For those navigating the booths of children’s publishers today, here is a preview of new books on display, authors to greet, and giveaways being offered.
Abrams has a trio of author signings today at booth 4270. From 10 to 11 a.m., Michael Buckley will autograph copies of Kel Gilligan’s Daredevil Stunt Show, illustrated by Dan Santat, the story of a boy who rides a daredevil tricycle. The author will have an adult-size version of the bike with him during his signing. From 11 a.m. to noon, Tom Angleberger, whose The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee is due in August, will be on hand to sign copies of his earlier books, including The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Darth Paper Strikes Back, Horton Halfpott, and Fake Mustache. And Jeff Kinney fans will find the author signing Diary of a Wimpy Kid calendars, 4–5 p.m.
At booth 3447, 3448, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hosts a Newbery medalist today, 10:30–11:30 a.m., when Lois Lowry follows up her appearance at the Children’s Book and Author Breakfast with an in-booth signing. She’ll be autographing a keepsake broadside of Son, an October release from Houghton Mifflin, which finishes the quartet that began with The Giver. Also featured at the booth is Gina Damico’s Scorch, the second book (after Croak) in a paranormal series about grim reapers gone bad. The novel is due from Graphia in September. ARCs of Son and Scorch are available at the booth.
Tuttle Publishing, which is expanding its children’s book program in 2012, has two fall titles prominently displayed in booth 3675. Set in Japan, Ben Martin’s Samurai Awakening, the first YA novel the company has published in many years, is a tale of fantasy, shape changing, and romance. A limited number of ARCs of the book, a quarter-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, will be given out at the booth. Also featured is My First Book of Korean Words: An ABC Rhyming Book by Henry J. Amen IV and Kyubyong Park, and illustrated by Aya Padrón, which introduces preschoolers to Korean language and culture.
At booth 2942, Red Rock Press is spreading word of What Sea Creature Is This?—a June picture book from the company’s children’s imprint, Red Pebble Books. The book introduces facts about various ocean fish, invertebrates, and mammals. ARCs are on display, and a raffle is under way to promote the title. Prizes include two tickets to an aquarium in the winner’s home city or state, snorkeling gear, a nautical scarf, and a sea turtle pendant. The name of the winner will be announced tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Parragon Books is showcasing a wide array of children’s books at booth 3539. On display are the September additions to Little Learners, a line of books the publisher launched in March. New titles include two Finger Puppet books, two Mini Light & Sound books, two Touch and Feel books, and a Snuggle book and plush gift set. Due the same month are the five inaugural titles in a series of little-known or previously unreleased books by Margaret Wise Brown, featuring art by various illustrators. The Discovery Kids line is offering four new reference books with sound buttons. Also featured is Scaredy Boo by Claire Freedman, illustrated by Russell Julian, about a monster under the bed who’s afraid of everything. And licensed products being promoted include three new Marvel titles and four Power Rangers Samurai books.
Among the events scheduled for today at the Mom’s Choice Awards booth (2267, 2268) is a pair of author autographings. From 1 to 2 p.m., seven-year-old Finnoula Louise will sign copies of her Animals Animals, a first words book published in 2011 by Little Valley Books. At 3 p.m., Camille Matthews will sign copies of Quincy Moves to the Desert, illustrated by Michelle Black. Published by Pathfinder Equine Publications, this picture book follows a horse as he moves via truck from New York State to New Mexico, learning along the way about the various jobs horses perform in different states.
At the Kids Can Press booth (2766), staffers are celebrating the return of Scaredy Squirrel in Mélanie Watt’s Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas: A Safety Guide for Scaredies, due in October. Scaredy Squirrel himself is at BEA to draw attention to his latest book. Wearing a brand-new costume, the character will be on the Javits registration floor tomorrow morning, handing out copies of the original Scaredy Squirrel book, a postcard with tips on dealing with “scary” situations at book conventions (including forgetting names and encountering germs), and a coupon to download a free Scaredy Squirrel iTunes game app.
Those with college-bound daughters will want to stop by the booth of APG/Fell Publishers (4157), where they’ll find “College Girl Headquarters.” On hand are tip sheets for parents and “college success magic wands” to promote Lauren Salamone’s 5 Must-Know Secrets for Today’s College Girl. Today, 1–3 p.m., Salamone will sign copies of this guide.
At booth 3676, Andrews McMeel Publishing will host three authors today. From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Mark Tatulli will sign posters promoting Lio: There’s a Monster in My Socks, due in October. Bill Amend will appear at the booth, 11 a.m.–noon, signing posters based on AAAA! A FoxTrot Assortment for Young Readers. And 1–2 p.m., Lincoln Peirce will sign posters touting Big Nate Makes the Grade, which launches the publisher’s AMP! Comics for Kids line. The publisher’s Accord division is giving away a poster promoting The Nutcracker AniMotion by Patrick Regan, an October release.
Insight Editions has a selection of children’s books featured at booth 4252, including Hector by Steve Barnes, a May picture book about a different-looking animal who learns a lesson about kindness and friendship. The publisher is giving away copies of the book, whose author is attending BEA. Among the fall titles being promoted are The Earth Notebook: The Story of Planet Earth by Claire Hawcock, All Kinds of Beliefs and All Kinds of Fears by Sheri Safran, Agha the Eight-Mile Monster by Karen Wilson-Timmons, and Kaliya, Serpent King by Joshua M. Greene.
Kar-Ben Publishing is featuring a pair of fall children’s books at booth 2357. Maccabee Meals by Judye Groner and Madeline Wikler rounds up kid-friendly Hanukkah recipes. The publisher is handing out recipe cards to promote the cookbook, which is illustrated by Ursula Roma. Ellie Gellman’s Jeremy’s Dreidel is a picture book, with art by Maria Mola, about a boy who creates a braille dreidel for his blind father. Visitors to the booth can give a sample braille dreidel a spin. And the publisher is handing out posters to celebrate its new collaboration with Sesame Street, which entails publishing four books with Jewish themes. The first title, The Count’s Hanukkah Countdown, written by Tilda Balsley and Ellen Fischer and illustrated by Tom Leigh, will be released in the fall.
Lerner will host a joint autographing of Carolrhoda Lab authors in booth 2357 today, noon–1 p.m. Coauthors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff will sign ARCs of The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories, a YA anthology due in October. Meagan Spooner will sign ARCs of her debut novel, Skylark, also an October title, tomorrow. Other ARC giveaways of fall titles include Lisa Wheeler’s Dino-Football, the four inaugural books in the Paranormalists series by Megan Atwood, and three titles in Norah McClintock’s Robyn Hunter Mysteries series.
At the Wicker Park Press booth (4488), Chicago-based Lake Street Press is giving away copies of Nonna’s Book of Mysteries by Mary Osborne. This 2010 YA novel, which tells of a young woman whose quest to become a painter in Renaissance Florence is guided by her grandmother’s book of alchemy, has won numerous awards, most recently a 2012 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award for a debut book. A prequel, Alchemy’s Daughter, is due in 2013.
Anyone in a merry mood will want to wander over to MerryMakers Inc.’s booth (3557). This company, which offers dolls and toys based on bestselling and classic children’s books, has a new item on display: a toy based on the title character of A Ball for Daisy, Chris Raschka’s 2012 Caldecott Medal winner from Random House/Schwartz & Wade.
The folks at Quirk Books are in town from Philadelphia to introduce the house’s first middle-grade series, Tales from Lovecraft Middle School by Charles Gilman, which debuts with Professor Gargoyle in September. Featured at the Middle Grade Editor’s Buzz panel today, the novel centers on a boy who enrolls in a new school where strange happenings might stem from the building having been constructed of materials recycled from an abandoned home that’s a hotbed of paranormal activity. The series’ second installment, The Slither Sisters, is due in November. Each novel features what the publisher describes as a “morphing” lenticular cover.
And Tundra Books has a trio of galleys of fall novels up for grabs at booth 4051: Shane Peacock’s Becoming Holmes: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Final Case, Susin Nielsen’s The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, and The Geomancer’s Compass by Melissa Hardy. Other giveaways include bookmarks promoting three recently published YA novels: The Last Song by Eva Wiseman, Michael Bedard’s The Green Man, and A Tinfoil Sky by Cyndi Sand-Eveland. Also available are posters touting a handful of recent picture books, including Jane Barclay’s JoJo the Giant, illustrated by Esperança Melo; The French Fry King by Rogé; and Here Comes Hortense! by Heather Hartt-Sussman, illustrated by Georgia Graham.
