By Hongcheng Yu
To read my full review and see more interiors click here.
The Bear and the Moon
After the Qin empire was overthrown two thousand years ago, two of the strongest warlords struggled to become the ruler of China, and it's anybody's guess who will win this war. The illustrations are created from cut paper, inks, and watercolor paints, and they evoke imagery from the Han dynasty.
To read my full review and see more interiors click here.
The Bear and the Moon
Written by Matthew Burgess and illustrated by Cátia Chien
A little bear wakes up from a long nap and discovers a balloon that he takes with him everywhere he goes. But one day he plays too hard, the balloon pops, and he blames himself. The illustrations are a mix of acrylics, collage, pastels, and charcoals, all of which are layered loosely to create a dreamlike quality.
To read my interview with illustrator Cátia about her general illustration process click here.
A little bear wakes up from a long nap and discovers a balloon that he takes with him everywhere he goes. But one day he plays too hard, the balloon pops, and he blames himself. The illustrations are a mix of acrylics, collage, pastels, and charcoals, all of which are layered loosely to create a dreamlike quality.
To read my interview with illustrator Cátia about her general illustration process click here.
To read my full review and see more interiors click here.
Written by Hiroshi Osada and illustrated by Ryōji Arai
Readers are then swept into a quiet and poetic expedition through a forest as a storm rolls through. There is a strong ebb and flow to this book, evident in both the text and the illustrations, and the mixed media illustrations take advantage of the color just as much as they do the white space.
By Pete Oswald
This nearly-wordless wonder prompts readers to take in nature's beauty, and it truly encourages them to reflect on the idea that the longest, hardest journeys are often the most valuable ones. The illustrations are digital mixed with watercolor brush textures.
This nearly-wordless wonder prompts readers to take in nature's beauty, and it truly encourages them to reflect on the idea that the longest, hardest journeys are often the most valuable ones. The illustrations are digital mixed with watercolor brush textures.
To read my full review and see more interiors click here.
I Talk Like a River
Written by Jordan Scott and illustrated by Sydney Smith
Written by Jordan Scott and illustrated by Sydney Smith
Poet Jordan Scott reflects on his childhood stutter and how a conversation with his father helped him find his voice. Through watercolors, inks, and gouache, illustrator Sydney Smith proves himself to be a master at balancing fine details with the vastness of nature.
To read my interview with illustrator Sydney about his general illustration process click here.
To read my full review and see more interiors click here.
By Anete Melece
Though she reads about faraway places and dreams of distant seas, Olga has never left the comfort of her kiosk where she lives and works. That is, until the day when she accidentally knocks the kiosk over and gets carried away. There is a giant, square die-cut on the cover so readers can see Olga trapped inside her kiosk from the get-go, and I want to emphasize again that there is no fat-shaming in this book, but rather her size is a metaphor for classism and the wage gap.
To read my full review, see more interiors, and watch the short film the book is based on click here.
Written by Adrienne Yabouza and illustrated by Élodie Nouhen
A young girl asks her pregnant mother about a doll she finds in their home, and the mother reveals that it is a fertility doll that she used to carry around with the hope that she would one day become pregnant. And then she did! The illustrations are a stunning mixture of collaged papers, inks, paints, prints, and more.
Written by Tina Cho and illustrated by Jess X Snow
Dayeon learns about the haenyeo, who dive off the coast of Jeju Island like the generations of Korean women who came before them have done for centuries. The digital illustrations evoke the illustrator's cinematographic and muralist experiences in bold colors and strong lines.
To read my full review and see more interiors click here.
The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story
To read my interview with Thao about her general illustration process click here.
A Story About Afiya
Written by James Berry and illustrated by Anna Cunha
Afiya proudly celebrates her favorite dress, which holds all her favorite memories from childhood. The combination of Berry's poetic words and Cunha's digital images has the book radiating warmth and wonder.
front endpaper
back endpaper
By Thao Lam
The Paper Boat wordlessly tells two simultaneous stories, one of a family's escape from Vietnam during the war and another parallel story of a colony of adaptable ants. The paper-cut and collaged illustrations are full of emotion and moments for readers to connect.
To read my full review and see more interiors click here.
front endpaper
back endpaper
A Story About Afiya
Written by James Berry and illustrated by Anna Cunha
Afiya proudly celebrates her favorite dress, which holds all her favorite memories from childhood. The combination of Berry's poetic words and Cunha's digital images has the book radiating warmth and wonder.
To read my interview with illustrator Anna click here.
front endpaper
back endpaper
Written by Thrity Umrigar and illustrated by Khoa Le
To read my interview with illustrator Khoa click here.
Things That Go Away
A young girl takes her place as a water protector, tasked with protecting nature's most precious resource. The illustrations are a mixture of watercolor, colored pencils, and gouache with digital edits.
There's something on the ground, but what is it? Everyone has a different idea, but anyone and everyone could be right (even you!). The illustrations are oil, crayon, permanent marker, ink, and colored pencils.
Things That Go Away
By Beatrice Alemagna
Things That Go Away examines the everyday moments in our lives as they come and go and comes to the conclusion that everything in life changes save for one thing: the love between a parent and their child. The illustrations were created with oil paints, and between each spread lies a page made of vellum.
Things That Go Away examines the everyday moments in our lives as they come and go and comes to the conclusion that everything in life changes save for one thing: the love between a parent and their child. The illustrations were created with oil paints, and between each spread lies a page made of vellum.
To read my full review and see more interiors click here.
Written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade
A young girl takes her place as a water protector, tasked with protecting nature's most precious resource. The illustrations are a mixture of watercolor, colored pencils, and gouache with digital edits.
There's something on the ground, but what is it? Everyone has a different idea, but anyone and everyone could be right (even you!). The illustrations are oil, crayon, permanent marker, ink, and colored pencils.
To read my interview with Reza click here.
Written by Fran Pintadera and illustrated by Ana Sender
A young child and his mother explore the different reasons why people cry, and by the end of the discussion he and readers have a better understanding of the role crying plays in our lives (sometimes from sadness, sometimes from happiness). Sender's illustrations are dense in color and powerful in image, all created digitally.
To read my interview with illustrator Ana click here.
A young child and his mother explore the different reasons why people cry, and by the end of the discussion he and readers have a better understanding of the role crying plays in our lives (sometimes from sadness, sometimes from happiness). Sender's illustrations are dense in color and powerful in image, all created digitally.
To read my interview with illustrator Ana click here.
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