Debbie Friedman was a Jewish girl who felt music stir her soul from the time she was child. Text ©Ellen Leventhal. Illus. ©Natalia Grebtsova When Debbie Friedman was a little girl, music bubbled up inside her. All the time. Notes and melodies. Loud and quiet. Fast and slow. All swirling around inside her just waiting … Continue reading Debbie’s Song – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Turns out that a parallel story structure—tracing the birth of a star along with the life of the woman who discovered the heart of their fire—is a perfect narrative metaphor. Wrapped in a blanket of sparkling space, an unformed star waits for its bright future to begin. Text ©Kirsten Larson Illustration ©Katherine Roy So begins … Continue reading The Fire of Stars – Perfect Picture Book Friday
What can I say about a book that is so lyrical, so beautifully (and classically) illustrated, and holds up to read after read after read that there is nothing left to say? Well, I do have more to say: This is a story about Ruth Krauss, a child who always finds a way to be … Continue reading A Story Is to Share – Perfect Picture Book Friday
My introduction to Glenn Gould, the amazing pianist, came in 1993 when the film, 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould was released. Who knew that a skilled author (Sarah Ellis) and illustrator (Nancy Vo) could create such an engaging and masterful picture book biography about this man? (It is a master class for PB writers/illustrators.) … Continue reading As Glenn As Can Be – Perfect Picture Book Friday
On the half-title page, we are treated to a quote from Nina Simone: "When I die...I'm gonnna know that I left something for [my people] to build on. That is my reward." This biography elegantly shows the progression of a woman bent on making a living through her music, to a woman bent on fighting … Continue reading Nina: A Story of Nina Simone – Perfect Picture Book Friday
In my early teens, ©️I learned to play The Entertainer, loving its rhythm and the feeling that my hands were somehow accomplishing great feats while I enjoyed the song (after many hours of brainwork and practice that it took to keep my left hand hitting the backbone notes while my right hand capered off to … Continue reading King of Ragtime – Perfect Picture Book Friday
What we have here today, for your perusing pleasure, is history at its smelliest—a fascinating story that leads me to think more about the stench that emanates from San Francisco's storm drains every summer. But I digress. Let's head to London. From its water-borne disease vector endpapers to its funny and macabre illustrations, The Great … Continue reading The Great Stink – Perfect Picture Book Friday
A few months ago I reviewed a picture book about Edwin Hubble, The Boy Whose Head Was Filled with Stars. In that book, the author mentioned Vera Rubin, the woman who was interested in studying questions in astronomy that others (yes, mostly men) didn't bother with. And voilá, now we have her biography! Vera Rubin … Continue reading The Stuff Between the Stars – Perfect Picture Book Friday
There are picture books that tell you about someone's life, and you recall events. Then there are picture books that tell you about someone's life, and you recall how they made you feel. This is the latter. Note how we zoom in on Edwin at home as if we're finding him through the eye of … Continue reading The Boy Whose Head Was Filled With Stars – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I didn't know much about Zora Neale Hurston, except for the fact that I'd loved one of her most famous books, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Now that I've read this picture book, I want to know more. Text ©️Alicia D. Williams Illustration ©️Jacqueline Alcántara Just look at that girl, clutching her book, running barefoot … Continue reading Jump At the Sun – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Jilanne Hoffmann 