Wendy Martin, fellow Missouri member of SCBWI, as well as many other authors and illustrators have banded together to make November Picture Book month. Here’s why: The New York Times declared, “Picture Books No Longer A Staple for Children” in an article published in October 2010. The controversial article incited a barrage of responses from the children’s book industry, many in defense of the venerable picture book. In addition, the digital age has ushered in...
I love Dan Yaccarino’s art style. Here’s his new book trailer:
Well, the stores have been playing Christmas music since Halloween, so I suppose it’s well past time to review a Christmas book. Little Star, written by Anthony DeStefano and illustrated by Mark Elliott (WaterBrook, 2010), tells the story of the Christmas star. This gentle picture book answers the question so many children ask, “Where is the Christmas star now?” The Christmas star in this picture book is like the Little Engine that Could. Little Star...
In honor of Halloween, check out Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer and illustratecd by Scott Magoon (Simon & Schuster, 2010). Monster Bernadette is “mostly monsterly. She lurche, she growl, she cause mayhem of all kinds.” Bernadette also has a soft side which gets her into big trouble when she goes to monster school. I met Tammy Sauer at the September 2010 Kansas SCBWI conference. She gave a hilarious speech on about the life (and...
What kid hasn’t taken a pile of junk (aka treasures), combined it with a heavy dose of imagination, and then spent untold hours making something wondrous? Violet Van Winkle does just that in Violet the Pilot. Written and illustrated by Steve Breen (Dial 2008), this picture book captures the imaginative spirit that all kids seem to possess. While other girls her age play with dolls and tea sets, Violet plays “with monkey wrenches and needle-nose pliers.” Violet also...
What do you do if you’re the new girl at school and no one smiles at you or talks to you or sits by you at lunch? Well, if you’re Lissy, you make a friend. You make an origami crane to be your new friend at your new school. Author/illustrator Grace Lin uses wonderfully vibrant patterns and colors to tell the story Lissy’s Friends (Viking 2007). As the new girl, Lissy hasn’t made friends yet, so she...
In March I attended the Missouri SCBWI Agents Day. One of the agents praised Dan Yaccarino’s The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau (Knopf, 2009) and sure enough, this is a fantastic picture book–biography, science, and nature all rolled up with wonderful text and artwork. Check out this trailer.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” A fire fighter, an Olympic speed skater, a veterinarian, maybe president of the United States? So You Want to be President? written by Judith St. George and illustrated by David Small (Penguin) gives the real scoop about being president. There are good things about being president: a big white mansion, a swimming pool, a bowling alley, and a movie theatre in your house. There are bad things about being...
Guaranteed, Malia and Sasha Obama are going to be famous first daughters. But long before Malia and Sasha made the White House their home, long before Jenna and Barbara, Chelsea or Amy, was Alice Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt’s oldest daughter and perhaps the most famous and celebrated first daughter ever. What to Do About Alice? How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! by Barbara Kerley and illustrated by...
Since it’s summer, probably the last thing you’re thinking about is a snow day. But in some ways, summertime seems like one long snow day–no school, a change in the schedule, extra family time. Snow Day! by Lester Laminack and illustrated by Adam Gustavson (Peachtree, 2007) praises those magical days (to kids and teachers at least) when school is cancelled and everyone gets to stay home. It all starts when a boy hears the weather report: “Did you...
