To coincide with the release of Grandpa Cacao, Elizabeth Zunon has taken to the airwaves to talk about her first author-illustrated picture book. She appeared on her local radio station, WOOC 105.3 FM, to talk about how the story was inspired by her grandfather’s cacao plantation in the Ivory Coast. Zunon also joined the University of Pittsburgh’s PRIDE program on their “In My Skin” podcast to discuss what Grandpa Cacao means to her. For the Nerdy Book Club blog, Zunon wrote a guest blog post about the background of the book, and how her love of chocolate is connected to her family’s past. Pick up a copy here
Where are you from? Illustrated by Jaime Kim and written by Yamile Saied Méndez has gotten an excellent Starred Review from Kirkus. Set to come out June 4th, the book explores the meaning behind the commonly-asked question, “Where are you from?”, as a little girl’s grandfather brings her on a journey to discover her roots. The review writes, “The question of where someone is ‘really’ from, in the United States, is too often understood as meaning: You look different; you must be from somewhere else. In this case, the illustrations portray a very diverse group of children and adults posing that very question, demonstrating the particular frustrations often experienced by people of mixed race.” Click here to pre-order a copy today Click here to read the whole review
The Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Book of the Year List is curated by the Children’s Book Committee to inform families, educators and librarians what they believe to be the best children books of the year. This year, a number of works by our illustrators made it onto the list for their incredible work. These works includes Grandma’s Purse by Vanessa Brantley Newton, Gordon: Bark to the Future by Ashley Spires, I Got the Christmas Spirit written by Connie Schofield-Morrison and Illustrated by Frank Morrison, Let the Children March and Starstruck both illustrated by Frank Morrison, Snail Mail illustrated by Julia Patton, The Great Dictionary Caper illustrated by Eric Comstock, and finally, Terrific Tongues! illustrated by Jia Liu. The wonderful books and illustrators included showed exemplary impacts in children literature. To read the whole list click here
K.G. Campbell’s A Small Zombie Problem has received a starred review from Booklist! The book, coming out on June 4th, is the first in a trilogy about August DuPont and his darkly comic adventures in the Louisiana bayou. The reviewer writes, “Campbell’s series-starter is an off-kilter delight featuring many of his own illustrations, which, though unseen, should be a fantastic addition, considering his artwork for Kate DiCamillo’s Flora and Ulysses (2013).” To pre-order click here To read the whole review click here
Goodnight ’70s illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez and written by Peter Stein came out May 7th. This funny trip down memory lane is set in a classic 1970s room, lava lamps and all! This parody of the children’s classic, Goodnight Moon, has readers say goodnight to long hair, Pop Rocks, and beanbag chairs. Pick up a copy here
Elizabeth Zunon has gotten a glowing starred review from School Library Journal for her first authored-illustrated picture book, Grandpa Cacao. Out May 21st, the book is based on Zunon’s own experiences as a child, learning about her grandfather’s cacao plantation. The review praises the illustrations’ “majestic feeling,” and how they “utilize colors to elicit an emotional connection.” “With an educational approach sure to expand the minds of children, this is an engaging multicultural addition for a public library picture book collection,” the reviewer writes. We couldn’t agree more! Make sure to pre-order a copy now!
