Creative books and calendars to entertain you through 2026

One of her favorite examples? “The Unbelievable Bubble Book” by John Cassidy which came with a special wand for making bubbles.

“We had a kids’ event and went out in the parking lot and the kids made a big batch of the bubble solution,” Roth said. “They would swirl it around the loop and the bubbles got so big that the little ones thought they could walk into the bubbles because they were three feet in diameter.”

Roth said that after Books & Co owners Annye Camara and her husband, Joseph Neri, sold the store, Camara moved to New York and chose to work for Workman because she had always admired their creativity and the books they produced.

Creative use of stickers

Flip through Workman’s book of beautiful paintings, for example, and you’d never guess the images are actually stickers that can be peeled off the page.

“My wish is that you’ll not only appreciate these special pieces on the page but bring them to life by using them to embellish cards or wrapped gifts; highlight important notes, like deadlines or birthdays, on your calendar or in your journal or adorn your office and stationery items,” writes author Kelly Lynch in her introduction to “The Art Lover’s Sticker Book.” The book includes 350 stickers grouped by category. There are sticker books for plant lovers and book lovers as well.

Workman’s take on the popular paint-by-number activity is the mess-free “Paint by Sticker” series designed for folks of all ages. The newest release focuses on the decade of the 1990s. You can “paint by sticker” everything from Beanie Babies to the Spice Girls.

Calendars for 2026

Workman is credited with inventing the Page-A-Day calendar: you tear a page off every day to reveal the next day. In addition to marking time, these calendars are always filled with interesting reading.

For 2026, in addition to the always-popular “365 Cats Page-A-Day Calendar” there are newer titles like the “New York Times Cooking Page-A-Day Day Calendar” with recipes you’ll want to save.

A purchase of the new “I Read Banned Books Page-A-Day Calendar” helps support the Freedom to Read Foundation. The pages have quotes from banned books, reading recommendations and they also incorporate some history and trivia related to banned books.

Ohioans will want to consider the Audubon mini calendar, “Cardinals,” with lovely photos and information about Ohio’s state bird.

Other popular publications

For more than 40 years, Workman’s best selling book has been “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” which is updated every time it is reprinted.

Other notable Workman products include the educational “Brain Quest” decks for kids, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” and “Atlas Obscura.” With Dayton’s history of inventions, area families will be interested in ”The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World" which features 50 inventions and discoveries in 94 locations.

Workman also publishes a series of books filled with colorful tear-out wrapping papers and gift tags designed by graphic designer Amanda Jane Jones, illustrator and co-creator of “Kinfolk.”

The series includes “Shapes and Patterns” and “Florals.”

CHATTING WITH THE PUBLISHER

We asked Lia Ronnen, (SVP Publisher, Workman, Artisan, and Black Dog & Leventhal), to share a bit about the company as well as some of the publications that will be cozy companions in the winter months ahead.

Question: Did Workman’s unusual approach begin with its founder?

Answer: Peter Workman fostered a curiosity about many topics, and he brought his love for learning to the business. Workman’s unique beliefs about book publishing certainly continue to inspire the work we do. In his words, publishing should be “accessible, not elitist; open, not snobbish.” He sought to publish books that were “useful, practical, give good value, and respect the reader’s intelligence—and wallet.”

Q: Are people always coming to you with new ideas?

A: People are always coming to us with new ideas. Our authors are multifaceted: they’re business and thought leaders, artists, chefs, and singular talents in their fields. They bring a sense of creativity and expertise to every title we publish. And we are always looking for new ideas to keep our publishing fresh, smart, and appealing to customers in an always changing retail landscape.

Q: What are a few popular products over the years that have been a hit and have an interesting twists?

A: We published a book called “There Are Moms Way Worse Than You” in 2022 and it instantly went viral and hit the New York Times bestseller list. Every year around Mother’s Day, we see it start popping back up on bestseller lists, but it’s also become a huge seller around the holidays. It’s a perfect package—a gifty little hardcover book priced at $15 and it’s absolutely hilarious. It gives moms permission to cut themselves some slack and feel okay about not being perfect all the time.

Another book that perfectly marries form and function is “A Man and His Watch,” another strong seller since we published it in 2017. The book comes packaged in a slipcase that makes it feel like a luxury object, and the interiors are full of stunning photographs of significant watches alongside the story of what makes them so special. Some of the watches are ultra rare, some are family heirlooms, and some are everyday favorites that just mean something important to the person who wears it.

Q: What are some examples of products that will provide fun over the upcoming winter months?

A: “Six Seasons of Pasta” is a perfect cookbook to dive into this winter, though the recipes take you through each season’s bounty of produce, so you can start planning ahead to your spring and summer menus. In it, author Joshua McFadden teaches home cooks how to use store bought dried pasta to create seasonal, restaurant-quality dishes at home. It’s the follow up to McFadden’s bestselling “Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables” and has been named a Best Cookbook of the Year by the New York Times, The New Yorker, Real Simple, and more.

Another delightful book this season is “Dog Only Knows” —a collection of old master-style portraits of dogs full of mischief and personality painted by the artist Alison Friend. My personal favorite is Little Louis, a chain-smoking existentialist who can’t stop chewing over the canine condition—usually with an espresso.

For the winter crafters looking for an activity, we recently came out with “Paint By Sticker: Architecture”, a new addition to our bestselling “Paint by Sticker” series. You have to try this craft out to see how addictive it is! And also how calming.

In February we’re publishing Flow Magazine’s beautiful new book full of paper goodies called “Paper Book for Nature Lovers”. The entire book is full of tear out papers, postcards, stickers, a notebook, origami, and even fold-your-own projects. It’s a celebration of slowing down, stepping away from screens, and finding pleasure in working with our hands.