Inside the Oldest Kids' Bookstores; 150 Years of Laura Ingalls Wilder

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [Jacqueline and the Beanstalk]( In the Spotlight [Lessons from the Country’s Oldest Children’s Bookstores]( We checked in with some of the nation's oldest children’s specialty bookstores for insight on how they've weathered major changes in the business and remained vital in their communities. [more]( In the News [Judge's Order Bans Distribution of KinderGuides]( A federal judge has signed off on a permanent injunction barring Moppet Books from distributing in the U.S. any versions of its KinderGuides series held to be infringing. Despite the ongoing legal battle, Moppet is moving ahead with plans to launch a new line of study guides based on public domain works. [more]( [Win a Kissing Hand Series Back-to-School Set!]( Book News [Kid Reporter Hilde Lysiak Scoops Up Book Series]( Ten-year-old journalist Hilde Lysiak is about to make her print debut as the co-author and star of a new children's book series, Hilde Cracks the Case, focused on her real-life scoops. Lysiak recently gave PW a tour of her Pennsylvania home and a glimpse at her homemade news empire. [more]( [New York Review Books Brings Back Maira Kalman Classics]( In 1988, Maira Kalman made a promising debut when Viking released Hey Willy, See the Pyramids, a picture book about a girl’s vivid bedtime stories for her sleepless brother. On September 12, the New York Review Children’s Collection will reissue Hey Willy, See the Pyramids and Max Makes a Million, with more of Kalman's beloved titles to follow in 2018. [more]( [Small Presses Celebrate Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 150th Birthday]( This year marks the 150th anniversary of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birth on February 7, 1867, and two small presses are marking the occasion by publishing books offering new perspectives on the life and times of the beloved author of the Little House on the Prairie series. [more]( [In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes]( Four Questions [Katherine Applegate]( Katherine Applegate’s dedication to Wishtree, “for newcomers and for welcomers,” captures the essence of her latest middle-grade novel, due out next month from Feiwel and Friends. The story is narrated by an old red oak tree who welcomes families to the immigrant neighborhood he watches over. When newcomers—a Muslim family—move in nearby, and it becomes evident that they aren’t welcomed by everyone, his role becomes more important than ever. PW spoke to Applegate about her inspiration for the novel and its growing relevance in our country. Q: What was the spark that ignited Wishtree? A: I wrote the novel in summer 2016, filled with frustration about the way things were going in our country. I wanted to make a small plea for civility, but I wanted to keep it simple and accessible to young readers. [more]( [Discover How to Find Calm Inside and Focus on What Matters Most]( Out Next Week [Hot Off the Presses: Week of August 21, 2017]( Hitting shelves next week are a linear board book, a middle grade historical novel set in Iran, and a nonfiction title that inspires girls to learn to code. [more]( In Brief [In Brief: August 17, 2017]( This week, a young reader lives it up at Sanae Ishida’s book launch; authors visit American Girl Place; and author Jean L.S. Patrick celebrates her picture book and a little-known athlete. [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! - [Publishing Sales Manager - Guinness World Records - New York](. - [Story Development and Production Lead - Episode - San Francisco](. - [ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, PROGRAMS - NYU School of Professional Studies - New York City](. - [Managing Director for Digital Content and Editor HBR.org - Harvard Business Publishing - Brighton, MA](. - [Audience Development Director - One Day University - New York City](. Rights Report Lisa Sandell at Scholastic has acquired Lyra Selene's debut YA fantasy novel, Amber & Dusk. The story is set in the perpetual dusk of the Amber Court, where Sylvie tries to navigate treacherous courtiers and a murderous empress, all while trying to develop her magical powers. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018; Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown negotiated the deal for North American rights. Nikki Garcia at Little, Brown has bought world rights to Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her American Dream, an adaptation of the 2016 adult memoir My (Underground) American Dream by immigration rights activist Julissa Arce. This YA adaptation chronicles Arce's childhood in Mexico separated from her parents and her struggle to belong in America while growing up as an undocumented student in Texas. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Lisa Leshne at the Leshne Agency did the deal. Adam Rau and David Saylor at Scholastic/Graphix have acquired Dugout, a graphic novel for young readers by Pixar filmmaker and author of the Magic Pickle series Scott Morse. The book follows the misadventures of twin sisters Stacy and Gina and the curse that their sibling rivalry unleashes on a Little League team. Publication is set for 2019; Allen Spiegel at Allen Spiegel Fine Arts brokered the deal for world rights. Mallory Kass at Scholastic has bought in a preempt Victoria Piontek's middle grade debut, The Spirit of Cattail County. The Everglades-set novel follows 12-year-old Sparrow as she attempts to untangle the secrets of her Florida town in order to convince her best friend—a silent ghost no one else can see—to send a message to Sparrow's recently deceased mother. Publication is slated for summer 2018; Laura Rennert at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights; Piontek is a literary associate at the agency. Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has acquired, at auction, Bob Shea's Crash, Splash or Moo, an interactive story that invites readers to predict the results of a competition between a stoic cow and a daredevil clam. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018, with a second, untitled book to follow; Steven Malk at Writers House brokered the deal for world rights. Karen Nagel at S&S/Aladdin has bought two picture books from fine artist Leah Tinari. The first, Limitless: Remarkable American Women of Vision and Grit, will feature new portraits created by Tinari, alongside little-known facts about each woman across history. The second book will similarly feature American presidents. Publication is set for fall 2018, with the second book due in fall 2019; Rick Richter at Aevitas Creative Management did the deal for world English rights. Cheryl Klein, in her first deal at Lee & Low Books, has acquired Under My Hijab by Hena Khan (Amina's Voice), a picture book celebrating the beauty and diversity of Muslim women and girls and the many ways they wear the hijab. Debut artist Aaliya Jaleel will illustrate, with publication planned for fall 2018. Matthew Elblonk at DeFiore & Company represented the author, and Jaleel represented herself. Megan Abbate at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has bought world rights to the debut picture book from Rachel Lyons and YA author Jessica Verdi (shown), The Haircut, about a young boy coming out as transgender to his family and friends, and his desire for a haircut that reflects his identity. The story is based on Lyons's son and his gender identity journey; Lyons is using a pseudonym. It's tentatively slated for spring 2019; Kate McKean at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency negotiated the deal. Yolanda Scott at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to Not a Bean, the debut picture book by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist David Diaz. The nonfiction picture book integrates English, Spanish, and a counting concept as it looks at the lifecycle of the Mexican jumping bean—which is not a bean at all. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018; Adriana Dominguez at Full Circle Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself. Stacey Barney at Putnam has bought world rights to Madelyn Rosenberg's (l.) new picture book, Cyclops of Central Park, in which the shepherd hero Cyclops hunts down a wayward sheep named Eugene across several iconic New York City landmarks. Victoria Tentler-Krylov will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2020. Susan Cohen at Writers House represented the author, and Studio Goodwin Sturges represented the illustrator. Jessica Burgess at Tundra Books has acquired Monica Kulling's (l.) Fight for Life, a picture book biography of U.S. doctor S. Josephine Baker, who revolutionized obstetric and infant care, beginning with her work in the tenements of NYC's Hell's Kitchen in the early 1900s. Julianna Swaney will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2018. The author represented herself, and Anne Moore Armstrong at Bright USA represented the illustrator. Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has bought world rights to Sue Fliess's (l.) Ninja Camp, illustrated by Jen Taylor. The picture book features ninjas training to defeat a rival ninja camp team in order to capture the shadow blade. Publication is slated for January 2019; Jennifer Unter at the Unter Agency represented the author, and Alli Brydon at Bright USA represented the illustrator. Stephanie Pitts at Putnam has acquired world rights to Leslie Staub's picture book, If I Were an Elephant, illustrated by Richard Jones. The book presents a factual depiction of a young African elephant's day in the wild, as told by a child narrator at play. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Rubin Pfeffer at Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the author, and Arabella Stein at the Bright Group represented the illustrator. Grace Kendall at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has bought Le Petit Santos, a debut picture book biography of Brazilian-French inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont, whose early airship designs made him the toast of 19th-century Paris, and who nabbed the Deutsche Prize in a death-defying sky race around the Eiffel Tower. Brothers Rob (l.) and Jef Polivka are co-authors; Rob Polivka will illustrate. Publication is set for spring 2019. Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights. Kira Lynn at Kane Miller has acquired U.S. rights to Fox's Box, a picture book by London artist Emilia Zebrowska that introduces prepositions, animals, and colors through a rhyming text and patterns inspired by Zebrowska's Polish heritage. The pub date is January 2019; Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary represented the author-illustrator. Anna Membrino at Random House has bought world rights to Jonty Howley's picture book, Big Boys Cry. The book offers a boy, who is bottling up his feelings, examples of healthy emotional expression. Publication is planned for spring 2019; the author-illustrator is unagented. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From the Hollywood Reporter:]( YA Movies Get Real: Black Lives Matter, Activism Explored in New Projects. [Click here]( [From the Washington Post:]( An assistant principal wrote a picture book about alt-right mascot Pepe the frog. It cost him his job. [Click here]( [From the New Yorker:]( How to Talk to Kids About Death, According to Picture Books. [Click here]( [From the New York Times:]( How to Talk to Your Kids About Charlottesville. [Click here]( [From PBS NewsHour:]( Grace Lin: What to do when you realize classic books from your childhood are racist. [Click here]( [From the Atlantic:]( Reading Racism in Dr. Seuss. [Click here]( [From Scoop News:]( David Elliot wins 2017 Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award in New Zealand. [Click here]( [From Real Estate Weekly:]( Manhattan children's bookstore Books of Wonder will open a second location later this summer. [Click here]( [From Brightly:]( Reading in the Shadow of Sendak, by author-illustrator Elisha Cooper. [Click here]( [From NPR:]( In Children's Storybooks, Realism Has Advantages. [Click here]( [From the Guardian:]( Read like a girl: how children's books about inspirational women are booming. [Click here]( [From Mashable:]( Sabaa Tahir title/cover reveal. [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Kenny Brechner [Tools for Troubled Times]( It is intellectual constructs, not hammers, that allow us to be our best. [more »]( Cynthia Compton [Putting the Fun Back in Fundraisers]( One store’s approach to donation requests from schools and community groups increases both goodwill and the bottom line. [more »]( Leslie Hawkins [Let’s Talk About Racism]( Using children’s books to up our game in combating racism. [more »]( Meghan Dietsche Goel [This Shelf Is Reserved for Diverse Voices]( Spotlighting Lee & Low Books and the voices of small presses. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [I Want That Nut!]( Madeline Valentine. Knopf, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-101-94037-2 When a “big, beautiful Nut” appears out of nowhere, Mouse and Chipmunk are instantly smitten. The friends are initially polite, before Chipmunk runs off with it. After an awkward tea for three, Mouse snatches the nut, and the battle is on. [more]( [The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse]( Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen. Candlewick, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-7754-1 A sweet mouse with pink ears encounters a wolf in the forest. The wolf gobbles him up. Which is awful, right? Nope. It’s surprisingly comfortable inside the wolf. In fact, a duck is already in residence. It’s the wolf who suffers. “I feel like I’ll burst,” he moans, as the mouse and duck feast over a candlelit dinner. [more]( [Silent Days, Silent Dreams]( Allen Say. Scholastic/Levine, $21.99 (64p) ISBN 978-0-545-92761-1 Say tells the haunting story of outsider artist James Castle, a deaf and autistic man whose talent was not recognized until late in his life. Narrating in the voice of Castle’s nephew, Say describes how Castle was born in 1899 into an Idaho farm family with no resources to help their son. He never learned to speak or read, but he found consolation in drawing. [more]( [The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives]( Dashka Slater. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-374-30323-5 Both Sasha (a white, agender private school teenager) and Richard (an African-American public school student who had lost numerous loved ones to murder) rode the 57 bus every day in Oakland, Calif. One afternoon, Richard—egged on by friends—lit the sleeping Sasha’s skirt on fire, leaving Sasha with third-degree burns. Slater skillfully conveys the complexities of both young people’s lives, while exploring the challenges and moral ambiguities of the criminal justice system. [more]( [That Inevitable Victorian Thing]( E.K. Johnston. Dutton, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-101-99497-9 What if the British Empire never fell, and its traditions of debutante balls and royal matchmaking survived into the 21st century? In Johnston's vividly imagined alternate history, set in the near future, the Church of the Empire runs a DNA-matching service to ensure that mates are biologically compatible, both for commoners and for royals such as Crown Princess Victoria-Margaret. [more]( [Everything Must Go]( Jenny Fran Davis. Wednesday, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-250-11976-6 Vintage-fashion queen Flora Goldwasser falls hard and fast for her private-school tutor, photographer Elijah. On a whim, Flora quits her exclusive New York City private school to attend the Quaker “upstate-New-York-hippie-school” where Elijah will be teaching the following year. But he doesn’t show up, and Flora is stuck. [more]( [Meant to Be]( Julie Halpern. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-09498-8 Agatha “Aggy” Abrams, 18, has just received her Meant-to-Be: the name of a person’s true love, which magically shows up above his or her heart. When Aggy’s longtime crush Luke proposes a summer fling, she jumps at the opportunity, but matters get complicated when it becomes clear that Luke might be more serious about their romance than she is. [more]( TALES FROM THE SLUSH PILE [SEE ALL]( August 17, 2017 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Room of Shadows by Ronald Kidd]( [Enter to Win an Arc of I'm Just No Good at Rhyming]( [PW KidsCast: A Conversation with Francisco X. Stork]( To Our Readers For the rest of August, we'll be publishing Children's Bookshelf once a week, on Thursdays. We'll resume our regular twice-weekly schedule after Labor Day. PeopleKathryn Little has been promoted to director of marketing at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group; she was previously associate director. Putnam Books for Young Readers has two promotions. Stacey Barney has been promoted to executive editor; she was formerly senior editor. Kate Meltzer has been promoted to associate editor, from assistant editor. Hannah Babcock has joined Abrams in the newly created position of assistant manager, subsidiary rights; previously she was assistant scout at Baker Literary Scouting. Mercedes Padro has joined Abrams Children's as assistant designer; she had been an intern at HarperCollins Children’s Books. Laura Peraza has joined the Children's Book Council as content and design manager; most recently she was social media manager for World Book Night U.S. She replaces Alexa Frank, who has been accepted to the MFA program at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. SNEAK PREVIEWS Have you checked out our Spring 2018 Sneak Previews? Take a look ahead at some of the big titles for young readers due out next season, [in our exclusive roundup](. In Case You Missed It [Children's Books for Fall: All Our Coverage]( [more]( [Candlewick to Publish Walker Books in U.S.]( [more]( [Obituary: Jill McElmurry]( [more]( [Obituary: Rebecca Bond]( [more]( [Global Success: 36 Questions in 17 Languages]( [more]( Bestsellers [Children's Frontlist Fiction]( #1 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2 by J.K. Rowling et al. [Click here]( [Picture Books]( #1 What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada, illus. by Mae Besom. [Click here]( 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. [Follow PWKidsBookshelf on Twitter]( Children's Bookshelf Editor: Diane Roback Associate Editor: Emma Kantor 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 2017, 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. 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