Let's Talk Illustrators #86: Oge Mora

Reading Oge Mora's author debut Thank You, Omu! is like eating a hearty soup while wrapped in a blanket with your family all around you. It makes you feel warm, safe, and loved, and it reminds us that kindness comes in all shapes and sizes, even stew-shaped sizes. And, of course, it reminds us that lifting up a community and bringing people together over a tasty meal can never steer you wrong. It was a blast chatting with Oge about this book and her personal connections to it, and I'm thrilled to share that conversation with you all today.

BOATS ON THE BAY

Boats on the Bay by Jeanne Walker Harvey and Grady McFerrin might be the most beautiful book I've ever seen about boats. Seriously, like ever.

Crushes of the Week: October 7-13, 2018

This week's crushes:

1. Felix by Giovanna Zoboli and Simona Mulazzani (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, August 2018)
2. King Alice by Matthew Cordell (Feiwel & Friends, September 2018)
3. Albert's Very Unordinary Birthday by Daniel Gray-Barnett (Kids Can Press, September 2018)
4. A Tiger Called Tomás by Charlotte Zolotow (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, August 2018)
5. Catalina and the King's Wall by Patricia Costello and Diane Cojocaru (Eifrig Publishing, May 2018)
6. Chomp Goes the Alligator by Matthew Van Fleet (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, September 2018)
7. Ancient Warriors by Iris Volant and Joe Lillington (Flying Eye Books, August 2018)
8. 1 Grumpy Bruce: A Counting Board Book by Ryan T. Higgins (Disney-Hyperion, October 2018)

      

THE STUFF OF STARS

The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer and Ekua Holmes is a magical book that must be experienced to be fully understood and appreciated.

Let's Talk Illustrators #85: Jon Agee

I will admit that sometimes I wait to interview a book creator. Not because that person is busy––books and books might go by while I wait––but because I'm waiting for the right book, the book I have to talk to them about. Jon Agee is one such creator, and the book I've been waiting for is The Wall in the Middle of the Book. You probably know Jon's work by now (they've won many, many, awards), but I waited for this book because it addresses what a book is: two rectangles connected by a line down the middle. Wall puts forth a hilarious story that uses the gutter (middle of the book) as its crux and opens our minds to the possibilities of what lies outside of the book itself. Enjoy our conversation!

Crushes of the Week: September 30-October 6, 2018

This week's crushes:

1. Polka Dot Parade: A Book About Bill Cunningham by Deborah Blumenthal and Masha D'yans (Little bee books, August 2018)
2. Good Morning, Neighbor by Davide Cali and Maria Dek (Princeton Architectural Press, September 2018)
3. Hello, Monster! by Clementine Beauvais and Maisie Paradise Shearring (Thames & Hudson, October 2018)
4. I'll Root for You by Edward Van De Vendel, Wolf Erlbruch, and David Colmer (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, August 2018)
5. Rosie's Glasses by Dave Whamond (Kids Can Press, September 2018)
6. The Artists: Tales from the Hidden Valley Books 1 and 2 by Carles Porta (Flying Eye Books, September 2018)

      

First Friday 5: Spooktacular

Happy October, everyone! Hands-down, this is my favorite time of year, and it's a great excuse to share five recent comics with spooktacular themes that will send chills up and down your spine!

#kidlitpicks July Round-Up: 10 Picture Books About Courage

Learning to swim, going to school, meeting people for the first time, in the darkness of their bedroom, making good choices, in the face of the news on TV—kids are brave and take courage more often then we recognize. And books are great tools for talking about the times they need to have courage. Books allow us to talk about ideas that might otherwise be hard to grasp or bring up. Books allow kids to watch other kids face similar situations and struggles.

Last month’s @kidlitpicks theme is COURAGE. We wanted every parent and caregiver to feel they were flooded with a HUGE source to turn to when their child struggles to take courage. Theme credit goes to Michelle from The Book Report!