Congratulations to London Ladd, who illustrated Lend a Hand, which has been chosen as an Action Book Club Selection from the Little Free Library! The Action Book Club, a program of the Little Free Library nonprofit, combines reading with social engagement. In a twist on the traditional book club, the Action Book Club invites participants to read books on a particular theme, engage in lively discussions, and take part in meaningful group projects to benefit their communities. The Action Book Club offers book recommendations for adults, middle readers, and young readers, with a new theme announced twice a year. The theme that corresponds with Lend a Hand was “Everyday Heroes”. You can see the full list of books here and grab your copy of Lend a Hand here.

Congratulations to Josée Masse, who illustrated Thunder Underground, which is included in a column entitled “Children’s Literature Reviews: 2017 Notable Poetry Books for Children” that appears in the July issue of the NCTE journal, Language Arts. While inclusion on this list is an honor in itself, there’s also a lovely description of the book provided, which highlights Masse’s artistic contribution to the project. The author remarks that “Josée Masse’s mixed-media illustrations offer a visual adventure, including colorful cross-sections of what lies underground. Notably, Masse chooses to feature a boy and girl of different races across most of the scenes in this poetic journey.” Featuring poetry by Jane Yolen, this picture book takes young readers on an unforgettable expedition you won’t want to miss out on.

Read the full column here and purchase your copy of Thunder Underground here.

Happy book birthday to Ashley Spires, who illustrated the delightful bedtime story Go To Sleep, Little Creep, which is released today. Debut storyteller David B. Quinn and Painted Words artist Ashley Spires have joined forces to create an adorably charming, funny picture book that is sure to charm little creeps who aren’t quite ready to fall asleep. From werewolves to mummies, Go To Sleep, Little Creep presents the night time routine of tucking little monsters into bed, full of humor and heart.

Grab your copy of Go To Sleep, Little Creep here today!

Congratulations are in order for Il Sung Na, author and illustrator of the stunning, whimsical new children’s book, The Dreamer. Ahead of its September release, Na’s book about a pig who admires birds and longs to take flight has received an excellent review from Publishers Weekly.  The review aptly points out that in his determination to soar, the mint-green pig “continues to be himself,” a bird-admiring pig. Publishers Weekly praises Na’s “visual storytelling,” taking note of the way that he uses an interplay of color to add drama, and admires the “atmosphere of cool rationality” that Na creates through plot elements such as an analysis of the pig’s failures, and the artwork depicting blackboard calculations. The moral of The Dreamer is simply, sweetly summarized by Publishers Weekly – “success requires quiet judgment and hard work.”

Pre-order your copy of The Dreamer here and read the full review from Publishers Weekly here.

Painted Words illustrator London Ladd is taking part in an community effort to “bring hope back to Syracuse’s Southside,” starting with two murals under the railroad bridge that serves as an unofficial border between downtown Syracuse and the Southside neighborhood. These murals are meant “to mark the entrance to the Southside with hope,” and depict Martin Luther King Jr. giving his speech in 1961 at Syracuse University, as well as the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, featuring the words of these two prominent historical figures. Ladd is also planning to move into an artist’s loft above a community cafe, where he will start art programs for kids and adults on the Southside. You can read the full article about Ladd and the efforts to change the direction of the Southside neighborhood here.

Publishers Weekly has compiled a list of the bestselling books of 2018 so far, and A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by EG Keller (aka Gerald Kelley) appears on that list. The adorable parody picture book is number 6 on the list of NPD BookScan Top 20 Print books, January 1–July 1, 2018, and has been #1 on the New York Times children’s picture book bestseller list for 15 weeks.

Click here to read the full list of best books of 2018 so far, and here to grab your copy of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo!

2018 is flying by, and already has us book lovers looking ahead to the next round of exciting children’s book releases. Dylan Teut, who runs the Mile High Reading blog, is not immune to this anticipatory enthusiasm. He’s compiled a list of highly anticipated children’s picture books that will be released in 2019, and Bedtime for Beasties by Leslie Staub and illustrated by Jia Liu was included on that list. We’re not surprised – this adorably creative book is at the top of our must-reads list as well. In this imaginative bedtime story, a little girl takes control of her nightmare and becomes the boss of the beasties in her dreams.

You can pre-order this original tale here and view the Mile High Reading blog’s post here.