Myrick Marketing Publisher Spotlight Publisher Preview of Kalanoit Books, Lantana, Little Island, and New Frontier Publishing (Summer/Fall 2025 & Winter 2026)(Part Two)

Thaaaaat’s right! It’s that time again! I may be at the American Library Association conference but a whole host of the books I’m presenting to you today have more than a smidgen of international flair. We have some gorgeous titles on display here, just ready for you. And for our previous Summer/Fall preview, seek ye no further than here.

Now on to the books!!

With a Needle and Thread: A Jewish Folktale from Cuba / Con Hilo y Augiuja by Jennifer Stempel, ill. Libi Axelrod, translated by Lawrence Schimel

English ISBN: 9781962011068

Spanish ISBN: 9781962011082

Publication Date: October 14, 2025

I confess that I’ve been impressed with the number of children’s books I’ve encountered in the last few years that have seen fit to highlight the Jewish diaspora in Cuba. This particular book focuses on creating family heirlooms that are textile based. And yes, your eyes do not deceive you, they printed this book in both English and Spanish. But best of all? My favorite translator Lawrence Schimel tackled this one. Go, Lawrence!!

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Azizi and the Little Blue Bird by Laila Koubaa, ill. Mattias De Leeuw

ISBN: 9781836290094

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

I had this book sitting on my desk the other day and a co-worker who happened to spot it immediately gravitated towards the illustrations. This is an interesting mix. Dutch illustrator, Belgian/Tunisian storyteller, creating a kind of folktale based on the Jasmine Revolution. And the story feels AWFULLY prescient at the moment too. The book tells the tale of a land cowed under the thumb of oppressive tyrants. Revolution comes, but it comes in the most unexpected way. With the aforementioned gorgeous art, this is a powerful story about freedom and resistance.

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The Brightest Star by Meg Grehan

ISBN: 9781915071910

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

I don’t always mention sequels on my publisher preview round-ups, but considering the state of the world today, it seems to me that the more queer books for kids we can get out there, the better. They wanna ban books? Let’s make it like a leaky dam and flood the market! Now we’re going full-on middle grade novel at this point (it’s not all picture books, people) with this story about figuring out your identity along with, y’know, everything about yourself. This book is a sequel to The Deepest Breath which, amongst its other charms, was a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of 2022 with Outstanding Merit, and a Booklist 2021 Editor’s Choice. This particular story follows Stevie as she starts Junior High and explores anxiety, change, and navigating friendships. Extra Bonus: It’s printed in a dyslexia-friendly font.

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Oscar Wilde’s Stories for Children by Oscar Wilde

ISBN: 9781915071897

Publication Date: November 4, 2025

If you know me then you know I’ve got this fairytale/folktale radar in my head that gets to beeping everytime a big anthology of the stuff comes along. And friends? That radar is beeping its fool head off right now after seeing this. Oscar Wilde was always such a memorable fairytale creator. They’re so incredibly different from his plays (thought if anyone wants to write The Importance of Being a Selfish Giant then I am HERE for it!). This latest compendium? It’s got all the usual suspects. Think The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Selfish Giant, The Devoted Friend, The Remarkable Rocket, and The Young King. Need I mention it’s a gift book? I should think it was self-explanatory.

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Making it Up As You Go Along by Patricia Forde

ISBN: 9781915071903

Publication Date: February 17, 2026

This next title, a little less than a year away, is a book from the current Irish Children’s Laureate (also known as the Laureate na nÓg). Written in an dyslexia-friendly font, it’s a writing advice book for kids that’s also about how stories are made. I was rather happy to see this since it’s been a year or two since I’ve seen a good writing advice book for kids. It’s written in a kid-friendly way and happens to include advice from a whole slew of Irish children’s authors, including Derek Landy, Eoin Colfer, Siobhán Parkinson and Catherine Doyle. For a time, I used to run a teen writing class at my library, and books like these often turned out to be godsends. Plus, I really like the art and design of this one. Check it out!

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The Koala and the Little Tree by Alissa Malnati, ill. Aleksandra Szmidt

ISBN: 9781916790988

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

Aren’t watercolors just the most amazing thing? It’s a medium that grade school children muck about with, and yet in skilled hands you can get so many fascinating, different styles and types of books. Take this book as an example. About the aftermath of the wildfires in Australia, the story focuses on the idea of the earth coming back to life after the destruction and how a person needs to look for those little moments of new growth. This story is about hope and reclaiming and planting seeds for the future. It’s the first book in The Endangered Series, fictional picture books that highlight conservation and the wonders of wildlife. And though I don’t usually do this, I’m going to show you as much art from this book as I possibly can. Check this out:

That’s all for today but stay tuned for future installments of this series. And special thanks to Ellen Myrick for taking the time to show me all these cool books!

Filed under: Publisher Previews