Crushes of the Week: June 24-30, 2018

This week's crushes:

1. Ocean: A Visual Miscellany by Ricardo Henriques and Andre Letria (Chronicle Books, July 2018)
2. Rubio and Julienne: A Sweet and Cheesy Tale by Dan Paley and Lauren Gallegos (Tilbury House Publishers, June 2018)
3. Lights, Camera, Carmen! by Anika Denise and Lorena Alvarez Gomez (Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 2018)
4. The Only Way Is Badger by Stella J. Jones and Carmen Saldaña (Tiger Tales, September 2018)
5. I'm Sad by Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, June 2018)
6. Enough Is Enough! by Barney Saltzberg (Creston Books, May 2018)

     

BALANCE THE BIRDS

This is a week for much-anticipated follow-ups! Susie Ghahremani's Balance the Birds is the loose companion book to last year's Stack the Cats, which was a huge favorite of mine (but not just because of the cats! Well a little bit because of the cats...)

ME AND MY FEAR

Me and My Fear is the much anticipated companion book to Francesca Sanna's 2016 debut The Journey.

Crushes of the Week: June 17-23, 2018

This week's crushes:

1. Masterpiece Robot: And the Ferocious Valerie Knick-Knack by Frank Tra and Rebecca Evans (Tilbury House Publishers, April 2018)
2. The Peace Dragon by Linda Ragsdale and Marco Furlotti (Flowerpot Press, September 2018)
3. The Absolutely, Positively No Princesses Book by Ian Lendler and Deborah Zemke (Creston Books, September 2018)
4. I Am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds (Abrams Books for Young Readers, October 2018)
5. Gorillas Go Bananas by Patrick Wensink and Nate Wragg (HarperCollins, August 2018)

    

TINY, PERFECT THINGS

Tiny, Perfect Things by M. H. Clark and Madeline Kloepper is a tiny, perfect book.

Let's Talk Illustrators #75: Nazli Tahvili

It goes without saying that wordless children's books mean a lot to me. I think it's pretty darn incredible for a book creator to be able to convey an entire story through images, not to mention how they must also work to gear the narration, tone, and emotions toward the reading level of a small child. But, to their credit, children pick up a lot of nuanced moments in wordless books, and it was wonderful talking to Iranian illustrator Nazli Tahvili about how she successfully made Chalk Eagle, the story of a boy and his wild imagination, relatable to children. Enjoy!

THE DRESS AND THE GIRL

The Dress and the Girl by Camille Andros and Julie Morstad is a beautiful picture book about  the power of the memories we tie to the items we love.

Crushes of the Week: June 10-16, 2018

This week's crushes:

1. I Hate Everyone by Naomi Danis and Cinta Arribas (POW!, May 2018)
2. The Crocodile and the Dentist by Taro Gomi (Chronicle Books, August 2018)
3. A Marvelous Mexican Misunderstanding by Evi Triantafyllides and Nefeli Malie (Worldwide Buddies, 2018)
4. Surprise! by Caroline Hadilaksono (Arthur A. Levine Books, September 2018)
5. Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham, Charles Waters, Sean Qualls, and Selina Alko (Carolrhoda Books, January 2018)

    

NOT MY IDEA

Not My Idea: A Book about Whiteness is the newest book in Anastasia Higginbotham's Ordinary Terrible Things series, and like all of Higginbotham's books, this one hits the nail on the head.

Let's Talk Illustrators #74: Lane Smith & Molly Leach

Lane Smith and Molly Leach have been working together on books for over 26 years. Their first book together was The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, and if that book proves anything it's that these two are meant to create books together. Lane is an author-illustrator and Molly is a book designer, and today I talk to both of them about their newest book A House That Once Was, written by Julie Fogliano. Their banter is fast-paced, hilarious, and insightful, so try to keep up!

Crushes of the Week: June 3-9, 2018

This week's crushes:

1. You're Safe with Me by Chitra Soundar and Poonam Mistry (Lantana Publishing, April 2018)
2. Bird by Beatriz Martin Vidal (Simply Read Books, September 2015)
3. The Dreamer by Il Sung Na (Chronicle Books, September 2018)
4. Pip & Pup by Eugene Yelchin (Henry Holt and Company, April 2018)
5. Lucy and the Dragonfly by Lucie Papineau and Caroline Hamel (Auzou, April 2018)
6. Pink Is for Boys by Robb Pearlman and Eda Kaban (Running Press Kids, June 2018)

     

MOUNTAINS OF THE WORLD

Mountains of the World by Dieter Braun explores the mountains of the world and their diverse inhabitants.

Let's Talk Illustrators #73: Evan Turk

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Evan Turk is one of the most adaptable and curious illustrators currently working in children's literature. No two books of his have the same artistic style, which is clearly a result of Evan continually pushing himself to explore new media and techniques. Every one of Evan's books feels simultaneously unique in aesthetic tone and yet reflective of his style because of the stories he chooses to tell. Today Evan and I are talking about his new book Heartbeat, which he both wrote and illustrated, and you can see his process below.

#kidlitpicks May Round-Up: 22 Nonfiction Picture Books

When I’m choosing books for my kids, I always reach for the storybooks first - that’s what I grew up loving to read. But experts say children will thrive if they read more non-fiction too. Factual texts teach children about the world we live in, about amazing animals, people, events and inventions. Extending children’s knowledge helps them to understand new concepts and to put them into context. It also expands their vocabulary, in turn enriching their own writing. I’ve made an effort to seek out engaging non-fiction for my kids and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the clever, engaging books I’ve found - and that my kids like them too.

During May the @kidlitpicks book club featured non-fiction picture books, a theme chosen by Books Kids Love!

TINY LITTLE ROCKET

Personally, I am terrified by the very idea of going into space, but if galactic travel is as beautiful and fun as it seems in Tiny Little Rocket by Richard Collingridge, I might have to change my stance.

Crushes of the Week: May 27-June 2, 2018

This week's crushes:

1. Night Job by Karen Hesse and G. Brian Karas (Candlewick Press, September 11, 2018)
2. The Brilliant Deep by Kate Messner and Matthew Forsythe (Chronicle Books, May 2018)
3. Run Wild by David Covell (Viking Books for Young Readers, June 2018)
4. The Big Book of Blue by Yuval Zommer  (Thames & Hudson, June 2018)
5. The Jasmine Sneeze by Nadine Kaadan (Lantana Publishing, March 2018)
6. Our Solar System by Arthur John L'Hommedieu (Child's Play International, April 2018)

   
 

First Friday 5: LGBTQ

This month I'm excited to showcase some pretty stellar books that represent LGBTQ lifestyles and commentary. I found these books to be wonderful examples of books that open discussions on gender fluidity, sexual awakening, and terminology when it comes to discussing gender and sexuality in general.