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In the Spotlight
 Best Children's and YA Books 2025It's here! Our selections for the top 50 books of the year, from Publishers Weekly’s reviews of children’s and YA books published in 2025, include picture books and graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction, debuts and bestsellers for young readers of all ages and interests. Happy reading! MORE  In the News
 Booker Foundation Announces Children’s Prize The Children’s Booker Prize—the organization’s first new award since 2005—will be administered annually beginning in 2027 for a work of fiction aimed at readers ages eight to 12 and published in the U.K. or Ireland. A panel of young people and adults will do the judging, and the winner will receive £50,000 in cash. more  Will SCOTUS Take Up Texas’s Book Banning Case? Publishers and freedom-to-read advocates are supporting plaintiffs in Little v. Llano County by encouraging the Supreme Court to review a First Amendment decision by the Fifth Circuit. The case would determine how much control public officials exert over library collection decisions, from book removals to approved selections. more
Book News
 Newly Discovered Dr. Seuss Book on the 50 States to Be Released in Time for America’s 250thCounting down to America’s semiquincentennial, Random House Children’s Books has unveiled Sing the 50 United States!, a picture book by Dr. Seuss. Editors recently discovered the rhyming celebration of the States, emceed by the Cat in the Hat, among Ted Geisel’s personal papers at the University of California–San Diego’s Geisel Library. more New Ventures
 Brown Books Launches Nonprofit Children’s Imprint to Support Rescue AnimalsMan’s best friend has inspired a new children’s book imprint. Brown Books Publishing Group CEO Milli Brown is at the helm of RADO (Rescue Animals Deserve Our Support)’s Press, which will debut next spring. All proceeds from the book sales will be donated to Operation Kindness, a Texas-based nonprofit animal shelter. more   Reading Roundup
 New and Noteworthy Children’s and YA Books: October 2025Among all the frights this month, young readers can look forward to a bit of fun with notable releases including a picture book following an unlikely friendship between predator and prey, a middle grade novel following a group of Swifties, the story of an alien in hiding returning to his spaceship, and more. more 
Rights Report
 Hannah Hill at Delacorte Press has acquired The Peacock Throne by Zeba Shahnaz (Midnight Strikes), a YA fantasy duology pitched as Anastasia meets This Woven Kingdom, set in a world inspired by 19th-century India, about a young woman who believes she's a descendant of a long-overthrown imperial dynasty and gets entangled in a dangerous conspiracy that could spell her country's doom—if her false marriage to the chief conspirator's son doesn't kill her first. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Claire Friedman at Inkwell Management sold world rights.  Alison Romig at Delacorte Romance has bought Plenty of Fish by Kit Rosewater (All's Fair in Love and Field Hockey), a queer YA romance about an heiress to a beloved fish and chips shop whose niche video channel goes viral after she interviews—and falls for—a rising TV star, forcing her to navigate the clash between her cozy community and the allure of fame. Publication is slated for spring 2028; Lauren Spieller at Folio Literary sold world rights.  Charlotte Greenbaum at Abrams Fanfare has acquired world rights to debut author-illustrator Christina L. Chan's middle grade graphic novel series, Alex Dweeby and the Wild Wetlands. Alex Dweeby, a young nature lover determined to save his home and nearby wetlands from the town's pompous mayor and his destructive construction plans, teams up with quirky, larger-than-life local wildlife to enter (and hopefully win) a national singing competition. Publication is set for spring 2029; Alexandra Weiss at Azantian Literary did the two-book deal.  Angelica Busanet at Abrams Fanfare has bought Forest Freaks, a graphic novel by Nat Iwata (Wat Takes His Shot), in which identical twins Ben and Yoshi move to a new town and discover something supernatural in the woods behind their school, blending American mythology with Japanese folklore. Publication is scheduled for fall 2028; Alexander Slater at Greenburger Kids sold world rights.  Cheryl Klein at Workman Kids has acquired The Declaration Decoded by Katie Kennedy, a short nonfiction primer for all ages that walks readers through the events that prompted the writing of the Declaration of Independence, translates its dense 18th-century text into language accessible for a modern reader, and celebrates both how it changed the world in its time and how it still resonates today. Publication is planned for summer 2026, in time for the 250th anniversary of the document; Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary sold world rights.  Juree Sondker at Gibbs Smith has bought world rights for A Coven of Witches: Frights to Tell at Night by Alexis Powell (l.), illustrated by Marina Vidal, a collection of 20 original spooky stories that reimagine witches from folklore, myth, and history. Publication is slated for summer 2026; the author was unagented, and Lucy Craig at the Plum Agency represented the illustrator.  Rich Thomas at HarperCollins has acquired Fish Do Not Have Feet and two companion titles by cartoonist Tim Miller, writing and illustrating as T.J. Miller. In this new I Can Read Comics series, rambunctious Fish is determined to try out everything with his newfound fish feet, much to the dismay of his very serious friend, Octopus. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026; Steven Malk at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.  Erica Finkel at Abrams has bought, in an exclusive submission, world English rights to Monster League, a chapter book series by Ellen Potter (l.), illustrated by Yury Guzman. The story follows a benchwarmer kid who becomes the unlikely coach of a team of misfit monsters, bringing the warmth and optimism of Ted Lasso to a humorous underdog tale. Publication will begin in spring 2027; Alice Tasman at Jean V. Naggar Agency represented the author, and Saritza Hernández at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator in the two-book deal.  Ellen Cormier at Dial has acquired world rights to Monday in a Pickle, first in the Monday chapter book series, followed by Monday in a Whale and two untitled sequels, by Shelley Moore Thomas (l.), illustrated by Julie Kwon, pitched as Pippi Longstocking meets Dory Fantasmagory. In this adventure set on a mysterious archipelago, seven-year-old Monday is alone on an island, where she makes friends with a sea turtle, a highland cow, and a giant bookworm as she searches for a yeti, and the secret to her past. Publication is set for summer 2027; Jordan Hamessley at JABberwocky Literary Agency represented the author, and Hannah Mann at Writers House represented the illustrator in the four-book deal.  Siobhan Ciminera at Simon Spotlight has bought, in a two-book deal, world rights to Bigfoot and Dodo, an early reader series about two new friends who become collaborators in a fix-it business with humorous results, by longtime friends and collaborators James Preller (l.) and Audrey Vernick (c.), illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy (r.). Karen Nagel will edit; publication is planned for spring 2027. Elizabeth Bennett at the Transatlantic Agency represented Preller, Erin Murphy at Aevitas Creative Management represented Vernick, and Emily Fernandez at the Bright Agency represented Dreidemy.  Nick Magliato at Penguin Workshop has acquired world rights to Grammy Award–winning musician Laufey's (l.) debut picture book, Mei Mei the Bunny, illustrated by Lauren O'Hara, about a little bunny with big dreams of making the world a happier place through her music. Publication is slated for April 2026; Katelyn Dougherty at Paradigm and Max Gredinger at Foundations represented the author, and Angharad Kowal Stannus at Kowal Stannus Agency represented the illustrator.  Neal Porter at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Off the Wall, a picture book about making art with your friends and the art of friendship, by best friends and Caldecott Honorees Molly Idle (l.) and Juana Martinez-Neal. Publication is scheduled for 2026; Steven Malk at Writers House represented Idle, and Stefanie Sanchez von Borstel at Full Circle Literary represented Martinez-Neal.  Connie Hsu and Nicolás Ore-Giron at Roaring Brook have acquired world rights to Aunties, a picture book by Pooja Makhijani (l.), illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane, a celebration of all of the aunties in our lives. Publication is set for spring 2027; Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.  Dana Chidiac at Henry Holt has bought, at auction, The Girl, the Village, and the Terrible Thunder by debut author Aimee Yealim Lee (l.), illustrated by Hyewon Yum, a humorous story inspired by a Korean folktale about a girl with a powerful, very smelly secret and how she learns to use it to help her community. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Stefanie Molina-Santos at Looking Glass Literary Agency sold world rights while at Ladderbird Literary Agency, and Sean McCarthy at Sean McCarthy Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Shulokhana Khan at Scholastic has acquired world rights to the rhyming picture book Candi the Candicorn by Robyn Wall (l.), illustrated by Joelle Murray. Candi, a sweet unicorn with a candy-corn horn, is shunned by the other beasts of Ghastly Falls. But rather than getting mad, she decides to get even—leading to humorous results. Publication is slated for summer 2026; Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency represented the author, and Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Sarah Shumway at Bloomsbury has bought world rights to Jade vs. the Claw Machine, a picture book by Margaret Chiu Greanias (l.), illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee. When Jade's baba's boba shop gets a new claw machine with adorable prizes inside, Jade is determined to beat the odds, win a toy, and change her luck forever. Publication is set for spring 2028; Sean McCarthy at Sean McCarthy Literary Agency represented the author, and Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Lauri Hornik at Penguin/Rocky Pond Books has acquired world rights to Thanks and Giving by Kerry Ferguson (l.) (Fish Friends Forever), illustrated by Romina Rollhauser, a picture book about gratitude for everyday people, places and things, thanks and giving, which follows big-hearted Ozzy from sun-rise to moon-out as she and her family prepare for Thanksgiving. Publication is scheduled for fall 2027; Sara Crowe at Sara Crowe Literary represented the author, and Sarah Dillard at Painted Words represented the illustrator.  Nicole Fiorica at McElderry Books has bought world rights to She Dives in Darkness by Leslie Barnard Booth (l.), illustrated by Paige Keiser, a picture book that follows a mother sperm whale who must leave her calf behind as she dives thousands of feet deep in search of food, revealing the powerful social bonds and deep-sea adaptations of Earth's largest toothed predator. Publication is planned for spring 2028; Fiona Kenshole at Transatlantic Agency represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.  Deidra Purvis at Free Spirit has acquired world rights to Your Cozy Castle by Molly Beth Griffin (l.), illustrated by Chris Park, a picture book that explores how children use imaginative fort-building to process big feelings and create comfort in uncertain times. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Cassie Labriola-Sitzman and Deidra Purvis will edit. The author represented herself, and Essie White at Storm Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Daniela Cortes and Sonali Fry at Random House have bought world rights to Rock-a-Bye Monsters and Rock-a-Bye Snowman by Sue Fliess (l.), illustrated by Luke Flowers. Both are rhyming board books set to the tune of the lullaby "Rock-a-Bye Baby," in which young monsters go through their bedtime routine, and forest animals playing with a snowman are called home to get ready for bed. Publication is set for August 2027 and October 2027 respectively; Jennifer Unter at the Unter Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
  How to Have a Thought: A Walk with Charles Darwin Nicholas Day, illus. by Hadley Hooper. Holiday House/Porter, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5850-9 For readers who feel constantly hurried along, Day offers up an anecdote from the life of Charles Darwin as permission to do something downright rebellious: slow down and let their thoughts wander. Fittingly discursive text describes how Darwin literally walked his way to the world-changing idea of natural selection, working through ideas on daily circuits around a thinking path at the country estate where he settled after his journey on the HMS Beagle. more  A Good HideKarina Iceberg, illus. by Natasha Donovan. Heartdrum, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-063254-93-0 An Indigenous community works together to tan a large hide by hand in this captivating portrait of joyful collaboration. Making her picture book debut, Aleut-Alutiiq author Iceberg employs animated, sometimes humorous language, enlivening a step-by-step set of instructions into a jubilant account that starts with giving thanks and ends with using the final material. Together, text and image offer a sense of communal care as “from these hands, old to new,/ a tradition of love passes through,” resulting in “a good hide.” more  Run HomeAlyssa Bermudez. Roaring Brook, $22.99 hardcover (304p) ISBN 978-1-250-77430-9; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-77431-6 Thirteen-year-old Alyssa is lonely: none of her friends from middle or elementary school attend Mary Louis Academy. Adding insult to injury, her divorced parents agree that she must try out for an athletic team, as if “being completely uncoordinated at sports would help my social situation.” Settling on cross-country, Alyssa soon realizes that running is much more difficult than she expected. Despite finally feeling comfortable at school, though, her home life becomes more complicated when her father remarries. more  Sundown GirlsL.S. Stratton. Penguin/Paulsen, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 979-8-2170-0494-2 Having been abducted more than a decade ago by a kidnapper to whom she still feels connected, 16-year-old Naomi is reunited with her biological parents and siblings. Hoping to dispel the unease surrounding Naomi’s arrival, the adults plan an outdoorsy vacation to an isolated cabin in Sparksburg, Va. When Naomi learns about Sparksburg’s history as a sundown town, as well as a mysterious string of missing persons cases, she determines to investigate the location’s harrowing past. more  FustukRobert Mgrdich Apelian. Penguin Workshop, $25.99 hardcover (304p) ISBN 978-0-5936-5889-5; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-0-5936-5890-1 Seventeen-year-old Katah remembers little about his late father, an acclaimed chef in the Pars Empire, an imagined alternate Persian Empire. Nevertheless, the teen has been having vivid dreams of him; these visions soon lead him to a powerful spirit, or div, named Az, who knew Katah’s father. After Katah pleads for Az to cure his gravely ill mother, the div agrees. In exchange, Katah, along with his older brother Garo and sister Noori, both chefs, must present a dish to Az that is comparable to what their father once made. more |
October 28, 2025
 
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People Sarah Rubio has been promoted to publishing director of children's books at WaterBrook, from executive editor. | ||||
