Let's Talk Illustrators #388: 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

2025 Undies and Endies Awards: Nominations Open!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Once again I'm joining Travis Jonker and Carter Higgins for The Undies: Case Cover Awards and The Endies: Endpaper Awards!

Rules and nomination form for favorite undies are here.

Rules and nomination form for favorite endies are here.

Nominations close October 31. Good luck!!

Let's Talk Illustrators #376: Rafael Sica

I was lucky to get a chance to chat with debut Brazilian children's book and seasoned comics creator Rafael Sica about No One Slept, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato. It was such a thrill getting to talk to Rafael about his illustration inspiration for the book, which just so happens to be one of my favorite illustrators––but I won't spoil the surprise! Enjoy our chat!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: September 21-27, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Wolf in the City by Rachel Tilda Wolf (Scallywag Press, September 2025)
2. Benjamin Grows a Garden by Melanie Florence and Hawlii Pichette (Kids Can Press, September 2025)
3. I Don't Want to Go to School by Amélie Graux (NubeOcho, September 2025)
4. Woody's Words: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows by Lisa Rogers and Susan Reagan (Calkins Creek, September 2025)
5. Thank You, Old Oak by Britt Crow-Miller and Amy Schimler-Safford (Barefoot Books, August 2025)
6. My First Black and White Book: Play! by Pascale Estellon, translated by Post Wave Children's Books (Post Wave Children's Books, July 2025)
7. I Am So Strong by Mario Ramos (Gecko Press, August 2025)

      

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: SNOW KID

Once again, a Jessie Sima book jacket gets prime treatment! It's so shiny, who even needs to read the story inside (I do, I do!)?

Let's Talk Illustrators #375: Olga Fadeeva

I am excited to share my interview with Russian author-illustrator Olga Fadeeva today! She most recently created Sound, translated be Lena Traer, a fascinating look at the concept and history of sound (you'd be surprised at what you can learn about something most take for granted!). Enjoy a closer peek at this book! 

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: September 14-20, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Cake!: An Interactive Recipe Book by Lotta Nieminen (Phaidon Press, September 2025)
2. Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King and Maurice Sendak (HarperCollins, September 2025)
3. Cats and Us: A Ten-Thousand-Year Fascination by Marta Pantaleo and translated by Debbie Bibo and Yvette Ghione (Groundwood Books, September 2025)
4. All Around a Year by Mariana Ruiz Johnson and translated by Avi Silberstein
5. I'm Longer Than You!: An Epic Contest of Measurement by Carolyn Fisher (Kids Can Press, September 2025)
6. My Dog Smudge by Sujean Rim (Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, September 2025)
7. The Very Last Drop: Meet the Animals at the Watering Hole by Joanna Rzezak and translated by Post Wave Books (Post Wave Books, July 2025)
8. Nosy by Seymour Chwast (Creative Editions, August 2025)

       

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: EVERYTHING GROWS IN JIDDO'S GARDEN

So not only does this beautiful book have a gorgeous slipcase it comes in, but both the slipcase and the cover of the book are covered in bright green foil! What a stunning package!

Let's Talk Illustrators #374: Matthew Forsythe

Today I'm proudly sharing Matthew Forsythe's insights into his process for creating the funny and moving book Aggie and the Ghost. I hope you enjoy learning about this book as much as I did!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

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)