Our son Jackson graduated from high school on Saturday. Cause for celebration, yes, but it also has me feeling a bit nostalgic. I love, respect and admire this young man who towers over me, and love that we can have adult conversations about all sorts of things—from news headlines to …
VIRGINIA WOLF, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, written by Kyo Maclear, is the story of two sisters — Vanessa and Virginia — one bright and sunny, and the other, well, wolfish. Vanessa tries everything she can think of to cheer her sister up, but nothing seems to work. In a quiet moment of resignation, …
Have you ever parked yourself in front of your computer, determined to write a fabulous, inspiring picture book, but you can’t come up with a single idea? Well, take heart! In Philip C. Stead’s new picture book, IDEAS ARE ALL AROUND, this talented author/illustrator shares the same struggle on his second spread – “I …
Last June, Ginny Louise made her debut in Ginny Louise and the School Showdown which introduces readers to one irrepressibly cheerful hedgehog who happens to be the new kid at Truman Elementary. Now Truman Elementary is not a typical school. Nope. Its student body includes the likes of the …
“My Two Blankets”, written by Irena Kobald and illustrated by Freya Blackwood is a rewarding blend of a lovely story and brilliant illustrations. I picked this book to chat about because I wanted to point out Freya Blackwood’s super smart illustration decisions. In this book, published in this country by Houghton …
Lisa Moser takes a different turn in her latest picture book STORIES FROM BUG GARDEN (Candlewick Press, 2016). Moser is known for traditional picture book stories like WATERMELON WISHES, KISSES ON THE WIND and RAILROAD HANK. But in her recent release, she creates a collection of delightful poems about a …
Say hello to Ollie and Claire, buddy story extraordinaire, by Tiffany Strelitz Haber, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Philomel, 2013). Hello, Ollie. Hello, Claire. But, no. I’m saying it wrong, because these two do everything together every day. Hello, OllieandClaire. Here’s how Tiffany Strelitz Haber introduces them: “Ollie and Claire were 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 …
So, to follow up on Eliza’s last post about appealing anthropomorphic characters, have y’all met Little Jumbo? If not, get your hands on a copy of How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler (Dial, 2014). What’s so appealing about the little guy? For starters, he’s a bit naughty. Personally, I like …
In two previous posts, I put out the call for everyone’s ‘Favorite Classic Animal Characters’ in picture books, and got two great lists going (to see the results of List 1, go here). Here’s the second list of books I explored: LIST 2: Mouse Books (Henkes) The Gruffalo (Donaldson and Scheffler) …