I always have a wonderful time at the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) conference, and last week was no different! Celebrating books with other book lovers and creators always fills my well and gives me hope for the future. I started off the conference by doing a Build …
Today’s picture book bounty is a double feature of new books by Maria Gianferrari: Thank a Farmer (illustrated by Monica Mikai) and Fungi Grow (illustrated by Diana Sudyka). Before my interview with Maria, here are quotes from a few reviews: “Rooted in gratitude, this educational title explains in simple yet …
Here’s the book description: “A young girl helps her dad navigate life in a new country where she understands the language more than he does, in an unforgettable story about communication and community. Angie is used to helping her dad. Ever since they moved to Canada, he relies on her …
Granny and her granddaughter are going on a walk. But this is not just any walk. It’s a walk that must not be missed–one that is more important than ever, but that has been made increasingly difficult for many to participate in. It’s a walk that joins together a community, …
After spending two weeks in Singapore earlier this year and then two weeks in Shanghai, I’m in serious dumpling withdrawal. So what better time than to read picture books about dumplings? A quick search revealed that other authors also have dumplings on the brain. I only needed two books to …
We are absolutely thrilled to have Rajani LaRocca on Picture Book Builders today to talk about her newest picture book, Summer Is for Cousins!! If you didn’t already know, Rajani is the Newbery Honor-winning author of Red, White, and Whole, a middle grade novel in verse. She also writes fiction …
Andrea: It’s my favorite kind of birthday–a book birthday! Today on PBB we’re celebrating Frances Gilbert and her latest wonderful picture book, Can You Hug a Forest? Hi and happy book birthday, Frances! It’s great to have you back on Picture Book Builders! Can you tell us about Can You Hug …
For the past week, one picture book has been on my mind a lot. Love in the Library, by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Yas Imamura, was published in February 2022. It received multiple starred reviews and I added it to my extensive TBR list. There it stayed until last …
There’s a part of my school visit presentation where I ask students for the definitions of nonfiction and fiction, and then quiz them about what genre they think each of my books fall into. It’s usually quick–kids are super bright, after all–and then I move on to other topics. But …
As 2022 came to a close, I had the incredible honor of being asked to write a review for The New York Times. The two picture books I reviewed were My Strange Shrinking Parents, written and illustrated by Zeno Sworder, and The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name, written …