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Fall 2026 Preview Our editors sifted through thousands of submissions to highlight the season’s most noteworthy new children’s book releases, including playful riffs on established works, exciting team-ups, and anticipated returns from award-winning creators. Picture BooksThis fall brings illustrated tales that lean into life’s anchors and twists, including a celebratory parade, a big house move, and an epic nocturnal bike ride. more   Middle GradeInnovative mash-ups, series-launching fantasy adventures, and exciting remixes of familiar classics feature in this season’s offerings for young readers. more  Young AdultAmong the unmissable YA titles due out in the coming months are contemporary stories about healing and self-growth, tender queer romances, high-concept fantasies and thrillers, and much more. more Now Streaming
 How Rebecca Sonnenshine Reinvented ‘Little House on the Prairie’The showrunner behind Netflix’s new adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic yet controversial children’s books worked hard to right the wrongs of the novels she grew up reading and loving. more
Book News
 Moving On Up: ‘Bunny vs Monkey’ While Dav Pilkey continues to be the top-selling creator of children’s graphic novels both in the U.S. and the U.K., he has a serious competitor across the pond: Jamie Smart, whose Bunny vs Monkey books are hugely popular among British readers. This August, Smart's U.S. publisher, Union Square Kids, will release Bunny vs Monkey and the League of Doom, the third volume of the middle grade series. more In Conversation
 Abby Denson and UtomaruAbby Denson (l.) is the author of the Kitty Sweet Tooth books, illustrated by Tokyo-based artist Utomaru, among other graphic novels for young readers. We invited the duo to chat about their newest collaboration, the YA graphic novel memoir My Tokyo Summer (Graphix), inspired by Denson’s transformative summer abroad as a teen. more Q & A
 Hayley Kiyoko Comes Full Circle with ‘Girls Like Girls’ Kiyoko’s directorial debut, which hit theaters last month, adapts her 2023 YA novel, a sapphic coming-of-age tale inspired by her hit 2015 song of the same name. We spoke with Kiyoko about how she’s evolved alongside the story over the past 10 years. more  
Rights Report
 Margaret Raymo at Sourcebooks/Kwame Alexander Books has acquired The Monster Hunter's Daughter by debut author Laura M. Rocha, a magical middle-grade adventure inspired by Mexican folklore traditions in which a young monster hunter must discover the truth about the colorful alebrijes all around her. Publication is planned for summer 2027; Andrea Colvin at Andrea Colvin Creative Agency sold world rights.  Dena Neusner at Apples & Honey Press has bought world rights to The Purim Puppet Show by Emma Carlson Berne (l.) (Rose Spoke Out: The Story of Rose Schneiderman), illustrated by Zoe Bysal. This early reader chapter book launches the Mensch Squad Mysteries series about a group of friends working to solve the mystery of a missing puppet before the Purim play. Publication is slated for spring 2027; the creators were unagented.  Ben Rosenthal at Stonefruit Studio has acquired, at auction, Caldecott Honoree Jason Griffin's The Book Is Lava, an interactive adventure picture book in which readers must avoid, outrace, and ultimately conquer the lava and other epic hazards scattered across the pages. Publication is set for fall 2028; Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary & Media negotiated the deal for world English rights.  Jill Davis at Hippo Park/Astra has bought Halloworms by Daniel Wiseman (Don't Hug Doug; the Baby Scientist series), a picture book about four worm friends who will do just about anything to win a Halloween costume contest. Publication is scheduled for fall 2028; Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary handled the deal for world rights.  Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow has acquired debut author-illustrator Jackie Verbitski's Out Here, a dual-POV picture book about two children searching for friendship from opposite ends of the universe, but finding it, unexpectedly, much closer to home. Publication is planned for fall 2027; Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary & Media brokered the deal for world English rights.  Renee Kelly at Penguin Workshop has bought world rights to Welcome to the Family: A Celebration of New Arrivals, a picture book by Erica S. Perl (l.), illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee, a heartfelt message to a new family member as well as an homage to Perl's aunt, Sesame Street writer and pioneering disability inclusion advocate Emily Perl Kingsley. Publication is slated for summer 2028; Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown Ltd. represented the author, and Deborah Warren at East West Literary represented the illustrator.  Grace Maccarone at Holiday House has acquired world rights to the picture book Dream Green: A Healthier Planet Especially for You by Sarah Nelson (l.) (Follow the Flyway), illustrated by Mariona Cabassa (The Air We Share), a road map to a cleaner, healthier world filled with climate solutions, green beauty, and an abundance of hope, purpose, and community. Publication is set for spring 2027; Marietta B. Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.  Kate DePalma at Barefoot Books has bought world rights to I Can! by Mikey Henry Jr. (l.) (Dinosaur Rap), illustrated by Argentinian illustrator Pupé; DePalma and Andrea Pérez will edit. This singalong picture book celebrates the one and only perfectly imperfect YOU. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; the author represented himself, and Kate Johnson at Collaborate Agency represented the illustrator.  Kimberly von Fange and Bunmi Ishola at WaterBrook have acquired world rights to Casting Cares by Bonnie Clark (l.), illustrated by Mette Engell, in which a child observes the carefree way of nature and realizes she, too, is deeply loved and no longer feels weighed down by her growing worries. Publication is planned for fall 2027; Kristen Terrette at Martin Literary Management represented the author, and Robbin Brosterman at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
 An Auction of SoulsAmber Chen. Viking, $21.99 (480p) ISBN 979-8-217-03964-7 In this gripping Chinese-mythology-inspired fantasy, a duology launch from Chen,17-year-old Meng Lingxi co-runs the Meng Wu auction house alongside Popo, her grandmother, serving clients across the kingdoms of Snow, Wind, and Iron who seek rare and powerful artifacts. Lingxi’s carefully maintained work routine shatters when a cloaked visitor arrives offering a soul for auction. more  I Am a Spicy NuggetLoryn Brantz. Viking, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 979-8-2170-4214-2 When a child is gently denied an elaborate ask (“can we get a pet penguin, name it Marshmallow, and feed it carrots?”), their anger doesn’t simmer—it detonates, transforming the youth into a stick-limbed, ovular lump that’s the spitting image of the childhood dinner plate staple: “BLAM! I AM A SPICY NUGGET!” more  SnickerdoodleVictoria Kann. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-3165-8391-6 This candy-bright story of self-acceptance stars a roly-poly puppy who always seems to be barking up the wrong tree. New to the world and to his home, pup Snickerdoodle notices that the family cat, Princess Kitty, gets a pass on everything. With the earnest logic of a kid trying to crack grown-ups’ hidden code, Snickerdoodle reasons it out: “Princess Kitty never gets in trouble. Everything I do is wrong. I want to be loved too.... I must become a kitty!” more  Beautiful to See You (Again)Lygia Day Peñaflor. S&S/Barley, $21.99 (432p) ISBN 979-8-3471-0393-5 Grief, memory, and the pull of the past drive this melancholy time-travel fantasy. Tia Cruz Adlon, who works at a pet hotel after having dropped out of college, discovers a hidden stone tunnel in Central Park—a portal that allows her to revisit events from the summer after her high school graduation. In the present, Tia is drawn to 21-year-old film student Razor Ford, who casts her as the lead in a short project inspired by his recent breakup. more  Game On Sina Grace. Random House Graphic, $21.99 hardcover (208p) ISBN 978-0-593-56623-7; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-56622-0 Middle schooler Sasan Rad wants a Radbox, an expensive handheld gaming device, but the cost is more than his single mother is willing to spend. She offers a compromise: if Sasan commits to learning Farsi, she will buy it. When a semester-long school project requires students to examine their family history, relationships, and personal values, Sasan confronts how little attention he has paid to the cultural and familial connections that shape his life. more |
July 14, 2026
 
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People Scholastic has one promotion and two new hires. Abigail Jordon has been promoted to publicist; previously, she was associate publicist. And Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares and Bailyn Handler have both joined as editorial assistants.Bestsellers  Children’s Frontlist Fiction#1 The Prophecies Begin (Warriors Graphic Novel #3) by Erin Hunter, adapted and illus. by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter. Click here  Picture Books#1 Sing the 50 United States! by Dr. Seuss. Click here Follow Us  Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram! Bookshelf Archives Looking for a previous issue of Children's Bookshelf? Click here for our archives page! CONTACT US
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Children's Bookshelf
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