Favorite Picture Books of 2023

Favorite Undies of 2023

Happy end-of-2023! My first and second-to-last list of the year is my favorite casewraps of the past 12 months. And due to some clever editing I managed to cram 17 BOOKS into this one-minute wrap-up video!

Let's Talk Illustrators #274: Balint Zsako

If you can believe it, I'm on my last interview of the year! And I'm so excited to round-out this incredible year of interviews with creator Balint Zsako. We're talking about his debut picture book Bunny & Tree, a wordless, 184-page picture book about friendship and home. Enjoy looking more closely at this masterpiece, and I'm excited to share more illustrators in 2024!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

We've got a case(wrap) of the Mondays!

Crushes of the Week: December 10-16, 2023

This week's crushes:

1. Who Will Make the Snow? by Taras Prokhasko and Marjana Prokhasko and translated by Jennifer Croft and Boris Dralyuk (Elsewhere Editions, December 2023)
2. The Rabbit Magician by Adeline Ruel (Minedition, December 2023)
3. How Not to Kill Your Plant by Magda Gargulakova, Lenka Chytilova, and Hannah Abbo (Albatros Media, December 2023)
4. Simon Says Good Night by Orit Bergman and Annette Appel (Amazon Crossing Kids, December 2023)
5. My Big Embarrassing Elephant by Angie Lucas and Pierre Collet-Derby (Marble Press, September 2023)
6. My Brother Is an Avocado by Tracy Darnton and Yasmeen Ismail (Margaret K. McElderry Books, October 2023)
7. My First ABC by Edward Underwood (Nosy Crow, September 2023)
8. A Way to the Stars by David Almond and Gill Smith (Candlewick Press, November 2023)
9. Heidi: The Timeless Swiss Classic Told in Pictures by Johanna Spyri and Carole Aufranc (Bergli, October 2023)
10. Mine!: A Story of Not Sharing by Klara Persson, Charlotte Ramel, and Nichola Smalley (Berbay Publishing, October 2023)
11. Rhyme Hungry by Antonia Pesenti (Scribble Us, November 2023)

          

2023 Endies Winners

And today we announce the winners of the first-ever The Endies: Endpaper Awards! Check out the winners on 100 Scope Notes here.

Front endpaper from Just One Flake by Travis Jonker

2023 Undies Winners

The votes have been tallied and the results are in for the annual Undies Awards! Check out the winners on 100 Scope Notes here.

Endies Awards are up tomorrow!

Let's Talk Illustrators #273: Maxine Beneba Clarke

Today I'm sharing my interview with author-illustrator Maxine Beneba Clarke. Maxine has been an author and an author-illustrator, but Randa Abdel-Fattah's Eleven Words for Love: A Journey Through Arabic Expressions of Love marks Maxine's debut as illustrator only. Enjoy taking a peek behind the curtain at the collaborative process she had with Abdel-Fattah to illustrate this special bilingual book.

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

We've got a case(wrap) of the Mondays!

Crushes of the Week: December 3-9, 2023

This week's crushes:

1. Mr. Fiorello's Head by Cecilia Ruiz (Enchanted Lion Books, October 2023)
2. Baby Faces: Little Bear, Where Are You? by Ekaterina Trukhan (Nosy Crow, July 2023)
3. Love Is in the Bear by Judith Henderson and Nahid Kazemi (Owlkids, October 2023)
4. Ganesha Goes Green by Lakshmi Thamizhmani and Debasmita Dasgupta (Barefoot Books, September 2023)
5. Jhupli's Honey Bee Box by Achintyarup Ray and Shivam Choudhary (Amazon Crossing Kids, October 2023)
6. Where Do You Sleep? by Agnese Baruzzi (Minedition, November 2023)
7. We, the Curious Ones by Marion Dane Bauer and Hari &. Deepti (Candlewick Press, November 2023)

      

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: SMALL PLACES CLOSE TO HOME

Love, love, love the shape of the copyright information in this book. All of the data is printed in the shape of a house (quite on-brand for a book about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)! A clever and creative detail!

Let's Talk Illustrators #272: Kate Gardiner

I am very pleased to share with you all today my interview with the venerable Kate Gardiner. Kate is the debut illustrator of Small Places, Close to Home: A Child's Declaration of Rights: Inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, written by Deborah Hopkinson. I hope you enjoy learning more about how the visuals came together for this meaningful book and Kate's personal connections to the text! 

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

We've got a case(wrap) of the Mondays!

Crushes of the Week: November 26-December 2, 2023

This week's crushes:

1. The North Wind and the Sun by Philip C. Stead (Neal Porter Books, October 2023)
2. Look, It's Hoot Hoot Owl by Camilla Reid and Clare Youngs (Nosy Crow, September 2023)
3. Words about Where: Let's Learn Prepositions by Magda Gargulakova and Marie Urbankova (Albatros Media, October 2023)
4. I Love Everything about Me by Fatima Scipio and Paige Mason (Entangled: Little Lark, October 2023)
5. Zain's Super Friday by Hena Khan and Nez Riaz (Lee & Low Books, October 2023)
6. The Amazing and True Story of Tooth Mouse Pérez by Ana Cristina Herreros and Violeta Lópiz and translated by Sara Lissa Paulson (Enchanted Lion Books, April 2023)
7. Begin Again: How We Got Here and Where We Might Go - Our Human Story. So Far. by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel Books, October 2023)
8. Small Stanley's Big List of Scary Stuff by Angie Morgan (Crocodile Books, November 2023)

       

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: ART OF PROTEST

Every time I'm shelving books this one stands out to me, with its colorful, exposed spine! You can see where all of the pages are bound together, and the edges are all yellow. It's beyond impressive that the printer was able to perfectly print the title, creator name, and publisher logo on the spine but it works so well and essentially becomes a piece of art itself.

Let's Talk Illustrators #271: Tatyana Feeney

I got a chance to talk to the incredible Tatyana Feeney about a fun new poetry series launched this year called Petite Poems. Tatyana illustrated August title Theme in Yellow: A Classic Ode to Autumn, written by Carl Sandburg, and with another coming next year it's exciting to feel like I'm catching her on the brink of something special. Enjoy the read!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

We've got a case(wrap) of the Mondays!

Let's Talk Illustrators #270: Maryam Tahmasebi

I am very proud to share this special interview with Maryam Tahmasebi about her illustration process for Empty & Me: A Tale of Friendship and Loss, written by Azam Mahdavi and translated by Parisa Saranj. This bilingual Persian-English picture book was originally published in Iran, and I'm so pleased to talk to Maryam about bringing it Stateside for her US illustrator debut. I hope you enjoy taking a closer look at this meaningful book with me. 

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

We've got a case(wrap) of the Mondays!

Crushes of the Week: November 12-18, 2023

This week's crushes:

1. Stranded!: A Mostly True Story from Iceland by ÆVar þÓr Benediktsson and Anne Wilson (Barefoot Books, August 2023)
2. Eleanor's Moon by Maggie Knaus (Owlkids, August 2023)
3. The Light Within You by Namita Moolani Mehra and Kamala Nair (Two Lions, September 2023)
4. Memo and the Unexpected Gift by Funda Özlem Şeran and Ezgi Keleş and translated by Amy Marie Spangler (Amazon Crossing Kids, September 2023)
5. See You on the Other Side by Rachel Montez Minor and Mariyah Rahman (Crown Books for Young Readers, September 2023)
6. Mira and Baku by Sara Truuvert and Michelle Theodore (Annick Press, October 2023)
7. Loud! by Rose Robbins (Scallywag Press, October 2023)