THE BALCONY

The Balcony by Melissa Castrillón is a beautifully inspirational book about the power of nature to unite a community.

Crushes of the Week: November 3-9 2019

This week's crushes:

1. We Are Artists: Women Who Made Their Mark on the World by Kari Herbert (Thames & Hudson, September 2019)
2. Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell by Illustratus (Chronicle Books, August 2019)
3. The Piano Recital by Akiko Miyakoshi (Kids Can Press, September 2019)
4. Nya's Long Walk: A Step at a Time by Linda Sue Park and Brian Pinkney (Clarion Books, September 2019)
5. Small in the City by Sydney Smith (Neal Porter Books, September 2019)
6. Grobblechops by Elizabeth Laird and Jenny Lucander (Tiny Owl Publishing, September 2019)
7. Nuts! by Lou Peacock and Yasmeen Ismail (Nosy Crow, September 2019)

      

STARS & POPPY SEEDS

Stars & Poppy Seeds by Ukrainian husband and wife team Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv is a stunning combination of art and mathematics.

Crushes of the Week: October 27-November 2, 2019

This week's crushes:

1. Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins and Sara Palacios (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), September 2019)
2. And Then the Seed Grew by Marianne Dubuc (Kids Can Press, September 2019)
3. Space Train by Maudie Powell-Tuck and Karl James Mountford (Tiger Tales, October 2019)
4. Follow Chester!: A College Football Team Fights Racism and Makes History by Gloria Respress-Churchwell and Laura Freeman (Charlesbridge, September 2019)
5. The Knight Who Said "No!" by Lucy Rowland and Kate Hindley (Nosy Crow, September 2019)
6. Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max (Candlewick, September 2019)
7. The Mystery of the Missing Cake by Claudia Boldt (Tate, April 2018)

      

THE HIKE

The Hike by Alison Farrell is the sweet story of three kids (and a dog) who love hiking more than anything in the world.

Let's Talk Illustrators #123: Isabelle Arsenault

It was an honor and a pleasure to talk to Isabelle Arsenault about her newest illustrated book Just Because, written by Mac Barnett. I have long admired Isabelle's ever-evolving style, and I thought Just Because was a perfect way for her to showcase the breadth of her creativity and imagination. I hope you enjoy our chat!

Crushes of the Week: October 20-26, 2019

This week's crushes:

1. Hilda and the Mountain King: Book 6 by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books, September 2019)
2. One Is a Lot (Except When It's Not) by Muon Thi Van and Pierre Pratt (Kids Can Press, October 2019)
3. Ada and the Number-Crunching Machine by Zoë Tucker and Rachel Katstaller (NorthSouth Books, September 2019)
4. Who Wet My Pants? by Bob Shea and Zachariah OHora (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 2019)
5. Shadow by Lucy Christopher and Anastasia Suvorova (Lantana Publishing, October 2019)
6. Patience, Miyuki by Roxane Marie Galliez and Seng Soun Ratanavanh (Princeton Architectural Press, October 2019)
7. From a Small Seed: The Story of Eliza Hamilton by Camille Andros and Tessa Blackham (Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), October 2019)

      

Let's Talk Illustrators #122: Paweł Pawlak

I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk to Polish author-illustrator Paweł Pawlak about his illustration and story processes for Oscar Seeks a Friend, a story I knew I would connect to from the cover alone. I dug a little deeper into the design of Paweł's book, and I hope you enjoy the interview!

Crushes of the Week: October 6-12, 2019

This week's crushes:

1. The Dark and the Light by Kerstin Hau and Julie Völk (NorthSouth Books, September 2019)
2. Hawks Kettle, Puffins Wheel: And Other Poems of Birds in Flight by Susan Vande Griek and Mark Hoffmann (Kids Can Press, September 2019)
3. My Footprints by Bao Phi and Basia Tran (Capstone Editions, September 2019)
4. Hello, Dinosaurs! by Sam Boughton (Templar, September 2019)
5. My Wild Cat by Isabelle Simler (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, September 2019)
6. Lejos / Far by Juan Felipe Herrera and Blanca Gómez (Candlewick, September 2019)
7. Be Bold, Baby: J.K. Rowling by Alison Oliver (HMH Books for Young Readers, September 2019)
8. Old Man of the Sea by Stella Elia and Weberson Santiago (Lantana Publishing, September 2019)
9. Franklin and Luna and the Book of Fairy Tales by Jen Campbell and Katie Harnett (Thames & Hudson, September 2019)

        

Let's Talk Illustrators #121: Misa Saburi

I have yet ANOTHER favorite book about cats! But in my defense, this one is so unique and funny. Cats Are a Liquid by Rebecca Donnelly and Misa Saburi takes a very specific look at cat behavior and flexibility, shall we say. I talked to Misa about what it was like to have a dream come true and illustrate this fantastic, as of yet unexplored angle about our favorite felines for young readers.