How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Frank Morrison has received a starred review from Booklist! The book chronicles the history of the famed song of hope and inspiration, from its authorship by John Newton to its present day invocations. Morrison’s work is praised as “majestic paintings” and “dramatic spreads that breathe life into both Newton’s story and the history that followed.”

You can read the full review here and pre-order your copy of How Sweet the Sound here.

Terrific Tongues! written by Maria Gianferrari and illustrated by Jia Liu has received a promising review from Kirkus ahead of its publishing date in early April. The review highlights the interactive nature of the book, and insists that it is not only “perfect for a group storytime,” but that it’s also “a useful addition to the wonders-of-animals shelf.”

You can find the full review here. And pre-order your copy of Terrific Tongues! here.

London Ladd has 3 upcoming events you won’t want to miss.

Starting today, January 30th, until June 30th, the Miami University Art Museum in Ohio will be exhibiting art found within the pages of African-American children’s picture books. This exhibit, titled Telling a People’s Story, is the first major museum exhibition of its kind, devoted to emphasizing “the strength of the illustrations as visual narrative representations of the African-American experience.” It’s no surprise that Ladd’s work will be showcased along with many other talented African-American illustrators. Check out more information about the exhibit here.

On Saturday, February 10th, Ladd will be visiting the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, Maryland to join their celebration of the 200th birthday of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass. There will be many activities to take part in from noon to 4pm, with Ladd hosting a drawing workshop from noon to 2pm. Find out more about the event here.

And last but not least, on Sunday, February 25th, London Ladd will join another Painted Words illustrator, Elizabeth Zunon, at the New Rochelle Public Library in New York for a talk and exhibit reception. Entitled The Magic of Children’s Books, this event is free and open to all ages. Find out more here.

The wait is over! You can now pick up your copy of The Great Dictionary Caper, written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Eric Comstock. This clever book is filled with wordplay, and has received three starred reviews.

Join Noah Webster on his quest to restore alphabetical order in this fun new picture book, available here.

Happy book birthday to Shaking Things Up, a new book written by Susan Hood that features illustrations by Shadra Strickland, and 12 other female artists. This book introduces readers to 14 revolutionary young women, and was written, illustrated, edited and designed by women.

You can grab a copy here today!

The blog Books in Bloom by Mackin Educational Resources provides a space for literature lovers to share and discuss their favorite books. These book recommendations come from a company that prides itself on providing high-quality library and classroom materials to PK-12 schools and public libraries around the world. Tracey L., who has worked at Mackin for 13 years, recently compiled a list of her favorite nonfiction books of 2017, which includes Thunder Underground, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Josée Masse. It is featured in the “Intermediate Nonfiction” category.

The full list is available here, and you can purchase Thunder Underground here.

Congratulations to Frank Morrison, who illustrated the 2018 NAACP Image Award winning book Clayton Byrd Goes Underground! The award was given for “Outstanding Literary Work” in the Youth/Teens category.

You can find a complete list of NAACP Image Award winners here.

Check out episode #418 of ‘All the Wonders’ podcast, where Vanessa Brantley Newton talks about connecting with her readers, kids giving their parents a do-over, and the universal quest to give others what you never got.

Congratulations to Elise Gravel, whose book Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere made it onto New York Public Library’s “The Best Science Fiction Books for Kids of 2017” list! View the complete list here.

Olga also made onto the School Library Journal’s list of Great Hybrid Books, which you can find here.

In December, Elizabeth Bird of Fuse 8 compiled a list of must-reads for every day of the month. Seven books by our artists/authors made it onto these lists, which are broken down into categories from Non-fiction to Science & Nature.

December 22 – Fictionalized Nonfiction included:

• Noah Webster’s Fighting Words by Tracy Nelson Maurer and illustrated by Mircea Catusanu

December 23 – American History included:

• Noah Webster’s Fighting Words by Tracy Nelson Maurer and illustrated by Mircea Catusanu
• The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton

December 24 – Science & Nature Books included:

• If You Were the Moon by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Jaime Kim

December 26 – Unique Biographies included:

• Noah Webster’s Fighting Words by Tracy Nelson Maurer and illustrated by Mircea Catusanu
• The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton

December 27 – Nonfiction Picture Books included:

• Noah Webster’s Fighting Words by Tracy Nelson Maurer and illustrated by Mircea Catusanu
• The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton
• If You Were the Moon by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Jaime Kim

December 31 – Picture Books included:

• Lucia the Luchadora by Cynthia Leonor Garza and illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez
• Please Please the Bees by Gerald Kelley
• Stolen Words by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
• Waiting for Pumpsie by Barry Wittenstein and illustrated by London Ladd

Congratulations to all our talented artists!