Constance Lombardo, author of the illustrated middle grade novel series, Mr. Puffball, will be visiting the Bank Street Bookstore in New York on Wednesday, August 3rd. Constance and fellow middle grade author Molly Burnham will be speaking about their books. The talk will be at 4 pm. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and see them!
You can find more details about the event here.
Quill and Quire wrote a wonderful review for Elise Gravel‘s upcoming picture book, The Cranky Ballerina, coming out August 9th. Quill and Quire complimented Elise’s “fun, expressive illustrations,” humor, and the valuable life lessons about kindness and failure. They write that “By following Ada’s story, [readers will] also learn that sometimes failing at one thing just means they might end up being exceptionally good at something they haven’t tried yet.”
You can read the full review here and pre-order The Cranky Ballerina here.
February 1, 2017
Angie Karcher, a children’s author and blogger, has nominated her top ten rhyming children’s books for 2016, and two books illustrated by our artists made the cut. Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack, tells in rhyme the story of a tiny piratical dinosaur. Mary Had a Little Glam, written by Tammy Sauer and illustrated by Vanessa B Newton, takes the story and rhyme scheme of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and retells it as a story of a fashionable little girl and her attempts to glamorize her classmates. Both have been praised for their fun story and playful rhymes as well as their bright, energetic illustrations.
The final award announcements will be streaming on KidLitTV February 12th at 8 pm ET. Make sure to check it out!
The full list of rhyming winners can be found on Angie Karcher’s blog here. Pirasaurs! can be purchased here and Mary Had a Little Glam here.
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:
Fiction Picture Books/Board Books:
Middle Grade Fiction:
Poetry:
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.
September 12, 2016
The recently released picture book Mary Had a Little Glam, has been receiving tons of praise. This rhyming picture book, written by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton, retells the story of Mary and her lamb with Mary as a fashionable little girl who shares her glamour with her classmates and friends. Check out some of the praise below!
“Illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton adds diversity not just in the styles of dress, but also in the makeup of Mary’s class.” –The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Mary Had a Little Glam is wonderful book that has a beautiful carefree black girl as the main character. This is a book that promotes having positive self-esteem…Mary Had a Little Glam will make a great addition to any little girl’s library.” –Brown Mamas blog
“I love how the author, Tammi Sauer, and the illustrator, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, tied in bits and pieces of the original story. But Mary was FAB-U-LOUS in this book! Outside of being incredibly cute and glam, I loved how secure with herself she was and how she loved making her friends feel good about themselves as well.” –The Crunchy Mommy blog
You can order Mary Had a Little Glam online here.
August 4, 2016
Mary Had a Little Glam has been receiving great publicity and has been featured on multiple blogs and book review sites! Check out some of the awesome praise below.
The Children’s Book Review featured Mary Had a Little Glam author, Tammi Sauer, in a Selfie and Shelfie feature.
The blog Grandma’s Cookie Jar reviewed Mary and is doing a free giveaway of a copy of the book. They called Vanessa’s illustrations “colorful and fun” and praised the diversity of the story.
Picture Book Builders, a blog run by picture book writers including Tammi Sauer, interviewed Vanessa and also ran a giveaway of Mary. Check it out here!
The blog Pickle Corn Jam also ran a giveaway for Mary, and wrote a review.
HubPages praised Mary in their review.
There Is A Book For That included a review of Mary in their weekly reading round up.
Mile High Reading wrote a review and ran a giveaway.
Here We Read praised Mary highly in their review.
Night Owl Reviews ran a giveaway.
Mama Smith’s Blog included Mary in their annual reading list.
July 6, 2016
The upcoming picture book, Mary Had a Little Glam, written by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton, received a starred review from Kirkus. Mary Had a Little Glam is the fun, rhyming story of a fashionable little girl who transforms her drab fairy tale classmates into young fashionistas. Kirkus praised the positive story and smooth rhymes, and wrote that, “Brantley-Newton’s bright, fun-filled illustrations teem with energy and life.” Kirkus particularly pointed out the diversity in the story. “Whether by happenstance or by design, this delightful picture book positively answers the call for more books about children of color.” You can read Kirkus’s full review on their site.
Mary Had a Little Glam comes out August 2nd. Pre-order it here!
The upcoming picture book, Mary Had a Little Glam, written by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton, received a starred review from Kirkus. Mary Had a Little Glam is the fun, rhyming story of a fashionable little girl who transforms her drab fairy tale classmates into young fashionistas. Kirkus praised the positive story and smooth rhymes, and wrote that, “Brantley-Newton’s bright, fun-filled illustrations teem with energy and life.” Kirkus particularly pointed out the diversity in the story. “Whether by happenstance or by design, this delightful picture book positively answers the call for more books about children of color.” You can read Kirkus’s full review on their site.
Mary Had a Little Glam comes out August 2nd. Pre-order it here!
Boston Public Schools released lists of recommended summer reading for the summer of 2016. Poems in the Attic, written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Liz Zunon, was included on the reading list for grades 3-5. Poems in the Attic tells of a young girl’s connection to her family through generations of poems. Congrats, Liz and Nikki!
You can find the full list of recommended summer reading here under 2016 Summer Reading Lists. You can order Poems in the Attic online here.
The Cranky Ballerina, Elise Gravel‘s upcoming picture book, was recently reviewed by the School Library Journal. The Cranky Ballerina tells the story of Ada, a little girl who hates her ballet lessons and would much rather learn karate. The School Library Journal praised Elise’s complex portrayal of her character, pointing out that Ada’s grumpiness is not merely for humor but is due to her frustration. They write, “This book will resonate with children, especially those who have yet to channel their misunderstood talents.” They also praise Elise’s humor and the illustrations in her signature style and call The Cranky Ballerina, “A noteworthy addition for most collections.”
The Cranky Ballerina will be released August 9th. Pre-order it here!
Come see Eric Barclay, the author/illustrator of picture books such as I Can See Just Fine, at Half Price Books in Dallas, Texas on July 12! Eric will be signing books there as part of Scholastic’s Summer Reading Roadtrip. The signing will run from 4-6 pm and will have a special appearance from Clifford the Big Red Dog, plus plenty of other activities to encourage summer reading. If you’re in the area, you should stop by to join in the fun.
You can find out more information on Half Price Books website here (scroll down to July 12).
Over in the Forest, illus. by Jill Dubin, is Featured in Nonotuck Park’s Story WalkJune 21, 2016
Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek, written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin, is being featured in Nonotuck Park’s new Story Walk feature. Spreads from Over in the Forest are placed on plaques along the park’s Totem Walk so that families can learn about woodland creatures as they walk through the park. Nonotuck Park is located in Easthampton, MA. If you’re in the area and have the time, you should check it out! While you’re there, if you buy Over in the Forest from White Squares Bookstore, they’ll donate ten percent of the proceeds to the park.
Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek, written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin, is being featured in Nonotuck Park’s new Story Walk feature. Spreads from Over in the Forest are placed on plaques along the park’s Totem Walk so that families can learn about woodland creatures as they walk through the park. Nonotuck Park is located in Easthampton, MA. If you’re in the area and have the time, you should check it out! While you’re there, if you buy Over in the Forest from White Squares Bookstore, they’ll donate ten percent of the proceeds to the park.
Jaime Kim and Il Sung Na were awarded Honorable Mentions in the Picture Book category in the 3×3 International Illustration Annual Competition. Il Sung’s award came for his picture book, The Opposite Zoo, which teaches children about the concept of illustrations through illustrations of a zoo at night. Jaime Kim won a Merit Award for her work “Sister.” Congratulations, Il Sung and Jaime!
You can see the full list of winners here. You can order The Opposite Zoo online here.
