Off the Wall by Theodore Taylor III; illus. by the author Primary Roaring Brook 48 pp. g 10/22 978-1-62672-294-1 $19.99 Part fish-out-of-water story, part ode to street art, this vibrant offering will grab readers’ attention. Narrator Sam is unhappy about a family move that has traded their “fast, busy...
[Many 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.] Patchwork by Matt de la Peña; illus. by Corinna Luyken Primary Putnam 48 pp. g 8/22 978-1-9848-1396-1 $18.99 Spanish ed. 978-0-593-53234-8 $18.99 A rhythmic...
[Many 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.] This Story Is Not About a Kitten by Randall de Séve ; illus. by Carson Ellis Primary Random House Studio/Random 40 pp. g 10/22...
I’m thrilled to share cover art by Mia Saine for my forthcoming essay collection Book Bonding: Building Connections Through Family Reading, debuting April 18, 2023 with Imagine Publishing, an imprint of Charlesbridge. Here and throughout the book, Mia’s warm, bighearted illustrations perfectly capture the cozy feeling I hope readers will experience...
A Place for Pauline by Anouk Mahiout ; illus. by Marjolaine Perreten Primary G roundwood 48 pp. g9/22 978-1-77306-609-7 $18.99e-book ed. 978-1-77306-610-3 $16.99 Pauvre Pauline! The eldest of three (soon to be four) children in a lively bilingual (French/English) household, she needs a...
Bottle Tops: The Art of El Anatsui by Alison Goldberg; illus. by Elizabeth ZunonPrimary, Intermediate Lee & Low 40 pp. g5/22 978-1-62014-966-9 $20.95This picture-book biography is a fascinating introduction to Ghanaian artist El Anatsui and his innovative artistic process. Early pages present Anatsui’s childhood love of artmaking in the British...
Have You Ever Seen a Flower? by Shawn Harris; illus. by the author Preschool, Primary Chronicle 48 pp. g 5/21 978-1-4521-8270-4 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-4521-8292-6 $11.99 The child in Harris’s pencil illustrations first appears as a bright patch of color within a grayscale cityscape and then emerges into a rainbow...
Over the Shop by JonArno Lawson; illus. by Qin Leng Primary Candlewick 48 pp. g 1/21 978-1-5362-0147-5 $16.99 As in Sidewalk Flowers (rev. 5/15), author Lawson conceptualized the story for this wordless picture book. Here, words appear only as text within the illustrations (a sign displays the name of the...
I admit I was immediately skeptical when I received a copy of the picture book Peanut Goes for the Gold by Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye fame, with illustrations by Gillian Reid. Though I’ve watched and enjoyed the show with my teenage daughters, I have a healthy suspicion of celebrity-penned children’s books. My leeriness was coupled with an...