For those navigating the children's booths, here's a preview of new books on display, authors to greet, and goodies being given away.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (3438) welcomes Chris Van Allsburg to its booth today, 11 a.m.–noon, to sign limited-edition posters from The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales (HM). Also available are ARCs of this October release, which compiles stories written by children's book luminaries to accompany Van Allsburg's illustrations from his 1984 picture book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. The publisher is handing out samples of its mailable Send-a-Story books (HMH Books), as well as ARCs of and chocolate kisses celebrating Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Wisdom's Kiss, a YA fantasy. Other giveaways include ARCs of Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick (Houghton Mifflin) by Joe Schreiber; Linda Urban's Hound Dog True (Harcourt); Jessica Rules the Dark Side (Harcourt) by Beth Fantaskey; Blood Wounds (Harcourt) by Susan Beth Pfeffer; In the Forests of the Night (Clarion), book two of Kersten Hamilton's the Goblin Wars; and The Inquisitor's Apprentice (Harcourt) by Chris Moriarty.
Visitors to DK Publishing's booth (3264) will learn about a trio of fall releases. Highlighted are The LEGO Ideas Book by Daniel Lipkowitz, offering advice from LEGO master builders; LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia by Simon Beecroft, which features a Star Wars minifigure; and The Incredible Pop-Up Body Book, which includes a fold-out human body model with movable limbs.
Today, 9–10 a.m., Chronicle (4452) hosts Katherine Paterson, two-time Newbery medalist and the current National Ambassador for Children's Literature. She and cut-paper artist Pamela Dalton will sign copies of their collaboration, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, a reimagining of a hymn by St. Francis of Assisi. The publisher is giving away a gatefold announcing the book's June publication and is holding a raffle for a piece of original art by Dalton. Other giveaways include retail display cards and buttons promoting Hervé Tullet's Press Here; "See the World Differently" tote bags featuring art by Julia Rothman; and ARCs of two fall novels, The Orphan of Awkward Falls by Keith Graves and Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl.
At booth 2463, Barefoot Books staffers are pleased to share news of the house's 10 new fall titles. Heading up the list are The Barefoot Books World Atlas by Nick Crane, illus. by David Dean; Monster Stories, four novels by Fran Parnell, illus. by Sophie Fatus, launching the publisher's first early reader series; and Anna Witte's Lola's Fandango, illus. by Micha Archer, about a Spanish girl who discovers her own talents, which includes a music CD recorded by pan-Latin ensemble Sol y Canto.
Disney Book Group (3332–3333) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series with a raffle for an iPad and signed copies of books in the series. The author will be at the booth to draw the winning entry today at 4 p.m. Costumed characters of Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie are making their first-ever appearance, on hand all three days of the fair, and a costumed likeness of Josh Lewis's Super Chicken Nugget Boy will be at the booth on Thursday. Giveaways include Elephant and Piggie kazoos, mustaches promoting Mustache! by Mac Barnett, illus. by Kevin Cornell; posters based on Bob Shea's Dinosaur vs. the Library; floating pens promoting Heroes of Olympus 2: Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan; and copies of Marvel: The Avengers: Iron Man Is Born and Marvel: Thor Junior Novel.
YA fans will find a number of Flux titles spotlighted at Llewellyn's booth (2525). Thursday's giveaways include copies of Karen Mahoney's The Iron Witch, a debut fantasy novel that pubbed in January, and samplers of its sequel, The Wood Queen, due next January; also, copies of After Midnight, the inaugural YA novel by romance author Lynn Viehl, released this month. Among the featured fall books are Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars by Nick James, a first novel and Flux's first science fiction adventure title; and Scott Tracey's Witch Eyes, a debut paranormal novel.
Walter Wick fans will want to drop by Scholastic's booth (2752–2753), where one of the models photographed in his Can You See What I See? Toyland Express (Cartwheel) is on display. The publisher is giving away prints featuring a scene from this search-and-find story about a toy train. Other giveaways include ARCs and tote bags for Brian Selznick's Wonderstruck (Scholastic Press); posters for Bailey (Scholastic Press) by Harry Bliss; ARCs, posters, and bookmarks for Dav Pilkey's Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (Blue Sky); ARCs and key chains for Wolves of Mercy Falls, book 3: Forever (Scholastic Press) by Maggie Stiefvater; posters for Not Inside This House! (Orchard) by Kevin Lewis, illus. by David Ercolini; and posters and fly swatters for Tedd Arnold's Fly Guy (Cartwheel).
Also available are ARCs of Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races (Scholastic Press); Floors (Scholastic Press) by Patrick Carman; Flyaway (Chicken House) by Lucy Christopher; 13 Gifts (Scholastic Press) by Wendy Mass; and Pie (Scholastic Press) by Sarah Weeks.
At booth 4406, Abbeville Kids is showcasing a pair of spring 2011 books. In Flip-o-storic, a board book illustrated by Sara Ball that is a companion to Flip-o-saurus, kids turn over flaps to create imaginary prehistoric beasts. Also on display is Dog Number 1, Dog Number 10 by Ami Rubinger, which encourages readers to discover the missing number to complete rhymes. The book is a follow-up to this Israeli artist's Big Cat, Small Cat and I Dream of Elephants.
Visitors to Lerner's booth (2158) can pick up ARCs and e-galleys of a number of fall releases. These include Brooklyn, Burning (Carolrhoda Lab), a love story by Steve Brezenoff; In Trouble (Carolrhoda Lab), a YA novel by Ellen Levine set in the 1950s; Ultraviolet (Carolrhoda Lab), a paranormal YA novel by R.J. Anderson; You Will Call Me Drog (Darby Creek) by Sue Cowing, about a boy who finds a talking hand puppet; Agent Amelia #1: Ghost Diamond! (Darby Creek) by Michael Broad, launching a series about a young secret agent; Way-Too-Real Aliens #1: Escape from Planet Yastrol (Darby Creek) by Pamela F. Service, which introduces a young writer who learns that the alien creatures from his stories actually exist; and Tricky Journeys #1: Tricky Coyote Tales (Graphic Universe), a collection of Native American stories by Chris Schweizer, illus. by Chad Thomas.
Marshall Cavendish (2561) is celebrating its recent partnership with the PJ Library—a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping establish family libraries to encourage reading to children at bedtime and building Jewish identity—to create Shofar Books, a hardcover imprint launching in the fall. Debut titles are The Golem's Latkes, retold by Eric A. Kimmel, illus. by Aaron Jasinski; Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah!, illus. by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov; and Many Days, One Shabbat by Fran Manushkin, illus. by Maria Monescillo. Booksellers visiting the booth can enter a raffle to win a signed lithograph from Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! by Maureen Wright, illus. by Will Hillenbrand. Their new collaboration, Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! is a featured fall title, as are 10 Turkeys in the Road by Brenda Reeves Sturgis, illus. by David Slonim; and My Name Is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson, the first release in a teen fiction line edited by Melanie Kroupa.
Peachtree is spreading word of two fall titles at booth 2955. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright, illus. by Barry Moser, is a middle-grade novel about the alliance between a cat and mice in Victorian England. And the publisher is giving out signed galleys of Krista Russell's debut novel, Chasing the Nightbird, starring a teen whose plan to join the crew of a whaling ship is sabotaged when he's kidnapped and forced into servitude.
At booth 4478, WriteGirl, a Los Angeles nonprofit creative writing organization that pairs professional women with at-risk teenagers, is hosting a book signing this morning at 11 a.m. Keren Taylor, WriteGirl's founder, and Kim Purcell will autograph copies of Pens on Fire: Creative Writing Experiments for Teens from WriteGirl, a roundup of more than 200 writing projects.
Skyhorse (3425) unveils its new children's imprint, Sky Pony Press at BEA. The line, which will include fiction, nonfiction, and classics, launches in the fall with 17 titles. Leading the list are Eric Battut's The Little Pea, about an independent-minded pea's journey; Classic Fire Trucks and Fire Fighting Gift Set by Teddy Slater, illus. by Mones, which includes a toy truck; The Balloon Tree by Phoebe Gilman, the tale of a princess determined to save her kingdom; and Mark Bergin's It's Fun to Draw Safari Animals.
Scanimation fans can meet author Rufus Butler Seder at Workman's booth (4152) today at 2 p.m., when he'll be signing copies of Scanimation: Star Wars, published last May. Seder's Scanimation: The Wizard of Oz is due out in September. Sophie Blackall, illustrator of the Ivy and Bean series, will be at the booth tomorrow, 10–11 a.m., to sign posters promoting Missed Connections, her fall adult title. Also spotlighted at the booth is a November release, How to Feed a Hungry Giant by Caitlin Friedman, illus. by Shaw Nielsen, a pop-up picture book about a boy who finds a giant in his backyard.
Celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, Barron's, at booth 3538, is featuring Puss in Boots, retold by Stella Gurney, illus. by Gerald Kelley. It contains numerous interactive elements, including a miniature booklet and a final pop-up illustration.
