September 30, 2018

TIME FOR BED, MIYUKI

Time for Bed, Miyuki by Roxane Marie Galliez and Seng Soun Ratanavanh is as precious and imaginative as the cover suggests.


September 29, 2018

Crushes of the Week: September 23-29, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Little Bear's Big House by Benjamin Chaud (Chronicle Books, October 2018)
  2. Queen Panda Can't Sleep by Susanna Isern and Mariana Ruiz Johnson (Starberrybooks, August 2018)
  3. Creature vs. Teacher by Alex Eben Meyer and T. Nat Fuller (Harry N. Abrams, July 2018)
  4. Walls by Brad Holdgrafer (Princeton Architectural Press, August 2018)
  5. Maximillian Villainous by Margaret Chiu Greanias (Running Press Kids, August 2018)
  6. Henry and the Yeti by Russell Ayto (Bloomsbury Children's Books, August 2018)
  7. The Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros and Dana Wulfekotte (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August 2018)
  8. The Flight of Mr. Finch by Thomas Baas (Tate Publishing, September 2018)
https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781452173719?aff=letstalkpicturebooks https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781635920956 ?aff=letstalkpicturebooks      

September 27, 2018

A BUBBLE

A Bubble by Geneviève Castrée is undoubtedly a very tough read––especially give the board book format––but it hits a lot of relatable notes as readers watch a child narrate the daily ins and outs of having a mother with terminal cancer.


September 25, 2018

Let's Talk Illustrators #83: Felicita Sala

By now, you undoubtedly recognize Felicita Sala's work when you see it. Her books are becoming more and more ubiquitous (not to mention more and more beautiful) as she tackles nonfiction biographies of people like Joan Procter, Mother Jones, and Mary Shelley. Her latest book, Ode to an Onion: Pablo Neruda & His Muse, written by Alexandria Giardino, takes a closer look at the life and influence of Pablo Neruda, and though Felicita stays true to her distinct style, she takes some interesting detours to make the book unique and reflective of Neruda himself. Take a look inside with me.


September 22, 2018

Crushes of the Week: September 16-22, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, July 2018)
  2. Steve Goes to Carnival by Joshua Button and Robyn Wells (Candlewick, February 2019)
  3. The Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide for the World's Most Adventurous Kid by Dylan Thuras, Rosemary Mosco, and Joy Ang (Workman Publishing, September 2018)
  4. No Water No Bread by Luis Amavisca and Raul Nieto Guridi (Nubeocho, October 2017)
  5. Little Brown by Marla Frazee (Beach Lane Books, October 2018)
  6. Snow Pony and the Seven Miniature Ponies by Christian Trimmer and Jessie Sima (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August 2018)
  7. T. Rex Time Machine by Jared Chapman (Chronicle Books, September 2018)
     

September 20, 2018

THE LITTLE BARBARIAN

The Little Barbarian is a wordless delight by seasoned visual artist Renato Moriconi.


September 18, 2018

Let's Talk Illustrators #82: Duncan Tonatiuh

Given the current political climate it's no surprise that there are many books being published that speak to the unfair treatment of immigrants and the need for legal reform. Duncan Tonatiuh's Undocumented: A Worker's Fight does that in spades, but the format of the book—a leporello—seems to drive the point home even further. In a standard picture book readers can flip pages and forget what they've seen previously, but with a leporello at least half of the story is always in view at a time. For those unfamiliar with the term, leporellos are accordion-style books that are only bound at the very edges, so when readers open them they stretch far and wide, providing at least half the story at a time. In lieu of retreading familiar ground, I suggest you check out my leporello post from a years ago here, but right now, let's take a closer look at Undocumented.


September 16, 2018

Favorite Snow White Picture Books


                   
click on a book cover to see more

September 15, 2018

Crushes of the Week: September 2-8 & 9-15, 2018

I didn't get a chance to post my crushes last week, so here are this week's and last week's!

Last week's crushes:
  1. Archie and the Bear by Zanni Louise and David Mackintosh (Clarion Books, September 2018)
  2. The Day War Came by Nicola Davies and Rebecca Cobb (Candlewick, September 2018)
  3. Samurai Scarecrow: A Very Ninja Halloween by Rubin Pingk (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, July 2018)
  4. I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille and Aimée Sicuro (Beach Lane Books, July 2018)
  5. An Unlikely Ballerina by Krystyna Poray Goddu and Cosei Kawa (Kar-Ben Publishing, August 2018)
  6. The Girl with a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague by Julia Finley Mosca and Daniel Rieley (Innovation Press, September 2018)
      

And this week's crushes:
  1. Food Hide and Sneak by Bastien Contraire (Phaidon Press, August 2018)
  2. The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain and Yuval Zommer (words & pictures, March 2017)
  3. Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan and Sarah Walsh (Chronicle Books, August 2018)
  4. If Polar Bears Disappeared by Lily Williams (Roaring Brook Press, August 2018)
  5. Cat Wishes by Calista Brill and Kenard Pak (HMH Books for Young Readers, July 2018)
  6. The Steves by Morag Hood (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, September 2018)
     

September 13, 2018

THE HOUSE OF LOST AND FOUND

The House of Lost and Found by Martin Widmark and Emilia Dziubak is a quiet story about finding love after loss and taking care of ourselves.


September 11, 2018

Let's Talk Illustrators #81: Sandra Dieckmann

Talking to author-illustrator Sandra Dieckmann was an absolute delight for me. You might recognize Sandra's work from her first book Leaf, which published a few years ago, but for those of you just discovering her now, you're in for a treat with her follow-up The Dog That Ate the World. This was a particularly special interview for me because I saw a lot of my own personal processes reflected in Sandra's, so I'm going to lead with little preamble and just let you get started reading. Enjoy!


September 7, 2018

First Friday 5: Becoming

As many here in the United States go back to school, it's tough not to think about what our children and students will become when they get older. What events will make them who they are meant to become? Whether it's becoming who you were meant to be all along, becoming a trusted ally, or even becoming someone entirely different altogether, these five comics ask and answer the question of what it's like to go through a life-altering transformation and come out the other side as someone new whose purpose has somehow changed. Some of the characters in these books are at the start of their journeys, some are in the middle, and some go through full metamorphoses by the end, but each starts as one person and becomes another, accepting all of the challenges along the way.


September 4, 2018

Let's Talk Illustrators #80: Van Thanh Rudd

Today Australian street artist, sculptor, and now children's book illustrator Van Thanh Rudd stops by to talk about his picture book debut The Patchwork Bike, written by Maxine Beneba Clarke. A known activist, Van's picture book illustrations carry over the soul and energy of his activist work (like his murals) and provide accessible imagery for children to connect with Clarke's words. I'm excited to share here my conversation with Van about his foray into children's book illustration and what he hopes his contributions will accomplish. Enjoy! 


September 2, 2018

#kidlitpicks August Round-Up: 15 Laugh-Out-Loud Picture Books

During August, I got to choose our #KidLitPicks theme, and you know what I realized? We have never made a list of our favorite funny books! I'm talking about the books we can barely read aloud because we're laughing so hard and the books with pictures so ridiculous that we can't help but giggle as we pour over the illustrations. Funny books give everyone a moment in time to be fully together, laughing about what's on the page and leaving the stress or worry of everything else behind. And they're often a good way to address serious issues that are otherwise very difficult to talk about.

Here is a list of books that make us laugh!

You know what we realized recently over at #kidlitpicks? We've never made a list of our favorite funny books! I'm talking about the books we can barely read aloud because we're laughing so hard and the books with pictures so ridiculous that we can't help but giggle as we pour over the illustrations. Funny books give everyone a moment in time to be fully together, laughing about what's on the page and leaving the stress or worry of everything else behind. And they're often a good way to address serious issues that are otherwise very difficult to talk about.

Throughout the month of August, the #KidLitPicks book club explored books that make us laugh out loud. Thanks to co-founder Mel Schuit of Let's Talk Picture Books for the theme!



September 1, 2018

Crushes of the Week: August 26-September 1, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Why The Face? by Jean Jullien (Phaidon Press, August 2018)
  2. The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker and Mark Pett (Abrams Books for Young Readers, October 2018)
  3. Stop That Yawn! by Caron Levis and LeUyen Pham (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, October 2018)
  4. A Boy and a House by Maja Kastelic (Annick Press, September 2018)
  5. The Night Box by Louise Greig and Ashling Lindsay (Clarion Books, September 2018)
  6. Zola's Elephant by Randall de Sève and Pamela Zagarenski (HMH Books for Young Readers, October 2018)
  7. New York Melody by Helene Druvert (Thames & Hudson, October 2018)