July 29, 2018

NATIONAL PARKS OF THE USA

National Parks of the USA by Kate Siber and Chris Turnham takes readers on a tour of America's greatest (you guessed it!) national parks.


July 28, 2018

Crushes of the Week: July 22-28, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan and Eric Fan (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, May 2018)
  2. Grow Up, David! by David Shannon (Blue Sky Press (AZ), August 2018)
  3. Tigers and Tea with Toppy by Barbara Kerley, Rhoda Knight Kalt, and Matte Stephens (Scholastic Press, September 2018)
  4. Loved to Bits by Teresa Heapy and Katie Cleminson (Roaring Brook Press, November 2018)
  5. The World's Biggest Fart by Rafael Ordonez Cuadrado and Laure Du Fay (Nubeocho, September 2017)
    

July 26, 2018

ANIMAL ANTIPODES

Animal Antipodes: Global Opposites by Carly Allen-Fletcher answers the question: if you dig a hole straight through the core of the Earth to the opposite side, what would you see?


July 21, 2018

Crushes of the Week: July 15-21, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Simon and the Big, Bad, Angry Beasts: A Book about Anger by Ian de Haes (Flyaway Books, April 2018)
  2. The Doll Hospital by Kallie George and Sara Gillingham (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, June 2018)
  3. Hungry Bunny by Claudia Rueda (Chronicle Books, September 2018)
  4. It's Your First Day of School, Busy Bus! by Jody Jensen Shaffer and Claire Messer (Beach Lane Books, July 2018)
  5. I'm Fun, Too! (a Classic Lego Picture Book) by Jonathan Fenske (Scholastic Inc., August 2018)
  6. The Greatest Adventure by Tony Piedra (Arthur A. Levine Books, September 2018)
   
 

July 18, 2018

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Is anyone else having as much fun as I am with graphic nonfiction?? Just take What's the Difference?: 40+ Pairs of the Seemingly Similar by Emma Strack and Guillaume Plantevin for example!


July 14, 2018

Crushes of the Week: July 8-14, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Bear's Scare by Jacob Grant (Bloomsbury Children's Books, June 2018)
  2. Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, July 2018)
  3. This Is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose and Josh Shipley (Lion Forge, May 2018)
  4. Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon by Suzanne Slade and Thomas Gonzalez (Peachtree Publishers, September 2018)
  5. What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris (Chronicle Books, September 2018)
    

July 13, 2018

The Little Book Series

Kanae Soto's board book series plays with images and words that encourage babies to explore the worlds they live in. So far in the series we have Happy Grumpy Loved: A Little Book of FeelingsHide Seek Sticky Sweet: A Little Book of Opposites, and Wiggle Jump Tickle: A Little Book of Actions, all of which boast fantastic colors, graphics, and concepts.


July 10, 2018

THESE COLORS ARE BANANAS

These Colors Are Bananas by Tamara Shopsin and Jason Fulford is one of the most innovative color concept books I think I've ever seen, and I'm obsessed with it.


July 8, 2018

THE SOCKEYE MOTHER

The Sockeye Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) and Natasha Donovan is a graphically stunning book about the Gitxsan people of Northwestern British Columbia and the importance of the sockeye salmon to almost every aspect of their lives.


July 7, 2018

Crushes of the Week: July 1-7, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Sun Dog by Deborah Kerbel and Suzanne del Rizzo (Pajama Press, June 2018)
  2. Ebenezer Has a Word for Everything by Chelsea H. Rowe and Frank Dormer (Peachtree Publishers, October 2018)
  3. Charlotte's Bones: The Beluga Whale in a Farmer's Field by Erin Rounds and Alison Carver (Tilbury House Publishers, August 2018)
  4. Irving Berlin, the Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing by Nancy Churnin and James Rey Sanchez (Creston Books, May 2018)
  5. You and Me, Me and You: Brothers by Miguel Tanco (Chronicle Books, November 2018)
    

July 6, 2018

First Friday 5: Past, Present, & Future

This month I'm highlighting comics that focus on the past, present, and future. Some of these books take us back to the past (like the-beginning-of-time past), some remind us to live in the present with the gifts we have now, and others explore different futures wrought with apocalypses and the unknown. Travel through time with these five comics and explore some exciting new worlds and possibilities!


July 3, 2018

Let's Talk Illustrators #76: Sophie Blackall

Sophie Blackall has received many accolades over the course of her career so far, including a Caldecott Honor Award, an Ezra Jack Keats Award, and a Blue Ribbon Picture Book Award, but, in my eyes, no book she has created so far holds a candle to her newest book Hello Lighthouse. It makes me to visit every lighthouse along the coast and shout about the book. With impeccable design and a kind story, this book is quite stunning, and I'm glad to share the conversation I had with Sophie about the book here. Ahoy!


July 2, 2018

#kidlitpicks June Round-Up: 13 Picture Books About Perseverance

Perseverance, grit, growth mindset, etc. Anyway you spin it, it's a hot topic right now. And rightfully so. The importance of encouraging effort over ease has been proven to boost self-esteem, confidence, and learning. But even if there were no studies, it just ends up being common sense. How many quotes have you heard along the lines “if at first you don't succeed,” “keep moving forward,” etc.? The overabundance of these sentiments isn't an accident, for it's only through moving beyond our failure that we learn. Instilling our children with a self-growth attitude when faced with a challenge, not only prepares them to learn exponentially but to be ready to face the setbacks that just happen to be a side-effect of life.

During June, @kidlitpicks faced the hard work with books that focus on characters that don't give up when the going gets tough. Thanks to Wendy from Homegrown Reader for the inspirational theme!