Myrick Marketing Publisher Preview Spring/Summer 2025: Part Three Featuring Red Comet Press, Scallywag Press, Soaring Kite Books, Tapioca Stories, and Tiger Tales

As usual, today Ellen Myrick and Publisher Spotlight are helping me to shine a spotlight on some of the little guys with big books coming out this season. Here are a couple titles I suspect you may not have heard of quite yet.

Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-Splash! by Yuko Ohnari & Koshiro Hata, translated by Emily Balistrieri

Publication Date: March 4, 2025

ISBN: 9781636551142

Who’s in the mood for a little onomatopoeia today? Welp, this toddler storytime may well be your go-to when the weather outside is a bit on the wet side. A warning, though. The yellow in this book is VERY bright, so grab your shades. Full of energy, this is just a fun story about enjoying the rain. Multi-sensory book.

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A Surprise in the Wood by Cosetta Zanotti, illustrated by Lucia Scuderi, translated by Angus Yuen-Killick

Publication Date: April 15, 2025

ISBN: 9781636550923

I found this book to be particularly interesting. Written by parents who adopted a child with a debilitating genetic disease, the story focuses on two bears who adopt a goldfish in the woods. Naturally, they have to make some accommodations and soon realize that they have meet the child where it is to help it grow. And let me tell you, those other forest denizens have some definite opinions on the matter. Written to help people understand what it means to raise children with other needs, a donation from sales of the book will be made to the MCT8-AHDS Foundation. Oh! You will just HAVE to feel the cover of this. The texture is sublime.

Ivy Newt and the Storm Witch by Derek Keilty, ill. by Magda Brol

Publication Date: April 2, 2025

ISBN: 9781836300007

So this particular series has been doing really well in the UK and now comes to our shores as well. The focus is on a little witch and the community she lives in. Set in the land of Miracula, it features Ivy, an unstoppable and lovable young witch, and her friend and familiar Tom. It’s Ivy’s birthday, and her parents, the King and Queen of the Sand Witches, have prepared her a show-stopping present–a magic act where they disappear. I’m always on the lookout for more early chapter books, and Europe just seems to provide an unending supply of them. Plus, I’m fond of the art.

All By Myself (But Sometimes I Need a Little Help) by Elizabeth Everett, ill. Shelley Hanmo

Publication Date: April 1, 2025

ISBN: 9781958372722

This book is pretty cool, and not simply because Shelley Hanmo is a whiz with cut paper. Author Elizabeth Everett is a teacher, so this story of a kid both boasting about the things they can do and admitting that there are still things they need help with… that feels real to me. I remember all too well the frustrations of my own kids when their intentions were greater than their abilities. Seems to me we definitely need more books like this in the world.

The Lighthouse Keeper by Eugenio Fernández Vázquez, ill. Mariana Villanueva Segovia, translated by Kit Maude

Publication Date: September 9, 2025

ISBN: 9798988749943

Am I the only one reminded of Tomi Ungerer when I look at this book? Released simultaneously in both English and Spanish, this story concerns a kindly lighthouse keeper who doesn’t just light his beacon every evening, but is on the perpetual lookout for anything and anyone that needs his help. Please take note of the fishy beard.

Upside Down: Opposites by Matt Hunt

Publication Date: January 14, 2025

ISBN: 9781664351363

Perhaps the highest praise one could place upon this tiny book is to say that the first thing I thought of when I saw it was the work of Peter Newell. Are you familiar with his books where you could turn them upside down like Topsys and Turveys? Same idea here, but much younger and clever in its own way entirely. There are any number of ways to read this book, of course. You could go through it entirely one way and then turn it upside down to read it the other way OR you could keep flipping it back and forth as you read. Personally, I would opt for the latter version. I imagine it could be a lot of fun to read this book to a group of preschoolers, blowing their small minds with every flip. Oo! Maybe you could even say the word, “FLIP!” when you do it! I bet they’d get a huge kick out of that. Bonus points for the art of Matt Hunt being so fun and visually appealing as it is. This one’s just a delight. 

Hank Goes Peck by Maudie Powell-Tuck, illus. by Duncan Beedie

Publication Date: February 18, 2025

ISBN: 9781664351547

Hank’s back! Glad to see him return. You may be familiar with him from the picture book Hank Goes Honk. Now he’s appeared in a board book that’s full of lots of die cuts… pecked by Hank. Expect plenty of Hank antics (Hanktics?) in this tale. And he really has the best side eye…

Mr. Norton’s New Hat by Huw Lewis Jones, illus. by Corey Egbert

Publication Date: February 4, 2025

ISBN: 9781664300651

Oh! This one definitely reminded me of that old Shel Silverstein picture book A Giraffe and a Half. It’s sort of a cumulative story at its heart. A mouse appears in a man’s hat and pretty soon a bunch of other animals want to get in on the action. One of those books that builds to a nice bit of end chaos.

Our Tree by Jessica Meserve

ISBN: 9781664300620

Publication Date: March 4, 2025

Imagine the boy in The Giving Tree was a squirrel. That’s not exactly what you’d find in this book, but that passionate love of a tree taken to extremes is definitely what you’ll find here. The story is about a red squirrel who believes that a particular tree is all for him and he does not want to share. When it becomes clear that one little squirrel can claim a tree all for itself, he decides he’ll find a new tree. Ah, greed. You’re always good for a storytime.

Changing Tides by Julia Moscardó

Publication Date: April 8, 2025

ISBN: 9781664300583

A blended family tale (which we don’t see as often as we might). This story takes place very early in that process. Lulu is not so sure about this whole new big brother business. As such, she is determined not to have a good time at the beach. But in spite of those intentions she does and they work on building a sand castle together. The new older brother makes friendly overtures and she’s willing to accept them. As a result, everyone leaves the beach as more of a family.

The Big Day by Rachel Plummer, illus. by Forrest Burdett

Publication Date: April 8, 2025

ISBN: 9781664300668

Okay, I really liked this. Particularly when you compare it to all the other gay wedding books out there. Usually when we see a story of that sort it’s the child character’s uncle or dad who’s getting married. In this case, some random human child finds himself invited to a giants’ wedding and a slew of fairytale creatures are coming as well. It’s a very light and celebratory story and chock full of such great snacks. There’s a fun and lightness to this that makes it a superior gay wedding book. And, after all, the world needs more gay giants.

Filed under: Publisher Previews