Jennifer Rofé

Newbery Medalist and 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Meg Medina's GRACIELA IN THE ABYSS (illustration by Anna Balbusso and Elena Balbusso), about a 13-year-girl who, 100 years after her accidental death, awakens as a sea ghost who must join forces with a human boy to prevent a vengeful spirit and his enchanted harpoon from destroying both realms—living and dead, to Kate Fletcher at Candlewick.

Christina Diaz Gonzalez's OFFSIDE (illustration by Mari Costa), about five kids on a co-ed soccer team who must confront insecurities, language barriers, and gender stereotypes to make a difference in the sport they love, to Emily Seife at Scholastic.

Dev Petty's THE NIGHT THE BUILDINGS SWITCHED PLACES (illustration by Brian Biggs), about a town full of bored buildings that decide to swap locations, with humorous results, to Deirdre Jones at Little, Brown Children's.

Author-illustrator Breanna Carzoo's LAWN-MOWING DAY, book one in the Little Landscapers board book series, featuring three animal friends who love the sensory delights of landscaping, in which the friends snip, rumble, and vroom as they mow; followed by a second, untitled winter-themed story, in which the animals joyfully clear snow, to Hannah Lambert at Little Simon, in a two-book deal.

Author-illustrator Deb Pilutti's MY PET LION, about a girl who recovers from a falling out with her two best friends by imagining the ways her life would be different if she had a pet lion, to Susan Kochan at Putnam Children's.

Paola Santos's A HOUSE IN MY BARRIO (illustration by Olivia Sua), following a young boy who, after a beloved pillar of his community is bedridden, inspires his family and neighbors to come together to support the woman that has done so much for him and the people he loves, to Mark Podesta at Holt Children's.

Author-illustrator Maggie Edkins Willis's WONDERMOMS! and WONDERDADS!, rhyming companion picture books celebrating the power of moms and dads and the infinite love they share with their kids, to Catherine Laudone at Paula Wiseman Books, in a two-book deal.

Author-illustrator Eliza Wheeler's Cozy series, beginning with A COZY WINTER DAY, featuring a cast of animal characters enjoying the delights of a wintery day, to be followed by A COZY SUMMER DAY, to Nancy Paulsen at Nancy Paulsen Books.

Author-illustrator Brittany Cicchese's TINY WORLDS, about an introverted boy who shares with his extroverted grandmother the miniature wonders of the natural world, to Kate Fletcher at Candlewick, in a pre-empt.

Ishaa Lobo to illustrate BIGFOOT'S BIG HEART (Sarah Glenn Marsh), in which a lonely bigfoot, sad to always be hiding away in his cave, decides to write Valentine's Day letters to his equally lonely mythical friends hiding out all across the world–only to have the letters lost and then found by some unlikely new friends along the way, to Tamar Brazis and Meriam Metoui at Viking Children's.

Amber Ren to illustrate BECOMING BOBA (Joanna Ho), about the history of boba, cultural shifts through generations, and letting your true colors shine; exploring the common diasporic question, "What does it mean to be boba (or Asian) enough?", to Clarissa Wong at Scholastic.

Author-illustrator Maggie Edkins Willis's BABY STEPS, a graphic novel about a 14-year-old whose life is thrown into chaos when her mother experiences a traumatic birth and postpartum depression, leaving the girl to care for the baby while her mother recuperates and her stepfather works, all of which alters her perspective on the real-life consequences of pregnancy and choice, to Connie Hsu at Roaring Brook Press.