Wrack my brain though I have, I can’t think of a picture book that specifically discusses the mispronunciation of the protagonist’s name. I mean, we’ve had lots of name-related picture books. My Name Is Yoon. Chrysanthemum. The Name Jar. Alma. But about the way you say it specifically? Hmmm.
If you know Aaron Becker’s name it’s probably from that magnificent quest trio of picture books, Journey, Quest, and Return. Becker took a seemingly simple form, the picture book, and gave it breadth and depth without sacrificing child-interest and focus. But apparently that wasn’t enough of a challenge because now he’s created a board book and it’s a doozy of a marvel.
It’s a little crazy but do you know how hard it is to find a decent edition of Jack and the Beanstalk these days? The Galdone version is, I’m sorry, really weird and the E. Nesbit too long. Honestly, one of the best versions I’ve run across is Josh Funk’s It’s Not Jack and the […]
The book trailer. It’s a weird invention. When publishers started to create them, the librarians, booksellers, and educators sat back and tried to figure out their ultimate purpose. It’s been a little more than a decade since their emergence and I don’t think we’re any closer to determining their final purpose. I’m working on a […]
Yesterday I produced my Fall Prediction listing of 2019 Caldecott and Newbery contenders. But what if one of those books wins the Caldecott or Newbery Award proper? You know what happens in these cases, don’t you? Either the poor winner is so overwhelmed by the question “What’s Next?” from a populace expecting brilliance that they […]
Let me tell you a little something about reveals. They slot neatly into two categories: Cover Reveals and Book Trailer Reveals. Now Cover Reveals are pretty doggone easy. You just say you’ll show the book jacket of a book, even though you have the sneaking suspicion that somebody on Netgalley or edelweiss has probably already […]
Someday in the future, children’s literary scholars will specialize in fields like Historical Children’s Book Trailers. They will sift through a century or two’s worth of trailers, marking the significant changes, the highs, and the lows. And when they come to the late teens of this century, I hope that they’ll pause a moment and […]
A Video Sunday!! How long has it been? Too darn long, that’s what I say. And as it just so happens, we’ve a veritable plethora of goodies for you! So I think I’ll start with the official announcement of the very first Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. I chaired the Children’s category this year, so […]
Video Sunday is back, baby! After our extended month-long hiatus it’s time to stretch the old video muscles and get back in play. Now I don’t know about you, but this first video excites me considerably because it features an illustrator (and sometimes author) that I have never had the chance to see speak in […]
Top o’ the Sunday to you! Let’s get down to business, shall we? First up, the best of the best of the best. Now I have scoured the internet for information on whether or not documentarian Frederick Wiseman will be showing Ex Libris, his latest film on New York Public Library, on PBS any time […]
Every generation gets the Frida Kahlo picture book biography it deserves. Now at some point here I’m going to write an article about why some female figures get picture books biographies while others do not, and what trends in the greater pop culture landscape control these choices. Happily, I am of the opinion that the […]
There are book trailer premieres and then there are book trailer premieres. When Tundra Books asked if I might be interested in premiering the trailer for Rebecca Green’s simply adorable How to Make Friends With a Ghost, I thought it might be fun. Still, you know what’s even more fun that a trailer premiere? A […]
I just love the Evanston Public Library crew. Our librarians are uniquely talented souls. For example, each year they produce a new stop animation summer reading video. This year they got a bit ambitious and upped their game to a stop animation Rube Goldberg summer reading video. In other news, I thought this next video […]
Let me be clear – I don’t actually post every book trailer I’m asked to premiere. If I’m lucky, I may already love a book and then find myself offered the chance to debut it after previously falling for it hook, line, and sinker. How It Feels to Be a Boat by James Kwan fits […]
When I was a kid I didn’t know much about sports. I knew that the Tigers had won the World Series in ’84. I knew that there was a football player called “Refrigerator” and that sometimes football players took ballet classes (Mr. Rogers taught me that one). And I knew who Martina Navratilova and Chris […]
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