Others, written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Charles Santoso is a masterclass in how to convey a complicated concept by combining the perfect marriage of words and pictures. In this stunning picture book both text and illustration carry equally heavy loads and they do so in a very natural, …
Last year, Kashmira Sheth sent me a PDF of TAKING FLIGHT, her upcoming picture book with Nicolò Carozzi. Would I, she asked, consider writing a blurb for it? I read the book and instantly realized two things. Here’s what ended up going on the back of the book: “With gorgeous …
Since we’re now posting once/week, rather than twice, we eight bloggers no longer post monthly, but once every TWO months. While that eases our busy schedules, it makes us super-picky about our book choices for those rare posts. (Not complaining; it was my idea!) So, this month, I present to …
Hello Picture Book Builders! I don’t often share board books, but this one was just too adorable to pass up! Here’s my review: This genius little board book is perfect for any music lover and their little one. Using the structure of the song “Rock-a-bye baby,” McMullin introduces babies and …
In the past, I’ve taken on nonfiction picture book subjects that are a bit obscure, bluegrass legend Bill Monroe, outsider artist Nek Chand, the creatures in the Sargasso Sea. Those kinds of topics come with challenges: huge gaps in the historical record, few experts to draw on, and issues of …
Every once in a while, my editors will come to me with ideas for new books. It happened with Mostly Monsterly. An editor wanted a cute, young, funny Valentine’s Day story about friendship. Right away, I went to the library, read every Valentine’s Day picture book I could find, and …
Hello, Picture Book Builders! I’m so excited to have the wonderful Carmela LaVigna Coyle on the blog today! Carmela’s most recent book is titled, Anyone Else Awake? A Dawn Chorus, which is a fun and clever introduction to birds and their songs. According to the publisher, “This lyrical book about …
The Sweater, A Story of Community, written by Larissa Theule and gloriously illustrated by Teagan White, launches into our world with impeccable timing. Heading out for her hike, Holly notices a small bird and, “It was plain to see he’d been through some things.” The little bird desperately needs to …
A lot of beginning picture book authors write stories told from the view of an inanimate object. A toaster named Timmy. A chair named Charlie. A flower named Flora. While these authors’ intentions are good, their stories often aren’t. It is exceedingly hard to write a story that works using …
From Jill: Hello, readers! Our long-time PBB friend, Suzanne Slade, was kind enough to fill in for me this month to let us know what she’s been up to. I know you’ll all be as happy as I was to hear from her again. Take it away, Suzanne! Did you …