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.
Elise Gravel‘s newest picture book, The Cranky Ballerina, will be coming out this upcoming August, but it already has great reviews coming in. The Cranky Ballerina tells the story of Ada, a little girl who would much rather cause some good old chaos than dance in a tutu. Publisher’s Weekly praised Gravel’s humor and expressive illustrations, as well as the moral of the story. “Gravel is clearly not in the camp that believes that “quitters never win.” Instead, she suggests…why not channel your energy into something you actually enjoy?” To read the full review, follow this link. You can pre-order The Cranky Ballerina here.
This Saturday, Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina will be holding a Middle Grade Author panel to celebrate middle grade books. The panel will include Constance Lombardo, author of the Mr. Puffball illustrated middle grade novel series. The event will start at 3 pm. If you’re in the area, make sure to check it out and say hi to Constance! To find out more information and see what other authors will be attending, visit Malaprop’s website here.
This Saturday, May 14th, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore will be holding their 4th Annual African American Children’s Book Fair. This free book fair is open to anyone who wants to learn more about books by and for African Americans and people of other ethnicities, and every family will receive a free children’s book for as long as supplies last. Picture book illustrators Shadra Strickland (Sunday Shopping) and London Ladd (Frederick’s Journey) will be participating, and Shadra will be awarding the first annual Jack Ezra Keats Bookmaking Competition. The festival will be running from 12 to 4 pm, with London taking part in the Illustrator’s Painting Presentation at 2 pm and Shadra participating in the Quick Draw Contest at 2:20. If you’re in the Baltimore area, make sure to stop by! You can find more information about the book fair on the museum’s website here.
