Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview: Fall 2023/Winter 2024 (Part Seven – Flowerpot Press, Gecko Press, Helvetiq, & Inhabit Media)

We took a little break but now we’re back and stronger than ever. So far we’ve covered small publishers and their upcoming lists in six parts (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, and Part Six). Now it’s time to see how many we can do in Part Seven:

Animal Jokes and Jokes that Go by Zach Matheson

Pub Date: October 17, 2023

Animal Jokes ISBN: 9781486727889

Jokes that Go ISBN: 9781486727896

I want to talk to you about joke books. They’re the most wanted, most maligned children’s books on the market. National Geographic has made a small fortune over producing them, but these days they’re the only game in town. And what if the little preschoolers want their own joke books? What then? Introducing a board book joke book series. They flip. They provide both setup and punchline. And best of all they’re super easy jokes to get and very fun. I mean, you have to begin somewhere, right?

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George and Tao by Claude K. Dubois

Pub Date: September 5, 2023

ISBN: 9781776575251

You won’t find many picture books that discuss people that are unhoused, but The Old Man, which came out in 2018 here in the States, was one of the few. Belgian creator Claude K. Dubois was the author of that book and now she returns with a book that is almost scientifically calculated to pull on the old heartstrings. The publisher called it “delicate” which is a pretty darn good word for what is, at heart, the simplest of stories: A dog and a cat meet and become friends. Resist if you are able!!

No. You are not able.

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Have You Seen Dinosaur? by David Barrow

Pub Date: October 3, 2023

ISBN: 9781776575138

Keen on dinosaurs? Keen on hidden animals lurking on every page? Well, the fellow who brought you the previous picture book Have You Seen Elephant? is back with a follow up. In this story, the boy and the elephant from the last adventure go into the city to find a dino who just happens to be hidden on every two-page spread. It reminds me a lot of Steve Light’s Have You Seen My Dragon? albeit with more dinos and less fire breathers. The two books together could make for a great pairing.

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When Dad’s Hair Took Off by Jörg Mühle

Pub Date: September 5, 2023

ISBN: 9781776575206

German Jörg Mühle may be, but New Zealand is the true origin of this particular tale! In this tale, Dad’s hair is sick and tired of constantly being brushed and combed, so it springs off his head to go have adventures of its own. Naturally Dad tries to get it back, but to no avail. The happy ending? By the story’s close it finally comes back to him. Now here’s the kicker. This isn’t actually a picture book. Nope! It’s an early chapter book (the kind Gecko Press excels at bringing us) so take note! And because I respect you so much, I will not end this sentence with a hair-related pun. It’s tempting, though.

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Smash the Patriarchy by Marta Breen & Jenny Jordahl, translated by Siân Mackie

Pub Date: October 3, 2023

ISBN: 9783039640188

Generally when I go through these previews I eschew anything that strikes me as overtly YA. I’ve enough on my plate without considering the wide and wonderful world of teen literature. But doggone it, did you LOOK at this cover?!? Seriously, I’m only human. This would be an upcoming graphic novel that enumerates the things men have said through the ages that were wrong and gender biased. Along the way, it looks at the “great minds” of history and teaches you to see where the bias comes in. There’s something very Hark, A Vagrant! about the art as well, did you notice? Finally, it has a giant vagina on a page and a naked Eve on another, and I am here for them! WOOHOO!!

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It’s Time for Berries by Ceporah Mearns and Jeremy Debicki, illustrated by Tindur Peturs

Pub Date: September 5, 2023

ISBN: 9781772274653

Berry picking and its relation to Indigenous communities and traditions really came to a head with last year’s lovely Berry Song by Michaela Goade. This year, we get a different perspective that shows how Arctic people survive and save things through the days. In this story, a family gathers food in each season of the year and, as the first snow falls, they hurry to fill their baskets with the last of the delicious berries. There’s also a pronunciation guide for reading the basic Inuktut words on the pages.

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The Little Folk by Levi Illuitok and Steve James

Pub Date: September 17, 2023

ISBN: 9781772274684

Ah ha! I’m a sucker for tales of the inugarullit, so I was particularly pleased to see this book on the list for the day. You may have heard variations on stories of small people, but in this particular telling an Inuk boy is adopted by these magical people. One of their special traits is the fact that they can make things as large or small as they want. So, for example, if you were to kill a lemming, they’d be able to make that meat grow until it was the size of polar bear meat instead. A useful trait in leaner months!

Stay tuned for the final chapter in this preview series next week!

Filed under: Publisher Previews