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.

Pre-order it here

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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See the full list here

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!

See the full list here

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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Tiny Spoon vs. Little Fork (Hippo Park/Astra) written by Constance Lombardo and illustrated by Dan and Jason, and Becoming Vanessa (Knopf) by Vanessa Brantley Newton are included on weareteachers.com list of best books for kindergarten.

See the complete list here

Pre order Tiny Spoon vs. Little Fork here

Get Becoming Vanessa here

The Joffrey Ballet is proud to present the world premiere of Rita Finds Home, a family-friendly program and collaborative project between the Joffrey and Miami City Ballet, which will make its debut at the Navy Pier Lake Stage in Chicago from July 9-10. Rita Finds Home is conceived by a nationally recognized, women-led creative team including choreographer Amy Hall Garner, author Karla Estela Rivera,and award-winning children’s book author/illustrator Elisa Chavarri; and will be danced by the Joffrey Studio Company and Academy Trainees of the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet.  For a full list of venues and schedule, visit Joffrey.org.

Read more about the performances in Chicago here

School Library Journal has given a starred review to Because of You, John Lewis (Scholastic) by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Keith Henry Brown. The review calls the illustrations “a vivid and dramatic complement to this story of friendship, courage, and effecting change.”

Read the full review here

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Art by Vanessa Brantley Newton

Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Children’s Books features artwork from over 40 picture books. The illustrations tell the story of how Black people and families were impacted by and resisted racism. The exhibition features civil rights leaders, foot soldiers, and everyday people, and celebrates organized protests as well as day-to-day joys. Painted Words books included in the exhibit are:

Let the Children March (Clarion) by Monica Clark-Robinson, illustrated by Frank Morrison

Parker Looks Up (Simon & Schuster) by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry, illustrated by Brittany Jackson

The Youngest Marcher (Simon & Schuster) by Cynthia Levinson, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton

White Water (Candlewick Press) by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, illustrated by Shadra Strickland

The exhibit will be on display at the New York Historical Society through July 24, 2022.

Shadra Strickland’s work is included in the exhibit Imprinted: Illustrating Race at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. The piece is from the book Bird (Lee & Low) written by Zetta Elliot. The book was the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustrations and the Ezra Jack Keats Award.

To learn more about the exhibit, visit here

Get Bird here