It’s a difficult time to be a caregiver for a young child. Finding ways for children to safely socialize and play and to understand why the pandemic has driven the world into quarantine is a huge task. As a librarian, I wish I had more books to give caregivers to help. Writer Mikey Woz and…
Picture Book Roundup: Book Expo America 2019
Every spring, publishers, authors, and agents display their latest and upcoming books for booksellers and librarians in the huge industry show Book Expo America. This year, as I wandered the vast book fields of the Javits Center, my attention was particularly arrested by the range of excellent picture books on offer, from the smallest independent…
Review: Liza Jane & the Dragon
Liza Jane & the Dragon Writer Laura Lippman (Writer), Kate Samworth (Illustrator) Akashic Books October 2, 2018 An advanced reader copy of Liza Jane & the Dragon was provided by the publisher. Liza Jane & the Dragon is the story of a girl who thinks she can find better parents, so she fires her current…
Return To Sender: The Problematic Back and Forth of XO, OX
When I saw that Adam Rex had written a new picture book and Scott Campbell had illustrated it, I nearly jumped for joy. XO, OX: A Love Story is about a hapless Ox who exchanges confused letters with a diva Gazelle. Early reviews were positive, describing the book as a rib-tickling tale of opposites attracting, tender enough…
Dogears: The Power of Symbolism and Storytelling
Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation Edwidge Danticat & Leslie Staub Dial Books September 1, 2015 The complexity of immigration policy may be difficult to explain to a child, but many are affected by it. Saya’s mother is an undocumented Haitian immigrant who has been detained by ICE. To ease Saya’s suffering, her…
Picture This: Raggedy and the Cloud
This write-up is more personal than the other ones I’ve done so far, and I hope you will excuse me gushing for several minutes about some artists I love and admire. Sofia Prokofievna (b. 1928) is a Russian illustrator, poet, playwright, and, most importantly to me, the author of many original “fairy tales” for children….
Picture This: The Tree House by Marije and Robert Tolman
The Tree House (first published by Lemniscaat, Belgium, in 2009) is a wordless picture book created by the father-daughter team of Marije and Ronald Tolman. It depicts a couple of bears (and many other animals) hanging out in a treehouse that starts out in the ocean and ends up on dry land. The blurb on the…
Kickstarter of the Week: Adult Coloring Books
Were you that kid, too—did your parent know exactly how to get you out of their hair, and all it involved were colored pencils and a book full of empty line drawings? Were you that kid who disdained tables to lie flat on the floor, feet in the air, nose to crayon to coloring book for…
Picture This: Kazuno Kohara
Kazuno Kohara’s work spikes daily life with a shot of magic. The stories are firmly rooted in common situations (moving into a new house, playing during winter, visiting the library, and making friends), but with a supernatural aspect (ghosts, dragons, an elemental force, a witch, and talking animals). The narrative never points out these presences…
A Look At Random House Canada’s Upcoming 2015 Titles
This month, Random House Canada invited bloggers to their headquarters to get a preview of some of their upcoming 2015 titles. It was a great time where pizza was eaten and awesome transitional slides featured Danny Castellano and Justin Timberlake were viewed. Alas, this isn’t about the lovely Danny Castellano, but about the books, and I’m here…
This One Summer: Groundbreaking Caldecott Honoree
The 2015 Newbery, Printz, Correta Scott King, and Caldecott winners were announced on Monday, and hooray for all of the winners. Let’s fast forward to the really interesting part: this year’s Caldecott honor recipients.
Picture This: Tao Nyeu
Tao Nyeu’s work splices natural and domestic scenes together to a mesmerizingly adorable effect through the combined use of silkscreens and etchings. To date she has published three picture books as well as contributed to two anthologies, each work with a focus on friendship and non-conformity. Her storylines are peaceful and approachable for all ages…