Alexandra McKenzie at Charlesbridge has bought world rights to the picture book Talking to Worms by Sara Levine and Kristen Nobles has acquired world rights for illustration by Duc Huy An. The story follows two siblings who bypass their apartment’s ban on pets by adopting some worms. Through observation and meticulous note-taking, the siblings “talk” to their worms and learn how to make the optimal habitat. Publication is slated for summer 2026 as part…

NAMASTE IS A GREETING author Suma Subramaniam‘s V. MALAR: GREATEST HALLOWALI OF ALL TIME, the third book in the V. Malar series, in which Malar’s first visit to the United States from India coincides with Diwali and Halloween, setting off a chain of memorable adventures with her American cousins in the cultural milieu, illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan, to Kate Fletcher at Candlewick, in an exclusive submission, for publication in summer 2027, by Miranda Paul…

Virginia Duncan at Greenwillow has signed a new picture book by Brian Lies, author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor book The Rough Patch. In Cat Nap, a kitten leaps through a poster on the wall and into an art museum, where he adventures his way through a variety of artworks from different periods of history before returning safely home. Publication is set for fall 2025; Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights….

Andrea Welch at S&S/Beach Lane Books has bought world rights to Otis Knows (How to Be a Bear) by Martha Brockenbrough and Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Steph Laberis, inspired by real-life Katmai National Park bear Otis, who emerges from hibernation slower and skinnier than other bears, but whose persistence and experience have made him a four-time Fat Bear Week champion, for publication in summer 2026. Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented…