From the publisher’s original announcement on their Instagram page:
Milky Way Picture Books Announces Thrilling New Book Deal!
Milky Way Picture Books is excited to unveil its latest book deal: Things I Learned from My Dog, a heartwarming and insightful new picture book by acclaimed author Victor D.O. Santos (What Makes Us Human, My Dad, My Rock) and celebrated illustrator Dena Seiferling (The Couch in the Yard, Night Lunch). Scheduled for publication in 2026, this poignant story promises to capture the hearts of readers young and old.
Things I Learned from My Dog follows a boy’s transformative journey of growth and self-discovery, guided by the unconditional love and life lessons imparted by his scruffy and loyal dog, Luna. The book combines humor, heartfelt moments, and universal truths, making it a timeless ode to the bond between humans and their pets.
This project is also made possible by Jackie Kaiser of Westwood Creative Artists, who represented illustrator Dena Seiferling in the deal.
“We’re thrilled to bring this touching and beautifully crafted story to life,” said Nadine Robert of Milky Way Picture Books. “I am honored to collaborate with these two incredibly talented artists, Victor and Dena, for the first time. They are creating something truly extraordinary, and we believe Things I Learned from My Dog will deeply resonate with children and families, sparking meaningful conversations about love, loss, and the invaluable lessons we learn from our animal companions.”
Milky Way Picture Books is renowned for publishing innovative and emotionally resonant stories that captivate young audiences. Things I Learned from My Dog is a testament to the publisher’s ongoing commitment to celebrating creativity and storytelling.
English-edition release date: October 14, 2025 (click here to pre-order)
★ Selected for the dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picturebooks (2025 edition)
Have you noticed the world is full of weird people? In this book you will meet several of them. Come on, don’t be weird. What are you waiting for to start reading?
From the author of What Makes Us Human (a 2023 White Ravens selection already translated into 30 languages) and from the renowned and beloved Portuguese illustrator Catarina Sobral (winner of the 2014 International Award for Illustration at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, winner of the 2023 National Illustration Prize in Portugal, and nominated several times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award), comes a fun, funny, and possibly beautifully weird book about people’s quirks and the notions of weird vs normal.
RIGHTS SOLD:
English (world), French (world), Italian (world), Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil), Spanish (Spain + USA + Latin America minus Argentina), Catalan (world), Korean (world)
* If you are a publisher interested in licensing rights to this book, please get in touch with my foreign rights agent by clicking here.
⭐ Selected for the dPICTUS Unpublished Picturebook Showcase 6 (8th most voted book out of 600+ entries from over 70 countries)
From the author of What Makes Us Human (a 2023 White Ravens selection) and from the illustrator of Coffee, Rabbit, Snowdrop, Lost (a 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book, a 2022 Kirkus Prize finalist, and a 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Book)
Pedro’s birthday is coming up soon. This year, things will be different. Pedro and his parents had to leave their home country in search of a better life, and all of Pedro’s friends stayed behind. For his birthday, all Pedro wants is a friend. A touching story about immigration, hope, and friendship.
TRANSLATION RIGHTS SOLD :
Dutch (world), Korean (world)
All other languages currently available, including world English.
* If you are a publisher interested in licensing rights to this book, please get in touch with my foreign rights agent by clicking here.
Completion date: March, 2024
⭐ Selected for the dPICTUS Unpublished Picture Book Showcase 5 (2024)
Summary:
From the same creators of the acclaimed picture books My Dad, My Rock(a Kirkus Best Book of 2022) and What Makes Us Human (a White Ravens 2023 selection already translated into twenty languages) comes a touching story about cherishing our memories, the present moment, and our loved ones before it is too late.
On Saturdays, Claire’s dad likes to take her to a special place. There are no toys or games there, so sometimes Claire prefers to stay home. Today, before it is time to leave, Claire finds a letter that could change everything . . .
With lyrical text and beautiful illustrations full of metaphors, Before I Forget deals with the heartbreaking experience for children of witnessing a loved one who suffers from dementia lose, little by little, their memories and their ability to function normally. Selected for the dPICTUS Unpublished Picture Book Showcase 5 (2024).
TRANSLATION RIGHTS SOLD :
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional (Grimm Press), Korean, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil) & Catalan
* If you are a publisher interested in licensing rights to this book, please get in touch with my foreign rights agent by clicking here.
DISCUSSION GUIDES: For the Main Discussion Guide to the book, click here (courtesy of Eerdmans Books for Young Readers). For an Additional Discussion Guide (with ideas/activities not present in the Main Guide), click here.
HOW TO REQUEST A COPY FOR YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY: click here
⭐ A White Ravens 2023 book (awarded to the original Brazilian Portuguese edition)
⭐ A 2025 USBBY Outstanding International Book
⭐ A 2025 Bologna Ragazzi (BRAW) Amazing Bookshelf – Sustainability selection
⭐ A Best Book of 2024 in the USA, China, Japan, and Greece!
AVAILABLE AT: Barnes and Noble, Eerdmans, Bookshop, Amazon US, Amazon UK
Release: March 5, 2024 / IS BN: 9780802856258
Illustrator: Anna Forlati
Designer: Daniel Cabral
Read UNESCO’s official announcement about the book on their website (EN, ES, FR, PT, AR, IT)
I have been around for a very long time. Longer than toys, dogs, or anyone you know. I am everywhere. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT I AM?
⭐ A White Ravens 2023 selection by the International Youth Library, in Munich (Germany)
⭐ Selected for the 2024 Original Art Exhibit by the American Society of Illustrators (SOI)
⭐ Selected for the dPICTUS Unpublished Picture Book Showcase 4
⭐ Selected for the Bologna Book Fair 2023 special exhibition Beauty and the World: The New Nonfiction Picture Book
TRANSLATION RIGHTS SOLD (editions already published or on pre-order are clickable)
English (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers), French (Les 400 Coups), Spanish (La Maleta Ediciones), Italian (Terre di Mezzo), German, Chinese Simplified (Everafter Books), Korean (Hanbit Media), Arabic (Kalimat), Brazilian Portuguese (Editorial Abacatte), European Portuguese (Penguin Random House), Turkish (Yapi Kredi Yayinlari), Japanese (Nishimura Shoten), Slovenian (Malinc), Greek (Epomenos Stathmos), Marathi (Jyotsna Prakashan), Basque (La Maleta), Galician (La Maleta), Catalan (La Maleta), Asturian (La Maleta), Farsi (TUTI Books), Spanish/Mapuzungun (Planeta Sostenible), Spanish/Hñähñü (Secretaría de Cultura del Estado de Querétaro), Mauritian Creole (Editions Vizavi), Hawaiian, Bambara, Soninké, Wolof, Pulaar, Esperanto, Itza’, Mopan, Ch’orti’, Uspanteko, Kaqchikel, Q’eqchi’, Russian, Belarusian, and Nepali.
* If you are a publisher interested in licensing rights to this book, please get in touch with my foreign rights agent by clicking here.
REVIEWS:
"Will make readers wonder more with every turn of a page...illustrations are beautifully rendered...the profundity of the topic of language itself hits its mark. A beautiful addition to all libraries." — School Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW)
“Lovely . . . satisfying . . . appealing.” – Booklist
“ Striking . . . artful and attractive.” –Kirkus Reviews
“ Thought-provoking . . . engaging . . . Forlati’s digital illustrations represent both literal and figurative interpretations of the text and beg to be re-examined by the reader . . .[a] fine book.” – Horn Book
"Filled with mystery, suspense and intriguing facts, Santos writes one of the most remarkable picture books of all time for students ages first through fifth grade.”— Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database
“[An] intriguing, captivating masterpiece . . . an important book in every regard.”— Kendal Rautzhan, “Books to Borrow, Books to Buy”
In this video, Yalitza Aparicio, UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples and actress nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in 2018 for her role in the movie Roma, reads excerpts from the Spanish/Mapuzungun edition of What Makes Us Human. (Video Copyright: UNESCO)
Illustrator: Anna Forlati
⭐ A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2022 (starred review)
⭐ A Publishers Weekly Children’s Book for Father’s Day in 2022
Oliver never met his grandpa. He wonders what he would tell Grandpa if the two of them could meet, even once. Oliver decides that he would tell him about an amazing man that Grandpa never met: Oliver's dad, Grandpa's own son. In this touching and heartfelt story, you will be taken on a journey of what it means to be a dad and to be the master of your own destiny.
TRANSLATION RIGHTS SOLD (editions already published or on pre-order are clickable)
English (Scribble), Polish (Słowne), Korean (Hanbit Media), Brazilian Portuguese (Abacatte Editorial), Chinese Simplified (LookBook), Turkish (Yapi Kredi Yanulari), French (Éditions Circonflexe), Spanish (only for Chile)
* If you are a publisher interested in licensing rights to this book, please get in touch with my foreign rights agent by clicking here.
ENDORSEMENTS/REVIEWS:
“Santos ably describes the love and encouraging support that children want from parents at all stages of life. Using short sentences, Santos’ approachable text feels true to a child’s understanding of a nurturing parent, and it will also resonate with caregivers who strive to be positive role models. A beautifully illustrated, touching tale of love.”
– Kirkus Reviews, starred review and a Best Book of 2022
“My Dad, My Rock is a heartwarming picture book about father-son love that carries from one generation to the next.”
– Foreword Reviews (Clarion), starred review
“My Dad, My Rock is a heartfelt and moving ode to the father-son bond … A genuine delight … [A] profound meditation on the ways in which fathers have the power to positively shape their sons.”
– Publishers Weekly (Booklife), starred review, Editor’s Pick, and a Children’s Book for Father’s Day selection
“Such a heartwarming book. Beautifully written and illustrated.”
– author-illustrator Eric Fan (from The Fan Brothers)
“A touching title for good dads everywhere.”
– children’s author and librarian Betsy Bird
“A moving story to remind us that love is a form of deep noticing and that loving can very much be made up of new choices we make.”
– Kate Hoefler, author of ‘Nothing in Common’, ‘Rabbit and the Motorbike’, and ‘Real Cowboys’
As a picture-book author and creator, I read A LOT of picture books every year (most of them borrowed from my local library), both for my own pleasure but also for shared reading with my children. For each picture book I read, I give it a rating from 0 to 10 depending on how much I liked it (of course, taste is subjective).
Any book that receives a rating of 9 or above is what I personally consider to be an outstanding book, and I then purchase a copy of that book for my personal picture book library (not to be confused with my kids’ own libraries).
You can find here some of the books in my personal picture book library and I have read each one of them many, many times. They are all books I have learned significantly from in terms of picture-book making. Most are in English but a few are in other languages due to the lack of an English-language edition at the moment.
