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: 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.

Liz Zunon‘s new book, The Legendary Miss Lena Horne, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Liz, is coming out this upcoming January. The picture book tells the inspiring story of Lena Horne, an African American actress and civil rights activist. The publisher, Simon and Schuster, has revealed the cover (as shown on the left) as well as several spreads online. You can see the beautiful images online here, and you can pre-order The Legendary Miss Lena Horne here.

Recently, Liz Zunon, illustrator of Don’t Call Me Grandma, was featured on the blog of Mr. Schu, the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic. Liz and Mr. Schu discussed Don’t Call Me Grandma and other picture books that Liz has illustrated, the various authors she has worked with, and Liz’s adventures with tassels. Featuring some of Liz’s beautiful illustrations as well as her sweet personality, this interview is a fun read for any fans of Liz or for anyone who is curious about her work. Check out the full blog post here.

Happy Book Birthday to Gene Barretta‘s Lincoln and Kennedy! See what the critics are saying…

“Lincoln and Kennedy don’t immediately lend themselves easily to a side-by-side picture-book analysis. Kudos to Barretta, then, who is stunningly successful at creating such a book by pausing at key moments of each man’s life to see what he’s facing and enriching the biography of both by comparison. . .this will obviously catch the eye of social-studies teachers, but the lively illustrations and inviting approach will entice independent readers as well”―The Bulletin

“The text reads easily, but it’s the cartoonish illustrations―big, bold, and set in cleverly designed pages―that will immediately grab kids’ attention. . . Engaging”―Booklist

“Lincoln and Kennedy is a marvelously original and important book. I can’t think of a better way to interest young readers in American history.” ―Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty! The American Revolution

Order your copy here!

Kate Merrit‘s recent board book, Beach Baby, has been named one of Amazon’s best books of June for the category of Baby to Age 2. Beach Baby is part of the Indestructibles series, a series of board books designed to handle the rough attention of babies and toddlers. It tells the sweet story of a baby’s day at the beach. Congratulations, Kate!

To check out the full list of winners, follow this link. You can order Beach Baby online here.

Pirasuars!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack, is, of course, a picture book about dinosaurs who are also pirates! In this energetic new picture book, it’s up to the smallest and newest recruit of a pirate crew to save the day when the crew conflicts with another pirate crew. Publisher’s Weekly praised Pirasaurs!, complimenting the rollicking rhyming text and Michael’s illustrations. They write, “Slack’s…richly textured digital artwork may, in this context, bring to mind images painted on a ship’s deck. His hero is adorable and appropriately child-like, while the toothy, bug-eyed crew is fiercely funny.”

You can read the full review on Publisher Weekly’s site here. Pirasuars! isn’t coming out until August 30th, but you can preorder it online here.