Around the World with 'Du Iz Tak?'; Drawing Diverse Picture Books

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for Kids by Kristen Fischer]( In the Spotlight [Working Out the Bugs: Adventures in Translating Carson Ellis’s ‘Du Iz Tak?’]( Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis tells the story of the life of a plant and the insects around it, using a playful invented language. We spoke with Ellis and Candlewick editor Liz Bicknell about the unique process of translating the Caldecott Honor book for foreign readers. [more]( In the News [LBYR Strikes Development Pact With Gotham Group]( In an effort to create books that are positioned to work, and sell, as movies and TV shows, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has inked a development agreement with The Gotham Group. The partnership will launch in spring 2018 with the publication of Tracey Deebs's Phantom Wheel. [more]( [Life by Cynthia Rylant]( On the Scene [The Art of Diversity: A CBC Panel]( Two author-illustrators and an editor discussed issues of inclusion and representation in picture book illustration at a Children’s Book Council panel called "Drawing Diversity," which took place on June 13 in New York City. [more]( Soapbox [The Best Place for Comics? The Classroom.]( Retired third grade teacher Susan Shafer argues for graphic novels and other books heavy on visuals as a vital teaching tool in today’s classroom. "There are many worthy comics for children, both fiction and nonfiction, that kids would find enjoyable and informative," she says. [more]( Out Next Week [Hot Off the Presses: Week of June 19, 2017]( Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about a bumbling teacher, a middle grade graphic novel about a sheepish fox, and a YA novel about a daughter and mother struggling with homelessness. [more]( In Brief [In Brief: June 15, 2017]( This week, Sonia Manzano takes the stage with Rachel Renée Russell and family; David Levithan, John Corey Whaley, Laurent Linn, and Sarah Prager talk LGBTQ YA; illustrators celebrate the opening of a Dr. Seuss-inspired exhibition; Harlem-area readers attend a kick-off event for the Book Rich Environments initiative; the Nocturnals series entertains kids at pediatric hospitals; and Leda Schubert celebrates her book and Pete Seeger at a musical launch. [more]( SPONSORED [PW KidsCast: Listen Now]( Dan Santat, Jennifer and Matthew Holm, Philip C. Stead, Matthew Cordell, Kwame Alexander, Maggie Stiefvater, Jewell Parker Rhodes – 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 great jobs, visit the new [PW JobZone]( now with resume hosting and more! - [Associate Marketing Manager - Digital Resources - Bloomsbury Publishing Inc. - New York](. - [Business Development Manager - Dreamscape Media - Holland](. - [Sales & Operations Coordinator - Ingram Content Group - New York City](. - [Sales & Support Representative-Specialty Retail - Ingram Content Group - Berkeley, CA](. - [Associate Editor (Bilingual) - HarperCollins Christian Publishing - Nashville](. Rights Report Nick Thomas at Scholastic/Levine has bought world rights to Lambda, Stonewall, and PEN Center USA Literary award-winning author Bill Konigsberg's new novel, The Music of What Happens, in Thomas's first acquisition at the imprint. It's the story of two gay teens who meet and fall in love while working on a food truck in Mesa, Ariz. one summer. The novel explores the paradox of how boys are taught to emotionally armor up, but find the power to change their lives through vulnerability. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Linda Epstein at Emerald City Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights. Beverly Horowitz at Delacorte has acquired Natasha Diaz's Color Me In, a YA novel based on the author's own story, about a mixed-race Jewish girl as she faces coming-of-age issues before she has decided who she is and where she fits within her two very different worlds—one in Harlem and the other in Westchester County. Publication is set for spring 2019; Richard Abate at 3 Arts Entertainment handled the deal for U.S., Canadian, and open market rights. Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has bought Lev Rosen's Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts), written under L.C. Rosen. This YA contemporary novel is about an unapologetically sexually active gay teenager who writes a sex advice column and is anonymously stalked by someone who wants to blackmail him back into the closet. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Joy Tutela at David Black Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights. Calista Brill at First Second has acquired Sloane Leong's YA graphic novel, A Map to the Sun, a coming-of age-story about the struggling girls' basketball team of a fictional neighborhood in the Los Angeles area. Publication is planned for 2019; Jennifer Linnan at Linnan Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights. Sarah Ketchersid at Candlewick has bought world English rights to Geisel Honor Award-winner Kara LaReau's Rise of Zombert as well as two untitled sequels. The middle grade trilogy follows best friends Emmeline "Mellie" Gore and Danny Hurley, who seek the truth about their discovery behind the mysterious Yummo Foods factory: a cat who may or may not be a zombie. The first book is scheduled for summer 2019; Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary brokered the deal. Kate Prosswimmer at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has acquired Jen Calonita's new Royal Academy Rebels series, in a three-book deal. Set in the same world as Calonita's Fairy Tale Reform School, these new middle-grade novels follow a group of descendants of fairy tale royalty as they attend Royal Academy, the training ground for the fairytale leaders of tomorrow. But not everyone born royal is meant to rule. The first book is set for fall 2018; Dan Mandel at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates did the deal for world English rights. Lisa Yoskowitz at Little, Brown has bought at auction world English rights to Survival Tails, a middle grade adventure series by Katrina Charman that depicts historical events from animals' perspectives. In the first book, The Titanic, a stowaway dog and the Captain's cat have to work together in spite of their differences to save themselves and three abandoned kittens when the doomed ship hits the iceberg. Book one is slated for spring 2018; Gemma Cooper at the Bent Agency represented the author. Anne Hoppe at Clarion has acquired Sarah Beth Durst's Storm Guardians, a middle-grade fantasy starring a girl and her lightning beast who confront the secret behind their country's idyllic existence. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger negotiated the deal for world rights. Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has bought author Patti Kim's debut middle-grade novel, I'm Ok, about a Korean American boy named Ok whose get-rich-quick schemes of starting a hair-braiding business and winning the school talent competition hide the fact that he's struggling to cope with the loss of his father and the poverty that he and his mother are now living in. Publication is set for fall 2018; Michelle Humphrey at the Martha Kaplan Agency did the deal for world rights. Karen Nagel at Aladdin has acquired in a two-book deal Ollie & Moon creator Diane Kredensor's chapter book, Superbuns, about a superhero bunny whose special power is being nice. But her bossy sister doesn't appreciate this power until she's the beneficiary of a nice surprise. The first book is scheduled for September 2018; Jennifer Rofé at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights. Maria Modugno at Random House has bought This Is Not That Kind of Book by Christopher Healy (l.), illustrated by Ben Mantle. In his picture book debut, Healy introduces his protagonists to a series of humorous encounters as they try to figure out the kind of book in which they're appearing. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Cheryl Pientka at Jill Grinberg Literary Management represented the author and Arabella Stein at the Bright Group represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights. Kristen Nobles at Page Street Kids has acquired world rights to Oliver, the Second-Largest Living Thing on Earth by debut author Josh Crute (l.) and debut illustrator John Taesoo Kim. In this picture book, a giant sequoia tree is tall and majestic, beautiful and strong, a wonder of the planet—and second best. The book is scheduled for fall 2018; the author and illustrator represented themselves. Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins has bought world rights to Kathleen Krull's untitled biography of John Glenn, about his life, his work as a U.S. Senator, and his contribution to NASA. Maurizio Quarello will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2019. Susan Cohen at Writers House represented the author, and Gail Gaynin at Morgan Gaynin represented the illustrator. Carter Hasegawa at Candlewick has acquired at auction Mexican author-illustrator Tania de Regil's picture-book debut, A New Home. The book tells the story of a boy's move from New York City to Mexico City and a girl's simultaneous move from Mexico City to New York City, and of the feelings associated with those places. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Adriana Dominguez at Full Circle Literary brokered the two-book deal for world rights. Talia Benamy at Philomel has bought author-illustrator Sarah Brannen's picture book, Bear Needs Help, the story of a bear whose shoe laces have come undone, and his search for someone to help him and show some kindness. Publication is planned for summer 2019; Steven Chudney at the Chudney Agency handled the deal for world rights. Rob Broder at Ripple Grove has acquired world rights to a debut picture book, The Coconut, by Nicole Löbart, in which a fussy squirrel is determined to bring home a mysterious treat without anyone's help. Publication is set for 2019; the author-illustrator was unagented. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From the Bookseller:]( Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tops U.K. poll of favorite children's books. [Click here]( [From the Houston Chronicle:]( A review of a YA author's novel angers her fans. [Click here]( [From the Hollywood Reporter:]( Chris Colfer, Shawn Levy Tackling The Land of Stories Movie for Fox. [Click here]( [From the Guardian:]( Graphic novelist Jillian Tamaki: "Our brains are being rewired to exist online." [Click here]( [From BuzzFeed:]( 20 of Your Most Burning Questions Answered by YA Author Cassandra Clare. [Click here]( [From Book Riot:]( How Sarah Dessen's Novels Have Aged with Me. [Click here]( [From Goodreads:]( Six Famous Books That Almost Ended Very Differently. [Click here]( [From Entertainment Weekly:]( How The Hunger Games taught a 12-year-old girl first aid. [Click here]( [From Publishing Perspectives:]( A Dialogue in International Children's Publishing: Singapore and Germany. [Click here]( [From Yes! Magazine:]( Why Young People Need Diverse Books. [Click here]( [From Deadline:]( MGM Acquires David Levithan's Every Day; Angourie Rice Set to Star. [Click here]( [From the Washington Post:]( Maryland school gives away more than 2,000 books to spur summer reading. [Click here]( [From Atlas Obscura:]( Maps Reveal the Hidden Structures of 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Books. [Click here]( [From Brightly:]( Pride and Less Prejudice: 10 New LGBTQ Books for Teens. [Click here]( [From the L.A. Review of Books:]( Badgers in Platemail: On Brian Jacques's Redwall Series. [Click here]( [From Yahoo Tech:]( The chat fiction apps that teens go crazy for. [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Kenny Brechner [A Wrinkle in Summer’s Reading List]( Which book will win the All Glade Gather? [more »]( Cynthia Compton [PG Can Mean Pretty Good]( Walking the line between G and PG in the aisles of a children’s bookstore. [more »]( Elizabeth Bluemle [Hello, England!]( Or, how our tote bag ended up in hugging proximity to John C. Reilly and Will Farrell. [more »]( Leslie Hawkins [Very Pinteresting]( A look at Pinterest’s usefulness for bookstores. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [Grandma’s Tiny House]( JaNay Brown-Wood, illus. by Priscilla Burris. Charlesbridge, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58089-712-9 A grandmother welcomes her family, friends, and neighbors into her small home, and everyone arrives with lots of food and energy. As the guests show up, Brown-Wood counts up to “15 hungry grandkids,” writing in breezy, confident rhymes. [more]( [A Different Pond]( Bao Phi, illus. by Thi Bui. Capstone Young Readers, $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62370-803-0 Phi, a poet whose parents were Vietnamese refugees, draws from childhood memories in this story about fishing with his father before sunrise on the lakes of Minneapolis. They didn’t do it for fun; it was a way to put food on the table. “Everything in America costs a lot of money,” his father tells him. [more]( [Ban This Book]( Alan Gratz. Starscape, $15.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-7653-8556-7 Fourth grader Amy Anne Ollinger is an avid reader, and when she learns that her favorite book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, is on a list of titles removed from the school library, she decides to read the other books on the list. Other students want to do the same, and so the Banned Books Locker Library is born. [more]( [Solo]( Kwame Alexander, with Mary Rand Hess. Blink, $17.99 (464p) ISBN 978-0-310-76183-9 Betrayed by those closest to him and stunned by a family secret, 17-year-old Blade Morrison flees his comfortable but chaotic life as the son of a drug-addicted rock star. Seeking answers and closure, Blade travels to the Ghanaian village of Konko, where he gains new perspective on family and belonging. [more]( [This Is Not the End]( Chandler Baker. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4847-5024-7 Three weeks before Lake Devereaux’s 18th birthday, her best friend, Penny, and boyfriend, Will, are killed in a car accident. Baker sets her novel in a near future where resurrection technology allows every 18-year-old to bring one person back to life, leaving Lake with a big, imminent decision. [more]( TALES FROM THE SLUSH PILE [SEE ALL]( June 15, 2017 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Nothing Rhymes With Orange ]( [PW KidsCast: A Conversation with Dan Santat]( In Case You Missed It [Big New Kids' and YA Books at BookExpo]( [more]( [BookExpo 2017 In Photos]( [more]( [The 'Magic' of Reading: A Neil Patrick Harris and Daniel Handler Event]( [more]( [Four Questions with Sarah Dessen]( [more]( Follow Us 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](mailto:childrensbooks@publishersweekly.com) to drop us a note. 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