—Margaret Raymo at Houghton Mifflin has acquired two picture books from Caldecott Medalist Chris Van Allsburg. The first one, titled Queen of the Falls, tells the story of Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel; it will pub in fall 2010. The second book, as yet untitled, will pub in fall 2011.

—Liza Baker at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has signed Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney to a two-book deal. The first picture book, Sit-In: How Four Boys Stood Up By Sitting Down, chronicles the peaceful protest at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., in 1960. It is scheduled for spring 2010, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the event. Rebecca Sherman of Writers House was the agent.

—DreamWorks Animation has optioned rights to Dinotrux, a picture book by Chris Gall that will be developed as a CG-animated film. The deal was for the mid-six figures, according to Variety. The book takes place in a fictional prehistoric age, when the world was ruled by Dinotrux: creatures that were part trucks, part dinosaurs. Little, Brown will publish Dinotrux this June. Hotchkiss and Associates did the deal for Sterling Lord.

—Film rights to R.A. Nelson's debut novel, Teach Me, have been optioned to Patrick Brown at Protagonist Films. The novel features a high school senior who falls in love with her poetry teacher, and her life turns into an obsessive nightmare when their connection turns physical. Stephen Moore at the Paul Kohner Agency sold the rights on behalf of Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio.

Juanita Havill, illus. by Christine Davenier. Chronicle, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8118-5026-1
The collaborators behind I Heard It from Alice Zucchini offer a warmhearted story about a family with big plans for a little newborn. Davenier's luminous watercolors and vivid characterizations are the main draw; she portrays a large, loving and highly expressive family that can't help projecting their identities onto their newest member. Among those cooing and making goo-goo eyes at the bassinette are Uncle Tony, who thinks baby Ellen is certain to be a pilot ("soaring, coasting, loop-de-looping, like me"), and Aunt Rachel, an academic, who declares that Ellen will "master Sanskrit and Javascript, Greek and Chinese, ponder scrolls and Web sites, just like me." Ellen, who isn't revealed until the final page, finally asserts herself with "an earth-shaking howl, a cloud-ruffling yowl, a listen-to-me-I'm a-baby squall." Although this book won't help ease nascent sibling rivalry—what kid wants to be reminded that everyone's attention is focused on the new arrival?—the gentle joke at the expense of the silly relatives should go over well. Ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. (Apr.)

Kat Black. Scholastic Press, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-545-05654-0
In Black's impressive debut, first in the Book of Tormod series, the Knights Templar weren't merely a crusading religious order-they possessed powers ranging from precognition to mind control and used them to fight the excesses of King Philippe of France. Tormod, a Scottish teenager, occasionally has prophetic visions, but has learned to keep this information to himself. After a chance encounter with the knight Alexander, he is drawn into an adventure that eventually takes him to mainland Europe. Along the way, Alexander trains Tormod in combat, his special powers and the history of the Knights Templar. The action is frequent and often brutal, but never feels out of place. Black gives Tormod a strong and clearly Scottish voice that readers will quickly comprehend. There are moments that seem dubious, but they never impede the fast-paced plot. A captivating mix of history, fantasy and religion, the novel is a solid adventure that makes good use of its historical setting. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)

Reviews from the March 9 issue of Publishers Weekly.