Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview: Spring 2024 – Little Island,Marble Press & Neem Tree (Part Four)

Ah ha!! Ah ha ha ha! I’m back! A full month of constant lists coming out every single day and something has to fall by the wayside for a bit. For me, it’s my publisher previews. For those of you just joining us, on a regular basis Ellen Myrick of Myrick Marketing will run me through a SLEW of small, often international, children’s book publishers, letting me know what titles they have coming out on the horizon. I then select the choicest looking bits, and present them in turn to you. It’s a good system, but because there are so many publishers coming out with so many books, often I can’t do them all in one fell swoop. That means breaking these previews up into different parts.

This season you’ve already seen Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here. Let’s try our hand at a Part Four, shall we?

The Slug and the Snail by Oein DeBhairduin, illustrated by Olya Anima

ISBN: 9781915071071

Even those that don’t know me well know that I’ve a penchant for folktales. Can’t get enough of the darn things! Trouble is, they can be a bit tricky to locate these days. And Irish Traveller tales? I don’t know that I’ve even seen them collected before. Oein DeBhairduin is himself a Traveller, explaining in this book that “Travellers, or Minceiri and Pavee as we call ourselves, are a traditionally nomadic, indigenous minority group from Ireland.” Oein enjoys preserving the Traveller tales and his debut collection, Why the Moon Travels, won the Ellis Dillon Prize at the 2021 Children’s Books Ireland Awards. Now he brings us a story of two slugs. When a crow informs them that they have no home, one brother puts on a shell and a rift grows between the two. I’ll be very interested in seeing this firsthand, particularly because I LOVE this shot of the crow, right here:

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I Am the Wind: Irish Poems for Children Everywhere, edited by Lucinda Jacob and Sara Webb, illustrated by Ashwin Chacko

ISBN: 9781915071095

Poetry! It’s not just for April anymore.

What we have here is an honest-to-goodness Irish poem anthology. You have people you’ve heard of in here and a slew of folks that you’ve haven’t. The editors of this book put out a call to the whole island and got a ton of responses. They then selected the fifteen best and put them into this book. Kids (and, let’s face it, parents) unfamiliar with Irish poetry and literary history will find this a good starting point. Of the poems I’ve seen, I like the lot but I’m particularly keen on this jellyfish one:

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Bank by Emma Quigley

ISBN: 9781910411971

Now there’s a surprise. A middle grade novel in the midst of all these picture books and poetry collections! And one that I’m actually quite a bit interested in, actually. When I worked for New York Public Library I often encountered kids that wanted books on money. Stories, nonfiction, you name it. We never had enough for those little budding capitalists, so I can think of at least one particular area of the country where this title may prove enticing. In this story a group of 14-year-olds set up their own bank. In doing so the kids invest in certain things like dating apps and celebrity pigs (don’t ask). The problem? They’re successful. And when they start to make some serious profits, that’s when the bigger people all notice and it becomes a fraught situation.

.The Adventures of Penguin and Panda by Brenda Maier, illustrated by Fanni Mézes

ISBN: 9781958325056

It’s always time to rejoice when there’s a new easy book/early chapter book series on the horizon. First of all, extra points for giving us a penguin with pigtails. How has no one ever thought of that before? This particular series was described to me as one step up of easy readers. For Captain Underpants lovers, it’s your typical odd couple situation told in a graphic novel format. And since we’re always on the lookout for books in this age range/reading level, I thought it wise to direct your attention accordingly.

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One Alley Summer by Anne Ylvisaker

ISBN: 9781958325124

It’s not that I never forget a name. It’s just that there are certain names that take up permanent residence in my brain and won’t be removed no matter how many years go by. I think Anne Ylvisaker is a pretty good example of that. Why did I know her name? I finally had to just give up and look her up and then I knew. Back in 2014, she published a novel with Candlewick called The Curse of the Buttons and it was great! Top notch writing! Now she has a very different middle grade out with a main character by the name of Phee. Phee’s the kind of kid harboring a truly wild imagination and a tendency to make up stories and make things as dramatic as possible. When a new kid moves in next door name Mercy, Phee is deeply interested. This is a verse novel, a coming of age, and I just happen to really like this cover. One to keep an eye on!

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Misty Mole Gets New Glasses by Dr. Yasmin El-Rouby and Ishy Walters

Folks, the plain and simple fact of the matter is that when it comes to important moments in a child’s life, we children’s librarians are often guilty of zeroing in on a single title to do all the heavy lifting. I’m no different, I confess it. Take getting new glasses. What is your favorite new glasses picture book out there? If you just said it was that old Arthur book by Marc Brown then I think you’ll agree that maybe it’s time we got another picture book that’s a tad more, ah, contemporary, yes? In this tale, Misty has to go in for her first eye test and she’s understandably nervous. The story walks you through the whole process and teaches children about myopia, or “short-sightedness”. According to the book (the grown-up part), the condition currently affects 29% of the population and is set to affect 50% by 2050. Who knew?

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War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson

ISBN: 9781915584618

We’ve few eco-thriller middle grade fiction titles starring kids without hearing, so this is an interesting story. It takes place in Cumbria (Northumberland) and stars 14-year-old Max, who lost his hearing in a boating accident. There are wind turbines on the island, which is fine, except a mad scientist has gotten ahold of them. Don’t worry, it’s not an anti-turbine book or anything. It may be an anti-mad scientist book, though. You can also find info in the title on British and American sign language and how they differ. Interesting stuff!

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Thanks once again to Ellen Myrick for showing me all the neat things!

Filed under: Publisher Previews