March 2018

March 24, 2018

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PW’s 2017 Facts and Figures compilation — “Children’s Bestsellers:  Thriving Backlists, Popular Tie-Ins, and More”

includes 7 E/W titles:   

Hardcover Frontlist (200,000+)

5-Minute Pete the Cat Stories. James Dean. HarperFestival

 

Paperback Frontlist (100,000+)

Pete the Cat and the Surprise Teacher (My First I Can Read!). James Dean. HarperCollins

Pete the Cat: Trick or Pete. James Dean. HarperFestival

Pete the Cat and the Tip-Top Tree House. James Dean. HarperCollins

 

Hardcover Backlist (100,000+)

Llama Llama Red Pajama (board book). Anna Dewdney. Viking

 

Paperback Backlist (100,000+)

Pete The Cat: Snow Daze (My First I Can Read!). James Dean. HarperCollins

Pete the Cat: Scuba-Cat (My First I Can Read!). James Dean. HarperCollins

 

Congrats to ALL!


Happy Book Birthday

Pete the Cat:
THE PETES GO MARCHING

by

James Dean
(Harper Collins)

Pete the Cat Is Back!

Everyone’s favorite groovy cat is putting a new spin on a classic song.
Click the image above to watch Pete’s new sing-along video.

Congrats to 
Kimberly and James Dean’s 

Pete The Cat:
BIG EASTER ADVENTURE

#1
 
on the NYT Bestseller List 
(as of 3.18.18/ 6 weeks)

The week of 3.18.18 
marks East/West’s

180th week on the 
NYT Bestseller List

E/W held one or more slots for 88 consecutive weeks!

Pete The Cat: BIG EASTER ADVENTURE

and…


Anna Dewdney’s
LLAMA LLAMA EASTER EGG

are both


#1 Best Sellers

as well as… 

PW Bestsellers
(3 weeks)

AND featured in

as of 3.22.18:

LLAMA LLAMA EASTER EGG:  14th week (#30)

Pete the Cat:  BIG EASTER ADVENTURE:  14th week

Coming SOON!

Look for Nimesh the Adventurer by Ranjit Singh, illus. by Mehrdokht Amini
(April 1/ Lantana)

LLAMA LLAMA
is a TV STAR!

From PopSugar: “Netflix Is Bringing Kid-Favorite Llama Llama to Life With a Show Starring Jennifer Garner


Jennifer Garner, who voices Mama Llama on the Netflix series, shared her Llama Llama book love on Instagram.


Llama Llama Loves Ellen’s tweet, too!
 


Happy Book Birthday(s)

LLAMA LLAMA
LOSES A TOOTH

A leveled Reader based on an episode from Llama Llama’s Netflix series

A Penguin Young Readers 
Netflix Media Tie-in 

and


LLAMA LLAMA
AND THE LUCKY PAJAMAS

(Penguin Young Readers licenses)

By Anna Dewdney and Reed Duncan

And stay tuned for:

Anna Dewdney’s Bestselling Llama Llama series continues with Llama learning to read!

Llama Llama learns at school. 
Counting, writing, reading, rules. 
Friends and school — there’s nothing better. 
Llama learning all the letters!

Pre-order here!


Plus…remember the story about the Twitter thread about the NBC Cameraman who took his daughter’s Llama Llama plush toy to the Winter Olympics?  

Acquisitions and Licensing 

JLG has licensed rights to Jim Averbeck’s TREVOR (A Neal Porter Book; Roaring Brook Press; illustrated by Amy Hevron).

Liberal Arts Verlag
has licensed German rights to
Gianna Marino’s
FOLLOWING PAPA’S SONG

(Viking Books for Young Readers).


John Morgan at Imprint has acquired two picture books, WHEN PENCIL MET ERASER, depicting the first time “Pencil” met “Eraser”—and the creative journey that brings them together, plus an untitled follow-up by Karen Kilpatrick and
Luis O. Ramos Jr. , illustrated by Germán Blanco.

 

Happy Book Birthday

MELA AND THE ELEPHANT

by
Dow Phukmiruk

(Sleeping Bear Press)

Illustrated by Ziyue Chen
 

This new fable, about how kindness is its own reward, is told with authentic Thai customs and includes an author’s note with more Thai traditions and language.

Phumiruk (Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines) takes readers to the country of her birth in an instructive contemporary fable about kindness, set in a village in Northern Thailand… a …useful tool for conversations about generosity, and Chen’s digital artwork, rendered in an array of creamy greens, brings the verdant setting to life.
PW


Click above image to view the trailer. 

Mela is a bold and adventurous girl…this story has the trappings of a contemporary folktale, with a lesson about kindness awaiting Mela and the readers.

An author’s note about Thailand provides brief cultural context with explanations about geography,
customs, and concepts.

—BOOKLIST


Check out Dow’s
post on ReFoReMo here.  

[A] sweet little book of lessons…Dow Phumiruk s prose is sweet, brief, and educational…Ziyue Chen’s illustrations are kind and kid-friendly. Use this book to open discussions about the importance of being kind to others; why you should never wander away from home without permission; and why it is important not to trust strangers.
Picture Book Depot


Join her at her official launch party on April 7th. 

Dow Phumiruk was born in Bangkok, Thailand and came to live in the U.S. when she was about three years old. She loves children and sharing stories, and she’s especially excited to share her home country with readers in MELA AND THE ELEPHANT. Dow has been a member of SCBWI since 2011, and was the recipient of their On The Verge: Emerging Voices Award in 2013. 

Look for Dow’s illustrations soon in COUNTING ON KATHERINE: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13, written by Helaine Becker (Christy Ottaviano Books;
June 2018).


Check out Dow’s featured spotlight in the We Need Diverse Books flyer for Scholastic Book Clubs. Quoting Dow and we oh-so agree:
“Diverse books allow children of all backgrounds the opportunity to imagine and dream about being heroes, winners, and stars.  In addition, when we see ourselves as well as people who are not like us in books, we reach a better understanding
of our world.”

Congrats to our

ALA NOTABLES
 


NOWAntoinette Portis
(Roaring Brook/Neal Porter)

SEA OTTER HEROES: The Predator That Saved an Ecosystem.
Patricia Newman.
Sibert Honor Book (Millbrook)

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets. Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth. Illus. by Ekua Holmes. (Candlewick)

March Book Madness!


Gianna Marino’s IF I HAD A HORSE (Roaring Brook) is one of #Fuse8 / SLJ’s 2018 Caldecott predictions:

“If you can read this book without getting a certain song from the Secret Garden musical caught in your head, you’re better than I. Folks have been gaga for Marino’s work for years, but I always held a bit back. She’s talented, no question, but I was waiting for The Big One. The book that would push her over the top and get folks talking. That book has finally arrived and it was worth the wait. Look at the use of watercolors, and how they shift in mood and tone to fit the different times of day. It’s a book done entirely in silhouettes (something I haven’t seen done this well since Peggy Rathmann’s The Day the Babies Crawled Away). It’s lush and moving and beautiful. I don’t even LIKE horses, and I was swept away by Marino’s work. Brava.” 
Elizabeth Bird/ SLJ


Gianna Marino’s IF I HAD A HORSE (Neal Porter Books/ Roaring Brook)
is also featured in
“3  New Animal Picture Books to Love”
and “
Two illustrators change up their style with Grandma’s Purse and If I Had a Horse.”

Spotlight on Brian Bowes by 4by6.com:   

Click here for a free portfolio pack of 4 postcards.


Alma Fullerton’s HAND OVER HAND is on the top 10 Amelia Bloomer List, 
a project of the
 Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the ALA.


Congrats Dow Phumiruk! 

  

Planning ahead: 
Holocaust Remembrance Week

(starting on April 8th)

Andrea Alban’s Anya’s War – based on a true story — is a rich, transcendent novel about a little-known time in Holocaust history.


Where’s East/West?

Going to TXLA? (Texas Library Association /starting April 3rd)
Look for:

Patricia Newman:  signing and promotion for ZOO SCIENTISTS TO THE RESCUE, her upcoming picture book NEEMA’S REASON TO SMILE,STEAM session and
 panel: Playing with Nonfiction (and the sneaky work it accomplishes)

Dave Butler: signing and promotion for WITCHY WINTER


Stay tuned next month for D.J. Butler’s second book in the trilogy launched by WITCHY EYE – WITCHY WINTER, another Americana flintlock adult fantasy novel:

“Butler follows Witchy Eye with a satisfying second tale of a magic-filled early America … Fans of epic and alternate historical fantasy will savor this tale of witchery and intrigue.”
 
PW

After presenting the history of LGBTQ rights and how books like ONE TRUE WAY (Scholastic)
can be used in the classroom at OCTELA (the Ohio chapter of NCTE),

Shannon Hitchcock wowed students at school visits in Omaha. 

Listen to her podcast interview about the book, its inspiration, and her process on #SoBookingCool here.

Meanwhile, over at 

REACHING THE KIDS WHO NEED US MOST
BY SHANNON HITCHCOCK
:

Speakforthem.org states that “suicide is the leading cause of death among gay and lesbian youth nationally.” 
I have to be an ally, and I hope you’ll be one too …
– Shannon Hitchcock


 

How can teachers and parents use One True Way as a learning tool
for introducing the concepts of tolerance, inclusion, acceptance, and kindness?

There are so many possibilities. One True Way could be part of a unit on bullying. According to statistics compiled by the Human Rights Campaign, LGBT youth are twice as likely as their peers to say they have been physically assaulted. One True Way could also be included when studying Civil Rights by charting the history and struggle for LGBT rights. Another possibility is in a language arts class by having students interview a peer and write a profile like the ones Allie does for her school newspaper in One True Way.

Shannon is delighted to be serving as a Scholastic National Writing Juror.
Find out more about their Art and Writing Awards here.


via
 
 

One True Way is a great addition to diverse middle school collections. Add it to Barakiva’s One Many Guy, Federle’s Better Nate Than Ever, Sayre’s Husky, Wittlinger’s Saturdays with Hitchock, Gino’s George, Hennessey’s The Other Boy, Polonsky’s Gracefully Grayson, and other books that show different experiences with sexual orientation and gender identity in a way that will make middle school readers more understanding of the challenges faced by the people in the world around them.

Stay tuned: ONE TRUE WAY will also be featured in the textbook 
Queer Adolescent Literature As A Complement to the English Language Arts Curriculum. 

   
Stonewall Award-winning Gayle E. Pitman’s talk on FEMINISM FROM A TO Z (Magination Press)
lead to great conversations at Face in a Book, in northern California.

Speaking of Gayle E. Pitman, look for her upcoming A CHURCH FOR ALL (Albert Whitman): 


“This cheerful introduction to attending a Sunday-morning church service provides an overview of the experience in an inclusive, liberal Christian church … The huge cast of characters entering the church includes gay and lesbian couples, several people with canes, a child using a wheelchair, interracial families, and people with all sorts of looks, including shaved heads, mohawks, and tattoos. The church choir and the black pastor wear traditional robes, but the décor of the church is upbeat and contemporary, with banners proclaiming the welcoming and inclusive philosophy of this congregation. A simple, rhyming text describes some of the aspects of the worship service and different kinds of church members, with a repeated refrain emphasizing this church is for everyone. A cross is displayed at the front of the church, and one banner reads “God’s Doors Are Open to All,” but God and Jesus are not mentioned in the text. Cheerful, busy illustrations expand the minimal text with the intriguing cast of definitely diverse churchgoers, charmingly including children who can’t sit still during church … An author’s note explains the story was inspired by the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. A humorous, upbeat look at a contemporary church community where all are welcome.” 

     
Jim Averbeck’s school visits in Chicago made the Chicago Tribune.

  

 
With support from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library and PJ Our Way
are hosting Stacia Deutsch (above–The NYT Best selling THE FRIENDSHIP CODE #1 Girls Who Code / Penguin Workshop; –and so many more!) along with Lin Oliver and 18 other authors on an all expense-paid trip to Israel, with the goal of 
inspiring authors to bring Israel and Jewish ideas to their writing.

Erin Dealey (K IS FOR KINDERGARTEN /Sleeping Bear; BABIES COME FROM AIRPORTS/ Kane Miller) and Henry Herz (CAP’N REX AND HIS CLEVER CREW / Sterling) presented at the Charlotte Huck Children’s Literature Festival in Redlands, CA. 


WonderCon panel:Writing and Illustrating Books for Kids 

Henry Herz; moderator – with Jenni Holm, Antoinette Portis, Dan Santat, Deborah Underwood, Eugene Yelchin 
Here’s Henry’s recap on his blog.


Congrats Shiho Pate, whose art is part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair! 


 

 

Antoinette Portis and Maria Middleton, Art Director at Random House Children’s Books, will present at SCBWI CenCal’s 

on May 5, 2018. 


Look soon for Antoinette Portis’ BEST FRINTS AT SKROOL, the sequel to BEST FRINTS IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE.
 


NYT-bestselling Alethea Kontis
, a princess, fairy godmother, and geek, is author of over twenty books and contributor to over thirty more.  And here’s thirty-one!

NEW SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, an anthology by the HWA (Horror Writers Association) to be published by HarperCollins in spring 2019 — celebrating the creepy little stories for middle grade readers created by the late Alvin Schwartz and edited by Jonathan Maberry —  includes a story by Alethea Kontis.

 


  

“Overheard”  at @EastWestLit on Twitter:


17 Exceptional Books to Understand Why We Should All Be Feminists.


Happy Spring!

Spotlight on Women’s History Month:

Reading Corner: Picture books depict lives of women in history:
“Jeanne Walker Harvey narrows the focus of Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines by outlining the story of Lin designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. While not shying away from discussing the controversy surrounding Lin’s memorial, Harvey approaches it in a thoughtful manner, conscious of the audience’s age.”

*CONGRATULATIONS ONE AND ALL*

We are thrilled and thankful to represent such amazing talent.


Artwork by Danielle Arbour