Let's Talk Illustrators #102: Julia Sarcone-Roach

I recently talked to Julia Sarcone-Roach about one of my new favorite literary cats, Muffin! Muffin is from Julia's latest book There Are No Bears in This Bakery, which finds a smart cat and a curious bear in a bakery at the same time. The book is equal parts tender and funny, and I was thrilled to pick Julia's brain about how she made it. 

WHEN YOU'RE SCARED

When You're Scared by Andrée Poulin and Véronique Joffre is the story of compassion and bravery set against a chance encounter between a boy and a bear.

Crushes of the Week: March 10-16, 2019

This week's crushes:

1. Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox (Henry Holt and Co., May 2019)
2. I'm a Baked Potato! by Elise Primavera and Juana Medina (Chronicle Books, May 2019)
3. Birthday on Mars! by Sara Schonfeld and Andrew J. Ross (Penguin Workshop, June 2019)
4. Hedy and Her Amazing Invention by Jan Wahl and Morgana Wallace (Penny Candy Books, February 2019)
5. This Book of Mine by Sarah Stewart and David Small (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, August 2019) 
6. How I Learned to Fall Out of Trees by Vincent Kirsch (Abrams Books for Young Readers, April 2019)

  
  

TIGER DAYS

Tiger Days: A Book of Feelings by MH Clark and Anna Hurley deserves to be picked up based on the dust jacket alone –– it has velour so it's a feelings book that you feel!

Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner, and Emma Steinkellner (The Children's Book Podcast #493)

I am so excited to announce that Matthew Winner, host of The Children's Book Podcast, has done the coolest thing ever: he's given me space on his podcast to talk directly to my book creation heroes! I'm going to talk to some amazing folks over the coming months, but I couldn't be prouder or happier that my first conversation on The Children's Book Podcast is with Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner, and Emma Steinkellner about their comic Quince. You can listen by clicking below, but make sure you head over to Matthew's site for show notes and more information about the creators!

Let's Talk Illustrators #101: Andrea Tsurumi

Chatting with Andrea Tsurumi felt like talking to a kindred spirit. Her philosophies regarding the fine line between picture books and comics match my own perfectly, and I was thrilled to pick her brain about her newest book Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together. Crab Cake walks all sorts of fine lines (picture book and comic, fiction and nonfiction, funny and serious), so there was a ton for us to dig into. Enjoy our conversation!

#kidlitpicks February Round-Up: 12 Books about Trailblazers

Where would we be as a society without trailblazers? They are often the first people to do something or go somewhere and they show us that it is also possible for other people to do the same. Whether they are the explorers from days before, inventors that chose to make something that everyone said was impossible to current trailblazers that are defying people's expectations of them, these humble heroes inspire both adults and children alike.

During February the @kidlitpicks book club found and shared books that pay tribute to these amazing people. Thanks to Natalie from Living by the Page for the empowering theme!

Crushes of the Week: March 3-9, 2019

This week's crushes:

1. Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman and Jay Fleck (Chronicle Books, March 2019)
2. Lawrence in the Fall by Matthew Farina and Doug Salati (Disney-Hyperion, April 2019)
3. Bedtime for Beasties by Leslie Staub and Jia Liu (Boyds Mills Press, February 2019)
4. Luca's Bridge/El Puente de Luca by Mariana Llanos and Anna Lopez Real (Penny Candy Books, April 2019)
5. Puppy Truck by Brian Pinkney (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, June 2019)
6. When Pencil Met Eraser by Karen Kilpatrick, Luis O. Ramos, Jr., and German Blanco (Imprint, May 2019)
7. It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn and Noah Grigni (Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), May 2019)
8. My Tiny Pet by Jessie Hartland (Nancy Paulsen Books, August 2019)