Publisher Spotlight Spring/Summer 2026 Preview!

Hiya, folks! You know the deal! Ellen Myrick comes to me from Publisher Spotlight and shows me a SLEW of books coming out from a whole chunk of small publishers in the near future. I let you folks, in turn, take a gander at them (and I gather some images along the way, which is always helpful when I’m doing my year end lists). Everybody’s happy. This is just the first in a long series of them, so get ready, m’darlings! Today we’re talking about titles from Beaming Books, Eternal Tree Books, NSTA Kids, and Shout Mouse Press.

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Attack Bunnies by Laura Gehl, ill. Julia Patton

Publication Date: February 10, 2026

ISBN: 9781506496641

You know, we’re so used to just associating every bunny-related picture book that comes our way with Easter that when we encounter one that is most definitely NOT about that particular holiday, we may get a bit confused. And with its February publication date, I have my suspicions that booksellers and librarians may still put this one in their Easter displays. Frankly, it would certainly perk things up a bit. After all, the storyline in this book focuses on two warrior bunnies intent upon defending their friends. In a distinctly Home Alone-esque sequence they set out to defeat the machinations of a wolf. That is, until they realize that he isn’t quite as nefarious as he seems.

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Auntie Kristina’s Guide to Asian American Activism by Kristina Wong, Theodore Chao, Anna Michelle Wang, and Jenessa Joffe, illustrated by Shehzil Malik

Publication Date: April 14, 2026

ISBN: 9781506496412

It seems to me that if you’re going to do a book about activism, the very least you could do is to inject a little humor into it here and there. I know that activism is a serious activity, but maybe we should take a page out of Auntie Kristina’s book here. The titular Kristina in question is Kristina Wong, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and creator of the play Kristina Wong Sweatshop Overlord, amongst other things. In this book she tackles some pretty straightforward activist advice and info for kids. Apparently there’s even a section on “Auntie Heroes”. Why, oh why, have I never heard anyone use that particular term before? Rather brilliant.

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My Ganesha Chaturthi: Words of Wisdom by Priya Kumari and Komal Garg, ill. Abhilasha Khatri

Publication Date: April 7, 2026

ISBN: 9781953384461

Recently my library decided to do a bit of a rework on its holiday section. With every passing year I see less and less titles about some holidays (au revoir St. Patrick’s Day) and more and more on holidays that, historically, haven’t received a lot of love from the American children’s book industry. Take Chaturthi, for example. It’s the fourth day of a lunar fortnight in the Hindu calendar dedicated to Lord Ganesha, but the only time I’ve ever seen it in a picture book, that I can recall, was in Ganesha Goes Green from Barefoot Books. That was a good environmental title, but it didn’t focus much on Ganesha himself, specifically. In My Ganesha Chaturthi, however, you get a good understanding of what the day’s festival really is and what it entails. And at the end you have instructions for constructing your own clay Ganesha, should you choose to do so.

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Next Time You See a Star by Emily Morgan

Publication Date: April 7, 2026

ISBN: 9798899770081

This is one of those times when the cover of a children’s nonfiction picture book makes grown-ups like me feel smart (Oo! Oo! I recognize that shot on the cover!). So what I have learned here today is that some preschools with nice little early science programs actually build their curriculums on Emily Morgan’s books. And why might that be? It’s all about being inquiry based, baby (which is very important to them). This is part of the regular “Next Time You See” series and there’s usually one every 2-3 years. IYKYK.

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The Mini Mirrors series

Publication Date: March 3, 2026

ISBNS: A Day Just For Us​ – 9781950807871, Every Day We Say​ – 9781950807888​, When You Feel​ – 9781950807895

This next series was so interesting that I felt compelled to examine it more closely. Essentially, these are all board books written by teen mothers who want to tell stories to their children. Or, put another way, “These board books are authored by student parents enrolled in the Generation Hope Scholar Program – a nonprofit organization that helps teen parents in college and their children achieve educational & economic success.” I’ve never encountered anything quite like it. At the end of each book you get information about the creators themselves as well as some other backmatter. In spite of the series name, though (and yes, “Mini Mirrors” is rather clever) you won’t find any mirrors at the back of these board books.

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That’s it for today, but don’t worry. We’ve loads more coming soon. Just you wait.

Filed under: Publisher Previews