Fred Marcellino's 'Crocodile' Resurfaces; 2017 Sendak Fellows Announced

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [Global Kids Connect conference December 7, 2016] In the Spotlight [Fred Marcellino’s ‘Crocodile’ Resurfaces] Illustrators often bemoan how long it takes for an idea to become a finished book. But few titles will ever rival the prolonged gestation of 'Arrivederci Crocodile,' a sequel to the late Fred Marcellino’s 'I Crocodile,' which will be published in 2019, exactly 20 years after the publication of the original book. An unusual deal, recently brokered by Marcellino’s agent Holly McGhee, involved working with two publishers, recruiting a new artist to finish the illustrations, and winning approval from Marcellino’s family. [more] In the News [Penny Candy Books: A Mission Becomes a Moral Directive] A year ago, in 2015, as politicians hoping to replace President Obama began positioning themselves, two published poets who met as graduate students – Chad Reynolds and Alexis Orgera – launched Penny Candy Books to, they declared, “make a difference.” After the election on November 8, the two say that Penny Candy’s mission statement has become “a moral directive.” [more] [2017 Sendak Fellows Announced] The 2017 Sendak Fellows were announced on December 1; they are Terry and Eric Fan (The Night Gardener; The Darkest Dark), Rashin Kheiriyeh (There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly; Mago Rosa; Two Parrots), and Eliza Wheeler (Miss Maple's Seeds; Wherever You Go; Tell Me a Tattoo Story). [more] [Children's Starred Reviews Celebration, December 7 2016] Happy Anniversary [Four Questions for Elizabeth Bluemle And Josie Leavitt] On Small Business Saturday, Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Leavitt celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Flying Pig Bookstore with cupcakes and cider. What began as a tiny 850 sq. ft. children’s-only bookstore in Charlotte, Vt., has grown into an award-winning general bookstore in Shelburne. [more] Q & A [Lois Ehlert] At 82, picture-book creator Lois Ehlert continues to enrich her oeuvre, which encompasses 38 titles, 28 of which she both wrote and illustrated. She is renowned for her vivid collage art, which she again showcases in her latest book, Heart 2 Heart, a rebus-style celebration of love and friendship that combines puns, numbers, alphabet letters, and images of fruits and vegetables. We spoke with Ehlert about her career steps – and about reaching this latest rung on her creative ladder. Q: You began creating art as a child – what fueled your artistic aspirations at such a young age? A: I was very lucky. My parents both encouraged me to be creative, from an early age. My mother was a seamstress and my father was a woodworker, and they both provided me with art supplies. I began to make collages using cloth, felt, and other items not traditionally used. [more] Out Next Week [Hot Off the Presses: Week of December 5, 2016] Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about a hedgehog seeking a “friend ship,” a middle grade adventure story set in the skies, and a YA adaptation of a nonfiction book about little-known NASA mathematicians. [more] In Brief [In Brief: December 1, 2016] This week, Andrea Davis Pinkney celebrates her new book and Ezra Jack Keats; a singer who inspired a classic song – and now book – returns to the stage; John Coy lives the Gap Life; and author Carol Weston goes all out for Small Business Saturday. [more] SPONSORED [PW KidsCast: Listen Now] Kwame Alexander, Matthew Quick, Maggie Stiefvater, Brian Selznick, Rebecca Stead, Lane Smith, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Mike Curato – listen to these and other top writers and artists discuss their new books for children and teens in the PW KidsCast podcast. [Click here] to listen. For more about these and other jobs, visit [PW JobZone]. To post a new job, [click here]. - Naval Institute Press is seeking a [Marketing Manager]. - Callisto Media, Inc. is seeking a [Photo Editor / Art Manager]. - Ingram Content Group is seeking a [Marketing Manager, International Sales]. - Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC is seeking a [Designer]. - Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC is seeking an [Art Director]. Rights Report T.S. Ferguson and Natashya Wilson at Harlequin Teen have acquired at auction Heroes actress Dana L. Davis's debut YA novel, Seven Days of Stone. It tells the story of a teen girl who, in the wake of her mother's death, travels from Chicago to Los Angeles to live with a father she has never known, and who may in fact not be her real father. Publication is planned for summer 2018; Uwe Stender at TriadaUS Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world English rights. Katherine Perkins at Putnam has bought the next two YA historical novels from Stacey Lee (Under a Painted Sky). Dear Miss Sweetie focuses on a Chinese teenager in 1890s Atlanta who moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a wildly popular newspaper advice column. When a black man is accused of assaulting a white woman, "Miss Sweetie" uses the power of her pen in an attempt to change the outcome of the trial. Publication is slated for 2018; Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary brokered the deal for North American rights. Whitney Ross at Tor Teen has acquired two YA titles by Ann Aguirre. In Like Never and Always, a 17-year-old girl wakes in the hospital following a car crash that killed her best friend to discover everyone calling her by her dead friend's name, and when the bandages come off, it's not her face in the mirror anymore. The first book is scheduled for 2018, with the second to follow in 2019. Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights. Alison Weiss at Sky Pony Press has bought Carrie Ann DiRisio's Brooding YA Hero's Guide to Achieving Main Character Status, a "self-help" guide and activity book that pokes fun at YA tropes, narrated by @BroodingYAHero from Twitter. Publication is set for spring 2017; Melissa Edwards at Stonesong negotiated the deal for world rights. Jennifer Ung at Simon Pulse has acquired Crystal Chan's All That I Can Fix, about a teenager of mixed race whose world turns upside-down after his father's failed suicide attempt, only to flip again when a zoo of exotic animals is set loose nearby, causing news crews, gun control supporters, and gun rights advocates to descend on his small town. It is tentatively scheduled for summer 2018; Tina Wexler at ICM Partners sold North American rights. Kate Egan at KCP Loft has bought Someday, Somewhere, a debut YA novel by Lindsay Champion, an editor at lifestyle website PureWow. Structured like a violin sonata and told from two perspectives, the story is set in New York City and explores how worlds collide after a chance encounter leads to a relationship based on lies between a rich but flawed teen violin prodigy and a girl from a tough New Jersey town who is transfixed by his performance at Carnegie Hall. Publication is planned for spring 2018; Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary brokered the deal for world English rights. Andrea Pinkney at Scholastic has acquired National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine's middle grade novel The Incredible Magic of Being, about anxiety-ridden Julian, an amateur astronomer, whose belief that the magic of the universe can save us is discounted until his family moves to Maine and their new next-door neighbor becomes an unwitting accomplice in Julian's theories. It’s slated for fall 2017; Linda Pratt at the Wernick & Pratt Agency did the deal for North American rights. Christy Ottaviano at Christy Ottaviano Books has bought Locked in Ice! Nansen's Daring Quest for the North Pole, a middle grade adventure biography of Fridtjof Nansen, the pioneer of polar exploration, with a focus on his harrowing three-year journey to the top of the world, written by Peter Lourie, author of Jack London and the Klondike Gold Rush. Publication is set for 2018; Susan Ramer at Don Congdon Associates negotiated the deal for world rights. Liz Kossnar at Simon & Schuster has acquired world rights to the first three books in the Ada Lace chapter book series by Emily Calandrelli (l.), host of Xploration Outer Space and a correspondent on Bill Nye Saves the World, illustrated by Renée Kurilla, about Ada Lace, a third grader with a love for science and technology, and a nose for trouble. The first two, Ada Lace, On the Case and Ada Lace Sees Red, will publish simultaneously in fall 2017. Jennifer Keene at Octagon represented the author and Jennifer Rofé at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator. Arthur Levine at Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books has bought Saffron Ice Cream, Iranian illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh's first picture book as both author and illustrator. The book juxtaposes Kheiriyeh's trip to the beach on the Caspian Sea in Iran against her first trip to the beach on Coney Island in New York City, pointing out the similarities in sights and sounds as well as the differences. Publication is scheduled for 2018; Carrie Hannigan at Hannigan Salky Getzler sold world rights. Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has acquired Elise Parsley's Neck & Neck, the picture book tale of a proud giraffe whose self-esteem is tested as he competes with a "long-necked" balloon for a child’s attention. Publication is scheduled for 2018; Steven Malk at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights. Neal Porter has bought As Warm as the Sun, a picture book by Kate and James McMullan, for his imprint at Roaring Brook Press. Their first collaboration since their I Stink! vehicle series, the book is a tribute to the couple's French bulldogs Toby and Pinkie, and a universal story of new friends and sibling rivalries. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties brokered the deal for North American rights. Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired world rights to When Angels Sing by Michael Mahin (l.), to be illustrated by José Ramírez, a picture book biography of Carlos Santana, whose pioneering sound fuses American blues, rock, and jazz traditions with the sound and feel of Latin American and African music. Publication is tentatively set for fall 2018; Minju Chang at BookStop Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself. Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has bought world rights to Pope Francis: Builder of Bridges by Emma Otheguy, the first picture book biography of the religious leader, to be illustrated by Oliver Dominguez. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Adriana Domínguez of Full Circle Literary represented the author, and Abigail Samoun at Red Fox Literary represented the illustrator. Laura Godwin at Laura Godwin Books has signed two picture books written by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Joey Chou. When The Snow Is Deeper Than Your Boots Are Tall presents a great, big snow day as experienced by a very young child; Group Hug tells of a forest of friendly animals who learn the contagious happiness that hugs can bring. Publication is planned for fall 2018 and winter 2019. Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author and Kirsten Hall of Catbird Productions represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights. Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee has acquired Snowball Moon by Fran Cannon Slayton (l.), to be illustrated by Tracy Bishop, about a night of snowy fun for neighborhood children when a full winter moon suddenly appears. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017. Linda Pratt of Wernick & Pratt Agency represented the author and Mela Bolinao of MB Artists represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights. To see all of this week's deals, [click here]. IN THE MEDIA [From Deadline:] Netflix orders film adaptation of teen author Beth Reekles' YA novel, The Kissing Booth. [Click here] [From Out Magazine:] "I Wanted to Write About a Young Genderqueer Experience But Was Told It Was Too Dangerous." [Click here] [From School Library Journal:] Categories Blur as Teen Lit Comes of Age. [Click here] [From NPR:] Andrea Davis Pinkney's A Poem for Peter Recalls One Unforgettable Snowy Day. [Click here] [From Book Riot:] Faces of Color on 2017 YA Books. [Click here] [From Book Riot:] 8 Picture Books That Deconstruct Gender Norm. [Click here] [From the New Ulm Journal:] The city of New Ulm, Minn., unveils a statue of hometown notable Wanda Gág. [Click here] [From @BooksellersNZ:] Publishing appointments at Walker Books Australia include former Dial executive editor Nancy Conescu. [Click here] [From Bookish:] Winter 2017's Must-Read Contemporary YA Books: Immigration, Race Riots, and Dystopian Realities. [Click here] [From NPR:] 6 Potential Brain Benefits of Bilingual Education. [Click here] [From Book Riot:] An Australian's First Thanksgiving, and How It Compared with the Baby-Sitter's Club. [Click here] [From the New York Times:] Baking Sweets from Childhood Tales. [Click here] [From the Brookyn Eagle:] Interview with Javaka Steptoe: "Art Outside the Lines." [Click here] [From the Bookseller:] A percentage of sales from new J.K. Rowling editions will raise money for Comic Relief. [Click here] SHELFTALKER Kenny Brechner [The 2016 Stocking Stuffer of the Year Award] The best new sideline gifts are recognized, but can the award overcome last year’s shocking scandal? [more »] Elizabeth Bluemle [ The Best Transgender Kidlit for Everyone] Guest blogger M.G. Hennessey offers recommendations of terrific recent books for all readers. [more »] Josie Leavitt [The Flying Pig’s Snowflake Project] A wonderful way to give back during the holidays. [more »] Elizabeth Bluemle [The Flying Pig Flaps Its Way to 20 Years] When your bookstore turns twenty years old, it’s cause for celebration and memories. [more »] FEATURED REVIEWS [Grand Canyon] Jason Chin. Roaring Brook/Porter, $19.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-59643-950-4 Chin (Island: A Story of the Galapagos) packs the geologic history of the Grand Canyon into a stunningly illustrated story of a magical father-daughter hike. The duo’s daylong trek out of the magnificent landform becomes a journey through time, as discoveries along the trail transport the girl to various eras in the canyon’s creation. [more] [Dormouse Dreams] Karma Wilson, illus. by Renata Liwska. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4231-7874-3 The suspense in this story-in-verse is of the gentlest sort. One dormouse sleeps the winter away, wishing for a visit from his dormouse friend. She has already set off on a journey to see him, and readers have the fun of anticipating the joy he’ll feel when he awakens. [more] [Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes] Mary E. Lambert. Scholastic Press, $16.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-545-93198-4 Lambert's gutsy and affecting first novel tackles a topic not frequently discussed in middle grade fiction: living with a parent who’s a hoarder. At 12, Annabelle copes with her mother’s obsession with her "collections"—old newspapers, milk jugs, canned vegetables—that are stacked throughout the house. [more] [Crazy Messy Beautiful] Carrie Arcos. Philomel, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-399-17553-4 For 16-year-old Neruda Diaz, love is a mystery, maybe the mystery. He comes by his fixation honestly: he’s named after Chilean love poet Pablo Neruda, his parents are still in love, and he thinks that beautiful Autumn Cho might be the one for him. Then mystery turns tragic: Neruda’s parents’ marriage is less stable than he thought, and—like her predecessors—Autumn isn’t interested. [more] [When Morning Comes] Arushi Raina. Tradewind (Orca, dist.), $10.95 trade paper (232p) ISBN 978-1-926890-14-2 This fictionalized account of a student uprising that began in Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, unfolds through the first-person narratives of four young adults from different backgrounds whose lives intersect. An African student, Zanele, secretly organizes the protest against the Afrikaans Medium Decree Act, which required the use of English and Afrikaans in schools. Her apolitical friend Thabo heads a local gang, extorting money from an Indian store owner, whose daughter Meena, is sympathetic to the students. [more] TALES FROM THE SLUSH PILE [SEE ALL] December 1, 2016 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.] [They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel. Available Now.] [PW KidsCast: A Conversation with Jerry Spinelli] People Ginny Anson, v-p and director of manufacturing at Penguin Young Readers Group, will be retiring at the end of the year. She began her publishing career in 1977 as a production assistant at Dial/Delacorte, and came to Penguin Young Readers 31 years ago. She will be replaced by Nadine Britt, who has been named v-p and executive director of production, Penguin Young Readers Group, as of December 15. She was previously executive director of juvenile production, Penguin Young Readers. Author, editor, and workshop leader Lorin Oberweger has joined Adams Literary as a literary agent. In Case You Missed It [Chalking Up Another Successful Shanghai Children's Book Fair] [Click here] [Eight Trends from the Shanghai Book Fair] [Click here] [Marissa Meyer's 'Heartless' Tour] [Click here] [Tyndale Expands Its Children’s Program] [Click here] Of Note Children's Bookshelf is on [Instagram]! Follow us @pwkidsbookshelf. Bookshelf Archives Looking for a previous issue of Children's Bookshelf? [Click here] for our archives page! CONTACT US Have a comment or suggestion? We'd love to hear from you. [Click here] to drop us a note. [Follow PWKidsBookshelf on Twitter] Children's Bookshelf Editor: Diane Roback Send editorial questions about this e-newsletter to: childrensbooks@publishersweekly.com Send advertising questions about this e-newsletter to: cbryerman@publishersweekly.com Follow PW on [Facebook] and [Twitter]. For additional assistance, contact us by email or at the address below. Publishers Weekly, 71 West 23 St. #1608 New York, NY 10010 Phone 212-377-5500 Copyright 2016, PWxyz LLC Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.] To view back issues of Children's Bookshelf, [click here]. You are receiving this email because {EMAIL} subscribed to one of Publishers Weekly's e-newsletters. If you are not {EMAIL}, then please disregard this. 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