Rachel G. Payne
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Your Farm | Your Forest | Your Island
Could an original board book ever win a Caldecott? This blog has contemplated this question, most notably in 2018 (“All A-Board: Why the Hell Hasn't a Board Book Won the Caldecott!?”) when Elisa Gall and Jonathan Hunt lamented that Llamaphones by French resident Janik Coat was not eligible and wondered...
The Writer's Page: The Impossibility of Writing Board Books
I started writing books for very young children in anger. A strange admission, I know. I was receiving a wobbly stack of board books to review for Kirkus each month, and I often vented about how developmentally inappropriate many were. I got holiday titles that read like extra-thick greeting cards...
Board Book Roundup: The Fabric of Baby Books
Which material to use to help the printed word survive rambunctious young readers is a long-running question, with solutions ranging from the translucent mica of early hornbooks to Tyvek in twenty-first-century “Indestructibles.” One solution is fabric. Books for children were first printed on cotton or linen in 1902 by toy...
Board Book Roundup: A Golden Age of Board Books
Recently, a marketing professional in children’s publishing said to me, “This truly is the golden age of board books!” I found myself in agreement. Creators are experimenting with the format in new, inventive ways. I’ve been impressed with the many board books that are beautifully designed with lovely art and...
Board Book Roundup: Board Book Adaptations: When Picture Books Get on Board
One of my favorite picture books was re-released in 2023 as a board book: Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Ho Baek Lee (Clarion). It’s a faithful, uncut adaptation, but the new cover wisely zooms in on the young protagonist. Often board book versions of time-tested hardcover picture...
Baby-Testing Board Books: A Report and a Roundup from a Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award Jury Member
In January, 2023, the first jury of the Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award met online to select the recipients of this nascent award administered by the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education. I was happy to be among this great group of professionals serving on the...
Board Book Roundup: Mirrors and Holes and Flaps, Oh My!
Board books often include features that entice little fingers to pull, twist, and lift, sometimes blurring the line between book and toy. This is fine by me; little ones should play with their books! Although such board books are often called “novelty books” and derided as gimmicky, they don’t have...
Board Book Roundup Plus Five Questions: Summer 2022
For over twenty years a team of librarians, educators, creators, and others who work with young children and families have been compiling a “Best Books for Babies” list in (where else?) the city that Fred Rogers called home: Pittsburgh, PA. In fact, Mr. Rogers was a consultant on the list...
Board Books Get an Award of Their Own
Board books don’t tend to win major awards. True, a handful have been named ALA Notable Children’s Books, including one of my all-time favorites, Global Babies by the Global Fund for Children. Many a Caldecott winner has later been republished in board book format, and some work well, notably Kevin...
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