Deft poetic language pairs with the resonant watercolors of Sydney Smith to create a book that is more than a memoir and more than conveying a message. This is pain, turned into art, and written for young children. Incomparable.
Review of the Day: Small in the City by Sydney Smith
October 23, 2019 by
Small in the City is not flashy or gaudy or loud. It is quiet and serious and oh-so very beautiful. Beautiful right down to its little paper soul. Once in a while, a reviewer gets to talk about a modern day classic. Today, I am that reviewer, and this is that book.
Review of the Day: Hey, Water! by Antoinette Portis
June 20, 2019 by
Appealing to older and younger readers alike, Portis has outdone herself with the book’s design and art. A book for everybody. After all, who doesn’t like water? Hey, Portis! You made a really good book.
Review of the Day: Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
September 24, 2018 by
Dreamers By Yuyi Morales Neal Porter Books (an imprint of Holiday House) $18.99 ISBN: 978-0-8234-4055-9 Ages 5 and up On shelves now Work in the children’s book business long enough and you run the risk of harboring grudges. Or, to be more specific, grudges o’ love. Grudges on behalf of the hardworking authors and illustrators […]
Review of the Day: Presenting Buffalo Bill by Candace Fleming
September 12, 2016 by
Presenting Buffalo Bill: The Man Who Invented the Wild West By Candace Fleming A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Book Press (a division of Macmillan) $19.99 ISBN: 9781596437630 Ages 9-12 On shelves September 20th I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we present history to our kids. Specifically I was thinking about picture book biographies […]
Review of the Day: When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julie Fogliano
March 24, 2016 by
When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons By Julie Fogliano Illustrated by Julie Morstad A Neal Porter Book / Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan) $18.99 ISBN: 9781596438521 Ages 6 and up On shelves now. I don’t think I can adequately stress to you the degree to which I did not want to review this book. […]
Review of the Day: The Airport Book by Lisa Brown
January 25, 2016 by
The Airport Book By Lisa Brown A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook, an imprint of Macmillan $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-62672-091-6 Ages 4-7 On shelves May 10th. Look, I don’t wanna brag but I’m what you might call a going-to-the-airport picture book connoisseur. I’ve seen them all. From out-of-date fare like Byron Barton’s Airport to the uniquely […]
Review of the Day: Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon
November 30, 2013 by
Herman and Rosie By Gus Gordan Roaring Brook (an imprint of Macmillan) $17.99 ISBN: 978-1596438569 Ages 3-7 On shelves now New Yorkers are singularly single minded. It’s not enough that our city be rich, popular, and famous. We apparently are so neurotic that we need to see it EVERYWHERE. In movies, on television, and, of […]
Review of the Day: Ben Rides On by Matt Davies
September 2, 2013 by
Ben Rides On By Matt Davies A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-794-4 Ages 3-7 On shelves now. The cartoonist as great children’s book author is not a given. Consider the sad case of Berkeley Breathed, for example. He achieved levels of unattainable brilliance when he penned Bloom […]
Review of the Day: Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales
June 24, 2013 by
Nino Wrestles the World By Yuyi Morales Neal Porter Books – Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-604-6 Ages 3-7 On shelves now If there is any topic on the lips and minds of librarians, teachers, and other gatekeepers it is the state of multicultural literature for kids today. Seems a week […]
Review of the Day: Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
March 14, 2012 by
Green By Laura Vaccaro Seeger A Neal Porter Book – Roaring Brook (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-397-7 Ages 4-8 On shelves March 27th Sometimes you just want to show a kid a beautiful picture book. Sometimes you also want that book to be recent. That’s the tricky part. Not that there aren’t pretty […]
Review of the Day: And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano
January 27, 2012 by
And Then It’s Spring By Julie Fogliano Illustrated by Erin E. Stead A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-624-4 Ages 4-8 On shelves February 14th Patience is a virtue. Riiiiiight. Actually it is, but tell that to anyone under the age of fifteen (to pick an arbitrary age). […]
Review of the Day: Bandits by Johanna Wright
January 11, 2012 by
Bandits By Johanna Wright A Neal Porter Book – Roaring Brook (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-583-4 Ages 4-8 On shelves now There has been inadequate use of raccoons in children’s literature. Seems to me that if you have a furry woodland creature with a homegrown mask as part of its fuzzy face, it’s […]
Review of the Day: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
April 7, 2010 by
A Sick Day for Amos McGee By Philip C. Stead Illustrated by Erin E. Stead A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-402-8 On shelves now Ages 4-8 Sometimes children’s book reviewers bandy about the term “classic” like it was some kind of verbal shuttlecock. There’s nothing that raises the savvy readers’ eyebrows […]
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