Welcome Home, Bear by Il Sung Na won’t be available for purchase until July, but Kirkus is already singing its praises in a Starred Review.  They write, “The text is spare, usually only a sentence on each spread, but carefully and engagingly written. Listeners can’t help but sympathize with Bear in his frustration and rejoice when he finds the place that’s ‘just where he wanted to be.'” Look out for this sweet new story from the inimitable Na, in stores this summer.

Huy Voun Lee‘s activity kit, Origami Playhouse: Fold, Play, and Display, is on sale now! A do-it-yourself dollhouse for folding enthusiasts, Origami Playhouse is fun craft for families to work on together. The kit comes with beautiful papers and patterns to equip your own playhouse with furniture and accessories. Available for purchase here.

Sunday Shopping, written by Sally Derby and illustrated by Shadra Strickland, received a terrific review in The Horn Book Magazine.

“Strickland’s bright, breezy acrylic, watercolor, wax pencil, and digital collage-style illustrations blend realistic portraiture with creative flights of fancy to evoke this weekly ritual, making manifest Evie and Grandma’s vivid storytelling in ways that will speak to young readers’ imaginations,” wrote The Horn Book.

The Horn Book Magazine has selected Poems in the Attic to appear in the May/June issue, accompanied by an enthusiastic review.

“Each page turn is like opening that old box in the attic—you never know what is coming next,” said The Horn Book.

Elizabeth Zunon’s illustrations of the book were also lauded, and The Horn Book wrote, “Pink-toned acrylic and oil illustrations are enhanced by cut-paper and fabric collage, allowing readers to imagine seeing the aurora borealis in Alaska, go hiking in Germany, or smell the cherry blossoms in Japan.”

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) has honored What Ship is Not a Ship?, illustrated by Josée Masse, on its Spring 2015 list of Best Books for Kids & Teens.

The Best Books for Kids & Teens list is a semi-annual selection of the best Canadian children’s books, magazines, audio and video.

More information on the CBCC and its awards here.

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) released its CCBC Choices list, which included Lend a Hand (by John Frank, illus. London Ladd), Little Melba and her Big Trombone (by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illus. Frank Morrison), Flora and the Penguin (by Molly Idle), The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen (by Thelma Lynne Godin, illus Vanessa Brantley Newton), and The Most Magnificent Thing (by Ashley Spires).

CCBC Choices is an annual list of children’s books that are considered the “best-of-the-year” for various categories including “Understanding Oneself and Others” and “Historical People, Places and Events.”

The complete list of books can be found here.

In a recent review of Poems in the Attic, the School Library Journal praised the collection of poems illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon as “sweet and accessible but never simplistic.”

“Rendered in acrylic, oil, and collage, Zunon’s warm, vibrant illustrations complement the text perfectly,” wrote the School Library Journal.

The Bank Street College of Education releases an annual list of the best children’s books, and this year we are proud to announce the inclusion of several of our illustrators’ and authors’ books. Included on the list are The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires, Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle, I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison and illustrated by Frank Morrison, and Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, illustrated by Frank Morrison.

According to Bank Street’s website, “In choosing books for the annual list, reviewers consider literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotype.”

Congratulations Frank, Connie, Molly, and Ashley on this fantastic honor!

To view the complete list, click here.

Alice From Dallas by Marilyn Sadler, illustrated by Ard Hoyt, has been selected as a Finalist in the Western Writers of America 2015 Spur Awards in the Best Western Storyteller – Illustrated Children’s book category.  Alice from Dallas is the best cowgirl at school, until new student, Lexis from Texas, shows up and gives Alice a run for her money. What School Library Journal calls “a rollicking fun read-aloud” would be at home on any cowgirl’s bookshelf.

See the rest of the finalists and winners here.

Politics & Prose Bookstore named four books in its list “Young Readers and Black History Month,” each honoring the vibrancy of African-American history. Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, written by Katheryn Russell-Brown and illustrated by Frank Morrison, was included on this list.

“Brimming with ebullience and the joy of making music, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone is a fitting tribute to a trailblazing musician and a great unsung hero of jazz,” wrote Politics & Prose.

For the full list of books and more information click here.