I missed seeing this book in 2021, so I'm here to give it some love right now. The end papers show the "before time." Illustration ©Harry Woodgate And then the first spread returns us to the present. Text/Illustration ©Harry Woodgate A child visits a grandparent who's lost his spouse. The child and grandparent play and … Continue reading Grandad’s Camper – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Mirelle Ortega, one of our featured authors at Kidquake this year, is also an illustrator whose debut picture book mirrors its title. It's magic! Let me tell you about the place I'm from, a faraway land brimming with magia. Powerful magic that twists and turns and touches everything around you. Text/Illustration ©Mirelle Ortega With those … Continue reading Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I was leafing through a pile of picture books (imagine that!), and found this gem. Daniel Minter's acrylic wash illustrations are vibrant and luminous in this 2019 Caldecott Honor book. They make me feel like I am peering through the translucent glass of time at a memory. Pure magic. On reunion morning, we rise before … Continue reading Going Down Home With Daddy – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
Just in time for Halloween, we have— It starts off innocently enough when Fred and Nell's parents head off for a pleasant evening, leaving the kids with Grandma: Pretty dull, isn't it? Grandmas all over the world are babysitting their grandchildren.... Should we just close this yawner right now? Talk about bait and switch! Where … Continue reading Grandmas From Mars – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I hadn't planned on going to my niece's wedding. She was getting married in Orlando last week and had planned a large party/reception for friends and family in Illinois in early July. In honor of her grandparents (my parents) who had been married 65 years, she had decided to get married on their wedding anniversary, … Continue reading Summer Life Saving
Hello everyone! Back for Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Book Extravaganza. My entry is the hot-off-the-press: Mama Seeton's Whistle by Jerry Spinelli (yes, THAT Jerry Spinelli). It has an old-fashioned look because it's an old-fashioned memory. And it's based on Spinelli's next door neighbor that he knew as a child. I dare say there won't … Continue reading Mama Seeton’s Whistle – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Jilanne Hoffmann 