Julie Comstock‘s travel coffee mug and luggage tag and passport set are now available at Francesa’s! The luggage tag and passport set read “Kind Heart Fierce Mind Brave Spirit” in her trademark watercolor designs. The travel mug reads “You are so much stronger than you think you are.” You can order the travel set from Francesca’s here and the coffee mug here so that you can travel in style.
Jill Dubin, illustrator of the Over In… series of picture books, will be at the North River Library in Bridgewater, Virginia this Saturday, April 30th. Jill will be participating in the North River Library’s “It’s All About Books” series of events and will be speaking about collages. If you want to drop by, the event is at 11 am. You can find out more information here.
This Saturday, April 30th is Independent Bookstore Day. Independent bookstores across the country are celebrating in various ways, such as selling special merchandise and hosting author talks.
For April 30th only, participating independent bookstores will be selling Draw Me!, a book aimed at teaching children how to draw a variety of favorite characters. Constance Lombardo, author/illustrator of the Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat to the Stars series, is one of the featured authors in Draw Me! To find out more about Draw Me! and other special merchandise, check out Independent Bookstore Day’s website.
The Bank Street Book Store in New York is celebrating the day by having authors and illustrators drop by to discuss their books and do signings. Liz Zunon, award winning illustrator of picture book such as Don’t Call Me Grandma and Poems in the Attic, will be at Bank Street from 12:30 to 1 pm. If you’re in the area, drop by to say hi! You can find out more here.
Happy Independent Bookstore Day!
Not only is April National Poetry Month, but this year actually marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of National Poetry Month! To help students, teachers, and parents celebrate, the New York City Department of Education put together a list of recommended books of poetry for students. Included are Poems in the Attic, written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Liz Zunon, and Edgar Allan Poe’s Pies: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems, written by J. Patrick Lewis and illustrated by Michael Slack.
You can find out more about National Poetry Month on the DOE’s site.
This Saturday, Marilyn Sadler, author of Charlie Piechart, will be participating in the Ohioana Book Festival, a book festival that celebrates Ohio authors. The book festival will be held at the Sheraton Columbus Hotel in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, April 23rd. Marilyn will be participating in the Writing and Publishing for Young Readers panel from 2:00-2:30 pm. If you’re in the area this Saturday, she would love to see you!
For more information, you can visit the Ohioana Book Festival site here.
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) has announced their Choices 2016 list. The CCBC’S Choices list is a selection of the best children’s books of 2015 as made by a board of librarians. Liz Zunon and Vanessa Brantley Newton both have picture books that made the list. Congratulations, Liz and Vanessa!
In the Contemporary People, Places, and Events category:
In Poetry:
In Picture Books for School Age Children
Read more about the CCBC Choices 2016 list and find a full list of winners here.
K.G. Campbell’s Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters Adapted Into a MusicalApril 14, 2016
In exciting news, K.G. Campbell‘s charming 2012 picture book, Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters, has been adapted into a children’s musical! Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters tells the story of Lester, whose cousin won’t stop knitting him embarrassing sweaters. Lester was adapted for the stage by Aly Renee Amidei, who loves to knit herself and was inspired by K.G.’s illustrations. She also designed the costumes, based on the signature dreadful sweaters, and helped write the lyrics. The play is running until April 24th in the Lifeline Theatre in Chicago. You can learn more about the play at the Lifeline Theatre’s website here and find Publisher’s Weekly review here.
Before checking the play out, don’t forget to check out the original!
February 21, 2014
Congratulations to K.G. Campbell for his Ezra Jack Keats recognition for Tea Party Rules!
K.G. became the first illustrator to receive two consecutive Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honors. He was awarded his first New Illustrators Honor last year for his author-illustrated picture book, Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters. Ame Dyckman, the author of Tea Party Rules, won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award!
Lesters_P16
In exciting news, K.G. Campbell‘s charming 2012 picture book, Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters, has been adapted into a children’s musical! Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters tells the story of Lester, whose cousin won’t stop knitting him embarrassing sweaters. Lester was adapted for the stage by Aly Renee Amidei, who loves to knit herself and was inspired by K.G.’s illustrations. She also designed the costumes, based on the signature dreadful sweaters, and helped write the lyrics. The play is running until April 24th in the Lifeline Theatre in Chicago. You can learn more about the play at the Lifeline Theatre’s website here and find Publisher’s Weekly review here.
Before checking the play out, don’t forget to check out the original!
November 27, 2017
Don’t Call Me Grandma, written by New Mexico native Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Liz Zunon, has won a New Mexico-Arizona Book Award! The New Mexico-Arizona Book Award is run by the New Mexico Book Co-op, an organization that seeks to promote local writing from New Mexico, Arizona, and the American South West.
Don’t Call Me Grandma is the story of a young girl’s complex relationship with her prickly and glamorous grandmother. It won the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award in the category of Parenting/Family Issues Book, sponsored by the New Mexico Book Co-op. Congratulations, Liz and Vaunda!
The full list of winners of the 2017 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award can be found here. Don’t Call Me Grandma is available for purchase here.
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:
Five to Nine:
Nine to Twelve:
Bank Street’s full list of recommended books can be found here. Congratulations to our Painted Words artists and authors!
March 28, 2017
The CCBC Choices list is an annual selection compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center on the best children’s books of the year. This year, three of Painted Words authors illustrators have been included on the list under various categories!
Picture Books for School Age Children:
Concept Books:
The full list of selected books is available here.
December 7, 2016
The National Public Radio (NPR) put out a list of books chosen by their staff as being the best of 2016. Included in the children’s section is Don’t Call Me Grandma, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Liz Zunon, and The Opposite Zoo by Il Sung Na.
Don’t Call Me Grandma is the story of a young girl’s relationship with her prickly but fascinating grandma. NPR praised the fact that this story presents an unconventional and more fully realized version of a grandmother than most childrens’ literature. They describe Liz’s illustrations as “genius.”
The Opposite Zoo teaches children about opposites through the medium of a whimsical, brightly colored zoo after it closes for the night. They describe the picture book as “spacious” and inviting.
Congratulations, Il Sung and Liz! The full list of recommended books can be found on NPR’s site here. You can purchase Don’t Call Me Grandma here and The Opposite Zoo here.
April 7, 2016
Don’t Call Me Grandma, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, received high praise in a review from The School Library Journal. The SLJ praised the picture’s book sparse storytelling and portrayal of a complicated great-grandmother and writes that, “Elizabeth Zunon has been a force to reckon with.” They call the book as a whole, “Sharp and smart.”
You can read the full article here and purchase a copy of Don’t Call Me Grandma here.
Don’t Call Me Grandma, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, received high praise in a review from The School Library Journal. The SLJ praised the picture’s book sparse storytelling and portrayal of a complicated great-grandmother and writes that, “Elizabeth Zunon has been a force to reckon with.” They call the book as a whole, “Sharp and smart.”
You can read the full article here and purchase a copy of Don’t Call Me Grandma here.