I read a moderately-sized stack of brand-new, holiday-themed children’s books this week but want to write today about one that stood out. If, like me, you want something different this year, look no further than Otto and the Secret Light of Christmas, written by Nora Surojegin and illustrated by Pirkko-Liisa Surojegin. If you don’t recognize the names of the author and illustrator, that’s because this is an import from Finland, translated by Jill G. Timbers. It was originally published in ...
Welcome to the week that many of us gather around a table for Thanksgiving and dine with family members. Much has been made of Thanksgiving 2016 and how hanging over the dinner table will be the specter of politics and potentially calamitous points of view about the President-elect and the future of this country. All I can say is: I wish everyone luck.
But I can also say that there’s a new picture book about gathering around a table that ...
Jeannine Atkins photographed by Peter Laird.
Three girls. Three time periods. Three scientific fields. Jeannine Atkins’ new novel, Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science, covers the girlhoods of Maria Merian, a naturalist and scientific illustrator, born in Germany in 1647; Mary Anning, a paleontologist born in England in 1799; and Maria Mitchell, an astronomer born in Massachusetts in 1818. Atkins tells their remarkable stories and captures their brilliant minds in this beautifully-crafted novel in free verse, one the Kirkus review calls “inspirational and informative”.
I ...
Just this week, author-illustrator Sergio Ruzzier shared at his site “Helpful Books for Disturbing Times.” He wrote:
Here is a small selection of children’s books that I personally find helpful and
perhaps hope-inducing without trying to hammer a moral lesson into your head,
which could be not only painful but counter-productive.
Just last week at this time, given the election results, I wasn’t at all in the mood for lists like this. But not only do I like the ...
As I write this, it’s November 9, the morning after election night. I, like many Americans, am in shock over the results. Stunned and saddened that Donald J. Trump is President-elect of the United States, that racism and bigotry and blatant misogyny and xenophobia and many more hate-filled ideologies won the day. I normally write here about children’s literature and submit my words to an editor at Kirkus. (Ahem, now is when I should note the all-important disclaimer: The views ...
Brian Biggs photographed by Sacha Adorno.
Big. Bright. Friendly. A crowd pleaser. These are just some of the words the Kirkus review uses to describe Brian Biggs’ Tinyville Town Gets to Work!, the picture book launch of his new Tinyville Town series. Fans of his Everything Goes series know what’s in store when Biggs is behind books for preschool-aged children – engaging text and art that informs and entertains and never once talks down to readers.
I chatted with Brian via email about what’s next for ...
Back in September, I wrote here at Kirkus about Francesca Sanna’s The Journey, released in September by Flying Eye Books. It’s a story of the plight–and flight–of refugees. I’ve watched with interest this year the release of a small handful of other picture books about refugee struggles and want to take a look at them today. There’s a little bit of something for everyone here, both in storytelling and artistic medium.
Let’s start with a moving offering from Groundwood Books ...
One of my favorite podcasts, Pop Culture Happy Hour, closes every week with a roundtable question for the podcasters who run the show over there: “What is making you happy this week?” I’m asking myself that question today, but I’m thinking of picture books. Here’s my response, a handful of five new picture book titles worth your time.
Candace Fleming’s Giant Squid, illustrated by Eric Rohmann – Good things happen when Fleming and Rohmann collaborate, and this particular ...
