December 22, 2018

Favorite Undies of 2018

Last year, Instagram started supporting 60 seconds of video per post, so I made a 60-second video of my favorite undie reveals of 2017. And it was so darn pretty that I've decided to do another one this year! Here are my tip-top favorites of 2018, and don't forget that you can see my casewrap reveals all year round here.

My list of favorite 2018 comics for children is up next!


December 20, 2018

DREAMERS

There was no way I could get away with reviewing beautifully illustrated books all year long and not post about Dreamers by Yuyi Morales. Dreamers is the story of how Morales left her home in Xalapa, Mexico and came to the US with her infant son in 1994.


December 17, 2018

RECORDMANIA

Graphically stunning, Recordmania: Atlas of the Incredible by Emmanuelle Figueras, Alexandre Verhille, and Sarah Tavernier is an atlas of the world's incredible records.


December 15, 2018

Crushes of the Week: December 9-15, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey and Júlia Sardà (Tundra Books, August 2018)
  2. House: First Words Board Books by Michael Slack (Chronicle Books, September 2018)
  3. Wonders of the World by Isabel Otter and Margaux Carpentier (360 Degrees, September 2018)
  4. Pearl by Molly Idle (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, October 2018)
  5. Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, October 2018)
  6. Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman (Viking Books for Young Readers, April 2019)
     

December 14, 2018

THE FISHING LESSON

The Fishing Lesson by Heinrich Böll was first published in 1963 and has been retold many times, though it's hard to think that anyone created illustrations for the story as stunning as Emile Bravo's.


December 11, 2018

Let's Talk Illustrators #92: Isabelle Simler

I was lucky enough to chat with author-illustrator Isabelle Simler about her illustration and story processes for her 2018 picture book A Web. Isabelle has more than proven herself to be a master of her craft, what with numerous awards and endless praise on books like Plume and The Blue Hour. Today I talked to Isabelle about what it's like to look at the world through the lens of another (in this case, a spider!) and how she sets herself up to tackle these new challenges and points of view. Enjoy!


December 9, 2018

THE VISITOR

The Visitor is yet another stunning book by light box dioramist Antje Damm (who I interviewed last year).


December 8, 2018

Crushes of the Week: December 2-8, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Rain by Anders Holmer (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, October 2018)
  2. The Bandit Queen by Natalia and Lauren O'Hara (Puffin, November 2018)
  3. Foods of the World by Libby Walden and Jocelyn Kao (360 Degrees, September 2018)
  4. She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lynn Fulton and Felicita Sala (Knopf Books for Young Readers, September 2018)
  5. The Ink House by Rory Dobner (Laurence King Publishing, October 2018)
  6. Farmer Falgu Goes to the Kumbh Mela by Chitra Soundar and Kanika Nair (Karadi Tales Picturebooks, September 2018)
  7. Where in the Wild by Jonny Lambert (Tiger Tales, September 2018)
  8. A Ray of Light by Walter Wick (Scholastic Press, February 2019)
       

December 7, 2018

First Friday 5: Treading New Ground

As we get ready to begin a new year, many of us will find ourselves treading new, unfamiliar ground. What will the new year bring? Who will we meet? And who will we lose? The characters in these five comics explore entirely new worlds—sometimes together, sometimes alone—and find themselves forever shaping their new environments.


December 2, 2018

#kidlitpicks November Round-Up: 18 Visually Wonderful Picture Books

Sometimes a picture book story is elevated to the next level by its outstanding illustrations. Electrifying art that "illuminates" the written narrative with gusto. Those picture books that you are happy to take your time with, soak up the visual spectacle and enjoy. As an introduction to art and the power of imagination, these picture books do more than just please the eye. They change the mind with new creative ideas and show young readers just how wondrous the world can be. 

During December the @kidlitpicks book club featured books about celebrating. A huge thank you to Liam from Words And Illustrations for the vibrant theme!



December 1, 2018

Crushes of the Week: November 25-December 1, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Be a Maker by Katey Howes and Elizabet Vukovic (Carolrhoda Books, March 2019)
  2. Mirror Play by Monte Shin (minedition, September 2018)
  3. Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan (Lantana Publishing, September 2018)
  4. Everest by Sangma Francis and Lisk Feng (Flying Eye Books, October 2018)
  5. Dream Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison (LB Kids, October 2018)
  6. We Travel So Far by Laura Knowles and Chris Madden (Firefly Books, August 2018)
     

November 29, 2018

SEEING STARS

Seeing Stars: A Complete Guide to the 88 Constellations by Sarah Gillingham is an introductory guide for young star gazers, and catalogs all 88 internationally recognized constellations.


November 27, 2018

RIVERS

Rivers: A Visual History from River to Sea by Peter Goes surveys rivers from around the world and offers colorful graphics about their histories.


November 25, 2018

BORN BAD

Born Bad by C. K. Smouha and Stephen Smith is a non-didactic tale about the courage it takes to change your ways and how sometimes the best way to start making those changes is to ask yourself some tough questions.


November 20, 2018

Let's Talk Illustrators #91: Jeremy Holmes

I have been waiting a long, long time to talk to Jeremy Holmes. I can actually tell just how long it's been because I've wanted to talk to him since the moment I saw There Was An Old Lady, and that came out in 2009 (if you don't know it, buy it. Trust me.). Now that Jeremy has stepped into illustrating picture books (he's done some chapter books), I'm excited to talk to him about his general illustration process, and that starts with this year's The Eye That Never Sleeps: How Detective Pinkerton Saved President Lincoln. Enjoy the conversation––I know I did!  


November 17, 2018

Crushes of the Week: November 11-17, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. I'm Glad That You're Happy by Nahid Kazemi (Groundwood Books, August 2018)
  2. Into the Forest by Laura Baker and Nadia Taylor (Harry N. Abrams, October 2018)
  3. A Very Late Story by Marianna Coppo (Flying Eye Books, September 2018)
  4. The Boy from the Dragon Palace by Margaret Read MacDonald and Sachiko Yoshikawa (Albert Whitman & Company, September 2018)
  5. Evie and the Truth about Witches by John Martz (Koyama Press, October 2018)
  6. Stories of the Night by Kitty Crowther (Gecko Press, September 2018)
  7. Anne Arrives by Kallie George and Abigail Halpin (Tundra Books, September 2018)
  8. Found. by Jeff Newman and Larry Day (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, November 2018)
       

November 15, 2018

Let's Talk Illustrators #90: Jordan Crane

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to author-illustrator Jordan Crane about his brilliant comic We Are All Me. We Are All Me was designed to be a comic for intended to be comics for brand-new readers, and it provides not only a fantastic introduction to the style of comics and how to read them, but it also explores the genesis of mankind and the interconnectedness of everyone here on Earth. As you'll soon see, Jordan's answers are illuminating and thought-provoking, so without further preamble, here is our conversation!


November 11, 2018

DEEP UNDERWATER

Deep Underwater by Irene Luxbacher takes readers deep under the ocean's surface to explore the beauty of the nature found within.


November 10, 2018

Crushes of the Week: November 4-10, 2018

This week's crushes:
  1. Mortals and Immortals of Greek Mythology by Francoise Rachmuhl and Charlotte Gastaut (Lion Forge, September 2018)
  2. Jojo and the Food Fight by Didier Laevy and Nathalie Dieterlae (Barefoot Books, September 2018)
  3. Grandmother's Visit by Betty Quan and Carmen Mok (Groundwood Books, September 2018)
  4. Just Add Glitter by Angela DiTerlizzi and Samantha Cotterill (Beach Lane Books, October 2018)
  5. Everything & Everywhere: A Fact-Filled Adventure for Curious Globe-Trotters by Marc Martin (Chronicle Books, October 2018)
  6. Half a Giraffe? by Jodie Parachini and Richard Smythe (Albert Whitman & Company, September 2018)
  7. Quiet by Tomie dePaola (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, October 2018)
  8. Textures (Discovery Concepts) by Katie Wilson (Flowerpot Press, October 2018)