Book Nook - Fall 2026 Releases from Marble Press

Ms. Swirly's Compliment Machine

Written by Jana Mattern

Illustrated by Judit Orosz

There is something very special in Ms. Swirly’s class: a Compliment Machine that gives, you guessed it, compliments! But when the machine starts giving insults instead, the students learn the power of a kind word and how to use their voices for good.

Ms. Swirly's Compliment Machine is a silly-but-sweet story about the power of a kind word. It empowers young readers to use their voice for good. The SEL component makes it a wonderful choice to read in the classroom, the library, or at home.

Pirate Baby

Written by Monica Acker

Illustrated by Susana Soto

Cally is a fearsome pirate captain who takes whatever she wants without giving. Her crew does everything to please her, but when Cally fishes an ordinary houseplant from the sea, the other pirates have no idea how to keep it perky and green like Cally orders. What is a pirate baby to do?

With its silly humor and bright, bold illustrations, Pirate Baby bursts with kid appeal—a funny, insightful story about giving and growing. Perfect for little captains everywhere.

The Wind Child

A gorgeous, moving allegory about a girl forever on the move at her mother’s whim, spontaneous and free. Yet when Wind Child makes her first real friend, a human girl, she no longer wants to live such a rootless existence.

With lush illustrations by world-renowned Brazilian artist Rogério Coelho, this thoughtful and thought-provoking story explores the importance of friendship and the need to protect our children without shielding them from the everyday joys of life.

The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: Searching for Unicorns (Vol. 5)

Written by Brenda Maier

Illustrated by Fanni Mézes

Whether it’s riding a train to somewhere exciting and new, playing each other’s favorite sport, taking turns caring for each other in times of need, or teaming up to search for the ever-elusive unicorn, these two yin-and-yang besties approach each adventure with humor and generosity of spirit. Spend a day with Penguin and Panda and be prepared to come away with two new friends.

Includes a whole new slate of Fun Facts, a How to Draw guide, and even a few jokes for young comedians.

The First Christmas Tree

Written by Helen Haidle

Illustrated by Raluca Burca

Word spreads among the animals and the trees that The Promised One is to be born, and everyone gathers only the finest gifts in tribute. Yet what can Little Fir Tree’s empty branches possibly offer that would be worthy of God’s Son? Plenty, it turns out, and an angel rewards Little Fir’s kind heart with a cascade of glittering stars. Behold, the first Christmas tree.

The Little Drummer Boy meets Christmas’ Most Recognizable Symbol. The First Christmas Tree is a heartwarming story that bridges traditional Christian values with universal Christmas appeal—all gorgeously illustrated in a package that has the feel of a new classic.

Chasing the Light

Written by Amanda Davis

Illustrated by Faryn Hughes

On a cold winter’s night, mother and daughter play a game of hide and seek with the Northern Lights. Yet there is so much else to see and hear in the moment . . . so much beauty to appreciate and remember—especially time spent together.

Gorgeously written and exquisitely illustrated, Chasing the Light is a book to treasure and an experience to share.

 

Fun Freetime - HORSE CLUB Ride West

Wild River Games, known for the HORSE CLUB Adventures series, recently released HORSE CLUB Ride West for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam. The game features an open world inspired by the Wild West, a revamped riding system and a new art style based more closely on the original source material of the popular HORSE CLUB characters by schleich®.

HORSE CLUB Ride West expands the HORSE CLUB franchise with a new setting, offering longtime fans and newcomers a riding adventure inspired by the Wild West.

In HORSE CLUB Ride West, players join familiar HORSE CLUB characters on a journey through an open world that places a greater emphasis on free exploration. Locations include deserts, canyons, hot springs, abandoned mines and cactus oases.

The revamped riding system features new controls and improved animations, designed to make riding feel more dynamic. New maneuvers, including sliding, allow players to make fast, tight turns during western riding.

The game features six rideable horses, each with distinct characteristics and its own personality. Players can improve their horses’ attributes, including speed, stamina, agility, jumping ability and friendship. More than 100 combinable customization options are available for both characters and horses.

In addition to the main story, players can meet side characters, complete side quests and take part in minigames, including archery and playing guitar around a campfire. The adventure also features action-packed missions, tournaments and the close bond between riders and their horses.

“We are really excited to finally present a new gaming experience to fans of HORSE CLUB and horse games in general, which, thanks to numerous new and exciting features, represents a new major milestone for the globally successful HORSE CLUB Games series,” said Ralf Gronwald, CEO of Wild River Games. “We are confident that the new game will delight the HORSE CLUB fans as well as many new gamers.”

HORSE CLUB Ride West is available today in physical and digital editions for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. The Xbox Series X|S and PC versions are available digitally.

Development of HORSE CLUB Ride West is supported by Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.

More information is available at wildriver.gamesand on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok.

Wild River Games
Wild River Games est un éditeur et un développeur de jeux pour toutes les principales plateformes et toutes les cibles (famille, enfants, gamers). Son portefeuille compte de nombreux titres sous licence de marques schleich® bien connues telles que Horse Club® Adventures, bayala® : The Game et Eldrador® Creatures. L'objectif de tous les titres de Wild River Games est de maximiser le plaisir du jeu vidéo grâce à des mécanismes de jeu simples mais efficaces et à des processus d'exploitation intuitifs. Pour en savoir plus, consultez le site web officiel.

About Schleich
Schleich is one of Germany’s leading toy manufacturers and one of the world’s most recognized brands for high-quality, detailed, and authentic figurines. Founded by Friedrich Schleich in 1935, the company has long stood for durable quality and has inspired generations of children to engage in free play and imaginative storytelling. At the same time, Schleich figurines enjoy a strong reputation among collectors. Today, Schleich figurines and playsets are available in more than 60 countries, underscoring Schleich’s strong international market position. The suitability of Schleich figurines for creative, open-ended play is also scientifically proven: according to a study by the University of Koblenz, 89% of surveyed parents consider them particularly effective in fostering children’s imagination.

Movie Minute - Street Fighter

Set in 1993, estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s GAME OVER!

Helmed by director Kitao Sakurai, Street Fighter is set to bring the battle from the arcade to the big screen with Hadoukens, roundhouses, and all your favorite characters.

In theaters October 16.

Travel Tidbits - How Safaris Change a Person

 Returning from a vacation with a tan and a souvenir doesn't change people. A safari does.

Ask anyone who has been. They struggle to explain it, but they all say the same thing- something shifted. Here's what it's all about, find a way to convey this to your clients:

YOU FINALLY SLOW DOWN- There's no rushing a leopard. Hours spent watching, waiting, and listening rewire even the busiest executive. It's mindfulness without the meditation app.

YOU FEEL SMALL, IN THE BEST WAY- A million wildebeest crossing the Serengeti. An elephant herd moving in silence. Perspective changes fast when nature is this big.

YOU RECONNECT WITH EACH OTHER- No commute, no group chat, just the family around a campfire retelling the day's lion sighting. Multigenerational families call it the best trip they've ever taken together.

YOU GET UP CLOSE AND HUMBLED- Walking safaris on foot with expert trackers. An hour face to face with mountain gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda. Moments like these rearrange priorities in life.

YOU BECOME PART OF THE STORY- The right camps fund conservation, protect wildlife, and support local communities. You leave Africa better than you found it.

YOU SLEEP UNDER A WILDER SKY- Star beds under the Milky Way, lions calling in the distance. Nobody forgets that night.

Sell the transformation, not the itinerary, and Classic Safaris has a whole list of inspirational itineraries.

 

Music Minute - Raffi: Love is Everywhere

 

As Raffi celebrates his 50th anniversary as one of the world’s most beloved children’s musicians, the artist, author, and advocate announces Love Is Everywhere, an uplifting new collection shaped by themes of love, hope, and connection. This is Raffi’s 21st studio album and features 13 songs that inspire imagination, learning, and fun, including “No One Like You,” “To the Moon and Back,” and “Wakey Wakey,” with contributions from the JUNO Award-winning folk/country trio Good Lovelies. Beginning today, fans can hear “No One Like You” on all streaming platforms here. Love Is Everywhere arrives October 23 via Craft Recordings in standard and hi-res digital formats, as well as on CD, and is available to pre-order/pre-save today. Produced by Raffi and recorded by the artist’s longtime collaborator Ken Burke, Love Is Everywhere offers a hopeful response to a world that can often feel uncertain, inviting young listeners to feel, move, and sing along with its musically diverse songs. “No One Like You” celebrates each person’s uniqueness, “Wakey Wakey” brings playful energy to mornings and post-nap moments, and “To the Moon and Back” inspires wonder at planet Earth and the universe. Meanwhile, “ABC Democracy” released as an early single last October, encourages active engagement with our duty as citizens. As a special bonus, Raffi has also included the original version of his 1976 classic, “I Wonder If I’m Growing,” in honor of the 50th anniversary of his bestselling debut, Singable Songs for the Very Young. Young fans will also be able to enjoy a picture book of the song, illustrated by Jon Klassen and arriving October 24. The book will be available at bookstores worldwide and through Raffi’s official webstore, where it can be purchased together with either album. Discussing Love Is Everywhere, Raffi says, “As I mark the 50th anniversary of my Singable Songs album, this Love Is Everywhere album feels like it has an energy all its own. I’m so happy that the award-winning 'Beluga grads' trio, Good Lovelies, are now a vibrant part of my recordings and concerts. Their voices enliven my new songs beautifully.” Click here to pre-order/pre-save Love Is Everywhere. About Raffi: Arguably the most influential and successful children’s entertainer of the last 50 years, Raffi has delighted successive generations of kids (and their parents) with his playful, exuberant personality and his irresistibly infectious songs. The Canadian artist has released albums including such beloved titles as Singable Songs for the Very Young (1976), Baby Beluga (1980), Bananaphone (1994), and, most recently, Penny Penguin (2024). Collectively, he has sold almost 20 million albums, while his music has seen nearly one billion streams across all platforms. Beyond the studio, Raffi is an award-winning author, who has written more than a dozen books for children and three for adults. He has also emerged as a respected advocate on behalf of children, lending his voice, insight, and experience to a number of crucial issues through the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, a unifying vision with the child at its heart by which societies can re-order their priorities to restore our planet and build community. Praised by The Washington Post as “the most popular children’s singer in the English-speaking world,” Raffi is a recipient of the Order of Canada—the country’s highest civilian honor. A multiple GRAMMY nominee and JUNO winner, Raffi has also been recognized with a United Nations Environmental Achievement Award and the Fred Rogers Integrity Award, among countless honors over the decades. About Craft Recordings: Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., and Joan Sebastian. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Alison Krauss, Daddy Yankee, Evanescence, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers. Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, X,?Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Music Minute - Lee Newton: Strength of a Woman

Award-winning singer-songwriter Lee Newton  has released the official music video for her powerful single, “Strength of a Woman.” Bringing attention to the challenges women and families face, including childhood cancer, homelessness, and domestic violence, the video shines a light on resilience, compassion, and the strength found in standing together. Through deeply personal storytelling, Newton delivers a moving reminder that there is incredible power in women supporting one another and finding the courage to keep moving forward. 

The acoustic version of “Strength of a Woman" can also be heard on Newton’s recent project, the acoustic album Beautifully Undone. Featuring a collection of songs from across her career, the project strips each track down to its core, highlighting the true meaning behind the lyrics in a pared-back arrangement that puts the storytelling and musicianship front and center, allowing the songs to speak for themselves. 

To purchase/stream, visit HERE.

For more information, visit leenewtonofficial.com.

About Lee Newton:
Lee Newton is a Nashville recording artist and singer-songwriter from a small town in western North Carolina whose music blends traditional country, soulful blues, and a touch of Southern rock. Inspired early by legends like Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Patsy Cline, Newton began singing in church at age five and learned guitar from her father at seven. Her career has included collaborations with artists such as Leona Williams, Pam Tillis, T. Graham Brown, Joe Bonsall, and Rhonda Vincent. A multiple Josie Music Awards winner, including Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year, Newton continues to build momentum with new releases, media appearances, and her powerful blend of heartfelt storytelling and authentic country roots.

 

TV Time: The Garcias and The Brothers Garcia

 Twenty-five years after THE BROTHERS GARCIA first brought the Garcia family to television, the beloved comedy and its sequel series, THE GARCIAS, are coming together on Tubi (www.tubi.tv). Beginning this November, all 48 episodes of THE BROTHERS GARCIA and all ten episodes of THE GARCIAS will be available exclusively and for free on Tubi, bringing the full franchise to audiences on one streaming service.  

Created by Jeff Valdez, THE BROTHERS GARCIA aired on Nickelodeon from 2000 to 2004 and broke ground as the first English-language sitcom to feature an all-Latino cast and creative team. THE GARCIAS, produced by New Cadence Productions and released in 2022 on HBO Max, reunited the original cast nearly two decades later. Their arrival on Tubi comes as the streamer continues to expand its slate of English-language programming for Latino audiences and invest in entertainment built around distinctive voices and passionate fandoms. 

“THE BROTHERS GARCIA has remained a fan favorite for years, and we’re excited to bring both the original series and THE GARCIAS together on Tubi,” said Samuel Harowitz, Global Head of Content Acquisitions & Partnerships at Tubi. “Working with New Cadence to make these series free and easy to discover is exactly how we think about building our library, pairing beloved franchises with broad accessibility so longtime fans can revisit them and new audiences can find them for the first time.”

“Twenty-five years ago, we put a real Latino family on English-language television when a lot of people doubted the audience was there, but that audience has grown up and is now bigger than ever,” said Jeff Valdez, co-founder of New Cadence Productions. “Tubi gives creators and IP owners the chance to put our stories directly in front of fans, with no paywall standing in the way. Now a generation that grew up with THE BROTHERS GARCIAS – and a generation discovering them for the first time – can find the whole family’s story in one place.”

About Tubi

Boldly built for fandom, Tubi, Fox Corporation’s (NASDAQ: FOXA, FOX) ad-supported streaming service, is a free streaming service that entertains over 110 million monthly active users. Tubi offers the world's largest collection of Hollywood movies and TV shows, thousands of creator-led stories and hundreds of Tubi Originals made for the most passionate fans. Headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 2014, Tubi is part of Tubi Media Group, a division of Fox Corporation.

About New Cadence Productions

New Cadence Productions (NCP) is a Latino-focused television and film studio co-founded in 2018 by Jeff Valdez and Sol Trujillo. Valdez, who created and executive produced The Brothers Garcia, the first English-language sitcom with an all-Latino cast and creative team, and its sequel, The Garcias, has spent more than three decades building platforms for Latino talent and storytelling, including founding Si TV, the first English-language Latino television network. NCP's catalog also includes the HA Comedy Festival and comedy specials from touring comedians including Ralph Barbosa and Anjelah Johnson and an award-winning documentary The Power of One.

Healthy Habits - The​ Importance of Therapy for Men and Power of Shared Experience Ahead of World Mental Health Day

As we've just passed World Mental Health Day (10th October), Tim Panagos, Clinical Lead at The Edge, The Cabin Group's residential Young Men's Programme in Crete for men aged 18 to 29, stresses the critical role of therapy for men and the power of shared experience in recovery and wellbeing. The clearest example of lived experience changing men's mental health is the peer groups men have built for themselves. The most urgent gap is what sits behind those groups when talking is not enough.

At seven o'clock every Monday evening, in more than 350 rooms across the country, men sit down and talk. Andy's Man Club, a peer support charity, says more than 6,500 men attend each week, in groups run by over 3,500 volunteers.2 In Eccles, a father who says drink and drugs nearly cost him his marriage now runs free boxing sessions followed by an hour of group conversation.3 In Solihull, men meet on Thursday evenings to walk together in Brueton Park, on the basis that talking side by side is easier than talking face to face.4

None of this was designed by a health service. It was built by men who had been through it, for men going through it. If this year's theme asks what happens when lived experience is heard, this is one of the clearest answers British men's health has: it gets men through the door.

Tim Panagos comments: "For years we said men would not talk. Then men with lived experience built places where men do talk, every week, in their thousands. The willingness was never missing. The right room was."

Why these rooms work

The groups share features that formal services rarely have. There is no referral, no waiting list and no diagnosis needed to walk in. The format is often active or informal, so talking is not the declared purpose of the evening. And the person running it has usually been where the newcomer is now, which removes the fear of being judged by someone who cannot understand.

Those are not small advantages. Around three times as many men as women die by suicide in the UK,5 and nearly a third of men say they do not know where to turn for help.6 A room with no barriers to entry, led by someone who has been there, speaks to both problems at once.

Where the room runs out

The best of these groups are clear about what they are not. Andy's Man Club describes itself as peer-led and non-clinical, and points men in crisis to Samaritans, CALM and emergency services.2 That honesty is right. It also exposes a gap nobody owns.

Some of the men in those rooms will need more than a conversation. Their drinking has moved from habit to dependence. Their cocaine use has stopped being occasional. Their gambling is hidden from the people closest to them. Their low mood sits on top of trauma that talking among peers cannot safely reach. For these men, the peer group has done the hardest part: he has said something out loud. What happens next is left almost entirely to chance.

Tim Panagos says: "The man who stands up on a Monday night and says 'I think my drinking is out of hand' has done something brave. If the next step is a six month wait or a leaflet, we have taught him that speaking up leads nowhere."

What clinicians see

Many of the young men who arrive at The Edge have already talked: to friends, to a partner, in a group, online. Talking was not the step they skipped. The missing step was structured treatment that matched how they engage, with therapy delivered alongside physical challenges to build resiliency and confidence, over weeks rather than an hour, by people who understand what they are dealing with.

That is why the programme is built the way it is. The training is not the therapy. The therapy is CBT, DBT and trauma work delivered by clinicians. The training is what makes the therapy reachable for men who would not otherwise sit still for it.

Five things that would turn a casual men’s group into a pathway for deeper support:

• Build the handover. Every established peer network should have a named clinical partner and a simple route for a man who needs more, agreed in advance rather than improvised in a crisis.

• Equip peer leaders to spot when it is beyond the room. Dependence, withdrawal risk, gambling harm and trauma all present in ways a trained volunteer can recognise and a caring one can miss.

• Let lived experience shape services, not just campaigns. No referral, active formats and facilitators who have been there should be written into how new services are commissioned.

• Measure where men go next. Attendance shows that men will turn up. It does not show what happened to the ones who needed treatment, and that is the number that tells us whether the pathway works.

• Take treatment to where men already are. Clinics that wait for men to arrive will keep recording their absence. Clinicians who show up in the rooms men have built will not.

Tim Panagos comments: "A big theme this year is lived experience, and men have already shown us what it can do. They built rooms where other men talk. What they could not build on their own is what sits behind the room when talking is not enough. That is the job of treatment services, and it is the part we have not yet done well. If World Mental Health Day achieves one thing for men this year, it should be a serious conversation between the people running these groups and the people providing treatment."

EDITORS' NOTES:

1. World Federation for Mental Health, World Mental Health Day 2026 theme: "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change".

2. Andy's Man Club, andysmanclub.co.uk, figures published on the charity's website, accessed 17 September 2026.

3. Salford Now, "Men's mental health and fitness group giving people a lifeline in Eccles", 30 September 2025.

4. Solihull Observer, "The men in Solihull walking towards better mental health", 19 October 2025.

5. Mental Health Foundation, Men and women: statistics, citing NHS England data.

6. Bupa Wellbeing Index 2025, Lifting the Lid on Men's Health, February 2025.

TV Time - Kid Sister

Blending the sharp wit of Shiva Baby, the romantic charm of Nobody Wants This, and the raw honesty of Girls, the new dramedy straight out of New Zealand, “Kid Sister” exclusively launches on ChaiFlicks this October. The critically acclaimed, hilarious, and heartfelt semi-autobiographical series is created, written, executive produced by, and starring Simone Nathan (Our Flag Means Death, We Might Regret This). “Kid Sister” follows Lulu (Nathan), a 29-year-old single woman navigating love, identity, and family while living with her Jewish family in Auckland, New Zealand—where, remarkably, more people are registered as Jedi than there are Jews. The five-episode series landed on the streaming platform on October 11, 2026.


The series, which for the first time is being made available to U.S. audiences, has received critical acclaim with Hey Alma hailing “...laugh-out-loud funny…,” and Haaretz declaring “...the funniest Jewish comedy in years.” Stuff called it “A confident, bold debut full of chutzpah that deserves to find an audience, both among ‘insiders’ and Kiwis from all walks of life.”

On the brink of being considered a ‘spinster,’ Lulu’s family continues to pressure her to marry a ‘nice Jewish boy’ so she can keep their traditions alive. But Lulu is secretly still in a relationship with her on-again, off-again, very non-Jewish boyfriend, Ollie. To make matters even more complicated, Lulu has just found out she is pregnant with Ollie’s child. As Lulu digs herself deeper and deeper into a ‘shituation,’ she is forced to face the question she’s been avoiding her entire adult life: how can she do what she wants while also making everyone else happy?

The first season of “Kid Sister” consists of five episodes, approximately 20 minutes each. 

Book Nook - The Haunted Lighthouse: The Adventures of Pen and Penny

When pelican friends Pen and Penny are caught in a squall over the Chesapeake Bay, they rush to take cover from the rain. But the only shelter for miles around is the creepy old Wolf Trap Lighthouse! Inside, the two friends’ feathers are ruffled when they spot a strange, ghostly figure swooping silently through the shadows. But whatever rumors might fly, the old lighthouse can’t really be haunted . . . can it? Find out in The Haunted Lighthouse: The Adventures of Pen and Penny.

W. Scott started working at various part-time, summer, and ultimately full-time jobs at the age of ten. After graduate school, he worked in hospital administration for forty years, with the last twenty-seven years as a hospital CEO.  Scott and his wife started boating on the Chesapeake Bay over thirty years ago when their work schedules allowed. In 2017, while at dinner with his wife, he met two stuffed pelicans, whom he named Pendleton and Penny, in a gift shop. They began accompanying him on his nautical outings, and he began envisioning stories about the adventures they could have on the Bay. Upon his retirement on January 1, 2023, Scott and his wife relocated to the Richmond area, where he began writing down the stories he had kept locked in his head and, with his wife’s encouragement, decided to share them.