Crushes of the Week: September 7-13, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Bally the Amazing Wonderball by Jordan Morris (Kids Can Press, September 2025)
2. The World Entire: A True Story of an Extraordinary World War II Rescue by Elizabeth Brown and Melissa Castrillón (Chronicle Books, September 2025)
3. Fly Like a Bird by Olga Ptashnik (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, September 2025)
4. Hello, Tobi! by Andrea Cáceres (Candlewick Press, August 2025)
5. Victor and the Giant by Rafael Yockteng and translated by Elisa Amado (Greystone Kids, August 2025)
6. Let's Get Spooky by Stepanka Sekaninova and Lukas Figel (Albatros Media, August 2025)
7. Tiger, It's Snowing! by Daishu Ma (Post Wave, August 2025)
8. Baby Basics: My Animal Sounds by Xavier Deneux (Twirl, August 2025)

       

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Let's Talk Illustrators #373: Mariana Villanueva Segovia

I am so excited to show off the book The Lighthouse Keeper by Eugenio Fernández Vázquez and Mariana Villanueva Segovia through the eyes of illustrator Mariana. We're talking about her process for the book, the challenges she encountered along the way, and what she has going on next!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: August 31-September 6, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Animals Everywhere: A Lift, Look, and Find Book by Stéphanie Babin, Robert Barborini, Marie Caudry, Jessica Das, and Marie Kyprianou (Twirl, August 2025)
2. Good Night, Ninjas by Sanae Ishida (Little Bigfoot, August 2025)
3. A World to Meet by Katie Harnett (Rise x Penguin Workshop, August 2025)
4. The Slightly Spooky Tale of Fox and Mole by Cecilia Heikkila and translated by Polly Lawson (Floris Books, August 2025)
5. This Is Me: Getting to Know Yourself and Others Better by Helena Harastova and Ana Kobern (Albatros Media, August 2025)
6. Flat Cat: The Class Pet by Tara Lazar and Pete Oswald (Flamingo Books, June 2025)

     

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: ALWAYS BEGINNING

Check out the foil on the cover of this book! Can't think of a better way to visually articulate the Big Bang, how pretty!

Let's Talk Illustrators #372: Hyewon Kyung

I hope everyone enjoyed the retrospective I ran in August! Today we're back to our usually scheduled program with Hyewon Kyung, author-illustrator of I Am a Lioness, This book caught my eye the moment I saw it, and I'm excited to share the process behind creating it with you all! I'll let Hyewon take it from here!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

LTPB Top 15 Illustrator Interviews: #1-3

And here are the top three interviews on this site! Thanks again so much for following along these past 15 years--I hope you've learned as much as I have from these incredibly talented creators!

3) Joe Todd-Stanton, author and illustrator of The Secret of Black Rock (Flying Eye Books, June 2017). See the full interview here.

2) Felicita Sala, illustrator of Ode to an Onion: Pablo Neruda & His Muse with text by Alexandria Giardino (Cameron Books, October 2018). See the full interview here.

1) Júlia Sardà, illustrator of The Liszts with text by Kyo Maclear (Tundra Books, October 2016). See the full interview here.

See you next week when we're back to our regularly scheduled program!

LTPB Top 15 Illustrator Interviews: #4-6

We're almost there! Here are numbers 4-6!

6) Duncan Tonatiuh, author and illustrator of Undocumented: A Worker's Fight (Abrams, August 2018). See the full interview here.

5) Suzy Lee, creator of This Beautiful Day (Atheneum, August 2017). See the full interview here.

4) Sophie Blackall, author and illustrator of Hello Lighthouse (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, April 2018). See the full interview here.

Can you stand the wait??

LTPB Top 15 Illustrator Interviews: #7-9

It's day three of the Top 15 illustrator interviews here on the site!

9) Jessica Love, author and illustrator of Julián Is a Mermaid (Candlewick Press, April 2018). See the full interview here.

8) Mariachiara di Giorgio, illustrator of Professional Crocodile with Giovanna Zoboli (Chronicle Books, August 2017). See the full interview here.

7) Author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen, creators of Triangle (Candlewick Press, March 2017). See the full interview here.

LTPB Top 15 Illustrator Interviews: #10-12

We're on the last week of the Top 15 series on the site in celebration of 15 years of the blog! Today we're counting down the most viewed illustrator interviews, and we're on numbers 10-12!

12) Poet Gro Dahle and artist Svein Nyhus, creators of Angry Man (NorthSouth Books, March 2019). See the full interview here.

11) Isabelle Arsenault, illustrator of Just Because with text by Mac Barnett (Candlewick Press, September 2019). See the full interview here.

10) Rebecca Green, author and illustrator of How to Make Friends With a Ghost (Tundra Books, September 2017). See the full interview here.

LTPB Top 15 Illustrator Interviews: #13-#15

This Top 15 series has been super fun to run this August--I hope you enjoyed it! Today we're launching the last week of the series, focusing on illustrator interviews. Every day this week I'll reveal three of the top-viewed interviews, starting with #15 and ending with #1. Three posts a day! Thanks for following along, and back to regular posts next week!

15) Sydney Smith, illustrator of Town Is by the Sea with text by Joanne Schwartz (Groundwood Books, April 2017). See the full interview here.

14)  Anna Walker, author and illustrator of Mr. Huff (Viking, April 2018). See the full interview here.

13) Shaun Tan, author and illustrator of Eric (Scholastic, October 2020). See the full interview here.

LTPB Top 15 Design Details: #1-#3

And here are the top 3 details posts from the site! 

3) Wee Unicorn by Meg McLaren (Charlesbridge, February 2025)

2) Rock by Laurel Croza and Matt James (Groundwood Books, March 2025)

1) HaiCuba/HaiKuba: Haikus about Cuba in Spanish and English by Lawrence Schimel, Carlos Pintado, and Juan José Colsa (Ediciones NorteSur, September 2024)

Next week we culminate the Top 15 series with illustrator interviews!

LTPB Top 15 Design Details: #4-#6

We're down to numbers 4-6 on the top details posts on this site!

6) The First Snow by Marie Stumpfova and Radek Maly (Albatros Media, August 2024)

5) When I Hear Spirituals by Cheryl Willis Hudson and London Ladd (Holiday House, May 2025)

4) Unnaturally Blue by Dorson Plourde and Byron Eggenschwiler (Kids Can Press, June 2025)

LTPB Top 15 Design Details: #7-#9

Today is numbers 7-9 of the top details posts on the site!

9) Making Light Bloom: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps by Sandra Nickel and Julie Paschkis (Peachtree Publishing, June 2025)

8) Lily the Pond Mermaid by Lucy Fleming (Candlewick Press, April 2025)

7) Safe Crossing by Kari Percival (Chronicle Books, January 2025)

LTPB Top 15 Design Details: #10-#12

We're continuing our countdown of the top 15 details posts on the site! Today we're showing off numbers 10-12.

12) When You Find the Right Rock by Mary Lyn Ray and Felicita Sala (Chronicle Books, September 2024)

11) Future by María José Ferrada and Mariana Alcántara and translated by Kit Maude (Tapioca Stories, May 2024)

10) Alphabeasts: A Monstrously Fun Book by Hazel Quintanilla (Flowerpot Press, September 2023)

LTPB Top 15 Design Details: #13-#15

For those just tuning in, this month I'm celebrating 15 years of the blog with the 15 most viewed posts across the site. The first week of the month we took a look at the top 15 casewraps/undies, last week was the top 15 endpapers/endies, and this week we're looking at the top 15 details posts, like spot glosses, copyright pages, foil stamping, and more. Tune in all week long to take a look back over the years with me!

15) The Shadow and the Ghost by Cat Min (Levine Querido, April 2024)

14) Let's Go! by Julie Flett (Greystone Kids, May 2024)

13) Bao's Doll by Bo Lu (Abrams Books for Young Readers, June 2024)

LTPB Top 15 Endies: #1-#3

And here are the top 3 endpapers on this site! 

3) Shark Girl by Kate Beaton (Roaring Brook Press, February 2025)

2) Sunday by Marcelo Tolentino (Blue Dot Kids Press, January 2025)

1) Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré and Cozbi A. Cabrera (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, November 2024)

Next week we'll take a look at the top design posts (excluding undies and endies) on the site!