Summer 2024

July 20, 2024

Good News–from East to West

and everywhere in between!

Illustration by Luciana Navarro Powell

Happy Book Birthday

by award-winning

Alexandra Alessandri

Cover illustration by Rose Bousamra;
Design by Debra Sfetsios-Conover

(Atheneum)

A funny, relatable middle school drama about two Colombian American girls who have always been BFFs—until sixth grade turns everything upside down.

An Amazon

Best Books Ages 9-12
(July)

Also available in an audiobook edition:

Listen to a S&S excerpt narrated by fellow Colombian Dominique Franceschi … called out as “the perfect Luchy,” per Alexandra.

Further excepts from Alexandra’s newsletter:

GROW UP, LUCHY ZAPATA is a story that, in some ways, answers the question: Am I enough? But it’s also full of Colombians in Miami, soccer and art references, glitter bombs, supportive family, middle school drama, and lots of food.

Sporty Middle Grade Books
for Sports-Loving Tweens

“[A] painfully funny story with strong Latino roots and soccer action.”

2024 Summer Reading Guide

This story of my heart tries to answer: “Should we change to fit in? Do we belong to our family’s culture if we don’t speak the language or have ever visited? It’s a friendship story, too, and it touches on the changes that often are inevitable as we grow up, drawn from personal experiences (minus the glitter bombs). But at the heart, it’s an exploration of identity with a character who is funny, relatable, and vulnerable.

Your next read, based on your fave summer treat – GirlsLife

Also featured in SLJ’s

“Alessandri’s latest explores classic middle school themes of trying to fit in versus being yourself, and readers will see themselves and their peers in both Luchy and Cami. The infusion of Colombian cultural elements and Spanish phrases makes this stand out… A sincere journey of navigating friendship and self-discovery.”

“With lots of multicultural Latine details… and naturally incorporated Spanish, this is an endearing middle school–transition story that ultimately lands in favor of expressing who you are and being open to new and changing friendships.”

“Exploring middle-school feelings in a heartfelt way, Alessandri depicts her characters’ emotional arcs with earnest realism. Themes of family, identity, and parental expectations are sure to resonate, and Luchy’s navigation through feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and exclusion with the help of her family and friends is especially moving.“

“A pitch-perfect story with a main character young readers will relate to and cheer for.”
—Adrianna Cuevas, author of Pura Belpré Honor Book The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez and Cuba in my Pocket

I can’t wait for all of you to read this story of my heart, about art-loving, soccer-obsessed Luchy whose middle school dreams go up in a poof of glitter when her BFF returns from a summer in Colombia and ditches her for the cool kids, leaving Luchy to figure out who she is and where she belongs.

Cover Reveal

What message do you want kids to appreciate from this story?

GROW UP, LUCHY ZAPATA is about belonging, friendships, and the nuances of identity—and the inevitable changes that come with growing older. I hope kid readers will come away feeling hopeful, that even when people or situations change, or even when we’re figuring out who we are, we still matter and are worthy of being loved. We are enough.

Win a Copy and a 45-Minute
Zoom Visit With Alexandra
(Darlene Beck-Jacobson)

Alexandra’s books have received numerous distinctions, including the Florida Book Award, International Latino Book Award, Américas Award Commendable Title, and the ILA 2022 Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award in Primary Fiction. The daughter of Colombian immigrants, she is also an educator, a writer for Curriculum Associates, and a poet. Alexandra lives in Florida with her husband and son.

#17

(8.19 and 8.26)

#21

(7.15 and 7.22)

Amazon

#32

(8.21)

Happy Book Birthday

from the award-winning
Afro Unicorn creator and CEO

April Showers

(Andrews McMeel)

Published in simultaneous
h/c and p/b editions

Features a Dyslexia-friendly font

Cover art by Anthony Conley;
Illustrated by Nimali Abeyrate
Written by Terrance Crawford

All-new, full-color action-packed graphic novel – the launch title in a 3-book series – that celebrates adventure and Black joy.

Based on the hit lifestyle brand, Afro Unicorn, founded by entrepreneur and innovator the unique, divine and magical—
April Showers:

An inspirational property celebrating diversity…

Quoting Erinn Pascal, AMU’s acquiring editor: “These are really fun adventure stories that happen to be written for early readers…”
Licensing Hotline: August 2023

Licensing Show ‘23
Hannah Dussold (associate editor; AMU), Deborah Warren, April Showers, Erinn Pascal, and Karen Kilpatrick (E/W Agent)

THANKS for the catalog cover treatment!

“Light and fun … appealing [with] a significant underpinning of inclusivity. Recommended purchase for early reader graphic novel collections.”

As featured:

On a midtown Manhattan billboard (7.16–7.21) above the Amazon bookstore near Penn Station. WOWSA!

Andrews McMeel Kids’ Spring/Summer Preview

“Young readers will connect with the characters on the pages of April’s empowering, imaginative, bright universe. Afro Unicorn sets the gold standard for embracing your royalty and wearing your crown.”
—Alonzo Fuller, Marketing Specialist/Children’s Books
(Andrews McMeel Kids)

Stay tuned for Book #2:

Happy Book Birthday

by award-winning
science writer Mary Batten

Illustrated by NYT Bestselling

Thomas Gonzalez

(Peachtree)

The second book in the “Life in the Extreme” series and a deep-sea “STEAM” dive into the wildlife that thrive in scalding water and permanent darkness at the bottom of the ocean …

The scalding-hot water gushing from vents at the bottom of the ocean is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Yet over millions of years, many organisms—from chemical-eating bacteria to ghostly blind shrimp, eyeless crabs and iron-shelled snails—have evolved in amazing ways that enable them to thrive in this unlikely habitat.

“Gonzalez’s strikingly realistic pastel, colored pencil, and airbrush spreads … offer close-up views. . . . [A] fascinating glimpse into life that seemingly defies all odds.”

Gonzalez’s unique and eerily realistic paintings of sights never seen on land—gushing “black smokers,” ghostly blind shrimp, red-plumed tube worms—will entice readers to learn more about this once-hidden world at the bottom of the sea.

Accolades:

The Nonfiction Detectives

Showcase Title
Sustainability and the Environment

Series launched by:

A companion third title coming soon

Thomas Gonzalez has been drawing since he was a child in Havana, Cuba. A Spanish speaker, Thomas didn’t know the English language when he migrated with his family to the States, so it became even more natural to express himself in pictures.

Express and impress, we might add!

Gonzalez’s debut picture book, 14 COWS FOR AMERICA (Peachtree), received many starred reviews—SLJ described it as “exquisite”—and made several national bestseller lists, including the NYT, which hailed Gonzalez’s illustrations as “beautifully evocative.”

EW Illustrator Highlight

Happy Book Birthday

Illustrated by

Luciana Navarro Powell

Written byTory Christie

(Amicus Ink)

Inspire young minds to think big!

The third PB
in the Big Blue Earth series
reminding readers of the interconnectedness of the world …

Supports C3 standards for geography related to maps, culture, and the environment.

Back matter includes a glossary of Australian animals and geographical terms.

Also in the Big Blue Earth series:

“From the first moment, readers are plunged into a vibrant world of color and texture (as) Illustrations rich in detail dominate every page … The book’s design highlights these riveting images, including end papers that educate readers about the geographic locations described in the text … will be enjoyed by readers of all ages thanks to its thoughtful design and memorable presentation.”

“In detailed, textured illustrations, Powell evokes the beauty and deep greens of the bamboo forests, the intricate layers of the rice terraces, the warm pastels of the countryside, the deep rich tones of the city, and the bold brightness of the greater planet.”

Stay tuned for the fourth book in the series, THE SPEEDY CHEETAH…

Luciana Navarro Powell grew up in Brazil, in the southern hemisphere, where like in Australia, the seasons are opposite, and Christmas happens in the heat of summer! She loves the research needed when illustrating nonfiction books. She can’t wait to visit Australia and find a koala in the wild; in the meantime, visit her in the Pacific Northwest.

Check out more of her work here:

EW Illustrator Highlight

Happy Book Birthday

This charming and heartfelt collection features four board books written by Mackenzie Porter,
full of poetic text and beautiful illustrations, showcasing the gentle love between parents and their little ones.

Including

SHE IS MAMA

With art by
award-winning illustrator

Heather Brockman Lee

(Little Simon, boxed set)

Stay tuned for Heather’s debut as an author/illustrator:

Heather Brockman Lee is an award-winning illustrator who loves drawing people, nature, emotions, and the magic in everyday moments. When not in her studio painting, she’s in her garden hanging out with bees and whistling at birds. She lives with her husband and two kids in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she is slowly making the inside of their house resemble a library.

Heather’s Illustrator Highlight

Licensing

In a sixth license for the title, Scholastic Australia has licensed Australian and New Zealand rights to Gianna Marino’s NIGHT ANIMALS, the launch title in the “Night Animal” series.

★
“Truly remarkable illustrations clearly convey the book’s raucous activity … this eye-catching, slapstick foray into the worrisome night will light up the room with smiles.”
—Booklist, Starred

★
“Every page is visually funny, with hilarious close-ups and slapstick animal postures … a giggle-inducing new gem.”
—Kirkus, Starred

The Center for Language Strengthening and Empowerment has licensed Indonesian rights to the debut PB in a 4-book series launched by WHERE DO CREATURES SLEEP AT NIGHT, illustrated by NYT-bestselling Ruth E. Harper.

ILLUSTRATOR HIGHLIGHT

GELA KALAITZIDIS

SUMMER STARS

Upcoming in October (Quill Tree Books/HC)

Written by Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander and composer, performer, and author Randy Preston (Piscataway), and illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet.

Celebrating the magic of listening to the song that echoes inside you and letting your music ring out.
Fall 2024 Children’s Sneak Previews

“ A joyful ode to the manifold pleasures of musical expression.”
(author’s note, audiobook narration and instrumental composed by Preston)

Photo credit: info@capturetheidea.com

Randy Preston is an African Native American (Piscataway) composer, author, and performer, raised in the UK, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. He started writing music at the age of seven and never stopped. He taught English literature for eighteen years before collaborating with Kwame Alexander, performing at numerous schools and venues around the world. Preston wrote original songs for a number of picture books and children’s shows and composed the score for, and performed in, the Kennedy Center musical Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie, starring Indigo Blume.

Stay tuned for Randy’s debut, solo PB’s from Penguin Random House (Nancy Paulsen).

*****

(Neal Porter Books/HH)

An endnote offers author Ana Crespo’s personal story of saudade as a Brazilian immigrant, and a glossary covers other Portuguese words the mother and daughter use. Andre Ceolin’s vivid illustrations, twining with daydreamy wisps of haze, set the perfect mood for this bittersweet, profoundly human story.

As featured in:

Ana and her editor, Neal Porter, publisher of his eponymous imprint at Holiday House.

*****

(Simon & Schuster)

“ … (an) exuberant picture book, a double debut.”

“Medina’s rhythmic text is punctuated with onomatopoeia
and emphasizes Ramírez’s connection to the Rarámuri traditions . . .”

“(A) striking introduction to ultra-marathon runner Lorena Ramírez of the Indigenous Rarámuri people of Mexico. An exceptional addition to all collections.”

Other SLJ “Stars So Far”

(Quill Tree Books; HC)

Acclaimed author Megan Hoyt pays homage to William J. Wilgus and his crowning achievement in this STEM-oriented picture book biography, with whimsical illustrations by Dave Szalay.

“[E]lectrifying … A charming tale, and to think it’s all true! Whether readers are train and construction buffs or not, this is a living, breathing biography of a building, and the man who believed in it from the ground up. Extraordinary.”
40 Essential Nonfiction Picture Books | SLJ 2024 Stars So Far | School Library Journal

*****

(Knopf)

Caribbean soca artist, Nailah Blackman, invites you to shimmy, fête, and spread the joy of Carnival with Lah Lah and her grandfather in this vibrant and heartwarming story set in Trinidad & Tobago!

“… an emotional ode to a Caribbean legend … Lah Lah is based on Blackman as a child, and Papa is the late Ras Shorty I, her grandfather and pioneer of soca music, an essential part of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago … celebratory joy … a lyrical and loving tribute to family and Trinidadian culture.”
81 Exemplary Picture Books | SLJ 2024 Stars So Far | School Library Journal

Love, Lah Lah – Author Nailah Blackman; Illustrated by Jade Orlando
Random House Children’s Books

Other (selected) summer stunners:

Also a PW and USA Today bestseller …

The second installment in the wildly popular graphic novel spin-off series from Max Brallier and Joshua Pruett about a group of friends who create their own issues of their favorite comics, casting themselves in the story.
New Kids’ & Young Adult Books To Read This Summer | Penguin Random House

*****

(Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)

Illustrated by award-winning Dow Phumiruk

*****

(Lee & Low)

Summer Reading 2024: Kids Picks – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

“This upbeat offering promises profiles of 15 disabled athletes but delivers even more. . . Readers will come away with an enhanced understanding of the scope of adaptive sports (BMX, surfing, CrossFit) and great respect for these dedicated, tenacious athletes.”

Photo credit: Wild Root Photography

Patty Cisneros Prevo is a first-generation Latina, writer, two-time Paralympic gold medalist, and proud mom and partner. She also works as the University of Wisconsin Health Program Manager of DEI. Her manuscript for TENACIOUS won the 2018 Lee & Low New Voices Award Honor and marks her debut as an author. Stay tuned for her second book, ALL OF APOLONIA, soon!

Where is East/West?

Upcoming next month!

More than one million bats nest under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, and fill the sky every evening from spring to fall.

“Nolan smoothly tells [BATS BENEATH THE BRIDGE] for a young audience … celebrates an urban natural wonder.”

*****

“Hummingbird—a descendant from the Cahuilla nation of Southern California’s Inland Empire and the Apache nation of New Mexico—and Wasson’s matter-of-fact text emphasizes the importance of respect for the environment. Goodnight’s (Chickasaw Nation) realistic art complements this tender story … underscoring the themes of growth, compassion, and strength. Heartfelt reflections on the importance of kinship with nature.”

*****

Next up (in September):

The second title (of four) in a brand new early-reader series (Red Comet Press)

Sweet, low-key lessons in togetherness.

Shiho Pate & Angus Yuen-Killick (Publisher) at ALA ‘24

*****

Upcoming in October:

*****

Upcoming from Joey Spiotto:

*****

Stay tuned for JACOB’S MISSING BOOK – the fourth in the “Jacob” series – in September!

*****

“Children will be charmed by the furry friendships and fascinated by the visual details.”

*****

25th Anniversary Pura Belpré Celebración – YouTube (26.07)

*****

“Heartwarming and thought-provoking, [AMERICA’S DREAMING] encourages readers to embrace their unique qualities and appreciate the diversity of the world around them. Back matter includes an author’s note, short bibliographies of the famous individuals mentioned in the story, and suggestions of titles for those wanting to create their own book collection. VERDICT A valuable addition to any library or classroom collection.“

*****

The crew – from East to West and everywhere in between – at Nobu, San Diego.

Top: Germán Blanco; Ernesto Cisneros; Shiho Pate; Deborah Warren; Jim Averbeck; Erin Dealey – left to right – bottom: Ian Hoffman; Sarah Hoffman; Karen Kilpatrick, Stacia Deutsch, Lauren H. Kerstein