A Diverse group of award-winning illustrators & authors creating across many industries.

Sarah Dillard Participating in Warner Free Lectures This Friday

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

Extraordinary WarrenThis Friday (9/23) Sarah Dillard, author and illustrator of the Extraordinary Warren and Mouse Scouts series, will be returning to her hometown of Harvard, MA to participate in one of their Warner Free Lectures. She and two other locally born children’s author/illustrators will join in a discussion about their work and the influence their home had on their books, as well as answering audience questions. There will also be a book signing afterward. Sarah is excited to participate in this lecture series, which she says she remembers from when she was a child herself.

You can find out more details about the lecture here.

Michael Slack Reading Pirasaurs! at Bel and Bunna Bookstore This Weekend

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

pirasaurs1 - EditedThis weekend is Speak Like a Pirate weekend at Bel and Bunna’s bookstore in Lafayette, CA, so of course you can find Michael Slack and the Pirasaurs there this weekend (9/17-18). Michael will do a reading and signing of his new picture book, Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael. He’ll also do drawings and, obviously, he’ll speak like a pirate. He’ll be at Bel and Bunna’s from 11 am to 2 pm, so be sure to drop by if you’re in the area!

You can read more about the event on Bel and Bunna’s websitePirasaurs! can be ordered online here.

Linda Bleck’s What’s in My Train? Now Available for Purchase

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

what's in my trainLinda Bleck‘s newest picture book, What’s in My Train?, has been released and is now available for purchase! This follow up to What’s in My Truck? is a lift-the-flap board book showing all the various surprises contained in a train, from cargo to sleeping passengers. With over thirty flaps to lift and bright, simple illustrations, children are sure to love this book.

You can order What’s in My Train? online here.

Over in the Grasslands, illus. by Jill Dubin, Available for Purchase, Praised by Kirkus

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

over in the grasslandsOver in the Grasslands, the latest in the Over in the… series, is now available for purchase. This non-fiction picture book, written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin, educates children about the animals living in a grassland habitat, all set to the tune of “Over in the Meadow.” It also helps to teach the numbers one through ten.

Kirkus wrote a review of the new picture book. They praised the detailed information filling the book and complimented Jill’s paper cut illustrations, writing, “Some brilliant and unusual color choices, along with marvelously textured and patterned papers, make the cut-paper collage illustrations pop.”

You can read Kirkus’s full review hereOver in the Grasslands can be ordered online here.

Il Sung Na and Liz Zunon at Brooklyn Book Festival This Weekend

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

This upcoming weekend will is the Brooklyn Book Festival in NYC. Two of our illustrators, Liz Zunon (The Legendary Miss Lena Horne) and Il Sung Na (The Opposite Zoo) will be participating in events on Children’s Day, Saturday the 17th.

Il Sung Na will be one of the illustrators featured in the Illustrator Smackdown. Il Sung and several other children’s illustrators will participate in “the year’s most dynamic live action drawing competition.” The event will begin at 3 pm in the New York University Tandon School of Engineering Auditorium, 5 MetroTech Commons.

Liz Zunon will be featured in two events. At 1:30 pm you can find her at the Picture Book Stage at the MetroTech Commons. At 2:30 pm you can join her for Mural Making at the Art Spot, MetroTech Commons.

The Brooklyn Book Festival is sure to be a great event for any book lover. Il Sung and Liz would be happy to see any fans at their events. If you’re in NYC this weekend, be sure to check it out!

You can find out more about the Brooklyn Book Festival here. The full schedule of events for Children’s Day is here.

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Bird, illus. by Shadra Strickland, Reissued in Paperback, Included in Stories for All Project

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

bird2-editedThe picture book Bird, written by Zetta Elliot and illustrated by Shadra Strickland, tells the story of a young African American boy coping with the loss of his grandfather and brother through his art. It was originally published as a hardcover book in 2008, but now it will be reissued as a paperback. It will be available for purchase in March of 2017.

Even more excitingly, Bird’s publisher, Lee and Low, will join forces with the NEA foundation and First Book to help with the Stories for All project. Bird has been selected as one of the titles that will included in this project. The Stories for All Project is a program that seeks to encourage reading in children in need by making diverse books available to educators and schools at little to no cost. A special edition of Bird will also be published for this project.

You can find out more about the Stories for All Project at their site.

More Great Reviews for Mary Had a Little Glam, illus. by Vanessa Brantley Newton

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

mary had a little glamThe 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.

School Library Journal Praises Pirasaurs!, illus. by Michael Slack

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

pirasaurs2 - EditedIn their September issue, the School Library Journal reviewed the recently released picture book, Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael SlackPirasaurs! is the story of  the youngest recruit on a pirate ship that is, of course, run by dinosaurs. The School Library Journal praised the rhyming prose and wrote that Michael Slack’s “Angular and toothily aggressive depictions of the pirasaur crew bring the digital cartoons to life.” All together, they call it, “A rip-roaring read-aloud for storytime or small group sharing.”

You can order Pirasaurs! online here.

Quickest Kid in Clarksville, illus. by Frank Morrison, nominated for North Carolina Children’s Book Award

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

quickest kid in clarksvilleThe Quickest Kid in Clarksville, a picture book written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Frank Morrison, was nominated for North Carolina’s Children’s Book Award. Every year, the school children of North Carolina nominate their favorite picture and junior books. Members of the North Carolina Children’s Book Award committee choose about ten books from the nominees. This year, The Quickest Kid was one of those chosen books. During the upcoming school year, children will read the nominated books and vote for their favorite. We’ll find out who won in March!

To see all the nominated books, check out the Children’s Book Award’s site hereThe Quickest Kid in Clarksville can be purchased online here.

K.G. Campbell, Barroux, and Liz Zunon Included on School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2016 Thus Far List

by Claire Easton in Represents Comments: 0

don't call me grandma liz zunonThe School Library Journal has compiled a list of “Some of the Best Picture Books of 2016 Thus Far (Mid Year Summary),” featuring picture books published this year that they believe stand out. Three of our illustrators were included on the list. The chosen books were:

  • Don’t Call Me Grandma, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Liz Zunon
  • Where’s the Elephant? by Barroux
  • K.G. Campbell‘s Dylan the Villain and Who Wants a Tortoise

Congratulations, Liz, Barroux, and K.G.! You can read the full list of recommended books here.

tortoisedylan the villain