Publications about books for children and young adults
Promoting good books for children and young adults is the heart of The Horn Book’s editorial mission.
Bernard Waber, Author-Illustrator The House on East 88th Street 48 pp. Houghton $3.00 Library edition $2.90 Tried out with a picture-book group, this tale of a domesticated crocodile named Lyle proved consistently captivating. In his story, Lyle wins the hearts of new residents of a New York City house where an actor has left him [...]
Kelsey Green, Reading Queen [Franklin School Friends] by Claudia Mills; illus. by Rob Shepperson Primary Ferguson/Farrar 122 pp. 5/13 978-0-374-37485-3 $15.99 g e-book ed. 978-0-374-37488-4 $9.99 Kelsey might be the reading queen of her third-grade class, but her throne is threatened when principal Mr. Boone announces a school-wide reading challenge: two thousand books read before [...]
Accessible text matched with dynamic illustrations in engaging cartoon-panel layouts help make graphic novels inviting packages for younger readers, struggling or reluctant readers, and comics-loving kids. The following sampling of recommended titles from the spring 2013 issue of The Horn Book Guide includes perennial-favorite characters, debut series, graphic-novel adaptations, and more. —Katrina Hedeen Assistant Editor, [...]
Harry’s got a new pet monster named Zub, and it only cost him three stickers, two sticks of gum, and one skateboard. Problem is, it seems like a bad trade: all Zub does is sit around, gurgle, and drip green goo everywhere. It’s not until after Zub sneezes that Harry realizes his monster isn’t lazy [...]
Need suggestions for beach reading or books to bring to summer camp? We’ve hand-picked some new favorites, all published 2012–2013, that are ideal for the season. Download a free PDF perfect for sharing with teachers, parents, and of course, kids. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion. Picture Books (Fiction [...]
The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny) by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer; illus. by Stacy Innerst Primary Harcourt 40 pp. 3/13 978-0-547-50991-4 $16.99 Since the early sixties, the Beatles have defined the musical landscape of the world, influencing generations of listeners and musicians. Beatlemania, from its beginning in Liverpool to the band’s final [...]
Last summer, website mom.me asked us to contribute to their feature “Books to Read With Your Teen Daughter.” Here are our recommendations from that article — plus a few new ones! — to get you ready for Mother’s Day. What YA book would you recommend for a mother-daughter read? Cindy: Cinder (Feiwel, 2012), the first [...]
All signs point to happily-ever-after in this interactive picture book app of the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood (Nosy Crow, April 2013). Vibrant, cheery colors set a lighthearted tone for wide-eyed and well-freckled Red’s familiar adventure through the woods to Grandma’s house. Unlike other, more gruesome renditions which often include an ax-wielding woodsman, [...]
Originality is everything in literature, as in art. “Originals never lose their value,” Ralph Waldo Emerson said. He may have been referring to Shakespeare and Wordsworth, but the statement is just as true of children’s literature. Of course, even originals owe something to the past — “we all quote,” Emerson acknowledged — but he did [...]
Five questions for Emily Jenkins Water in the Park: A Book About Water & the Times of the Day written by Emily Jenkins, illus. by Stephanie Graegin, Schwartz & Wade/Random, 4–7 years. Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money written by Emily Jenkins, illus. by G. Brian Karas, Schwartz & Wade/Random, 4–7 [...]
