Hula-Hoopin’ Queen, written by Thelma Godin and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, was chosen as a Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title for 2015. The CCBC Charlotte Zolotow Award recognizes outstanding picture books for children. More information about the award can be found here.
Illustrated by Frank Morrison and written by Katheryn Russell-Brown, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone was named as one of the 2015 Notable Books for a Global Society by the CL/R SIG (Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group). The book was described by the committee as a “boldly beautiful portrayal of jazz legend Melba Liston, joyful movement bursts from the pages as Melba plays, composes, arranges and celebrates music across America, Europe and Asia.” More information and the complete list of books here.
Poems in the Attic, written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, was reviewed in the November/December issue of the Yellow Brick Road newsletter. In the book, a girl finds poems her mother wrote as a child, and the book was praised for speaking “deeply to individual and intergenerational experiences.”
My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay, written by Cari Best and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton, was reviewed in The New York Times’ Sunday Book Review. The review praised Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s “wonderfully spirited” illustrations, and say My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay is “refreshing in its casual approach to racial diversity.” Read the full review here.
Last year Barroux‘s widely-acclaimed graphic novel Line of Fire was adapted into a sell-out theater show in France, which is now touring in the UK. The “musical-drawing ‘spectacle'” features Barroux painting live on stage with music performed by electric guitarist Julien Jubert. Like the book, the musical explores the experiences of a WWI soldier, whose diary Barroux happened upon one day in the streets of Paris. View a clip from the show below and read more about Line of Fire here.
Lend a Hand, featuring London Ladd’s illustrations, was reviewed by Washington Parent Magazine in their “Mixed Media” newsletter. From the review: “The importance of unity and collective responsibility are vividly portrayed in these 14 free-verse poems and beautiful artwork…With its focus on young people engaged in small acts of kindness, this book makes for a perfect family read-aloud.” Read more here.
