Endpapers for the end of your week!

Let's Talk Illustrators #313: Aly McKnight

I am so excited to share my interview with Aly McKnight here with you all day! I can tell that Aly is an illustrator on the rise from her book The Gift of the Great Buffalo––lots of great things to come from Aly soon! Check out her process for The Gift of the Great Buffalo, written by Carole Lindstrom, below.

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: February 16-22, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. Greatness by Regis and Kahran Bethencourt (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, January 2025)
2. Thread by Thread by Alice Brière-Haquet and Michela Eccli and translated by Sarah Ardizzone (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, February 2025)
3. Duckie & Snaps: We Cannot Be Friends by Ame Dyckman and Tim Miller (Orchard Books, February 2025)
4. Moví La Mano / I Moved My Hand by Jorge Luján and Mandana Sadat and translated by Elisa Amado (Groundwood Books, January 2025)
5. Happy Holi!: Celebrating the Festival of Colors by Chitra Soundar and Amberin Huq (Bloomsbury Children's Books, February 2025)
6. Ada, Are You Ready? by Daishu Ma (Candlewick Press, January 2025)

 

    

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: WEE UNICORN

This book is a three-fer! We have spot gloss on the front PLUS a subtle, white sparkle treatment for the wee unicorn and book title, AND there's a cute barcode design on the back! Chef's kiss!!

 

DUAL-FUNCTIONING BOOKS

There are some really cool books out there that go beyond being brick-and-mortar "text and illustration" books. They take things to the next level in that the physical book becomes a key part of the experience and incites its own separate experience. I have dubbed these dual-functioning books because––as the name would suggest––these books serve two functions: To be a book and to be something beyond a book. Check out some examples below!

                    

click on a book cover to see more

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: February 9-15, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. When Spring Comes by Ekaterina Trukhan (Nosy Crow, February 2025)
2. Little Lion Girl by Olivia Hope and Fiona Woodcock (Bloomsbury Children's Books, February 2025)
3. Nearly Exactly Almost Like Me by Jennifer Bradbury and Pearl Auyeung (Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, February 2025)
4. Dream a Dress, Dream a Poem: Dressmaker and Poet, Myra Viola Wilds by Nancy Johnson James and Diana Ejaita (Abrams Books for Young Readers, January 2025)
5. One Day: A True Story of Survival in the Holocaust by Michael Rosen and Benjamin Phillips (Candlewick Studio, January 2025)
6. Soy Sauce! by Laura G. Lee (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, January 2025)
7. What the Kite Saw by Anne Laurel Carter and Akin Duzakin (Groundwood Books, January 2025)
8. Cat and Bird by Jo Empson (Child's Play International, October 2024)

       

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Let's Talk Illustrators #312: Victor Bizar Gómez

It was both a pleasure and an honor getting a chance to talk to Victor Bizar Gómez about his picture book from late last year We Sing from the Heart, written by Mia Wenjen. This powerful book is stunning brought to life by Gómez's illustrations, and I'm so glad I get a chance to share the inner workings of this book with you all today!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: February 2-8, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison's Life in Stories by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Daniel Minter (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, January 2025)
2. Zayde Babysits Before Passover by Jane Sutton and Kate Chappell (Kar-Ben Publishing, January 2025)
3. Girls on the Rise by Amanda Gorman and Loveis Wise (Viking Books for Young Readers, January 2025)
4. Ping's Perfect Pot by Helen H. Wu and Zihua Yang (Beaming Books, January 2025)
5. Saturday Morning at the 'Shop by Keenan Jones and Ken Daley (Beach Lane Books, January 2025)
6. Willow Takes on the Weather by Rachel Noble and Annabel Tempest (Page Street Kids, January 2025)

     

Endpapers for the end of your week!

Down to the Last Detail: HAICUBA/HAIKUBA

I absolutely love love love how the copyright info is handled on the back endpapers of this book! The back endpapers are a night version of the front, but the lighthouse highlighting the Spanish copyright info is hands-down the best design piece of this book!

Let's Talk Illustrators #311: Marcelo Tolentino

I guarantee that the moment you see Marcelo Tolentino's artwork for the first time your breath will be taken away. His picture book Sunday is no different! I'm so pleased to share my interview here with Marcelo about this stunning book that transports readers to a new kind of Sunday. Enjoy!

Case(wrap) of the Mondays

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

Crushes of the Week: January 26-February 1, 2025

This week's crushes:

1. SOS Water by Yayo (Tradewind Books, June 2024)
2. Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl by Erica Lee Schlaikjer and Cinyee Chiu, translated by Shan Li Bannai Serasis (Sleeping Bear Press, August 2024)
3. The One & Only Googoosh: Iran's Beloved Superstar by Azadeh Westergaard (Viking Books for Young Readers, November 2024)
4. We Are Lion Dancers by Benson Shum (Penguin Workshop, December, 2024)
5. The Secret Gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett by Angelica Shirley Carpenter and Helena Pérez García (Bushel & Peck Books, July 2024)
6. The Elephant and the Purim Crown by Haviva Kierzenblat and Rebeca Luciani (Kar-Ben Publishing, January 2025)
7. Make a Pretty Sound: A Story of Ella Jenkins--The First Lady of Children's Music by Traci N. Todd and Eleanor Davis (Chronicle Books, January 2025)