I read a lot of picture books in 2021. And, I talked about some of them on this blog. But, as I looked back on the year, I found three books I truly meant to talk about, but did not. So, now seems like a great time to highlight these …
I first met Colleen Paeff at a nonfiction retreat in 2016, and she was one of those friendly, smart, savvy people you just knew was going to succeed. Flash forward a few short years, and voila! She’s made her debut-riffic splash with THE GREAT STINK – How Joseph Bazalgette Solved …
The Creature of Habit is novelist Jennifer E. Smith‘s first picture book. It is illustrated by Leo Espinosa. It was pointed out to me by a very favorite bookstore owner. I was Christmas shopping on Small Business Saturday in November without any real list of what I wanted to buy …
With winter winds howling, and some of us wading through snow, who couldn’t use a story about a sweet crush to warm us up? Releasing today (January 4, 2022), Charlotte Sullivan Wild’s picture book, LOVE, VIOLET, is just the ticket. Illustrated by Charlene Chua, and published by Farrar, Straus and …
Friends – This is my last post with Picture Book Builders, and I want you to know how grateful I am to have spent two wonderful years with you – celebrating words, art, storytelling, and our collective love of children’s books! By now, you know how much I love tips, …
With the end of 2021 rapidly approaching, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a new book about the end of one thing and the beginning of something new. HELLO, TREE by Ana Crespo and illustrated by Dow Phumiruk is subtitled “A story about regrowth.” When a …
On behalf of all of us at Picture Book Builders, I wanted to wish you a lovely holiday season. Thank you for taking the time to read, comment on, and share our posts. We hope you have enjoyed them. We look forward to sharing many wonderful picture books with you …
I Do Not Like Yolanda By Zoey Abbott Behold the power of a great cover— a mysterious title + a side-eyed glance = is what made me pick up this winner of a picture book. Bianca loves to write letters. On the front end pages we see some of Bianca’s illustrated …
People learn in different ways. Some, by reading words. Others, by listening to or watching people explain things. And others, by looking at graphs, charts or pictures. I’ve always learned best by reading. In eighth grade, I even taught myself to do a cartwheel and the splits by reading a …
What better time of year for a simple-yet-brilliant book that features kindness and multi-species inclusion and making room for everybody? Fortunately, I’ve got just the title. It’s Jean Reidy’s GROUP HUG, illustrated by Joey Chou. This STARRED review from Kirkus says it better than I could: “This sweetly endearing charmer, …