How could anyone not stop, pick up, and thumb through a book called Pete With No Pants. I mean curiosity alone would make me wonder 1) WHY is it a book, 2) is this appropriate, and 3) why doesn’t he have any pants, is he too poor to afford them? Were …
The Neuroticism of Accomplishment (#16 in a series) In the picture book world, for those unfamiliar, authors and illustrators are given the opportunity to have a look-see at what their soon-to-be, real-life book will look like. It is an assemblage of pages called an F&G, which stands for folded and …
Narwhal, Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton is a marvel. An undersea romp with confidence and joy and a little bit of absurdity. The opening line, “NARWHAL IS REALLY AWESOME,” pretty much nails this terrific little book. It contains short tales, natural history facts, and even a song …
(This is the post I was supposed to put up early last month. Kind of a new year’s post. I think early February still counts…) Last year was a tough year. It was full of fear and stress and disappointment and sadness. The passing of what seemed like an extraordinary number …
I picked up BECAUSE OF AN ACORN at my local indie the other day. I was drawn to it by the cover art. A lone acorn on the ground on what appears to be a perfect fall day in all it’s gray glory. Written by Lola M. Schaefer and her …
I am a huge Oliver Jeffers fan, so when a trusted employee at my indie book store brought me a new book by him and told me that everybody at the store loved it, I said, “I’m not even going to read it first, I’m buying it!” And I did. …
For my post today, I’m going back to a book that came out four years ago. It was a favorite back then and it seems appropriate today. As we get deeper and deeper into this campaign cycle, the volume for “contentiousness” keeps getting cranked up. The vitriol coming out of …
I’ve been a birder since I was 17 and took my first ornithology class. And although I don’t go birding nearly as often as I used to, I am still drawn to most anything to do with birds. So it was only natural to pick up a book called Nerdy …
Arthur Levine’s new picture book, What a Beautiful Morning, illustrated by Katie Kath, launches on August 8. It is a stellar example of treating a story concerning a serious issue with tenderness and joy. Full disclosure; this review may be biased for a couple of reasons. First of all, I consider Arthur a …
Mother Bruce, by Ryan T. Higgins, is not just another ‘are you my mother’ books. It is an hilarious story, wonderfully illustrated and with a lovely twist. Bruce is a grumpy bear who has a passion and an appetite for eggs. He searches recipes on the internet to find new …