Spring is in the air, but fall books were the topic of conversation at Macmillan’s book preview Thursday, May 1. Editors from the publishing house’s various imprints discussed a wide range of titles featuring man-eating sharks, baby animals, gritty urban fiction, middle-grade animal stories, and more. Several veteran children’s book writers are returning with some intriguing new titles that are sure to cause a buzz. Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign, out in October, stars Rose, an 11-year-old girl with  Asperger’s syndrome who adheres rigidly to routines and whose father gives her a dog that she names Rain. At the heart of Jane Yolen’s Centaur Rising, a novel set in 1964 on a horse farm, is a baby centaur. In this story that editor Christy Ottaviano says “only Jane Yolen could have created,” the author draws parallels between the centaur and the protagonist’s younger brother, a child with deformities caused by Thalidomide, whose body resembles that of a seal’s. Jules Feiffer, illustrator of The Phantom Tolbooth (Random, 1961), has a new picture book out in August: Rupert Can Dance, a joyful and exuberant tale of a cat who secretly dances at night when his owner is asleep. Daniel Pinkwater’s  Beautiful Yetta’s Hanukkah Kitten, illustrated by his wife, Jill Pinkwater, out in October, involves a chicken who lives with a group of parrots in Brooklyn--and takes in a homeless kitten during the Jewish holiday. Those looking to entice young readers into the nonfiction category have some captivating picture books to look forward to. Roaring Brook editor Simon Boughton discussed Katherine Roy’s Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great White Sharks of California’s Farallon Islands (September), a work whose subject matter and intense and vivid illustrations will easily draw in readers. These sharks return to the Farallon Islands, visible from the Golden Gate Bridge, every September. Though this area is closed off to the public, Roy was permitted to join the scientists who study the sharks, using the opportunity to incorporate current research on great whites into her book. Macmillan was rife with nature books: Roaring Brook editor Neal Porter spoke about Lita Judge’s Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents (October), promising a book that will be both informative and adorable, and Tony Johnston’s Sequoia (illustrated by Wendell Minor) (September), a gorgeously illustrated title with a tree as the protagonist. And for something off the beaten path, there’s Brandon Stanton’s Little Humans (October). Stanton, whose blog “Humans of New York” features photographs of varied people he encountered on the streets of the city, focuses on children in his latest, which publishes. Nonfiction works also highlight some beloved artists. Yuyi Morales’s Viva Frida (September), a picture book slated for September, is a fanciful meditation on Frida Kahlo, while Patricia MacLachlan’s The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse (illustrated by Hadley Hooper), which publishes in October, is a creative take on another iconic artist. Anniversaries are in the air, too. Lloyd Alexander’s The Book of Three: The Chronicles of Prydain turns 50 this year, and a new edition features an author interview, an introduction by Shannon Hale, and a map of Prydain. Kimberly Willis Holt’s National Book Award–winning When Zachary Beaver Came to Town turns fifteen this year, and the newest edition of this poignant coming-of-age story includes a Q&A between author Holt and editor Christy Ottavanio. And the 50th anniversary of the TV classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is resulting in a launch of several Rudolph-related titles for young readers. Two young adult titles of note are narrated from multiple and varied perspectives. Kekla Magoon’s How It Went Down begins its story after a black teenager has been shot by a white man. Editor Noa Wheeler likened the book to Walter Dean Myers’s Monster (HarperCollins, 1999), describing it as an ambiguous work that doesn’t offer easy answers. The book is comprised of narratives from various eyewitnesses describing what happened, tackling subjects such as race and gun control. Similarly, Lindsey Lane’s Evidence of Things Not Seen, out in September, about a high school physics genius who disappears, is narrated by more than 25 characters, some of whom knew the boy in question, and others who never met him but discovered items that belonged to him. Editor Kate Farrell presented Mary E. Pearson’s The Kiss of Deception, out in July, which launches a series called “The Remnant Chronicles.” The book revolves around a runaway princess, Leah, who is pursued by both an assassin and a prince whom she is supposed to marry. Like the other two titles, this one alternates between three perspectives, but in this case, teens won’t always know whose viewpoint they’re reading. Editor Jean Feiwel spoke about Macmillan’s crowdsourced teen romance imprint, Swoon Reads. Debut books include Katie Van Ark’s The Boy Next Door, out next February; Sandy Hall’s A Little Something Different, publishing in August; and Jenny Elliott’s Save Me, out next January. Readers are invited to go online to vote on their favorite potential cover for Save Me as well. Rounding out the company’s fall offerings, First Second, Macmillan’s graphic novel imprint, highlighted Farel Dalrymple’s The Wrenchies, out in September, a gritty, intense look at a postapocalyptic world, and In Real Life (written by Cory Doctorow, illustrated by Jen Wang), out in October, a tale of a teen gamer playing a World of Warcraft  esque game, where she meets a fellow player from rural China, using the game as a way to earn a living. First Second will also present its first picture book this fall, Ben Hatke’s Julia’s House for Lost Creatures, out in September.