(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 …
When I read picture book biographies, I’m always interested in how the author manages to compress a long, full life into a limited amount of text. What gets included? And how is it all held together? The title of Debbie Levy’s biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg—I Dissent—gives us a clue …
On my hold shelf at the library this week was a picture book called THE JOURNEY by Francesca Sanna. The story is one of a family attempting to escape a war and travel in secret to a new place in order to make a better life. The author created this …
At the ALA conference in Atlanta last week, the winner of the 2017 Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children was RADIANT CHILD (written and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe.) And what a radiant book it is!
I was in Barnes & Noble, minding my own business, when some irresistible, voyaging animals caught my eye. I opened The Friend Ship, written by Kat Yeh and illustrated by Chuck Groenink, and happily set sail with this adorable crew. This is what Kirkus had to say about the book: …
Reverse poem. Poem reverse. Owl Sees Owl, a beautiful picture book written by Laura Godwin and illustrated by Rob Dunlavey. I’d like to just give a little shout out and applause that the cover reads, “Laura Godwin & Rob Dunlavey”. Because this is a picture book perfection where the illustrations move …
Five cities in six days. That’s how things rolled on my first book tour this October. I flew into a city, slept, woke up and visited two or three schools. Then I’d go the airport, fly to the next city, sleep and visit more schools. I traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin; …
Okay, everybody, repeat after me: She sells sea shells at the seashore. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Tongue warmed up? Then you’re ready for Emily Jenkins’ newest book, A Greyhound, A Groundhog, illustrated by …
So . . . it’s mid-January, the holidays are behind us, and there’s a long stretch of winter ahead. Which might make some of us a little grumpy. If you find yourself feeling a tad down in the dumps, take a look at Claire Messer’s Grumpy Pants (Albert Whitman, 2016) for …
Every year over the holidays my Mom-in-Law picks picture books to gift from a wishlist, and I love that feeling of starting a new year with a new stack of books. Among them this year are: Shakespeare’s ROMEO & JULIET, retold by Anthea Bell and illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger. The annual …