Monica Jean at Delacorte has acquired Lisa Allen-Agostini's Home Home, the story of a Trinidadian girl's journey to recovery from a mental illness after she is sent to live with her estranged, lesbian aunt and removed from anything and everyone she knows to be home. Publication is set for spring 2020; Margot Edwards at Rights Consultancy handled the deal for U.S./Canadian/non-exclusive open market rights exclusive of EU, on behalf of Polly Pattullo at Papillote Press.
Matt Ringler at Scholastic has bought world rights to She's the Liar by Alison Cherry, a middle grade novel told in the dueling perspectives of two sisters who weave a web of lies and schemes and blackmail around each other as they face off for control of the student government of their boarding school. Scholastic will publish in summer 2019; Holly Root at Root Literary negotiated the deal.
Howard Reeves at Abrams has acquired world rights to Stonewall Award-winning author Gayle E. Pitman's illustrated middle grade nonfiction book, The Stonewall Riots: A History in 50 Objects. The book is scheduled for spring 2019, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. Deborah Warren at East West Literary brokered the deal.
Sylvie Frank at S&S/Paula Wiseman Books has bought world rights to Taeeun Yoo's The Garden Book. Set in Korea, the picture book explores the quiet joys and wonders of a garden, as well as the relationship between grandfather, grandchild, and their garden, where all living things flourish with love and attention. Publication is slated for 2021; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties negotiated the deal.
Katherine Harrison at Knopf and Samantha Swenson at Tundra have acquired Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning illustrator Phoebe Wahl's The Blue House, about a father and son who lose their home in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood and must learn to accept the new while honoring and celebrating the old. Publication is planned for summer 2020; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Melissa Manlove at Chronicle has bought Dinosaur Doomsday by Jennifer Berne (On a Beam of Light), about the cataclysmic event that put an end to the reign of the dinosaurs and set the stage for the evolution of humans. Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself, in the deal for world rights.
Tracy Mack at Scholastic Press has acquired at auction Leo Plus Lea by Monica Wesolowska, illustrated by Kenard Pak. Friendship meets Fibonacci in the story about a boy who loves numbers and a girl who loves art and the unique connection they forge. A publication date has not been announced; Kelly Sonnack at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author for world rights, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator for North American rights.
Maria Barbo at HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books has bought North American rights to Shari Swanson's Honey, the Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln, illustrated by Chuck Groenink, which tells the true story of how Abraham Lincoln, as a boy growing up in Kentucky, saved the life of a dog named Honey, and how Honey returned the favor when Abe got himself in trouble. Publication is set for spring 2019; John Rudolph at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret represented the author, and Stephen Barr at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Courtney Code at Abrams has preempted world rights for the picture book Willow the Armadillo by Marilou Reeder, illustrated by Dave Mottram, in which the tenacious character dreams of being the hero of her very own picture book, but must learn what it means to be a hero first. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Lauren Spieller at TriadaUS represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Semareh Al-Hillal and Yvette Ghione at Kids Can Press have acquired world rights to Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies author Carmen Oliver's (l.) Simon Jackson: A Voice for the Spirit Bears, a picture book biography of Simon Jackson, the founder of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition and Time's "Hero for the Planet." Katy Dockrillwill illustrate; publication is planned for fall 2019. Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary represented the author, and Angela Dunning at I2i represented the illustrator.
Meredith Mundy at Sterling has bought world rights to Carolyn Rose's (l.) As Big as the Sky, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. The book is a sibling story out of Malawi about Caleb and Prisca, a brother and sister who are separated when Caleb leaves to attend a school in their grandparents' town. Publication is set for fall 2019; Christina Pulles will edit. Adriann Ranta Zurhellen at Foundry Literary + Media represented the author, and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Tracey Keevan and Esther Cajahuaringa at Disney-Hyperion have acquired world rights to XO, Exoplanet by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jorge Lacera, a picture book told partly in letters between the planets of our solar system and an exoplanet. Publication is scheduled for summer 2020; Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and John Cusick at Folio Literary Management/Folio Jr. represented the illustrator.
Carolyn Yoder at Calkins Creek has bought "Smelly" Kelly and His Super Senses: The Mostly True Story of an Ordinary Man and His Extraordinary Nose by Beth Anderson (l.), illustrated by Jenn Harney. Set in the labyrinth of the 1930s New York City subway, the picture book is about a humble immigrant who learns to use his natural talents for the benefit of all—and also finds out what it takes to be a true hero. Publication is planned for fall 2020; Stephanie Fretwell-Hill at Red Fox Literary sold North American rights for the author, and Rachel Orr at the Prospect Agency sold world rights for the illustrator.
Kristen Mohn at Capstone has acquired a photo-illustrated nonfiction picture book that tells the true story of an Abyssinian ground hornbill whose beak is injured, as part of its Smithsonian brand. In Karl's New Beak: 3-D Printing Builds a Bird a Better Life by Lela Nargi (l.), scientists and curators at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Museum of Natural History team up to create a prosthetic beak for Karl using 3-D printing technology. Harriet Popham will illustrate. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Essie White at Storm Literary represented the author, and the Bright Agency represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Wendy McClure at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to debut children's author Rose Vina's (l.) Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Shattered the Color Barrier in Figure Skating, a picture book biography about Mabel Fairbanks and her fight for equality within the world of competitive figure skating and journey to becoming the first African-American woman to be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Claire Almon will illustrate; publication is scheduled for fall 2019. Alexandra Weiss at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency represented the author, and Emily Coggins at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Kheryn Callender at Little, Brown has acquired Until You Came Back, a contemporary YA novel by Tyler Johnson Was Here author Jay Coles; Pam Gruber will edit. The book is about a teen whose world is turned upside down when he develops feelings for a new recruit on his basketball team at the same time that the mother who abandoned him eight years earlier returns home. Publication is planned for winter 2020; Lauren Abramo at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret handled the deal for world rights.
Jessica Harriton at Razorbill has bought Screen Queens, a YA novel by Lori Goldstein. Pitched as The Bold Type meets The Social Network, the book follows three girls as they participate in a startup incubator competition and uncover the truth about what it means to succeed in the male-dominated world of tech. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights.
Charlotte Greenbaum at Abrams ComicArts has acquired Cloud Town, a debut graphic novel by indie comics and zine maker Daniel McCloskey. The book is about two teens, Pen and Olive, who are growing up and growing apart in a city on the edge of an interdimensional rift. Publication is tentatively set for summer 2020; Ed Maxwell at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates did the deal for world English rights.
Anna Bloom at Scholastic has bought world rights, in a four-book deal, to Christina Soontornvat's fantasy chapter book series, Diary of an Ice Princess, in which a young princess Windtamer must keep her royal status—and her power to control the weather—secret from her human classmates. Publication for the first two titles is scheduled for summer 2019; Stephanie Fretwell-Hill at Red Fox Literary represented the author.
Anne Hoppe at Clarion has acquired Sarah Beth Durst's middle-grade fantasy adventure, Pipsqueak, about a 12-year-old girl who receives a tiny kitten that grows into a house cat as large as a house, and who must help her feline friend find a safe place and solve the mystery of the cat's origins. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger brokered the deal for world rights.
Alison Deering at Capstone has bought Andrea Pyros's Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas, a middle grade novel that follows 12-year-old Josephine as she navigates issues relating to a best friend, a first crush, divorced parents, a twin brother, and most notably, her mother's recent breast cancer diagnosis. Publication is set for February 2019; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Nancy Mercado at Dial has acquired world rights to I Am Not a Fish, by author-illustrator Peter Raymundo (Third Grade Mermaid). The book features a jellyfish who commiserates with a group of starfish about how he is neither jelly nor a fish, and realizes that he gets to decide who he is, not anyone else. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Daniel Lazar at Writers House negotiated the deal.
Kait Feldmann at Scholastic/Levine has bought world rights to the untitled debut picture book by artist and designer Jon Lau. The book is about the limitless possibilities of a child's imagination, following a girl and her unicorn as she makes her own path when others tell her no. Publication for the first book is scheduled for 2020; Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Rostan brokered the two-book deal.
Zareen Jaffery at Salaam Reads has acquired world rights at auction to Saira Mir's (l.) debut picture book, Muslim Girls Rise, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel. The collection of short biographies introduces young readers to 19 21st-century Muslim women who are doing important, inspirational work to change the world. Publication is planned for 2020; Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services, in her first picture book sale, represented the author; the illustrator was unagented.
Sasha Henriques at Little, Brown/Jimmy Patterson has bought Jordan Chouteau's (l.) debut picture book, No More Monsters Under Your Bed!, about a boy who is terrified of monsters until his parents give him a magic patch that turns him invisible. The book will include a wearable patch. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Anat Even Or will illustrate. The author and illustrator were unagented in the deal for world rights.
Kelsey Skea at Amazon/Two Lions has acquired North American English rights to Hudson & Tallulah Take Sides by the Geisel Medal-winning husband-and-wife team behind You Are (Not) Small, Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant. The picture book is about next-door neighbors with opposite world views who discover some common ground. Publication is set for spring 2020; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties represented the author and the illustrator.
Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has bought world rights to Rosanne Kurstedt's Karate Kid, which follows a confident baby goat who teaches readers the basics of karate and the importance of balance, focus, and attention; the book includes a tear-out poster featuring the Kid in various karate positions. Mark Chambers will illustrate; publication is scheduled for 2019. Liza Fleissig at the Liza Royce Agency represented the author, and Arabella Stein at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Kira Lynn at Kane Miller has acquired North American rights to the picture book Two Pirates + One Robot by Henry Herz (l.), illustrated by Brian Bowes. When two space pirates' ship is damaged, they don't have enough fuel to reach port. Will they accept their robot's valiant offer to be jettisoned to save them? Publication is planned for fall 2019; Deborah Warren at East West Literary represented the author and the illustrator.
Eliza Swift at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Tara Luebbe (l.) and Becky Cattie's picture book, Operation Photobomb, illustrated by Matthew Rivera. When Monkey steals a camera from a tourist, Chameleon discovers that he loves to photobomb, and soon the animals of the rainforest hatch a plan to teach Chameleon a lesson. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Tracy Marchini at BookEnds Literary represented the authors, and Jodell Sadler and Jill Corcoran at Jill Corcoran Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
