Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong by Lesa Cline-Ransome; illus. by James Ransome Primary Holiday 40 pp. 4/16 978-0-8234-3428-2 $16.95 e-book ed. 978-0-8234-3598-2 $16.95 Today’s child may know Louis Armstrong only as the trumpeter of “What a Wonderful World” or as a character in an old movie; the Ransomes’ newest […]
Archives for June 2016
2016 CSK Illustrator Award Acceptance by Bryan Collier
June 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
I would like to give thanks to all the members of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards committee for their hard work in shining a light on Trombone Shorty, as well as on many other important books. A special thanks goes out to my agent, Marcia Wernick, and to the staff of Abrams Books, especially […]
2016 CSK Author Award Acceptance by Rita Williams-Garcia
June 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Good morning, family. I am overjoyed to once again stand before you. Honestly, I hoped for a Coretta Scott King Honor. I just wanted to be here at the table, as one of the many being honored. You would think that by now, I’d have it together. I would know: put the phone by the […]
Review of Grayling’s Song
June 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Grayling’s Song by Karen Cushman Intermediate Clarion 210 pp. 6/16 978-0-544-30180-1 $16.99 g Cushman’s previous works (The Midwife’s Apprentice, rev. 7/95; Will Sparrow’s Road, rev. 11/12; etc.) fall into the realm of historical fiction; this novel is historically based but a fantasy, set in a culture inspired by, but not wedded to, medieval Europe. It’s […]
Back from ALA
June 28, 2016 by 1 Comment
I’m back from ALA, but I hope that before Conference gets too far behind us that everybody takes a few minutes to read Christopher Myers’ meditation on the killings in Orlando that happened earlier this month. Chris proposed this piece to me last Tuesday night via email and got it to me Thursday morning; we […]
Drawing My Dream: 2016 Wilder Medal Acceptance by Jerry Pinkney
June 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
When I was notified about the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, I was struck once again with the revelation that drawing changed the trajectory of my life. More than that, actually — drawing changed me. I was born in 1939, smack in the middle of a family of eight, and in the middle of another turbulent […]
In a word…the logophile’s journey
June 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Every group text, email chain, and Facebook thread has one… that one member who can’t help but change someone’s “who” to “whom,” who balks at the improper use of “their” and “there,” and who inserts the little star symbol to indicate a correction on a daily basis. Yes, indeed, some may see it as a […]
Review of The Moon’s Almost Here
June 27, 2016 by 1 Comment
The Moon’s Almost Here by Patricia MacLachlan; illus. by Tomie dePaola Primary McElderry 32 pp. 6/16 978-1-4814-2062-4 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-4814-2063-1 $10.99 MacLachlan’s lyrical text combines with ethereal illustrations by dePaola in this simultaneously nostalgic and fresh bedtime book. A generous trim size gives dePaola ample space for the sky under which his characters, the […]
2016 Caldecott Medal Acceptance by Sophie Blackall
June 27, 2016 by 1 Comment
“What about a story?” said Christopher Robin. “What about a story?” I said. “Could you very sweetly tell Winnie-the-Pooh one?” “I suppose I could,” I said. “What sort of stories does he like?” “About himself. Because he’s that sort of Bear.” I am also that sort of bear and I’m going to tell you stories […]
2016 Newbery Acceptance by Matt de la Peña
June 27, 2016 by 17 Comments
“I had never known, never even imagined for a heartbeat, that there might be a place for people like us.” This is the last line of Denis Johnson’s short story collection Jesus’ Son, and it describes perfectly the way I felt way back in 2003 when I was informed that my first novel, Ball Don’t […]
