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
Looking for a picture book with a "classic" feel, one that exists in the realm of folklore meets magical realism? Here's a fabulous option hot off the presses. Text ©Philip C. Stead. Illustration ©Erin E. Stead Three farm animals gaze out the barn door into the moonlit night. Wondering. Waiting for the sun to rise. … Continue reading The Sun is Late and So is the Farmer – Perfect Picture Book Friday
In this beautiful book, three authors (from three different tribes) come together to shift the Thanksgiving narrative, honoring indigenous perspectives. A Wampanoag woman tells her grandchildren a story about how the harvest feast of 1621 came to pass, and it lays bare the truth: without the help of the Wampanoag people, the Pilgrims may have … Continue reading Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story – Perfect Picture Book Friday
There's a book I kept checking out from the library that I finally decided needed a permanent place on my shelf. A boy named Nigel has dreams he only tells the moon, because the moon won't spill his secrets. The moon is a safe confidant. Text ©Antwan Eady Illustration ©Gracey Zhang "Hi. My name's Nigel. … Continue reading Nigel and the Moon – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Hello everyone! Interrupting your regularly scheduled Monday for a perfect picture book that's fitting for Halloween day! The author, Donna Washington, is a professional storyteller, and her skills shine in this narrative. There were always Scares in Toadsuck Swamp, but Curly Locks didn't pay 'em much mind. The Scares kept to themselves. They only woke … Continue reading Boo Stew – Belated Perfect Picture Book Friday
If, after viewing this cover, you're not already half in love with this book and its topic, capybaras, then there may be no hope for your soul. Text ©Mike Allegra Illustration ©Jaimie Whitbread The rainforest was alive with squeaks, squawks, grunts, growls, hisses, harrumphs, and frenetic feather-and-fur-flying fury. It was quite the rumpus. No one … Continue reading Sleepy Happy Capy Cuddles – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I'm all for personification in picture books, be they lyrical or humorous, and especially when they involve a mix of STEM and social and emotional learning (SEL) topics, like this one. Acorn was a wild little thing, pointy on one end and capped on the other. Text ©Jen Arena. Illustration ©Jessica Gibson He was the … Continue reading Acorn Was a Little Wild – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I usually try to review the latest and greatest or upcoming picture books here, but someone told me about this book awhile back, and, well, it's published by Neal Porter/Holiday House, and that usually means the reader is in for a treat. I missed this one when it came out in 2019, so I'm rectifying … Continue reading Hum and Swish – Perfect Picture Book Friday
As a country kid at heart, I identify with city-living Frances and her itch to DO THINGS! The problem is Text ©Liz Garton Scanlon. Illustration ©Sean Qualls City walls aren't for climbing and city cats aren't for catching. (Don't you just love that alliteration and assonance?) Text ©Liz Garton Scanlon. Illustration ©Sean Qualls City rooms … Continue reading Frances in the Country – 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
Jilanne Hoffmann 