A new picture book by Mac Barnett and X. Fang is coming later this year.
Tundra Books will publish Barnett and Fang’s Tom Nancy: The Sheep Who Swapped Brains With a Boy in the fall, the press announced. It calls the book “a hilarious trickster tale like no other.”
Barnett, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is the author of more than 60 books for young readers, including the Shape Trilogy, illustrated by Jon Klassen, and the First Cat in Space series, illustrated by Shawn Harris. He recently announced that his first book for adults, Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children, will be published in May. Fang is the author and illustrator of three children’s books: Dim Sum Palace, We Are Definitely Human, and Broken.
Tom Nancy will follow the titular sheep as he convinces Felix, a farmer’s son, to switch brains for a day using a mysterious machine. “A deliciously subversive story that delivers some just deserts, Tom Nancy will have readers of all ages laughing out loud and on the edge of their seats,” the publisher says.
Barnett said in a statement, “X. Fang is one of the best picture book illustrators (and writers) working today. I’ve been knocked out with her work since Dim Sum Palace and feel very lucky that we got to make this one together.”
And Fang said, "I am such a fan of Mac Barnett's work that when the possibility of illustrating Tom Nancy was first mentioned to me, it took every ounce of self-restraint to NOT jump on the table and scream, 'YES, WHEN CAN I GET STARTED?!'”
Tom Nancy is slated for publication on Sept. 22.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
