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
Get ready for a strong, character-driven story. Meet CARMEN. But who's that kid in the background? Oh yeah, her little brother, Eduardo. Everything we need to know about the relationship between Carmen and Eduardo is shown on the title page: She is the star. He is her eager acolyte. On the first spread, it's made … Continue reading Lights, Camera, CARMEN! – Perfect Picture Book Friday
It's time for Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Book Friday! Thanks to The Brown Bookshelf's feature on Lucille Clifton last month, I discovered her picture books. But it wasn't easy to find them on a library shelf in San Francisco. They were sidelined in the "historical children's" section of the Main San Francisco Public Library. Three … Continue reading Everett Anderson – Perfect Picture Book Friday
"I am born on a Tuesday at University Hospital Columbus, Ohio, USA— between Black and White." Thus begins Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson's memoir in verse about growing up in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s. In chapter two, a three-page chapter titled "second daughter's second day on earth," she distills the … Continue reading Brown Girl Dreaming
Jilanne Hoffmann 