Down to the Last Detail: THE STORY OF GOLD

I mean, if you're going to do a book about gold you either go big or go home, and this book goes BIG!! Gold foil on the front, the back, and the spine!

Let's Talk Illustrators #381: Myungae Lee

I read Late Today––by Jungyoon Huh and Myungae Lee and translated by Aerin Park––back in June and instantly fell in love with the story and illustrations. It is such an honor to present my interview today with illustrator Myungae about the book, digging into what makes it so special. Enjoy!!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: October 26-November 1, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. The Kerfuffle by Clotilde Perrin (Gecko Press, October 2025)
   
2. A Song of the Seasons by Yibing Deng (Post Wave, October, 2025)
   
3. A World of Kisses by Marta Morros and Mariona Tolosa (Nubeocho, October 2025)
   
4. The Museum of Shapes by Sven Volker (Cicada Books, October 2025)
5. Azizi by Laïla Koubaa and Mattias de Leeuw (Lantana Publishing, October 2025)
6. Fortune Cookies: The Surprising Story of the Tasty Treat We Love to Eat by Mia Wenjen and Colleen Kong-Savage (Red Comet Press, October 2025)
7. Three Ladies Beside the Sea by Rhoda Levine and Edward Gorey (NYRB, October 2025)

      

Endpapers for the end of your week!

 

Let's Talk Illustrators #380: Azul López

Today I'm pleased to share my interview with Mexican author-illustrator Azul López about Croco (available in English and Spanish), translated by Kit Maude. This uniquely designed book runs vertically to capture some stunning images and deep emotions. Read on to learn more about how Azul developed and created it!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: October 19-25, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Where Is the Cat? by Eva Eland (Penguin Workshop, September 2025)
2. Weiwei's Winter Solstice: A Dongzhì Story by Michelle Jing Chan (Bloomsbury Children's Books, October 2025)
3. The Fib: An Allegorical Tale About the Consequences of Lying by Pedro Iniguez and Nathan Kwan (Gloo Books, October 2025)
4. The Sacred Stone Camp by Rae Rose and Aly McKnight (Dial Books, October 2025)
5. Crocodiles Everywhere by Estelí Meza (Rocky Pond Books, October 2025)
6. Some Days I'm the Wind by Rebecca Gardyn Levington and Dinara Mirtalipova, narrated by Teresa Gallagher (Barefoot Books, September 2025)

     

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Let's Talk Illustrators #379: Lorenzo Sangiò

It was such a pleasure talking to Lorenzo Sangiò about The Night Giant, written by Lorenzo Coltellacci! Take a sneak peek with me behind the process of illustrating this sweet book with a giant heart (and an actual giant!).

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: October 12-18, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Mary Oliver, Holding on to Wonder by Erin Frankel and Jasu Hu (Calkins Creek, October 2025)
2. Soup's on Around the World by Denyse Waissbluth and Chelsea O'Byrne (Greystone Kids, October 2025)
3. Three Ladies Beside the Sea by Rhoda Levine and Edward Gorey (NYRB Kids, October 2025)
4. Our Islands by Yuval Zommer (Thames & Hudson, October 2025)
5. Rock Star: How Ursula Marvin Mapped Moon Rocks and Meteorites by Sandra Neil Wallace and Nancy Carpenter (Paula Wiseman Books, October 2025)
6. Call Me Gray by Andrew Larsen, Bells Larsen, and Tallulah Fontaine (Kids Can Press, October 2025)

     

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: EVERY MONDAY MABEL

Loving this barcode placement! Like everything else about this book, it's impeccably designed!

Let's Talk Illustrators #378: Nat Cardozo

I am very pleased to present my interview with author-illustrator Nat Cardozo about her illustration and story processes for Origin, translated by Layla Benitez-James and Ian Farnes. Nat works in a format called pyrography, which I have never talked to anyone about before, so it was edifying and fascinating to hear about how her lush illustrations came to life. Enjoy!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: October 5-11, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Year Round by Audrey Helen Weber (Neal Porter Books, October 2024)
2. Weiwei's Winter Solstice: A Dongzhì Story by Michelle Jing Chan (Bloomsbury Children's Books, October 2025)
3. He Was There from the Day We Moved In by Rhoda Levine and Edward Gorey (NYRB Kids, October 2025)
4. The Secret World of Spiderwebs by Namasri Niumim and Jan Beccaloni (Thames & Hudson, September 2025)
5. Banana, Banana, Banana! by Sarah Finan (Post Wave, August 2025)
6. The Richest Cow in the World by Barroux (Kids Can Press, September 2025)
7. Who Needs the Dark?: The Many Ways Living Things Depend on Darkness by Laura Alary and Risa Hugo (Owlkids, September 2025)
8. Dedushka: Memories of My Grandpa and Ukraine by Katerina Spaeth (Paw Prints Publishing, September 2025)

       

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Let's Talk Illustrators #377: GOLDEN COSMOS

Me & the Magic Cube, written by Daniel Fehr, translated by Marshall Yarbrough, and illustrated by GOLDEN COSMOS is a Pantone color fan's dream! GOLDEN COSMOS is a pseudonym for the Berlin-based duo Doris Freigofas and Daniel Dolz, and I got to chat with both of them about how the illustrations for this book came together.

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: September 28-October 4, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Brown Girl in the Snow by Yolanda T Marshall and Marianne Ferrer (Greystone Kids, September 2025)
2. The House with the Little Red Door by Grace Easton (Thames & Hudson, September 2025)
3. Sky Luck by Erica Lee Schlaikjer and Dagmar Smith (Blur Dot Kids Press, September 2025)
4. Wiggling Words: Loving Language with Dyslexia by Kate Rolfe (Candlewick, September 2025)
5. The Elevator on 74th Street by Laura Gehl and Yas Imamura (Beach Lane Books, September 2025)
6. Go Go Dodo! by Huw Lewis Jones and Fred Blunt (Tiger Tales, September 2025)
7. There's No Place Like Gnome's by Scott Magoon (Viking Books for Young Readers, September 2025)

      

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Spine Design

You might know that a spine is the outside edge of a book where the pages are gathered and bound, but did you know that the average children's picture book spine is between a quarter of an inch and a half an inch wide? That's pretty thin for arguably the most important piece of real estate on a book! The spine is the only visible piece of a book when it's on a bookshelf, so it stands to reason that a lot of work can go into designing ones that stand out against the competition in stores and libraries. Designers have developed quite a few tricks to get their book spines noticed by readers, and below are a few of my personal favorites, broken down by design technique. 

click to zoom in