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’ve admired David LaRochelle’s books for many years, ever since reading The Best Pet of All, a clever twist on the kid-wants-dog tale. Then there’s It’s a Tiger!, which has to be one of the best read-alouds of all time. (Really. Check it out.) So I’m thrilled that David agreed to …
One of the unforeseen joys of writing and illustrating picture books has been that of making friends with other writer/illustrators, and seeing their books come out into the world. I think I’m often just as excited for and proud of them as when my own books come out. One of these …
Two gorgeous science books, BABY LOVES QUARKS! and BABY LOVES AEROSPACE ENGINEERING!, written by Ruth Spiro (illustrated by Irene Chan) released earlier this month from Charlesbridge. Being a science nerd, I instantly fell in love with these gorgeous and engaging books. So I’m extremely pleased to have author Ruth Spiro join …
Over the years, I’ve shared many of the books I love on Picture Book Builders. There was A Hungry Lion: A Dwindling Assortment of Animals, written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins. I love that it’s subversive, funny, and unexpected. There was Mimi and Bear in the Snow, written and …
I found two picture books that I really like. And the funny thing is, they are both wordless and both use a limited color palette. First up is SPOT, THE CAT, by Henry Cole. This book has utterly delightful, very detailed, black and white line illustrations with all the charm and …
Hello again, it’s Barb Rosenstock. PBB asked me to return to fill-in for Pat Zietlow Miller for a few months. I decided to develop a series of posts on picture book editors by interviewing the style-makers and award-winners—the folks who run their own imprints. I hope you learn as much …
Ahhh, October. My favorite month, wrapped in the cozy blankie of my favorite season. Crisp air, blue skies, fire-shaded leaves, harvest, apple pies. Lots to love. One new thing I love is – surprise – a picture book, one I discovered in a Wisconsin bookstore while between presentations this past …
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. …
Been to the movies lately? Then maybe, like me, you’ve seen the trailer for Loving, a soon-to-be-released film about Mildred and Richard Loving, the Virginia couple jailed for their interracial marriage in 1958. The preview shows several disturbing scenes and menacing encounters, including a chilling middle-of-the-night arrest. Watching the trailer prompted …