Giant Dance Party By Betsy Bird Illustrated By Brandon Dorman Greenwillow (an imprint of Harper Collins) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0061960833 Ages 3-7 On shelves now. Gotcha! I’m just messing with you. No, I’m not going to actually review my book here. I’m not going to wax rhapsodic over the hidden meanings lurking behind the mysterious cupcake [...]
Maria Had a Little Llama / Maria Tenia Una Llama Pequena By Angela Dominguez Henry Holt (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8050-9333-9 Ages 4-8 On shelves August 20th Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you a humbled woman. A woman who “knew” certain facts but, until she saw them working in her own personal [...]
No Fits, Nilson! By Zachariah Ohora Dial (an imprint of Penguin) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8037-3852-2 Ages 3-7 On shelves June 13th The small child is a frightening beast. A truly terrifying creature that can level the most powerful adult with the mere pitch of their fury laden screams. As a children’s librarian I used to tell [...]
The Dark By Lemony Snicket Illustrated by Jon Klassen Little Brown & Co. $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-316-18748-0 Ages 4-8 On shelves April 2nd You do not know the temptation I am fighting right now to begin this review with some grandiose statement equating a fear of the dark with a fear of death itself. You have [...]
Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great By Bob Shea Hyperion Books $15.99 ISBN: 978-1423159520 Ages 4-8 On shelves May 28th I feel like it’s only recently that pop culture has opened its eyes and realized that when it comes to mythical creatures, unicorns are the funniest animals. Sasquatches rank a close second and zombies have their [...]
It’s a Tiger! By David LaRochelle Illustrated by Jeremy Tankard Chronicle Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8118-6925-6 Ages 4-8 On shelves now There is an art to reading a picture book but I’ve not encountered many schools that actually teach that skill. Librarians will learn it in their graduate courses, of course, but what about parents and [...]
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters By K.G. Campbell Kids Can Press $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-55453-770-9 Ages 4-8 On shelves now When writing a picture book it can sometimes be a good idea to take a universal childhood annoyance and then build upon it in a satisfyingly ridiculous manner. And kids, let’s face it, are often annoyed. They have [...]
Jonathan & Martha By Petr Horacek Phaidon Press Inc. $14.95 ISBN: 978-0-7148-6351-1 Ages 3-7 On shelves now Ever tried to write a picture book before? Blooming bloody hard work they are. Synthesizing a point down to as few words as possible without sacrificing story or character is akin to trying to cram a muffin into [...]
Cat Tale By Michael Hall Greenwillow (an imprint of Harper Collins) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-191516-1 Ages 6-10 On shelves August 28th When we are old and gray and the stars gleam a little less brightly in the wide firmament above our heads, I have no doubt that there will STILL be children’s librarians out there debating [...]
The Word Collector By Sonja Wimmer Translated by Jon Brokenbrow Cuento de Luz $14.95 ISBN: 978-8415241348 Ages 4-8 On shelves now What is the ultimate goal of the picture book import? When someone takes the time to bring over and translate a work for children, they’re expecting that book to be able to say something [...]
Me and Momma and Big John By Mara Rockliff Illustrated by William Low Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-4359-1 Ages 4-8 On shelves August 28th The people of New York City are spoiled beyond belief. Many’s the time I’ve traipsed down the street and glanced at one of the passing skyscrapers or cathedrals thinking “in any [...]
East Dragon, West Dragon By Robyn Eversole Illustrated by Scott Campbell Atheneum Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-689-85828-4 Ages 4-8 On shelves now Sometimes the obvious can also be the impossible. Take dragons, for example. Now say you’re a children’s librarian and a five-year-old approaches your desk and asks you for [...]
Jimmy the Greatest! By Jairo Buitrago Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng Translated by Elisa Amado Groundwood Books (House of Anansi Press) $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-55498-178-6 Ages 4-8 On shelves now Once in a while I’ll be impressed by a book for kids, pick it up to review it, and in the course of writing the review become [...]
My Dad Is Big and Strong, But…: A Bedtime Story By Coralie Saudo Illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick Enchanted Lion Books $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-59270-122-3 Ages 4-8 On shelves April 17, 2012 Few picture book titles come with qualifications. More often than not they are statements of strong purpose. I Can [...]
Lucy Rescued By Harriet Ziefert Illustrated by Barroux Blue Apple Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-60905-187-7 Ages 4-8 On shelves March 27th My temptation whenever I review a children’s book that involves a dog in some way is to begin with a caveat that I am not a dog person. I’ve drawn from that well one too [...]
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