The poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “How can the biographer know when enough is known, and known with sufficient certainty? What about secrets, what about errors, what about small black holes where there is nothing at all?…And what about the waywardness of life itself—the proclivity toward randomness—the sudden meaningless uplift …
Beth Anderson is sort of a regular over here at Picture Book Builders, because, well, she is just so darn good at building picture books! I’m so happy that she’s joining us to talk about her latest book, HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: KATE WARNE AND THE RACE TO SAVE ABRAHAM …
Hello, Picture Book Builders people! I am very happy to announce Mary is back! In her first book, she brought some glam to her school. In her second book, she came up with a plan to improve her neighborhood. This time around she spreads the joy of music by orchestrating …
TOOT TOOT! That’s me tooting my own horn. Because a pretty fabulous new picture book has just been released, and I was fortunate to be part of it. MOVING DAY, is written by the talented author, Teri Roche Drobnick, and is her picture book debut. I thought I would ask …
One of my favorite things about reading nonfiction picture books is all the amazing things I can learn about as an adult in just a few pages. Like the La Brea Tar Pits. I don’t ever remember hearing about this natural and historical marvel until I read Joyce Uglow and …
Hello Picture Book Builders family! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the (fingers crossed) tail end of winter. Not sure where you are, but here in NJ, it has been c-c-cold, but I feel optimistic that spring warmth will be on its way soon! I have to admit …
I was thrilled to recently discover Hyewon Yum’s newest book, Toto, and order it for my library. This charming title covers a topic rarely seen in picture books: birthmarks. The unnamed narrator of this book has a pink birthmark on her forehead she refers to as “Toto.” Family and strangers …
I grew up in a “children should be seen and not heard” type of home–at least, that’s how I perceived it. It still takes a lot of effort for me to speak up and I’m definitely non-confrontational. I struggle with this, especially when there are calls to action on issues …
Would you look at this cover? I did. And then I bought the book. Because not only is it a great story— IT IS— STUNNING! Mr. Lepron’s Mystery Soup is written by Giovanna Zoboli, (translated from Italian by Denise Muir). And my heavens it is magnificently illustrated by Mariachiara Di …
As the headline states, today’s post has a little bit of everything bookish and good. So let’s jump in, in order! One book you should read I recently purchased TO SEE AN OWL by Matthew Cordell from A Room of One’s Own bookstore in Madison, Wisconsin. I buy and read …