine at Levine Querido has bought world rights to Mixed-Up Challahs by Rinat Hadad Siegel (l.), illustrated by Stacy Innerst, a picture book set in Libya, where Jewish women whisper poems and prayers into the challah they bake. When these challahs become mixed up in the communal oven, one bright girl comes up with the solution. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Tracey Adams at Adams Literary represented the author, and Hannah Mann at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Sunita Apte at Reycraft Books has acquired world English and Spanish rights to The Pone Pact by Neesa Bally (l.), illustrated by Daniel O'Brien, about a bunny who must come up with a sweet deal to get out of a sticky situation after swiping a tasty Trinidadian treat from an ocelot. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025; Lynnette Novak at the Seymour Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.
Elizabeth Schleisman at Beaming Books has bought world rights to Tree of the Year by Lisa Varchol Perron (l.), illustrated by Ahya Kim, a picture book about a young evergreen whose chances of being crowned this winter solstice's Tree of the Year are as small as her stature, but when she befriends an overlooked neighbor she wonders if they might reach new heights together. Publication is set for fall 2025; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Christina Doffing at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Sue Tarsky at Albert Whitman has acquired world rights to The Moon Lantern by Hà Dinh (l.), illustrated by Tiffany Chen. A boy always celebrates the Vietnamese Moon Festival with handcrafted star lanterns, but this year, he wants to do something different to show that a new twist on an old tradition can light up the celebrations. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Hannah VanVels Ausbury at Belcastro Agency represented the author, and Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Barb McNally at Sleeping Bear Press has bought world rights to This Sunday My Daddy Came to Church by Jeanine DeHoney (l.), illustrated by Courtney Lovett. After a boy wonders why his father doesn't go to church with him and his mother, he invites him and is surprised by his response. Publication is slated for fall 2025; the author represented herself, and Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Sarah Rockett at Sleeping Bear Press has acquired world rights to Seasons on the Farm by Chelsea Tornetto (l.), illustrated by Karen Bunting, a look at the rhythm of seasons on the farm. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025; Lisa Amstutz at Storm Literary represented the author, and Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau 2 represented the illustrator.
Nicole Fiorica at McElderry Books has bought world rights to When Science Stood Still by Shruthi Rao (l.), illustrated by Srinidhi Srinivasan in her U.S. debut, a nonfiction picture book of how Indian physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar discovered the science behind black holes despite resistance from Western scientists, in a two-book deal. Publication is set for fall 2025; Emily Forney at BookEnds represented the author, and Miranda Paul at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Brittany Rubiano at Disney Hyperion has signed, for the Melissa de la Cruz Studio, The Gobbling Goblins by Maika Llaneza, illustrated by Ara Villena, an energetic picture book inspired by Filipino mythology featuring trinket-stealing goblins who just might save the day. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Sara Crowe at Sara Crowe Literary represented the author for world rights, and the illustrator was unagented.
Cindy Kim at Scholastic has acquired rights to Dia de los Muertos by Lili Jimenez, a board book about a girl named Meli who prepares a festive Dia de los Muertos celebration for beloved family members who live on in her heart. Publication is planned for summer 2025; Lane Clarke at Ultra Literary represented the author while at ArtHouse Literary Agency.
Jessica Anderson at Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano Books has acquired, in a preempt, North American rights to Season of Fear by Emily Cooper, a dark YA fairy tale horror debut pitched for fans of The Hazel Wood and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, about a girl born without fear, set in a Bavarian-inspired forest where monsters feast on the fears of girls and women. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Chloe Seager at Madeleine Milburn sold North American rights.
Zareen Jaffery at Penguin/Kokila has bought a YA dystopian duology called Fledgling by Walter Dean Myers Honoree S.K. Ali. When Raisa, daughter of the guardian of Upper Earth, goes missing a week before her wedding to Lein, Crown Prince of Lower Earth, their carefully managed worlds are thrown from the brink of enlightenment to the chaos of war. Sara Crowe at Sara Crowe Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Fawn Lau at VIZ Media has acquired, in a three-book deal, in an exclusive submission, Courtney Wirthit's debut manga series Mannequin Pixie Dream Boy, about Binna, an aspiring fashion designer, who meets a handsome, enchanted mannequin who turns out to be a cursed 18th-century prince in need of true love's kiss to become human again. Publication of the first book is planned for 2025; Chelsea Eberly at Greenhouse Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Andrew Karre at Dutton has bought Mountain Upside Down, the middle grade debut of Sara Ryan, author of the YA novel Empress of the World. Life should be great for 13-year-old Alex since she finally worked up the courage to ask her best friend PJ if they could be girlfriends, but a series of unexpected disasters and discoveries throws everything—from Alex's new relationship status to the shape of her family—into turmoil. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret negotiated the deal for world rights.
Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has acquired, at auction, the first two books in Korobá, a middle grade graphic novel series written and illustrated by Àlàbá Ònájín (Waaa Waaa Goes Táwà). It's set in the floating fishing community of Makoko, known as the "Venice of Africa" where houses are on stilts and everyone travels by canoe—in which a 10-year-old and her two best friends are enmeshed in Encyclopedia Brown-style "whodunits" that young readers can solve alongside the protagonists. Book one is set for spring 2026 and book two for fall 2026; Gillian MacKenzie at Gillian MacKenzie Agency sold world rights.
Victoria Rock at Chronicle Books has bought world rights to Mousetache Moostache by Rowboat Watkins, a picture book romp of read-aloud wordplay and whimsical whiskers driving home the nonsensical idea that you can never have too many mustaches. Or can you? It's scheduled for spring 2026; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio brokered the deal.
Kelsey Skea at Amazon/Two Lions has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Guojing's picture book The Octopus, in which a girl rescues a tiny octopus, helps it find a new home, and comes to appreciate the ocean in a new way. Publication is planned for spring 2026; Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors sold world rights excluding east Asia.
Celia Lee at Simon & Schuster has bought Every Monday Mabel by author-illustrator Jashar Awan, in which every Monday, young Mabel drags her chair past her confused and disinterested family, out the front door, and waits for the best thing in the world: the garbage truck. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Erica Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Katharine Moore at National Geographic Kids has acquired world rights to Kelly Crull's picture book Chickosaurus. In this exploration of the relationship between a ferocious dinosaur and the humble chicken, readers watch a creature hatch from a mysterious egg, and the tension builds: is a dinosaur on the loose? Publication is set for fall 2025; Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Caitlyn Dlouhy at Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books has bought world rights to Stopping by Jungle on a Snowy Evening by Richard T. Morris (l.) illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch, a modern meta twist on Robert Frost’s classic poem, for late 2024 publication. Alice Tasman at Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency represented the author, and Marcia Wernick at Wernick & Pratt Agency represented the illustrator.
Andrea Posner-Sanchez at Golden Books has acquired world rights to Newbery Award Honoree Kyle Lukoff's (l.) My Little Golden Book About Pride, illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan, which invites readers to explore the history and traditions of Pride Day, how and why people celebrate, and the rights of all people to love whomever they choose to and to be accepted just as they are. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services represented the author, and Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Dana Chidiac at Henry Holt has bought world rights to Auntie's Baby by Breanna J. McDaniel (l.), illustrated by Savanna Durr. This picture book follows a child who loves being his Auntie's favorite. When Auntie has a baby of her own, he's not so sure he likes the new addition, until he realizes there is always enough love to go around. Publication is scheduled for winter 2026; Wendi Gu at GreenburgerKids represented the author, and Lillian Mazeika at Tugeau 2 represented the illustrator.
Carol Hinz at Lerner has acquired world rights to Let Them Fly! by Don Tate (l.) (Jerry Changed the Game), illustrated by David Cooper (Marcus Makes a Movie), a nonfiction picture book that tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Black meteorologists without whom the Airmen would not have been able to fly. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Rubin Pfeffer at Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the illustrator.
Rebecca Davis at Astra Young Readers has bought world rights to A Trip Back Home by Maria Marianayagam (l.), illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat. This picture book follows a girl who travels "back home" to Sri Lanka for the first time—and does not like it! In a world of squat toilets, humidity, and huts, nothing about her homeland feels like home... until her family shares a memory that changes everything. Publication is set for spring 2026; Alice Fugate at Joy Harris Literary Agency represented the author, and Alice Sutherland-Hawes at ASH Literary represented the illustrator.
Chris Krones at Clarion Books has acquired Under One Rainbow by Chris Ayala-Kronos (l.), illustrated by Sol Salinas, a picture book about Pride that follows a wide array of unique people parading through color-themed spreads featuring each hue of the all-inclusive Pride flag. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025; the author was unagented, and Alice Jin Zhang at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Brett Duquette at Little Bee Books has bought world rights to Karly Pierre's (l.) debut picture book Soggy Like Cush Cush, illustrated by Kristen Uroda, a celebration of Black Louisiana Creole culture and the loving relationship between a grandmother and grandchild. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Jazmia K. Young at Curtis Brown represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Karen Boss at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to A Flea for Justice: Marian Wright Edelman Stands Up for Change by Valerie Bolling (l.), illustrated by TeMika Grooms. The picture book introduces readers to the civil rights activist who wanted to make people itch—like a flea—to exact change, founded the Children's Defense Fund, and had a goal of making every child's life better. Publication is slated for fall 2025; James McGowan at BookEnds Literary represented the author, and Sarah Dillard at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Barb McNally at Sleeping Bear Press has bought world rights to Oh Deer! by Phaea Crede (l.), illustrated by Erica J. Chen. When a loner sasquatch's turnip garden is besieged by deer, he tries more and more wacky methods to keep his crops safe, until a lost fawn makes him rethink his solo ways and maybe even learn to share. Publication is set for spring 2025; Moe Ferrara at BookEnds Literary represented the author, and Becca Langton at Darley Anderson Illustration Agency represented the illustrator.
