Publications about books for children and young adults
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How can November be over? Somehow it is, and that means our Picture Book Month coverage is finished, too. I was so happy to see this rich mix of new and old material added to the site — and it will stay up for you to enjoy later in case you are feeling the pressures [...]
Continuing with the seasonal theme, Stead teams up with first-time picture book author Julie Fogliano for a gentle look at one little bespectacled boy and his garden. It’s a dear story of perseverance and patience, seeds and sun, and rain and cold. But, mostly it’s about brown and green. We are learning to anticipate and appreciate [...]
I so want to cheat and talk about two books at the same time, since illustrator Erin E. Stead has two books out this year, both gathering a pile of starred reviews. But I will not cheat. I will try to post two separate short discussions. But, that does beg the question. What will the [...]
Here’s a long post coming on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that we would start to get shorter. I’m justifying the length because I suspect Z is for Moose is one of the top contenders this year, and — if my research is correct — it is one of the two most starred picture books [...]
Oh, what has happened to us here at Calling Caldecott? Back in September, Robin and I set up a rigorous posting schedule only to find, a month later, that we were dealing with overwhelming time demands in other areas of our lives. I am amazed by Jonathan and Nina over at Heavy Medal. They must [...]
Here is where I confess–I chose this book before I had even seen it, based completely on the rave reviews it was getting from friends and in the press. This happened a few months ago and this reminded me of why I thought, “I think we will have to talk about hello! hello!” When Julie Danielson, in [...]
Well, between the election and storms of all sorts, it’s been a little difficult to concentrate, hasn’t it? My focus is returning and I would like to turn my focus to a book for new readers. Books for new readers have a specific structure to help the new reader successfully negotiate the story. (Some of [...]
I hope you all caught Barbara Bader’s picture essay last Thursday, “Absorbing Pictures and What They Say.” It’s not to be missed! Today, we’ve posted an oldie: Esther Averill’s “What Is a Picture Book?” from 1957 in which she discusses the difference between picture books & illustrated books, and the Caldecott Medal’s first twenty years. [...]
Breaking news! The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2012 have just been announced via Twitter. This year marks the 60th anniversary of this annual picture book award. Judges Chris Raschka, Bruce Handy (Vanity Fair), and Cathryn Mercier (director of the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College) selected the [...]
On Thursday the Horn Book will launch its contribution to Picture Book Month — which you may or may not be aware of. Last year Dianne de Las Casas came up with the idea of celebrating PBs with their own month, in part as a response to a 2010 article in the New York Times that said [...]
