Nancy Conescu will return to the company where she first began her children’s publishing career, when she joins Dutton Children’s Books as executive editor on July 6. Conescu has been a senior editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the past six years, but began working in children’s books as an assistant to the publishers of the Puffin and Grosset & Dunlap imprints.

Among the titles Conescu edited at Little, Brown are ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley; Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle by Kirby Larson, Mary Nethery, and Brian Dennis; Michelle Zink’s Prophecy of the Sisters; and Martha Doesn’t Say Sorry by Samantha Berger and Bruce Whatley. In announcing the hire, Lauri Hornik, president and publisher of Dial and Dutton, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Nancy back to Penguin Young Readers Group. She’s an editor with a great feel for books that combine the commercial and literary. She brings a strong design sensibility to all of her projects, whether picture books or novels, and we’re excited to have her join our team.”