2024 Endies Winners

And today we announce the winners of the second-ever The Endies: Endpaper Awards! Check out the winners on 100 Scope Notes here.

2024 Undies Winners

The votes have been tallied and the results are in for the annual Undies Awards! Check out the winners on 100 Scope Notes here.

Endies Awards are up tomorrow!

Crushes of the Week: December 1-7, 2024

This week's crushes (the last of the year!):

1. Yes, Chef!: It's Snack Time by Charlotte Love (Grosset & Dunlap, November 2024)
2. Miri's Moving Day by Adam R. Chang, Stephanie Wildman, and Dream Chen (Kar-Ben Publishing, November 2024)
3. I Love You More by Clare Helen Welsh, Kristen Howdeshell, and Kevin Howdeshell (Nosy Crow, November 2024)
4. Mommy Crumbs by José Andrés and Anna Font (Nubeocho, October 2024)
5. Black Artists Shaping the World by Sharna Jackson and Marilyn Esther Chi (Thames & Hudson, October 2024)
6. Mad at Dad by Janie Hao (Kids Can Press, October 2024)

     

Favorite Picture Books of 2024

What a beautiful year for picture book design! As always, it's so hard to choose my favorite fifteen picture book designs from the year but I think the ones represented here are some of the most beautiful, from the endpapers to the casewraps to the interiors.

I have one last round of crushes coming this Saturday, and I'll see you in the new year!

Favorite Undies of 2024

It's end of the year list time! Today is my list of favorite undies/casewraps (a reminder that I grab my favorites that fit into a 60 second video). Later this week is my favorite picture books!

Crushes of the Week: November 17-23, 2024

This week's crushes:

1. What Lolo Wants by Cristina Oxtra and Jamie Bauza (Kids Can Press, October 2024)
2. Snow Is... by Laura Gehl and Sonia Sánchez (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, October 2024)
3. Huck and Loona by Emily Kilgore and Florence Weiser (Beaming Books, October 2024)
4. The Girl and the Robot Heart by Neal Hoskins and Monika Vaicenaviciene (Thames & Hudson, October 2024)
5. Tumblebaby by Adam Rex and Audrey Helen Weber (Neal Porter Books, October 2024)
6. Salvatore and the Goats of Mount Etna by Uschi Müller and Brittany Lane (Greystone Kids, November 2024)
7. The Bear, the Book, and the Blanket by Lou Peacock and Ged Adamson (Nosy Crow, November 2024)

      

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: THE FIRST SNOW

As it gets colder, my mind keeps going back to this gem from the summer and thinking about how far away being chilly felt when I received it! Not so far away any more...Such a beautiful foiling job on this book!

Let's Talk Illustrators #309: Peter Cheong

I got a chance to talk to Peter Cheong about his newest children's book Where We Can Hear the Giants Sing, and I'm so excited to share that chat with you here today! Enjoy a dive into the depths of the ocean to follow Peter and his protagonist on their respective journeys!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: November 10-16, 2024

This week's crushes:

1. The Pharaoh vs. the Felines by J. F. Fox and Anna Kwan (Kids Can Press, October 2024)
2. How We Share Cake by Kim Hyo-Eun, translated by Deborah Smith (Scribble US, October 2024)
3. Amu Nowruz and His Violets by Hadi Mohammadi and Nooshin Safakhoo, translated by Sara Khalili (Elsewhere Editions, October 2024)
4. Is a Book a Box for Words? by Harriet Ziefert and Mercè Galí (Red Comet Press, October 2024)
5. I Wonder about Worlds: Discovering Planets and Exoplanets by James Gladstone and Yaara Eshet (Owlkids, October 2024)
6. Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space by Sue Lowell Gallion and Lisk Feng (Phaidon Press, October 2024)
7. The Swallow Who Stayed by Philip Giordano, translated by Arielle Aaronson (Greystone Kids, October 2024)
8. Sheep Number 19 by Blanca Lacasa and Jorge Martín (Nubeocho, October 2024)

       

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Let's Talk Picture Books...at School Library Journal!

I wrote an article for School Library Journal! It's all about what makes for a picture book cover design successful, and you can read the online version here. I hope you enjoy taking a closer look at some beautiful book covers with me!

Let's Talk Illustrators #308: Thea Lu

I am so excited to present my interview with the super-talented author-illustrator Thea Lu about her illustration and story processes for her new picture book Dive, Dive into the Night Sea. The book is physically unique in a few ways––vertical orientation, lots of flaps––but the story more than keeps up to make this book a gem inside and out. Enjoy our dive, dive into what makes this book so special!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: November 3-9, 2024

This week's crushes:

1. Open Me...I'm a Dog by Art Spiegelman (Toon Books, October 2024)
2. Natura by María José Ferrada and Mariana Alcántara and translated by Kit Maude (Tapioca Stories, October 2024)
3. Step Into My Shoes by Alkisti Halikia and Fotini Tikkou (Lantana Publishing, October 2024)
4. It's Winter! by Renée Kurilla (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, October 2024)
5. The Hidden Alphabet by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Neal Porter Books, October 2024)
6. I Worked Hard on That! by Robyn Wall and A. N. Kang (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 2024)
7. The Little Chefs by Rosemary Wells (Hippo Park, September 2023)
8. The Class with Wings: A Picture Book by Paul Fleischman and Hannah Salyer (Abrams Books for Young Readers, October 2024)

       

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: LITTLE HARE FINDS A GIFT

Super into the glitter on the cover of this book! Sparkly white glitter covers the whole snowy hill plus the snowperson, giving the book a winter wonderland feel right from the get-go.

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: October 27-November 2, 2024

This week's crushes:

1. A Sleepless Night by Micaela Chirif and Joaquín Camp and translated by Jordan Landsman (Transit Children's Editions, October 2024)
2. Wind Is a Dance by Debra Kempf Shumaker and Josée Bisaillon (Kids Can Press, October 2024)
3. Stay Positive: A Children's Picture Book by The Hold Steady and David El Dee Espinosa (Akashic Books, October 2024)
4. Lost by Bob Staake (Anne Schwartz Books, October 2024)
5. Winter Light by Aaron Becker (Candlewick Press, October 2024)
6. A Little Like Magic by Sarah Kurpiel (Rocky Pond Books, October 2024)
7. The Little Green Swing (Little Ruby's Big Ideas) by Brenda Maier and Sonia Sánchez (Scholastic, September 2024)