[Calling Caldecott posts this season will begin with the Horn Book Magazine review of the featured book, followed by the post's author's critique.] Emile and the Field by Kevin Young; illus. by Chioma Ebinama Preschool Make Me a World/Random 40 pp. g 3/22 978-1-9848-5042-3 $17.99 Library ed. 978-1-9848-5043-0 $20.99 e-book...
Author-illustrator Corey R. Tabor’s exuberant Mel Fell starts with a dramatic announcement from a baby kingfisher named Mel: today, with her mama away, is the day she will learn how to fly. Hiding in a tree hole, her siblings, Pim and Pip, watch with great concern as Mel marches to the end...
In her afterword for Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, artist Cozbi A. Cabrera talks about how she loved researching the life of legendary poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Cabrera thanks the staff at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Rare Book and Manuscript Library for allowing her to hold...
According to National Geographic, the average size of a worker honeybee is between 0.4 to 0.6 inches. And yet this little critter serves a mighty role in the food chain. Some humans may view bees as a pest, but we depend on honeybee pollination for many of the foods we...
In a December 2018 interview at the site Art of the Picture Book, Oge Mora mentions that a quote from her favorite painter Jacob Lawrence — "when the subject is complex, simplicity is the only way to treat it" — inspires her. She praises Lawrence's playful style, as well as the way he created...
In her illustrator's note for the rollicking Bear Came Along, LeUyen Pham writes, "This book is truly special to me. It was one of those rare stories that, the moment I read it, I knew exactly how it would look." Her vibrant illustrations, done in watercolor, ink, and gouache, reflect...
Raúl Colón's wordless Imagine! might be the most joyous picture book of the year.This inspirational companion to Draw! (2014), Colón's autobiographical story about a bedridden boy who becomes immersed in the safari drawings he creates, explodes with energy as a young man skateboards through New York City streets, over a bridge, and to the Museum of...
No illustrator creates animals the way Brendan Wenzel does. Once readers see a cat or a parrot or a tiger rendered in his distinct style, they may never look at the creature the same way again. And it all starts with those eyes. I call them Wenzelian eyes. The googly...
The Fan Brothers live in Canada. Are they eligible for the Caldecott? That question has come up on many discussion boards about Caldecott contenders. And the answer is yes. According to the Caldecott criteria, “The award is restricted to artists who are citizens or residents of the United States.” Although...