Judging a picture book based on humor alone really comes down to the sense of humor of the reader. On that note, let me state clearly that the books you’ll see here were just the ones that highly amused ME this year.
31 Days, 31 Lists: 2019 Rhyming Picture Books
December 5, 2019 by 2 Comments
The reason I celebrate rhyming picture books on lists like today’s is that they have a tough road to hoe. Scansion alone sinks many a vessel. Today, we raise a glass to the books that pull it off and pull it off well. The few. The proud. The successfully rhymed.
31 Days, 31 Lists: 2019 Picture Book Readalouds
December 4, 2019 by 6 Comments
The other day I had the unique pleasure of promoting some of my favorite 2019 books of the year with a room full of librarians. As in any kind of promotion, you tailor your talk to the needs and wants of your listeners. And what do librarians need at any and all times? Readalouds! Now […]
31 Days, 31 Lists: 2019 Board Book Reprints & Adaptations
December 2, 2019 by 2 Comments
Remember, only some picture books truly work well when adapted to a board book format. I also like to include on this list those books that have been out-of-print for a while and have come back. Enjoy!
101 Great Books for Kids (2019 Edition)
November 27, 2019 by 3 Comments
Sit back and enjoy Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids List (2019 Edition). We may not have the size or girth of a Chicago Public Library or NYPL, but when it comes to lists, we can play with the big boys just fine.
The Unexpected Ending: Picture Books That Stick the Landing in Weird, Wild Ways
November 19, 2019 by 1 Comment
oday, I’d like to pay homage to some 2019 picture books that not only know how to end, but do so in an entirely unexpected manner. You think you know what to expect from a book? Trust me when I say you’ll never see where these books are headed.
What Would Be Your Perfect Comic Collection for Kids?
November 14, 2019 by 44 Comments
Say you have a budget of $2,500 for a children’s comic collection. What do you put in there? What would you deem absolutely essential and what would you disregard? How many of the materials would be brand new? How many would be older, but essential?
Why Do We Build the Wall, My Children, My Children?
September 11, 2019 by
Is there any physical object out there that carries quite as much weight and symbolism as a wall? It’s gotten me to thinking about how walls are being portrayed in children’s books in 2019. Here then is a quick encapsulation of some of the walls I’ve seen, what they’re trying to say, what they’re actually saying, and what they should be saying.
Because I Said So: Three Books Dare to Ask “Why?”
July 24, 2019 by
In 2019 we will see the publication of three picture books that all shouldered a unique challenge: How do you turn a child’s propensity for asking “Why?” all the time into a story? It almost sounds like a writing exercise when I put it that way.
It’s All Relative: An Unexpected Trend in What We Value
July 17, 2019 by
Children find great comfort in absolutes. That which is right and that which is wrong. But the world we live in is filled with gray. It’s chock full of different perspectives and points of view. So kids would do well to learn how to consider something, whether it’s a number, a time of day, or a snowy sky, from a multitude of angles. A list of 2019 books for our times.
Do We Expect Nonfiction to Be Serious?
June 12, 2019 by
Funny Nonfiction isn’t particularly common, but it most certainly exists. But how do you go about it? Let’s look at some of the funnier books of 2019 and see how they tackled the challenge.
Poetry Month Ain’t Over Till I Sez It’s Over: The Shockingly Good Verse of 2019
May 7, 2019 by
Gather round me, ye children. I know we’re in May, but poetry can shine every day of the year if it wants to. This is all the new good stuff. You know you wanna know what’s worthy.
Science and Math: 2019 Appears to Know What It’s Doing
April 3, 2019 by
I can think of no better time to present to you the truly wonderful smattering of science and math titles for kids out in 2019 that struck me as worth knowing. They look to the skies, the plants, even inside our own craniums, so as to teach and instruct our young readers. Let us thank them, then, by taking a gander at their contents.
Top Five Alice: A Wonderland Ranking
March 19, 2019 by
If you had to rank your Top Five illustrated versions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, what would you choose? My choices are fairly standard, all things considered.
10 in 2019: Upcoming Picture Book Titles
March 14, 2019 by
Tooling about the internet yesterday, I ran across Travis Jonker’s recent blog post 10 to Note: Spring Preview 2019. Here then is my own list of upcoming 2019 titles that I simply adore. All of these are Picture Books. Thank you for the idea, Travis!
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