Publisher Spotlight Spring/Summer 2026 Preview (Part Four)

Let us end the week with a celebration of books of varying shapes and sizes. You can read parts one and two and three as well, if you’ve a notion. I’ve certainly no objections.

ONWARD!

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Big Digs: Amazing Underground Construction by Kiko Sánchez​, translated from Spanish by Marc Correa​

ISBN: 9783039641246

Publication Date: May 5, 2026

I figured it might be cool to kick off your day with something exceedingly cool. And what could be cooler than 3,000 years of tunnels? Have you ever wondered about the White House Bunker under the White House? This covers a wide range of places, from the Temple of the Feathered Serpent to the Channel Tunnel. It’s a spree around the world in an Oversized package and it’s gorgeous and interesting to boot. If you’ve a kid who might have a yen for spacial relationships, this is what you hand them.

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Dogs in Art: A Canine History of Art by Valeria Aloise & illustrated by Margot Tissot​, translated from French by Jeffrey K. Butt

ISBN: 9783039641239

Publication Date: June 9, 2026

Talk about a smart way to demystify art. Want to make kids interested in the subject? Fill it with canines. In this book the creators recreate famous artwork and highlight the role of the dogs in each. And yes, if you are wondering if that infamous painting of dogs playing poker is included, of course it is. There are 30 artworks and such artists as Frida Kahlo, Banksy, Keith Haring, and Jeff Koons included. Now here’s an extra treat that we don’t always get from our imports: Backmatter! Honest-to-goodness-backmatter!

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Spaghetti Science: The Chemistry, History, and Art of Pasta by Lucia Rush

ISBN: 9783039641154

Publication Date: August 18, 2026

This book isn’t all that dissimilar from the doggie art one, come to think of it. It’s apparently part of a series that will be taking a single object (in this case, spaghetti) and looking at science through the lens at that object. In this book, we learn how spaghetti is made, where it comes from, everything you can do with it, the works! There are even fun facts, hands-on activities, and kid-friendly recipes.

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Tractor Zack on Sunshine Kibbutz by Alice Blumenthal McGinty & illustrated by Rotem Teplow

ISBN: 9781782509561

Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Okay, folks. This is a quiz question for all you children’s book specialists out there. Name me at least one picture book for kids, published in the United States, that features a kibbutz. One. Just one. If you can do it, then you’ve a greater swath of knowledge at your disposal than I. And since we seem to live in a kibbutz-less state (from a literary perspective anyway), it stands to reason that it’s kind of important that one is being published. It is told from the tractor’s p.o.v., yep, and with a kind of Thomas the Tank Engine look to it. What’s notable, too, is that it’s a modern Israeli kibbutz and not a historical one. A rarity, to be sure.

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Story of the Stolen Homes: An Unforgettable Journey to Palestine by Guzelya Marisova, illustrated by Agia Putri ​

ISBN: 9781835920442

Publication Date: July 7, 2026

Part of the new Eldar and Elnar series, what we have here is a book about Gaza. Twins Eldar and Elnur, along with their parents and cousin Kama, live in Paris and go to explore a traveling exhibition from Indonesia about Palestine titled “The Story of the Stolen Homes.” ​As they travel through it, the exhibit offers a unique and poignant glimpse into the history and culture of Palestine, inviting visitors to see it through a diverse lens.​ First time author Guzelya Marisova is of French-Uyghur heritage, born and raised in Kazakhstan. She is also the founder of Lumin Ihsan, a podcast series that “brings together insightful dialogues and powerful stories centered on uplifting Muslim women, exploring issues of justice, resilience, and spiritual growth.”

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Let’s Play Rugby by Gordon D’arcy & Paul Howard, illustrated by Ashwin Chacko

ISBN: 9781915071774

Publication Date: April 28, 2026

The older I get, the more I come to realize that I really and truly do not know almost anything about rugby. This book would probably only get me so far, though it is written by a very famous Irish rugby player. But as you can probably tell from the cover, this isn’t your average everyday rugby book. This book is interactive! Fun! And look at that delightful art. Kids are getting more and more into the sport these days so I suppose that this could work well for a storytime. I mean, I don’t suppose many people have a “rugby storytime”, but I get some of you out there have sports-related ones from time to time. As you can see from the art, the book does that meta thing where you control the players. Kinda like Press Here but with more scrums. As for Little Island, it’ll be doing a soccer book next (whew!).

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Shorelines by Ruth Ennis

ISBN: 9781915071989

Publication Date: June 9, 2026

Body positivity isn’t usually associated with mermaid books, but that’s a fault on our part. In this novel in verse, the practicalities of what it would take to be a mermaid come into play. Because they often live in cold waters, mermaids need a lot of blubber and insulation, much like seals. However, due to climate change and overfishing, the mermaid in this story is suffering because her source of food has lessened. When she comes up and joins the humans, she also has to deal with the fact that on land her large body is seen not as strength, but as something to be ashamed of. Hoping this gets more attention since it would be nice to see someone reclaim mermaids in this way.

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April’s Journey / El viaje de Abril by Francesc Rovira

English ISBN: 9788410406780​

Spanish ISBN: 9788410406780

Publication Date: April 14, 2026

As with many of the nubeocho titles, this book will be simultaneously released in an English edition and a Spanish edition. It’s a method that I like to think more publishers are picking up on these days. Historically, a publisher in America would release the English title first and then wait a couple years before releasing the Spanish edition. This is better.

This book in particular is such an interesting choice. The elevator pitch is just, “Two children fleeing war pack only their stuffed animals and their memories into backpacks as they set out to find safety.​” Rovira also utilizes a very interesting style in his art. Very spare, with the aid of colored pencils and watercolors. And while the premise is pretty bleak, this is a picture book, so at the end of the day they are rescued and they find a place to be safe. A worthwhile fantasy.

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Super Freddy / Superfede by Luis Amavisca & illustrated by Gusti​, English translation from Spanish by Cecilia Ross

English ISBN: 9791387834340​

Spanish ISBN: 9788410406803

Publication Date: April 7, 2026

It takes a lot of work to be a superhero. You have to work out all the time and show constant vigilance lest the villains get the upper hand. One day an average superkid takes his suit to be dry cleaned and discovers that without it he’s just Freddy. It’s a bit of an adjustment and he kind of gets into it. So much so that when the time comes to don his heroic persona again, he decides to be Freddy for a while longer. At its heart, this is a book about self-care.

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Pig Dreams / Los Chanchitos​ by Margarita del Mazo & illustrated by Guridi​, English translation from Spanish by Cecilia Ross

English ISBN: 9791387834265​

Spanish ISBN: 9791387834241

Publication Date: May 5, 2026

Expressive eyebrows abound! So the same team that did a picture book called The Flock a couple years ago has come out with a companion picture book. Don’t worry, though. You won’t need to have seen the first book to understand what’s happening in the second. In this tale, a drove of pigs are looking at the sheep from the first book and wondering why they don’t get counted. Ever proactive, they proceed to hypnotize the sheep to go on vacation and then, when young Johnny needs to sleep, he discovers an entirely new animal shows up to take over. Needless to say, he’s a little confused, ever as the pigs discover that the job is harder than it looks.

Filed under: Publisher Previews