Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare, by Gene Barretta, Featured in SLJ Post on Expository Nonfiction

September 21, 2017

Reading nonfiction is an important part of any child’s elementary education. But kids don’t just like reading the popular genre of narrative nonfiction, in which true information is presented in the format of a story. Children also enjoy expository nonfiction, which are books that lay out the facts in a clear and easy-to-understand way. In order to highlight the importance of expository nonfiction, as well as present some excellent examples of the genre, guest blogger Melissa Stewart wrote a great post at the School Library Journal (SLJ) on expository nonfiction. One of her featured examples was Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare, by Gene Barretta!

Lincoln and Kennedy is an expository nonfiction book that compares and contrasts the lives of those two great presidents. Stewart praised it as a great example of using an engaging text structure. Each spread puts Lincoln and Kennedy side by side, and, as Stewart writes, “As a result, readers notice fun patterns as well as startling similarities between the two men’s lives.” Expository nonfiction books can be just as fun and exciting as fiction or as narrative nonfiction.

Melissa Stewart’s full blog post is available here. Lincoln and Kennedy is available for purchase here.

CBC’s 2017 Notable Social Studies Books for Young People List Includes Frank Morrison, Gene Barretta, Gerald Kelley

January 27, 2017

Every year the Children’s Book Council (CBC) releases a list of children and YA books with social studies themes that they consider to be exceptional in storytelling, themes, diversity, and illustrations. They have recently released the preview for the 2017 list, and three of our authors and illustrators have made the list!

Kindergarten to Second Grade:

• Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare, by Gene Barretta

Third to Fifth Grade:

• Grover Cleveland, Again!, written by Ken Burns and illustrated by Gerald Kelley
• The Quickest Kid in Clarksville, written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Frank Morrison

Congratulations, Gene, Gerald, and Frank! The full preview of recommended books for 2017 as well as more information about the selection process can be found here.

Gene Barretta and Josée Masse Included In NYPL’s 2016 List of Best Books for Kids

November 30, 2016

The New York Public Library recently released their list of the best books of 2016 for teens and kids. They chose 100 books in various categories for kids, and 50 for teens. Two of Painted Words’s authors/illustrators made it to that list! In the nonfiction category was included Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare by Gene Barretta. Echo, Echo: Reverso Poems About Greek Myths, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse, was included in the poetry category. Congratulations, Gene and Josée!

The entire list of books can be found on the NYPL’s site here. You can purchase Lincoln and Kennedy here and Echo, Echo here.

Praise for Gene Barretta’s Lincoln and Kennedy From Pantagraph

July 26, 2016

Pantagraph wrote a review of Gene Barretta’s historical picture book, Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare, which compares all the intriguing similarities between the two famous presidents, including their fights for civil rights. Pantagraph praises Gene’s presentation of historical facts, writing that “Gene Barretta shows kids how history can be a weird and wonderful thing,” and they add that he “allow[s] his illustrations to bring the smiles here.”

You can read Pantagraph’s full review here. Lincoln and Kennedy can be ordered online here.

Gene Barretta’s Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare Is Out Now!

June 14, 2016

Happy Book Birthday to Gene Barretta‘s Lincoln and Kennedy! See what the critics are saying…

“Lincoln and Kennedy don’t immediately lend themselves easily to a side-by-side picture-book analysis. Kudos to Barretta, then, who is stunningly successful at creating such a book by pausing at key moments of each man’s life to see what he’s facing and enriching the biography of both by comparison. . .this will obviously catch the eye of social-studies teachers, but the lively illustrations and inviting approach will entice independent readers as well”―The Bulletin

“The text reads easily, but it’s the cartoonish illustrations―big, bold, and set in cleverly designed pages―that will immediately grab kids’ attention. . . Engaging”―Booklist

“Lincoln and Kennedy is a marvelously original and important book. I can’t think of a better way to interest young readers in American history.” ―Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty! The American Revolution

Order your copy here!

Seven of Painted Words’s Authors/Illustrators Books Included in Bank Street’s Best Children Books of the Year 2017

May 2, 2017

Every year, the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education compile a list of the best children’s books of the previous year. Based on criteria such as literary excellence, quality of illustration, diversity, and emotional impact, these books are recommended for parents, librarians, and children. This year, Bank Street has chosen seven of Painted Words’s books as some of the best books of 2016!

Under Five:

• Spare Dog Parts, written by Alison Hughes and illustrated by Ashley Spires
• Who Wants a Tortoise?, written by David Keane and illustrated by K.G. Campbell

Five to Nine:

• The Quickest Kid in Clarksville, written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Frank Morrison
• Mouse Scouts: Make a Difference, by Sarah Dillard
• Don’t Call Me Grandma, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Liz Zunon

Nine to Twelve:

• Fluffy Strikes Back, by Ashley Spires
• Echo Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse

Bank Street’s full list of recommended books can be found here. Congratulations to our Painted Words artists and authors!

Echo Echo and The Opposite Zoo Receive Honorable Mentions on Huffington Post’s Best Picture Books of 2016

December 15, 2016

As 2016 comes to a close, it’s time for Best Books of the Year lists! Huffington Post recently published their list of the Best Picture Books of 2016, including two of our author/illustrators as honorable mentions. In the Best Concept Book Category, Il Sung Na‘s The Opposite Zoo, which illustrated the concept of opposites through the medium of a zoo at night, was included as an honorable mention. In the Best Poetry category was Echo Echo: Reverso Poems About Greek Myths, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse, which retold Greek myths through a unique poetic form. Congratulations, Il Sung and Josée!

The Huffington Post’s full article can be read here. The Opposite Zoo can be purchased online here and Echo Echo can be purchased here.

Gene Barretta and Josée Masse Included In NYPL’s 2016 List of Best Books for Kids

November 30, 2016

The New York Public Library recently released their list of the best books of 2016 for teens and kids. They chose 100 books in various categories for kids, and 50 for teens. Two of Painted Words’s authors/illustrators made it to that list! In the nonfiction category was included Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare by Gene Barretta. Echo, Echo: Reverso Poems About Greek Myths, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse, was included in the poetry category. Congratulations, Gene and Josée!

The entire list of books can be found on the NYPL’s site here.

Echo Echo, illus. by Josée Masse, one of SLJ’s Best Books of 2016

November 25, 2016

The School Library Journal recently released their list of the best books of 2016, and Echo Echo: Reverso Poems About Greek Myths, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse, made the list in the nonfiction section. Echo Echo retells classic Greek myths using the poetic format called reverso poems. Only 66 books were chosen this year to be included on the SLJ’s best of the year list. Congratulations, Josée and Marilyn!

You can check out all the books chosen by the SLJ here.

Gene Barretta, Gerald Kelley, Elise Gravel, Vanessa B Newton, and Josée Masse Nominated for CYBIL 2016 Award

October 10, 2016

The Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers Literary (CYBIL) Awards is an award given out every year for juvenile and children’s books that successfully combine literary merit and popular appeal. Every year, a list of nominees is created, and from this list, the winners are chosen. This year, five of our authors/illustrators were nominated for six different books!

Juvenile and Elementary Nonfiction:

• Sky High: George Ferris’s Big Wheel (Step Into Reading), written by Monica Kulling and illustrated by Gene Barretta
• Grover Cleveland, Again!, written by Ken Burns and illustrated by Gerald Kelley
• The Toad (Disgusting Critters Series), written and illustrated by Elise Gravel

Fiction Picture Books/Board Books:

• Mary Had A Little Glam, written by Tammi Saeur and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton

Middle Grade Fiction:

• The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs, written by Cylin Busby and illustrated by Gerald Kelley

Poetry:

• Echo Echo: Reverso Poems About Greek Myths, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse

Congratulations to our talented authors and illustrators! To find out more about the CYBIL awards and who else has been nominated, visit their site here.

Advanced Praise for Echo Echo

February 9, 2016

Echo Echo, the third collection of reverso poems from author Marilyn Singer and illustrator Josée Masse, turns its focus to Greek myths. The book comes out February 16th, and has already received lots of advance praise, including two starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. Echo Echo was chosen as a Spring 2016 Kids’ Indie Next List Pick, and Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast featured it in their 2016 picture book preview. Kirkus Reviews calls Josée’s art “gorgeous,” and Booklist calls it “enchanting.” If you want to check out what all the buzz is about, you can preorder Echo Echo here!

“Masse’s acrylics, dominated by RICH COLORS and vertical symmetries, evoke weathered frescoes… Details about the myths appear across the bottom

of the pages, further boosting the utility of another INVENTIVE exploration of stories readers thought they knew.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This IMAGINATIVE work is a symphony of cannily composed verse intensified by a palette of Aegean blues, sunlit golds, and delicate greens…

The demanding wordplay is DEFTLY HANDLED AND PRETTILY DISPLAYED… For those unfamiliar with the Greek myths, an encapsulated summary

is provided at the bottom of each spread. Verdict: A witty, seductive pairing of poetic imagination and artistic vision.”—School Library Journal, starred review

Watch Josée’s illustration process for one of the pieces from the book below.

Release of Elise Gravel’s New Book I Want a Monster!

March 3, 2016

Elise Gravel‘s latest book, I Want A Monster!, is now available for purchase! I Want A Monster! tells the story of a little girl who longs for a monster as a pet and her process of finding and learning to care for her monster. The School Library Journal calls it, “A fun, spirited read-aloud for storytime or classroom use.” A French version, Je Veux Un Monstre, has also been released.

You can order I Want A Monster! online here.

I Want A Monster! Receives Advance Praise from Quill & Quire

January 13, 2016

I Want A Monster!, Elise Gravel’s new picture book from Katherine Tegen Books, won’t hit shelves until March, but the positive reviews are already rolling in. Quill & Quire, Canada’s top book news magazine, praised the book in their January/February issue. They write, “Silly and offbeat, I Want A Monster! is more fun than a barrel of baby Oogly-Wumps.”

Pre-0rder your copy here.