Written by Kirk Lombard
Illustrated by Parker Thornton

Reminiscent of The Outsiders and Watership Down, this riveting first novel is sure to establish Kirk Lombard, author of The Sea Forager’s Guide to the Northern California Coast, as a fresh and exciting new talent.

Gabriel (“G” for short) has been living in some tough circumstances in the Abiddon County Juvenile Center when, against all odds, he’s introduced to the Shongunk River by his dying uncle. The river valley—trash-heaped but chock-full of mysteries and fish—wins G over, while also returning the only good memories he has to him. But, as G has learned, good things usually don’t last. The Shongunk River is scheduled to be dammed by a local developer. In a matter of days, it will cease flowing, and all of the talkative creatures who live there in the river valley will be as homeless as G. 

Just as G decides it’s no time to accept his fate, so too do the animals. To inspire an uprising, a young trout is nominated to make a fateful journey up the river; a raccoon swears a violent oath against humans; and a newly sober buck leads his skittish flock out of harm’s way. Together with G, they show that good can triumph and that there is power in all of us, even the smallest minnow. 

This is a novel for all ages, a book that will appeal to all who love stories; the animal world; the human world (flaws, heartbreak, and all); and a well-told tale that is both immensely readable and memorable.

ISBN: 978-1-59270-494-1

6 in (W) x 9 in (H) • 464 pages • Hardcover with Jacket

This book, published under our Unruly Imprint, is for teens and adults.

Publication Date: October 20, 2026

Written by Azita Ardakani
Illustrated by Rebecca Rebouché

From Azita Ardakani and acclaimed artist Rebecca Rebouché comes a timeless story about how everything comes to be—and how, in the making of the world, we are made by both stardust and one another.

Before there was the world we know, there was only silence and shimmer—a great dark ocean of matter and possibility. Ocean of Stars follows the unfolding of creation: light forming from fire, water gathering from stars, and life arising from their meeting—until the living world begins to know itself through us.

Told in lyrical prose and brought to life through Rebecca Rebouché’s breathtaking illustrations, this picture book invites readers into a cosmic meditation on connection: how the stars became water, how water became life, and how all living things are threads in the same luminous web.

Part poem and part lullaby, Ocean of Stars offers children and adults alike a gentle way to contemplate existence—how every being, from the smallest seed to the farthest star, carries the memory of creation within. This is a story to be read aloud, wondered over, and kept close for a lifetime.

Ocean of Stars may be the biggest, little story ever told.

Learn more about Ocean of Stars:

Installing the window of Books of Wonder!

A Conversation between debut author Azita Ardakani and Oliver Jeffers, moderated by curator Rujeko Hockley

“Part poem and part lullaby, part compact history of science and part creation myth, radiating the revelatory simplicity of a children’s book and the casual complexity of a cosmogony. “—Maria Popova, The Marginalian. See featured post, A Painted Poem About How to Bear the Astonishment of Life

ISBN: 978-1-59270-491-0

9 in (W) x 12 in (H) • 48 pages • Hardcover

Ages: 4-8

Publication Date: September 29, 2026

Written & illustrated by Bruno Zocca
Translated from Italian by Debbie Bibo

A fun and thoroughly entertaining ode to bedtime books that still promises to leave the little ones heavy lidded and ready for sleep.

This delightful picture book starts with a very big—and very relatable—problem: No matter how hard she tries, our protagonist just can’t seem to fall asleep. Could she have skipped a step in her bedtime routine? Just in case, it’s best to do it all over again! So she brushes her teeth, puts on her pajamas, and says good night to Daddy. 

But no luck—she still can’t get to sleep! So she ventures outside, where she meets a very sleepy bear who shares her same problem. To help him, she runs inside for a book to read him a bedtime story. In the blink of an eye, the bear is snoring away, and the girl suddenly gets it. That’s it! She forgot to have her dad read her a bedtime story. 

And so, it’s back to the house, back to her dad, back to bed, and finally… to sleep! Children and parents alike will love this story that celebrates the magic of bedtime stories.

ISBN: 978-1-59270-483-5

190 mm (W) x 265 mm (H) • 48 pages • Hardcover with Jacket

Ages: 4-8

Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Written by O.E. Zelmanovich
Illustrated by Lauren Simkin Berke

This stylish ABC book about books and book-making is a wry, witty compendium, pervaded by a love of books.

B is for bibliophile.
D is for dog-eared.
M is for marginalia.
V is for verso.

In these pages, book lovers of all ages are invited to tour through the ABCs of books, with cartoon protagonist Guy as their guide. Excitingly, the book also works to perform what it shares, giving us a gatefold to define gatefold, a die-cut to exemplify what a die-cut is, and so on. 

Cleverly conceived and beautifully made, this book is both delightful and edifying—a sheer pleasure to hold in the hand and leaf through. This is a fully illustrated book about books that belongs on the shelves of book lovers both young and old.

ISBN: 978-1-59270-432-3

8” (W) x 8” (H) • 64 pages • Hardcover

Ages: 7-10

Publication Date: May 12, 2026