June 30, 2016

THE AIRPORT BOOK

Last night I had the honor and privilege of reading The Airport Book by Lisa Brown I was totally blown away. There are so many details in this book that I couldn't possibly describe them all here. And nor would I want to--discovering them is half the fun! This is the kind of book that has you read three pages, and flip back two pages, and read three more pages, and then flip back to the beginning again. Brown recently graced All the Wonders with her presence, and in listening to her talk I became even MORE aware of the little details. There's so much to it!

A video posted by Mel Schuit (@spiky_penelope) on


June 28, 2016

Board Books as Concept Books

It stands to reason that a lot of board books are what we call concept books: they serve the purpose of teaching a concept like colors, numbers, letters, etc. Needless to say, they can get a bit redundant sometimes, but there are a few out there that are absolutely fantastic. And they're tiny for tiny hands!

The board book that opened my eyes to the creativity of the genre is definitely Hippopposites by Janik Coat.



June 27, 2016

PENGUIN AND PINECONE: A FRIENDSHIP STORY

How have I talked about picture books for as long as I have without having read any of Salina Yoon's Penguin books?? Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story is absolutely adorable, and I laughed out loud at points. Has there ever been a sweeter gesture than a penguin making a scarf for a pinecone?! Penguin is walking along one day when he finds a pinecone sitting in the snow. Afraid that his new friend might get chilly so far from home, Penguin knits Pinecone a little scarf to match his own. But one day Penguin's grandpa explains to him that pinecones are not native to Penguin's home and that Pinecone probably wants to return home to where it's warmer and more forested. So Penguin sets out to send Pinecone home, and it's just an absolutely touching story.

All the Wonders Big Book Block Party!

What a long few months it's been, right? Well today I am (finally) celebrating summer with the All the Wonders Big Book Block Party!


Summer is all about traditions and special occasions, and spending time with family and friends. Of course, for our All the Wonders team, summer is also all about reading. So, we thought: why not combine time with friends and books into one big celebration of summer? And thus, the All the Wonders Big Book Block Party was born!

Each member of our team will be bringing something different to the table. The buffet table, that is. We hope you’ll pull up a chair and dig in right along with us as we explore the many flavors of the stories we’ve brought to share. We hope you find some new favorites … and share your own in the comments!

In a small change of pace, I'm actually talking about my favorite graphic novels because, hey, they're just long-form picture books, right? Get to know me, my favorite graphic novels, and how I ended up at All the Wonders, and if you're still craving more picture books (because who isn't), stop here for a bonus list of my favorite picture books from 2015!

June 21, 2016

What Does the Fox Say?

Foxes are sneaky, loner animals by nature, so it only makes sense that they make great subjects for discussing wider social issues. Foxes in picture books seem to fall into one of two categories: lonely and sensitive, or ruthless and cunning. Between these two extremes lie most of the foxes we encounter in picture books, and today we're starting with the sensitive foxes. I've already talked ad nauseam about The Fox and the Star, so I won't be including that today, but stop by my post on All the Wonders to read more about it (the fox is quite sensitive)!

 
  


June 14, 2016

Mel Moves!

It's that time of year again... my books are in piles on the floor. And I mean PILES. There's no order, only chaos!

So in light of not being able to find anything, I will be taking the week off from my regular blog posts, but I should be up and running again next week! In the meantime, catch up on posts you've missed and have a lovely week!

June 8, 2016

Mel on A Friendly Affair

You guys, I'm so excited! Today I'm being featured on the beautiful blog A Friendly Affair where I'm talking about how to read wordless picture books.


It was so much fun working with blog owner Katie to decipher how to read visual narratives and how we discuss what's on the page with little readers.

Stop by afriendlyaffair.com to read more about reading wordless picture books, and be sure to follow Katie here on Instagram @afriendlyaffair!

June 7, 2016

Illustrator Spotlight: Yuyi Morales

Yuyi Morales is one of the most versatile illustrators I've ever come across. She does such an incredible job of molding her illustration style to the text and tone of the story, and her books are always rooted in family and self-identity.