Crushes of the Week: March 15-21, 2026

This week's crushes:

1. Rhea's Rodeo by Laekan Zea Kemp and Raissa Figueroa (Scholastic Press, March 2026)
2. Forest En Familia / El Bosque En Familia by Cynthia Harmony and Renata Galindo (Yosemite Conservancy, March 2026)
3. Tiny Garden: A Picture Book by Deborah Underwood and Jax Chow (Abrams Books for Young Readers, March 2026)
4. Is This . . . Spring? by Helen Yoon (Candlewick Press, March 2026)
5. Thank You, School by Louise Borden and Paige Keiser (Holiday House, March 2026)
6. Josephine by Chloé Alméras (Gecko Press, March 2026)
7. Home Away from Home by Nazneen Akbari and Rashin Kheiriyeh (Barefoot Books, February 2026)

      

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Let's Talk Illustrators #389: Hsu-Kung Liu

It's clear from the moment you hold Little Monk Writes Rain by Hsu-Kung Liu, translated by Rachel Wang Yung-Hsin, that it's going to be a special book: it opens vertically! The interior is just as special, and it's my pleasure to share a behind-the-scenes look at how the book came together!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: March 8-14, 2026

This week's crushes:

1. Finding Life: A Prehistoric Search and Find by Sophie Williams (Cicada Books, March 2026)
2. The Quiet Hunt: A Poem for Young Foragers by Jean E Pendziwol and Risa Hugo (Groundwood Books, March 2026)
3. Rumpelstiltskin by Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis (Orchard Books, February 2026)
4. Hugged by the Night by Harold Green III and Karabo Poppy (Chronicle Books, January 2026)
5. Love Like River and Sky: A Grandma Loves You Book by Julie Kim (Little Bigfoot, January 2026)
6. Abdullah's Bear Needs a Name! by Yasmin Hanif and Sophie Benmouyal (Floris Books, February 2026)
7. Pasta, Pasta, Pasta! by Sarah Finan (Post Wave, February 2026)

      

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Let's Talk Illustrators #388: Chantelle Trainor-Matties

Today I'm pleased to share my interview with Indigenous illustrator and Nisg̱a’a citizen Chantelle Trainor-Matties. We talk about her newest picture book A Salmon Story: Protecting the Future written by Willie Poll––including all her salmon research!––and what being a practitioner of formline art means to Chantelle. Enjoy!