Myrick Publisher Preview: Spring 2024 – Albatros, Arctis, Barefoot, and Berbay

Never say I don’t love you. This would be the EIGHTH preview of many of our smaller publishers that I’m displaying for you on my site. These books, as you’ll recall, are often easy to miss, but we love them because often they’re hella interesting (and, if we’re lucky, hella weird). We’re continuing our series thanks, in large part, to Myrick Marketing. Be sure to read previous installments of this series. Part One here, Part Two here, Part Three here, Part Four here, Part Five here, Part Six here, and Part Seven here.

Teaching Eddie to Fly by Katarína Macurová

ISBN: 9788000070773

Publication Date: April 16, 2024

I make no secret, my love of ostriches. Indeed, had I my way, every picture book would hide at least one in the margins at a minimum. You can imagine my joy, then, at discovering a book that not only contains a first rate ostrich, it also contains what may be the first case of bearsplaining I’ve seen in a picture book to date. Having previously shown up in the picture book Upside Down, Arthur the bear has noticed that his friend Eddie doesn’t know how to fly. No worries! Arthur is here to help teach him! Unfortunately, it is very clear indeed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It’s going to take a lot of trial and error, then, to show Arthur that sometimes, the thing you’re good at may not be immediately evident.

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Dogs Are Great But by Stepanka Sekaninova, ill. Adam Wolf

Cats Are Great But by Stepanka Sekaninova, ill. Adam Wolf

ISBNs 9788000070711 & 9788000070766

Publication Dates: April 9 & May 7, 2024

Ah. File these two little books into the Why Didn’t I Think of That? category. So let’s say you know a kid who wants a cat or a dog. These books are all about what taking care of a pet entails. The various responsibilities are the name of the game, covering the bad, sure, but also the good. The message they’re drilling into young readers? Taking care of a pet isn’t always easy. Nonfiction like this is such a good idea. I tip my hat to the creators.

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Little Sisters by Tomo Miura, translated by Nanette McGuinness

ISBN: 9781646900398

Publication Date: February 27, 2024

While Tomo Miura is Japanese and currently resides in Tochigi, this particular book of hers actually originated in France. It’s a little thing, clocking in at just 8″ X 8″, and I have to admit that I was pretty instantly charmed by it. The story is infinitely simple. It’s just about a girl who wishes she had a ton of sisters. At the beginning of the story she only wishes for one, but as things proceed that idea grows bigger an bigger and more expansive and sillier. This will have a great deal of appeal with any kid who wishes they actually had little siblings of their own (and should be met with a fair amount of amusement by those that already do).

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King Bro! Jenny Jägerfeld, translated by BJ Woodstein

ISBN: 978164900404

Publication Date: February 27, 2024

I want you to think long and hard about the last time you read a translated middle grade novel starring a trans kid. Odds are, most of you probably haven’t ever done so. And amongst those of you who have, how many of those books were Swedish? King Bro! definitely aims to change all of that, and in a pretty classic form. It’s a coming out story, specifically focusing on those family members that refuse to accept you for who you are. In this case, Marcus is transitioning, but not everyone is on board. And in an interesting twist, translator B.J. Woodstein was the co-editor of the publication Queer in Translation and International LGBTQ+ Literature for Children and Young Adults.

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Hello, Body Series by Aya Khalil

ISBNs: 9798888591024, 9798888591048, 9798888591086, 9798888591062

Publication Dates: April 2, 2024

How does that meme go?

Ah, yes.

TAKE MY MONEY! JUST TAKE IT!!!

*ahem* Or, rather, put another way, doesn’t this look like a fantastic new board book series? It’s got everything too. High contrasting colors. Faces galore. And what’s that? Is it going to be bilingual? You BET it is! Aya Khalil, for the record, may already been known to you if you read her book The Great Banned Books Bake Sale (featured on this very blog last May). Why more publishers don’t go this route, I will never understand.

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Marley’s Pride by Joëlle Retener, illustrated by DeAnn Wiley

ISBN: 9798888590744

Publication Date: April 2, 2024

Clever. Now here we have a book that knows how to combine a little SEL with its LGBTQIA+ representation. In this story you have a nonbinary child who suffers from social anxiety (particularly when crowds are involved) and their nongendered grandparent. How do you celebrate Pride when you’ve a fear of crowds? It’s a question that will have a great deal of import for a lot of kids above and beyond the immediate subject matter. Happily, the book discussing some coping techniques. You might be asking, “Yes, but Betsy, what about the backmatter?” You know me well. It appears that the endnotes include a discussion of the history of Pride and its origins as a protest. I love it when a book combines several different needs into one package.

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I’ll See You in Injebu by Bunmi Emenanjo, illustrated by Diana Ejaita

ISBN: 978164868438

Publication Date: March 12, 2024

Ah. This next one strikes me as particularly beautiful and cool. Set entirely in Nigeria, the book is based off of author Bunmi Emenanjo’s experience as a Catholic child visiting her Muslim relatives. The founder of The Atlas Book Club, in Bunmi’s story a child experiences Eid al-Adha with her extended family for the first time, making htis a great model picture books about for religious diversity in families. With gorgeous art, check out the killer backmatter as well (including a recipe for Nigerian puff puff).

The Robbery by Joaquin Camp

ISBN: 9781922610706

Publication Date: May 7, 2024

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men. A little Argentinian humor, my dears? Three friends go on a heist in a funny story of what can only be best described as hijinks. Much like Bugs Bunny when he tried to find Albequerque, these incipient robbers keep digging around and coming out in goofy places. Silly situations abound making this a great readaloud with downright kid-friendly art.

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The Endfixer by Noemi Vola, translated by Rosa Churcher Clarke

ISBN: 9781922610713

Publication Date: April 23, 2024

If you’ve ever gotten to the end of a story and absolutely hated it and wanted to change it this book is for you. I was, admittedly, on board with this book the second I saw its cover image. But what’s particularly neat about it is that it makes sure to call out a lot of our cliches in storytelling. Additional Bonus: It’s funny!

Honestly, I can’t think of a better book to end on. Stay tuned next time for our final roundup of titles!

Filed under: Publisher Previews