Time to Tinker with Bad Bunny & More

I've spent the last year professionally overthinking Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Bad Bunny. The result is Pop! Playbooks, my new series of celebrity-themed activity books that will be part of the 2027 launch slate for Tinker, a new imprint from Penguin Workshop, under the Penguin Random House umbrella.

Each edition (four to start with) focuses on a single star and combines bio info with trivia, puzzles, quizzes and games. Along the way, I learned an alarming number of facts, dreamed up an insane number of puzzles, and gained a new appreciation for the challenge of making learning feel like play.

I'm delighted to see the series officially out in the world—and the first peek at the cover for book #1, courtesy of Publishers Weekly, which had this to say:

Penguin Workshop has announced the forthcoming launch of Tinker, a publishing program that will focus on commercial, design-forward board and picture books “built for play,” for readers up to 10.

The imprint will be helmed by publisher Daniel Moreton and editorial director Nick Magliato, with art direction by Lynn Portnoff. The books, which will range from accordion die-cuts to pop-up alphabet books and other creative formats, are intended to act as both reading tools and toys.

“At Tinker, we see ourselves as the playmakers of Penguin Workshop—tinkering, building, and crafting books that spark curiosity and discovery. Here, we approach publishing like a workshop floor where every book is an invention—designed to surprise, delight, and stand out in a crowded marketplace,” Magliato said in a statement.

The first slate of titles is scheduled for spring 2027: Pop! Playbook: Bad Bunny: Puzzles, Games and Activities for Superfans by Erik Forrest Jackson, illustrated by Alex Fine; P Is for Pope: A Pope Leo XIV Alphabet Book by Pia Imperial, illustrated by Maria Gabriela Gama; Growing Up: Wild: A Height Chart Storybook by Rob Sayegh Jr.; Could We Wipe Our Butt with That? by Gideon Sterer, illustrated by Charlie Mylie; Bite-Size Basics: Ice Cream Colors by Steph Stilwell; and The Big Book of Fun Fanciful First Words by Suzy Ultman.