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In the Spotlight
 Growing Businesses Get Creative to Bring Spanish Books StatesideFrom literary fiction to kids' books, Latin American entrepreneurs are working to make offerings for Spanish-language readers more varied and visible in the U.S. "It's clear that booksellers are really craving Spanish-language books that go deeper than the surface," said Adriana Roca, founder of the Lima, Peru–based children’s publisher Pichoncito. more  Call to Action
 How Book Bans Led to the Postponement of the Diversity Baseline SurveyJason Low is publisher and co-owner of Lee & Low Books, the largest multicultural children’s book publisher in the U.S. and the force behind the Diversity Baseline Survey. Here, Low issues a call to action to fellow members of the industry to focus their efforts on fighting book bans. more
Black History Month
 Remembering Claudette ColvinPhillip Hoose is the author of Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, which received the 2009 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and a Newbery Honor. Hoose pays tribute to the legendary civil rights activist, who died on January 13, and to her legacy. more  A New Day for Langston Hughes’s ‘The Weary Blues’ As Black History Month winds down, we spoke with the creative team behind Melodies of the Weary Blues, a picture book anthology revisiting the poetry collection of the same name by Langston Hughes. Edited by Shamar Knight-Justice and featuring the art of 23 Black illustrators, the book is out now from HarperCollins. more Licensing News
 Licensing Hotline: February 26, 2026HarperCollins Children’s Books has signed on as the trade publishing licensee for Yo Gabba Gabba!, a music- and dance-filled live-action and puppet TV series that launched in 2007. It's now back as an Apple TV+ series, which debuted in 2024. Read on for news about Mayo Clinic Press Kids’ Sesame Street books, Highlights’ first acquisition of a license in Crazy Aaron’s, new publishers for Hello Kitty and friends, Papercutz’ Star Wars original graphic novels, and more. more   Reading Roundup
 Noteworthy Picture Book and Novel Sequels: February 2026PW’s selection of notable series installments out this month includes a picture book about showing appreciation, a scary illustrated novel about food that bites back, a middle grade novel about international tween spies, and more. more Q & A
 Kelsey DayAuthor and poet Kelsey Day makes their traditional publishing debut with the YA technological thriller The Spiral Key. As the daughter of virtual reality world Ametrine’s designers, Madison Pembroke hosts her birthday parties on its servers. Social outcast Bree, Madison’s former best friend, has never been invited to the ultra-exclusive event. When Bree receives an invitation, though, she intends on using it as an opportunity to rekindle their friendship. But soon the glitz and glamour of Ametrine’s digital landscape turn deadly. PW spoke with Day about friendship fallouts and the advice that shaped their writing career. Q: What compelled you to write a thriller about a virtual reality world? A: Algorithms are built to target young people who are craving community, people who are particularly vulnerable. I wanted to write a book that captured that terror, and the ways in which the internet is an incredible connective force, but it’s also pushing us farther apart. more Out Next Week
 Hot Off the Press: Week of March 2 Among the books hitting shelves next week are a new picture book from the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a middle grade novel following tweens surviving an earthquake, a YA speculative romance, and more. more In Brief
 In Brief: February 26, 2026Recently an author attended a special ceremony, a beloved character made appearances at bookstores for his birthday, and young readers enjoyed a storytime at a museum. more
Rights Report
 Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow Books has acquired Rae Carson's YA fantasy novel Monster, Monarch, Maiden, where the "loyal sidekick" is the heroine, about a girl with minor magic who, after losing her whole family, swears fealty to the mysterious traveler who saved her life and accompanies him on a perilous quest, which will challenge all her beliefs about the magic and the gods of their world. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Holly Root at Root Literary sold North American rights.  Kristin Rens at Storytide has bought, at auction, Newbery Honor author Kate O'Shaughnessy's debut YA contemporary A Season for Falling, an autumn-set romance which follows a former child star as she attempts to live anonymously in a picturesque Connecticut town until she is unexpectedly reunited with her childhood co-star and first crush, forcing her to confront the past and feelings she thought she left behind. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Pete Knapp at Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management sold North American rights.  Jonah Heller at Peachtree Teen has acquired debut author and actor Aaron Cole's SoulCast, a YA fantasy pitched as Dante's Inferno meets The Hunger Games and Children of Blood and Bone, inspired by the central African mythology of the Underworld of Kalunga. When 16-year-old Krio's mother is struck with a death curse, he must infiltrate the Soul Cast Trials, a deadly competition to unlock a passage to the underworld, in order to save her. To stay alive, he teams up with a brooding enemy prince whose secrets may be the key to survival. Publication is set for summer 2027; Natalie Lakosil at Looking Glass Literary & Media sold world rights in a two-book deal.  Maya Marlette at Scholastic has bought Mia Kayla's YA debut, Fall, in Love, a coming-of-age romance set in a picture-perfect New England town, in which a rule-following orchard girl's world is upended when her first love returns to work on her family's struggling farm, forcing her to risk her plans—and her heart—to save what matters most. Publication is planned for fall 2027; Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, now at Starling Literary + Media, did the deal while at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.  Caroline Abbey has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Girl Powered by Stacy McAnulty, in which a middle grade girl joins her school's manpowered-racer team to build a racing bicycle, inspired by the author's own experience, and pitched as a middle grade Lessons in Chemistry for future engineers. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; Lori Kilkelly at LK Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world English rights.  Alyza Liu at Simon and Schuster has bought The Gravedigger's Apprentice, a middle grade debut by Linda Cheng (Gorgeous Gruesome Faces). Tomb Raider meets Ghostbusters in this action-adventure set in the criminal underworld of 1930s China, where a young graverobber must team up with her rival to plunder a haunted tomb in order to save her adopted family from the clutches of a corrupt army officer. Publication is slated for summer 2027; John Cusick at Folio Literary Management did the deal for world rights.  Brittany Willis at Moon + Bird has bought world rights to Caught on Camera, a middle grade novel by Melissa Miles, pitched as a high-stakes Hitchcockian cat-and-mouse thriller about a neurodivergent young podcaster on the run after spotting a supposedly dead senator on a Times Square livestream. Publication is set for May 2027; Kristen Terrette at Martin Literary & Media Management represented the author.  Martha Rago at Random House has acquired Druscilla Santiago's debut author-illustrated early reader, Anything? Anything!, part of the Seuss Studios line of Beginner Books inspired by selections from Dr. Seuss's archival sketches; Maria Correa will edit. After their ball falls into a hole, a girl and a frog wonder what kinds of scary—or wonderful—things could be down there. Publication is planned for summer 2027; Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights.  Julia McCarthy at Atheneum has bought Have You Ever Seen a Ghost?, a picture book by Julia Pott (l.) (Summer Camp Island) and Daniel Kwan (c.) (Everything Everywhere All at Once), illustrated by Sean Lewis (r.) (I'll Get to the Bottom of This!), which follows a shy ghost who must overcome their anxiety in time to attend a very important party. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Ailleen Gorospe at Yorn Levine Barnes Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner Endlich Goodell & Gellman brokered the deal for world rights.  Alyza Liu at Simon & Schuster has acquired Mo the Grass by debut picture book creators Kate McMillan (l.) and Ruthie Prillaman (Maple's Theory of Fun), about a kid with long grassy hair who refuses to get a haircut, even if it covers their eyes, causes them to trip down the stairs, and takes over their home. Publication is slated for spring 2028; Alexandra Weiss at Azantian Literary sold world rights.  Maria Russo at Union Square Kids has bought world rights to Seeking Wonderful by Susan Yoon (l.), illustrated by Veronica Mang, a picture book about a rock and a mysterious creature who pass their days in the desert imagining wonderful, but seemingly impossible, destinies. Together they hatch a plan to fulfill their dreams—but can they succeed? Publication is set for summer 2028; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Aevitas Creative Management represented the author, and Andrea Morrison at Writers House represented the illustrator.  Autumn Allen at Barefoot Books has acquired world rights to Midnight Creep by Jemima Shafei-Ongu (l.) (A Lemon for Safiya), illustrated by Honoka Taki (c.), with audio sung by Karim Nagi (r.) and music by A Is for Artist. When the full moon is out and the giants (humans) go to sleep, spiders gather for a night of feasting, music, and dancing the dabke. Publication is planned for autumn 2026; the author and illustrator represented themselves.  Barb McNally at Sleeping Bear Press has bought world rights to Merry, Merry Winter Berry by Sue Heavenrich (l.) (The Pie That Molly Grew), illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman (The Ocean Blue and You), a nature/STEAM picture book that celebrates the diversity of winter birds and wildlife around us—and the berries that sustain them during the cold season. Publication is scheduled for fall 2027; the author represented herself, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.  Claire Tattersfield at Viking has acquired world rights to Everybody Potty Dance by Kirsti Call (l.), illustrated by Gareth Conway, a rhyming board book about potty dances in the animal kingdom to be used as a potty training tool. Publication is slated for summer 2027; Charlotte Wenger at Prospect Agency represented the author, and Susan Penny at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.  Cecily Kaiser at RISE x Penguin Workshop and Nicholas Magliato at Grosset & Dunlap have bought eight books by author-illustrator Suzy Ultman. RISE will publish five board books beginning with I Heart Pickles in fall 2026, a pickle-shaped book of appreciation and silliness, and two new series: Baby's First Yiddish and a holiday-themed series. The Grosset & Dunlap series will be announced this summer. Kathleen Brady at the Current Company did the deal for world rights.  Nicholas Magliato and Celina Sun at Penguin Workshop have acquired, in an exclusive submission, four books in the Bite-Sized Basics series by author-illustrator Steph Stilwell. These novelty board books introduce shapes, colors, numbers, and letters through anthropomorphic foods and puns. The first two books, Ice Cream Colors and Shape Sandwich, will publish in summer 2027; the second two are slotted for fall 2027. Aliza R. Hoover at the CAT Agency brokered the deal for world rights.  Adonia Ripple at Yosemite Conservancy has bought, in an exclusive submission, Yosemite Is Home, an original board book by Susie Ghahremani (Stack the Cats; Rosemary Long Ears), featuring creatures native to the national park in their habitats. Publication is planned for summer 2027; Lilly Ghahremani at Full Circle Literary negotiated the deal for world rights. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
 The Dumped TruckDaniel Bernstrom, illus. by Marcelo Verdad. HarperCollins, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-0633-7362-4 Both hauler and handyman, Dump keeps Toyville running, but the other playthings complain: “Dump Truck wasn’t neat./ In fact, he was dirty/ and smelled like wet feet.” Moreover, the truck’s cleanup efforts sometimes cause minor collateral damage, like getting dust on Giggly, a tattooed teddy bear in a tutu who leads the opposition. To the toys, Dump is chaotic, messy, and—most tellingly—“strange,” and they write up new rules that bar him from working. After Toyville falls apart, though, Dump decides he’s done following the guidelines and returns to his job. more  Others: A Story for All of UsKobi Yamada, illus. by Charles Santoso. Ten Speed, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-593-83967-6 Yamada and Santoso firmly challenge assumptions about “others” in this picture book composed as a dialogue between two children. While one child struggles to relate to “the other people” who appear across a tall hedge, saying “They look different. They talk different. Everything about them is different,” a companion models an alternate approach, asking “They’re different? What do you mean? Do they have heads and bodies?” The second child crosses the hedge to join a domestic scene, complicating the first child’s definition of here and there. more  Otis Knows (How to Be a Bear)Liz Garton Scanlon and Martha Brockenbrough, illus. by Stephanie Laberis. Beach Lane, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-6659-7081-5 After hibernating through the Alaskan winter, bears awaken with bellies like “hollow pockets, growling to be filled,” Scanlon and Brockenbrough write. The animals trudge to the river where salmon are running, their red and green bodies glinting in mid-leap. Meanwhile, the eponymous icon remains in his cave, drooling and emitting a luxuriant snore of “SSSNNNNNNRRRRKKKK.” When he finally rouses, it looks like Otis may have missed his chance to fatten up. more  Reaching Across the Sky: A Celebration of BridgesChristy Hale. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-3165-7547-8 “Bridges bring two sides together,” early text declares, taking a reflective tone that unfolds into an expansive meditation on how physical spans enable accessibility, community, opportunity, and travel. More than 100 examples spotlight bridges across varying landscapes globally, acknowledging nature’s earliest models—fallen trees and lines of stones—while examining how the structures embody collaboration, ingenuity, and a sense of place. more | ||||
