Dainese Santos at Simon & Schuster has acquired Meet Me on Love Street by Farah Heron (How to Win a Breakup). In this grumpy/sunshine YA romance, a teen trying to save her mother's flower shop from gentrification teams up with a city planning student to organize a love-themed festival to save their Toronto neighborhood before anyone else in their community is hurt, but may only end up hurting each other's hearts. Publication is set for summer 2025; Rachel Brooks at BookEnds Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Lauren Knowles at Page Street YA has bought These Stolen Words by Tori Bovalino, in which a ghost agrees to help the new girl in town get through high school and talk to her crush if she finds a way to escape the eldritch being who has been hunting him. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Amelia Appel and Uwe Stender at Triada US did the deal for world English rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired Caryl Lewis's YA novel, The Danger of Small Things. Set in a dystopian future where bees have died out and famines are rife, where traditional gender roles have re-emerged with force, and any mention of art, books, or plays is scarce, a 14-year-old girl discovers that brushes weren't just meant for pollinating, and that maybe with a paintbrush in hand she can stroke a revolution. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio sold North American rights on behalf of Anwen Hooson at Bird Literary Agency in the U.K.
Jessica Anderson at Little, Brown/Ottaviano has bought world rights to the young readers edition of Boarding School Seasons by Brenda Child, with contributions by Benay Bizhiw. This work of middle grade nonfiction, adapted by Child, follows Native American children and families as they lived through the U.S. residential schooling system in the first half of the 20th century. Publication is planned for winter 2026; the author and contributor represented themselves.
Rosemary Brosnan and Cynthia Leitich Smith at HarperCollins/Heartdrum have acquired I Am a Warrior by Bridget George, illustrator of Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior. Inspired by the author's son and the need within their own family to center love and healing, this picture book embraces Indigenous culture while providing a model for all children to celebrate their authentic selves as part of their communities. Publication is set for winter 2027; Nicole Geiger at Full Circle Literary sold world rights.
Rotem Moscovich at Knopf has bought, in a five-house auction, A Quick Trip to the Store by author-illustrator Sam Wedelich, about an independent-minded kid who takes the dreaded but necessary task of grocery shopping into her own hands when her mother stops to chat with neighbors—everything goes well until it all goes bananas, and a second, untitled picture book. Publication for the first book is slated for fall 2025; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary did the deal for world rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired author-illustrator Lita Judge's Beatrix and the Unicorn, a picture book inspired by the Unicorn Tapestries and set in a medieval kingdom where a girl searches for magic and finds it within herself. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Della Farrell at Holiday House has bought Tea Leaf Eggs by debut author-illustrator Karen E. Hong, a picture book about an elderly Chinese gentleman who makes a daring escape from his senior facility in search of a taste of home, finding unexpected assistance from a little friend along the way. Publication is planned for summer 2026; Wendi Gu at GreenburgerKids brokered the deal for world rights.
Namrata Tripathi at Kokila has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to National Book Award finalist Randy Ribay's (l.) debut picture book, Hold, illustrated by Zeke Peña, about a toddler's increasing understanding of language and the world—and a father's increasing understanding of his child. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency represented the author, and Steven Malk at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Simon Boughton at Norton Young Readers has bought USCOM English and Spanish rights to three picture books by Latin Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sonia De Los Santos (l.). The first, La Golondrina, follows a girl speaking to the migratory swallow in her yard about its journey to the north, which mirrors the one her father has made and the one she will someday make to reunite with him; Teresa Martinez will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for winter 2026, with the author's other two projects, Este Año and Tan Feliz, set for fall 2026 and summer 2027 respectively. Elizabeth Rudnick at Gillian MacKenzie Agency represented the author, and Alice Jin Zhang and Kate Powell at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Rotem Moscovich at Knopf has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Miles Ahead by Minh Lê (l.), illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao. In the picture book, a child and their dog, Miles, pack for a road trip to deliver a present for a new baby in the family. When the shiny new present goes missing, they make a surprising discovery about what makes a gift truly special. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management represented the author, and Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Kate Farrell at Henry Holt has bought world rights to Corny by Samantha Berger (l.) (G Is for Gratitude), illustrated by Kelly Light (Louise Loves Art), the picture book story of an irrepressible ear of corn who celebrates the childlike, joyous side of her nature as she seeks others who want to stay as sweet as she is. Publication is planned for spring 2026; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group represented the author, and Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown represented the artist.
Frances Gilbert at Doubleday has acquired world rights to Pizzasaurus by Tammi Sauer (l.), illustrated by Kyle Beckett. Pizzasaurus is so rare he gobbles up all the attention from his dino pals—until a pizza party makes everything prehistorically perfect again. Publication is set for spring 2026; Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Sandra Sutter at Gnome Road has bought world rights to Plucking Through History: The Banjo's Untold Story by Anita Crawford Clark, which follows a boy on a journey through time with his grandfather's old gourd banjo to discover the distorted history of this beloved instrument and to reclaim the contributions his African ancestors made in bringing the banjo and its unique sound to the world. Publication is slated for fall 2026; the author represented herself.
