#LTPBExchange

I have decided to host a Picture Book Exchange! Thanks to social media, we have been able to connect to share our favorite children's picture books with book lovers around the world. It's been such a joy, and I think it's time we take it to the next level by exchanging books with each other!

Want to participate? Great! Here's how:

         1. Comment here to say you'd like to participate, along with what country you live in

         2. I will randomly pair up everyone who comments and announce pairs a week from today

         3. DM your partner your physical mailing address

         4. Choose a book under $15 and mail it by June 6

If all goes well, this could be the start of something regular!

A special thanks to Lauren at @happily.ever.elephants and Charnaie at Here Wee Read for helping get the word out!

All the Wonders of SWATCH

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog posts to announce that I'm over at All the Wonders today talking about the beautiful and brilliant Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color by Julia Denos.  

If you haven't already had a chance to stop by ATW, now is the time! In addition to my post on movement in Denos' illustrations, you'll encounter a whole slew of fun activities that will take you beyond the book, including an interview with Julia Denos by The Children's Book Podcaster Matthew Winner, and an amazing, hands-on activity designed by Katey Howes and Mike Ciccotello where you get to tame your own colors!

I'm so, so lucky to be working with such an amazing team of children's book writers, illustrators, and enthusiasts, and I hope you'll come join us to see All the Wonders of SWATCH!

Imagining the Unimaginable

People find themselves with imaginary friends for all sorts of reasons: they can help people overcome fears, battle their inner demons, and cope with loneliness. Today we're talking about all three, not just from the perspective of the friend creators, but from the point of view of the imagined friends as well.

Let's start with Emma Yarlett's Orion and the Dark.

Trim Size Matters

What does the size of the book say about the story inside? Trim size is the size of the physical book, and books come in all different shapes and sizes.

Let's start with big books. Big books are designed to showcase big ideas. A big book literally gives an illustrator more space on which to show his or her story, so chances are you'll see some extra large characters along the way.

     

This Is Not a Post

Today I want to explore the concept of a "book." The illustrators I'm going to talk about use their own books to challenge the notion of what a book is and what a story means. These books provide creative outlets for children to think about the world around them and their preconceived notions of what it means to open a book and read a story. I think in this case, it's best to just dive right in.

Jean Jullien's 2016 This Is Not a Book is a fun place to start because Jullien uses the design of the book itself to get readers thinking about everyday objects in their lives. This isn't a book, it's a monster.

Stepping out of the Shadows

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today we're talking about shadows in picturebooks. While picturebook illustrations are generally known for being inviting and colorful, shadows make the illustrations more mysterious and serve to show readers the dark side of the world they live in. Shadows are reserved for the nighttime and the unknown, so a picturebook that visually focuses on shadows is a great place for characters to have dark adventures and explore things they wouldn't normally do in the light of day. In these books the shadows becomes their own characters, representing our dark sides, the parts that remain hidden and tucked away.

You can't write about shadows and not talk about Suzy Lee's wordless masterpiece Shadow.

Mel on All the Wonders

I'm thrilled and honored to announce that I am now a contributor on the amazing children's book site All the Wonders!

All the Wonders is a collective of working writers, podcasters, filmmakers, musicians, and visual artists who feel that great books deserve a life beyond the shelf. We believe that children make a more lasting connection with a story when they can experience it in various forms. Therefore, our goal is to expand the universe of the books we love by offering up podcasts, videos, songs, crafts, and much more, all centered on those great works of literature and the people who make them. This content, we hope, will inspire not just a new generation of bookworms, but a new generation of book creators as well.

Right now we're celebrating All the Wonders of Swap!, a picture book from author/illustrator Steve Light about a broken down ship, a pirate captain overcome with sadness, and how a peg-legged boy saves the day through some inventive swapping. Be sure to stop by to experience the book from every creative angle, and stay tuned for some fun articles coming soon from yours truly!