Night on the Sand (HarperCollins) by Monica Mayper, illustrated by Jaime Kim has received a starred review from Kirkus. The review calls the book “Powerfully compelling” and says “the artwork delineates moods and emotions via a precise, rich palette that favors visceral landscapes and nondescript characters to its advantage.”
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In a review of Bright Winter Night (Two Lions) by Alli Brydon, illustrated by Ashling Lindsay, School Library Journal says “This winter tale would work well for dusky afternoon story hours in December or a bedtime story; the muted illustrations and the text, which has a perfect scan and beat, begin energetically but slow to soothing, steady levels as the animals settle down to sleep.”
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Murray Christmas (Abrams) by E.G. Keller has earned another starred review, this time from School Library Journal.
The review says “”Keller reinvents the goodwill chaos of Christmas, with its decorations, traditions, and beliefs, through Murray, a canine who does not understand why his humans are changing his world with this joyous upheaval. Murray’s sole job as “Patrol Dog” is to love his humans and home, and he is determined not to let anything stand in his way.”
It goes on to say the book is “a perfect Christmas read-aloud; children will want to take this book—and Murray—home.”
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Let’s Be Friends/ Seamos Amigos (Holiday House) by René Colato Laínez, illustrated by Nomar Perez, has won a Gold Medal at the International Latino Book Awards for Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book – Bilingual.
Congratulations Nomar!
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Kirkus has given a starred review for Black Gold (HarperCollins) by Laura Obuobi, illustrated by London Ladd.
The review says “Ladd’s acrylic paint and collage artwork is richly textured, layered with color and shadow for an intense visual treat full of movement and depth.”
It also calls the book “A stunning work of art.”
Congratulations London!
The book will be on sale October 11. Pre-order it here
Kirkus has praise for Murray Christmas (Abrams) by E.G. Keller, calling it “a delightful Christmas tale that shows a dog’s perspective on the holiday and all its trappings.”
The book will be published September 27, 2022.
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Publishers Weekly has a great review for Stop and Smell the Cookies (Putnam) by Gibson Frazier, illustrated by Micah Player. The review says “Player’s bright digital drawings depict Dash’s highs and lows with a verve that elevates Frazier’s well-intentioned storytelling.”
Read the full review here
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Queen of Kindergarten (Nancy Paulsen Books) by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton is #10 on the August 21 New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s books. This sweet story about a confident little Black girl having a fantastic first day of school is a companion to the New York Times bestseller The King of Kindergarten.
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Acamy Schleikorn‘s image A Mother’s Love has been selected to the long list of the Association of Illustrators World Illustration Awards 2022.
The digital piece was created in Procreate as a portfolio piece. In describing the motivation behind it Acamy says “As a mother myself, I wanted to create a piece that reflected the love between a parent and their child. I wanted to focus in on their embrace and make that the focal point. I added the light coming in from the window to help lead the viewer’s eye back to the two characters bonding together.”
Congratulations Acamy!
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School Library Journal has a great review for Stop and Smell the Cookies (Putnam) by Gibson Frazier, illustrated by Micah Player:
Dash doesn’t mean to mess up, but he just can’t help karate-chopping his grandma’s plate of cookies, blurting out the answer in class, and blowing out the candles on Cate’s birthday cake. Luckily Mom is on hand to help. She uses the scenarios in Dash’s bad day to help him remember a breathing and counting self-regulation technique whenever he feels the telltale warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest, tingling in his toes, and fingers starting to dance—breathe in the cookies, blow out the candle, and count to 100. In his debut picture book Frazier addresses the important and much-needed topic of self-control. The language is simple, and the story rolls out examples that kids can relate to and understand; readers will identify with Dash, even if his mother’s pointing him toward the answers feels didactic. The brightly colored pages with strong black lines create friendly, cartoony illustrations that invite viewers in. Dash and his family have very light brown skin and black hair in tight curls (except Noni, who has braids). A variety of skin tones is used for secondary characters. This is an important issue, tautly articulated and addressed. VERDICT A good purchase for most collections, as stories about self-regulation are few and far between.
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