Nosy Crow Publisher Preview (Summer 2026)

All right, all right! We’re kicking into high gear with our publisher previews today! No mere three or four titles here. Today I present to you a whopping SEVENTEEN books! There’s something for everyone here too. Picture books. Board books. Middle grade fiction. Nonfiction. Books for every possible taste, so we haven’t a moment to waste! Let’s get into it:

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Picture Books

Say Hello Like an Armadillo: And Other Animal Greetings from Around the World by Zewlan Moor, ill. Karen Obuhanych

ISBN: 9798887771168

Pub Date: 06/23/2026

Meet Nosy Crow’s very first U.S. acquisition. They got their hands on this title even before they had an office here in the States. In this book we learn how kids say hello to their teachers (extra points for the “Really accurate carpet time”). Check out this cute (but not cutsey) representation of different abilities here too. The array of greetings include both verbal and nonverbal. Then the book talks about different animal greetings. For example, armadillos curl up and stretch out to say hello. The book is all about overcoming reluctance to greet new people. In the back there’s even some info for the budding zoologists with more facts about the animals featured throughout the book.

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The Perfect Match by Chris Becker, ill. Dan Taylor

ISBN: 9798887772707

Pub Date: 05/05/2026

As you might have heard through the grapevine, the World Cup is right here in the States this summer. I’m going. Are you? It seems only natural that publishers would be taking advantage of that fact (like Candlewick’s World Soccer Kings, for example). This book skews a bit on the younger side, but the passion for the sport is in full bloom. It’s a Cinderella tale with a soccer twist. The framing sequence is that a kid is hearing a bedtime story from dad about a little boy who (once upon a time) had to do chores all day for his evil brothers. He wanted to go to “the match” where the prince was putting on a royal soccer game. Thanksfully, his Hairy Squadfather (someone gets extra points for making that one up) turns the boy’s rags into a beautiful new soccer uniform. The twist at the end is that the dad is actually telling the story of how he met his husband. It’s How I Met Your Father with soccer and a distinctly queer twist!

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Helping Daddy by Angel Dike, ill. Ebony Glenn

ISBN: 9798887772714

Pub Date: 05/05/2026

And now let’s take a quick detour back to picture books for younger readers. Remember how in the Caldecott Award winning picture book Chooch Helped an overenthusiastic toddler was trying to “help” everyone? This takes that general idea, but makes it just a one-on-one situation with Daddy. This book shows how supremely helpful a toddler can be when you’re doing stuff around the house (I remember that time VERY well). This book fulfills that ever present need for younger books centering Black characters AND it’s a good Dad book to boot!

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How to Scare a Mouse and Bear by Ross Collins

ISBN: 9798887771731

Pub Date: 07/21/2026

Isn’t Ross Collins simply the best? For visual gags the man knows what he’s doing. Now there have already been three Mouse and Bear titles to date, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t hungry for a fourth. I was told that when reading this aloud it is preferable to give the mouse the voices of an elderly professor (which is a brillinat readaloud note). With its nice big fonts sizes and occasional breaking down of the fourth wall, this would be ideal for your Halloween displays.

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That Bird Can Draw by Ged Adamson

ISBN: 9798887772363

Pub Date: 06/23/2026

This is a bit of a quieter book on the list. In this particular story, a little girl goes over to grandpa’s house and he has acquired a new bird. Not just any bird. A bird that makes bird-related masterpieces (Mona Lisa, etc.). That would be fine except the girl herself is an artist and she’s more than a little frustrated at the bird’s success. I mean, she thought she was so good. At its heart, this is a story about making and enjoying art as well as appreciating your own talents in the face of folks who are “better” at it. Also (and this is just me) I love that the girl has the colors of Sylvester and the bird the color of Tweety Bird. Antagonists forever, yes?

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Board Books

Halloween Street by Jonathan Emmett, ill. Ingela P. Arrhenius

ISBN: 9798887772677

Pub Date: 07/21/2026

This isn’t the first title Nosy Crow has created to fold all the way out, like this. Indeed, they’ve already done Christmas n’ such. Still, I really like it when an illustrator is given a chance to render an entire town in some way. Interestingly, this was the first time I learned that illustrator Ingela P. Arrhenius is Swedish (I always wondered!). I actually found an interview between Ingela and Mark Hoffman here, so if you’ve ever wondered about her, this should clear a lot up:

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Five Little Ghosts by Alex Barrow

ISBN: 9798887772578

Pub Date: 07/21/2026

I appreciate any board book that allows the adult reader a chance to sing. Interestingly this book (which can be sung to the standard Five Little Ducks song) is the first in a series that will include titles with names like Five Little Lambs and Five Little Elves (Easter and Christmas, perhaps?). With elements that can move on every page, this should make for a rather good preschool storytime.

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All Kinds of Things by Frances Stickley, ill. Tim Hopgood

ISBN: 9798887772561

Pub Date: 07/07/2026

Because books of objects can be so much more than Richard Scarry, wouldn’t you say? Published in a nice large format, the particular colors in this book may strike you really very bright. Inside, the pages feature animals, vehicles, sea creatures, etc. The book contains a lot of words that kids already know while also including some new ones as well. “Different word landscapes” was how they put it. Seems apt.

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Fairy Trails: Jack and the Beanstalk by Ekaterina Trukhan

ISBN: 9798887772554

Pub Date: 06/16/2026

THIS is interesting! You may have seen board books lately that include small moveable pieces (or sliders) on the pages. Generally speaking they tend to go around tracks or through winding forests to a parent. This is the first time I’ve seen the technology combined with fairy tales. Betters still, they’re doing Jack and the Beanstalk! I have noticed over the years that no one ever does Jack. If you look for books of this story, they’re always for older kids. In this tale you can move Jack and other characters on the page. I kind of love that not only do they include the whole chopping-down-the-beanstalk element, the mom gets to be the chopper. Other future books in this series will include Cinderella, I hear.

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Toddler Talk: My Potty by Carolina Buzio

ISBN: 9798887772547

Pub Date:  07/07/2026

When I had small children I was often shocked by how many potty books were for older kids. What I needed, really needed, were board book potty books. And this series is meant to bridge that gap between first word books and simple picture books. It probably helps that a speech pathologist wrote it with the author. Love the representation as well (like the dad being in a wheelchair). Man, I could have used this book once!

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USA ABC by Ingela P. Arrhenius

ISBN: 9798887772806

Pub Date: 06/02/2026

So there’s this upcoming sesquicentennial happening soon, which will probably explain a lot of the children’s books about to come out. How different books handle this content is going to be quite telling. In this particular title, you’ll see a lot of different people and places and aspects of living in the U.S. Of course Arrhenius, as previously pointed out, is Swedish so Nosy Crown had to explain to her what a s’more is.

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Fiction

The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum

ISBN: 9798887772820

Pub Date: 05/05/2026

Really fun concept with this title. It’s part mystery, and maybe contains a haunted house/garden. In this tale, Fran is going to her cousin Imogen’s house, which she is not looking forward to. Imogen is very particular and annoying but since Fran’s mom had to go on a business trip it’s not something she can fight. Then something really weird happens. When Fran arrives, her relatives don’t remember who Imogen is. Upon further investigation, Imogen’s room is covered in dust. What happened to her her? And does it have something to do with a nearby estate where magical, nefarious things happened in the past? With a strong dose of good creepy storytelling, this is a “one-sit read”.

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The Golden Monkey Mystery by Piu Dasgupta

ISBN: 9798887772615

Pub Date: 08/04/2026

A fast-paced tale with a fearless heroine and daring mission at its center. Other words to describe it include Mysterious, Captivating, and Historical-ish Fiction (that’s more than one word, I know). Bonus: May include talking cat. Based on the family history of the author (English/Bengali) this story is set in mid-1800s India where our main character is determined to someday become a doctor. Until then, she’s away at boarding school, when a golden leaf eating monkey shows up. The monkey’s home is hundreds of miles away so our heroine goes to return it and, in the process, gets swept into this deadly adventure involving tigers, bandits, and a mysterious magical jewel. It’s loosely connected to another Piu Dasgupta title called Secrets of the Snakestone, but don’t worry. This book is also a standalone.

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Kevin the Vampire by Matt Brown, ill. Flavia Sorrentino

ISBN: 9798887771502

Pub Date: 07/07/2026

Kevin is the only member of his vampire family who cannot turn into a bat. What he lacks in that ability, however, he makes up for by being able to talk to animals. Kevin and his famly are all part of a monster circus, which is all well and good until they get to a monster-hating town. Turns out, this town has a monstrous secret of its own. In this context, Kevin is a kind of an outcast amongst outcasts. It’s funny, highly-illustrated and it ends with (what it calls) the Lower Drudging Alphabet. You kind of have to see what I mean for yourself.

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Princess Minna: The Giant Beanstalk by Kristy Applebaum, ill. Sahar Haghgoo

ISBN: 9798887772646

Pub Date: 05/05/2026

Have you encountered this series before? The premise is pretty simple. Minna is a princess who saves the day despite an array of fractured fairytale moments. With its princess heroine, comparisons to Princess in Black are inevitable (especially when you realize that this series is also in full-color! ). Those of you on the lookout for early chapter books, definitely give this one a go.

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Nonfiction

Think Big: Secrets of Bees by Ben Hoare, ill. Nina Chakrabarti

ISBN: 9798887772738

Pub Date: 06/02/2026

On the one hand, there are just a LOT Of bee books out there. That’s often because bees are an integral part of a lot of elementary school curriculums. On the other hand, I just love ’em all. I can’t help it. Every last bee book I look at teaches me something new about those vibrant little pollinators. This book here was actually written with the help of a slew of University of Cambridge scientists! Includes much gorgeous art and cross sections.

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How to Be a Soccer Star: And Other Jobs On and Off the Field by Rachel Yankey, ill. Sol Linero

ISBN: 9798887772172

Pub Date: 05/05/2026

More soccer! More, I say! Written by a former UK National Team player, this is a truly original take on the sport itself. Essentially, it examines a lot of different jobs associated with soccer. Coaches, nutritionists, doctors, etc. Published in time for the World Cup, it is authored by women and illustrated by women and about careers that have historically been male dominated.

And that’s all she wrote! Extra thanks to Avery Cook and the team at Nosy Crow for taking the time to tell me about some of their titles!

Filed under: Publisher Previews