THE BAD SEED

I just found the BEST read-aloud book of the year. Seriously. I had someone read this to me when I experienced it for the first time, and it was one of the funniest storytimes I've ever attended. That book was The Bad Seed by Jory John and Pete Oswald. 

THE WOLF WHO FELL OUT OF A BOOK

This month's #kidlitpicks theme is Traditional Stories and Fairy Tales, and I'm so excited to share Thierry Robberecht and Grégoire Mabire's The Wolf Who Fell Out of a Book. 

Let's Talk Illustrators #36: Jonathan Bentley

In my email to famed Australian illustrator and part-time author Jonathan Bentley, I told him that I got three pages into his new book Blue Sky Yellow Kite, written by Janet A Holmes, before I set it down and hunted for his email address. Really, I didn't even need three spreads to know that I wanted to interview him, but it was hard to look away. And then once I'd sent him a request, I sat down and studied the book for an hour. Jonathan's illustrations are incredibly moving, and I know you'll find yourself equally swept up in them. Have a read about Jonathan's process below. 

THE GIRL WHO RAN

The Girl Who Ran, written by Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee and illustrated by Susanna Chapman, is the true story of the first female runner in the Boston Marathon. When Bobbi Gibb was a girl she loved to run, but female runners were frowned upon. When she saw a call for the Boston Marathon, though, Bobbi set her mind to entering and being an equal competitor. Even when that meant disguising her gender. 

ANIMALS HIDE AND SNEAK

Remember when I did all those posts recently about books showcasing complementary colors and I lamented the fact that there aren't more books with yellows and purples? I can lament no more!

Let's Talk Illustrators #35: Suzy Lee

Suzy Lee, illustrator most recently of This Beautiful Day, has won the Gold Medal for Original Art by the Society of Illustrators, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Picture Book Honor Winner), and her books have been featured as New York Times Best Illustrated Books and Best Illustrated Children’s Books. So it's easy for me to say that Suzy's an incredibly gifted picture book creator. But what's the fun in saying when I can just show you? Join me in chatting with Suzy about This Beautiful Day and what she has in store for us next!

LIFE

Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel's recent collaboration Life is a moving meditation on finding inner strength in the face of ongoing adversity.