Booklist’s starred review of The Great Dictionary Caper is their Review of the Day today! The review of this humorous new picture book is featured on the front page of their website. Written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Eric Comstock, The Great Dictionary Caper tells the story of what happens when the words escape from the dictionary. Booklist calls The Great Dictionary Caper, “Delightful,” and praises both the humor and the educational worth of the story. They write, “It’s all fun and word games, but in the process, readers will also get a tidy lesson in linguistic concepts.” They also praise the elaborate page spreads which visually depict the textual word play, which are “enhanced by Comstock’s energetic, retro-flair illustrations, which fill the pages with cavorting words and creative details.” In all, Booklist concludes, “In approach and format, this is both entertaining and educational—likely to hold and pique kids’ interest in the topic and provide a fun learning supplement.” Booklist’s starred, featured review is available here. The Great Dictionary Caper will be coming out January 2018 and is available for pre-order here.
Starting this weekend, Frank Morrison‘s art will be displayed at an art gallery in Brooklyn, New York. The “Urban Restoration” Exhibit features Frank’s graffiti style artwork. As street art is increasingly co-opted by the fine art world, Urban Restoration seeks to restore graffiti style art to the inner city artists that originally created it. In his artist statement, Frank writes, “My work dignifies the evolution of everyday, underrepresented people and places within the urban landscape. I seek to both highlight and preserve the soul of the city.” The exhibit will be shown at Richard Beaver Gallery in Brooklyn, NYC. It will run from December 16th to January 28th. If you’re in the area during that time period, make sure to check out this unique and amazing art exhibition! More information is available at the Richard Beaver website here. You can RSVP to the event here.
Due in part to institutions such as residential schools, Aboriginal languages in Canada and the US are in danger of going extinct. But children’s books are doing their part to prevent this tragic result, with several books coming out recently that introduce the language, culture, or history of vulnerable languages. Quill and Quire, a Canadian magazine of book news and reviews, reviewed picture books focused on the Cree language, including Stolen Words. Written by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard, Stolen Words tells the story of the relationship between a young girl and her Cree grandfather. When the young protagonist discovers her grandfather lost his Cree language from the residential school system, she sets out to help him relearn the language. Quill and Quire praises the picture books evocative description and illustrations and its frank confrontation of the trauma of the residential schools. Gabrielle’s illustrations are described as “beautiful and disturbing.” Quill and Quire’s full review is available here. Stolen Words can be purchased online here.
NPR recently released their list of over 350 books they recommend as the Best Books of 2017. In the kids’ section, two of our artist’s works were included! These were Bird, Balloon, Bear and Lucía the Luchadora. Bird, Balloon, Bear, written and illustrated by Il Sung Na, is the story of a bird who wants to be friends with a bear but finds a balloon getting in the way. NPR praises the “sweet story” and calls Il Sung’s illustrations, “gorgeous” and “warm and endearing.” Bird, Balloon, Bear is available for purchase here. Lucía the Luchadora, written by Cynthia Leonor Garza and illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez, follows a little girl who wants to be a superhero but is told that it’s impossible for girls. When she learns of her family’s history of female lucha libre wrestlers, she finds the bravery to stand up for herself and others. NPR calls it, “a story of empowerment and doing the right thing.” Lucía the Luchadora is available for order here. Check out NPR’s full list of recommended books for 2017 here!
Sometimes dads are all wrong and it’s up to kids to save the day! That’s certainly the case in The Adventures of Wrong Man and Power Girl!, written by C. Alexander London and illustrated by Frank Morrison. A picture book/comic book mash up, this humorous story follows the imagined superhero adventures of a little girl and her dad. Kirkus wrote a review of Wrong Man and Power Girl. They call it “sweet and amusing” and praise the imaginative nature of the story. They praise the diverse characters and the father-daughter relationship between characters of color. Of Frank’s illustrations, they write, “Morrison’s colorful artwork nicely mimics the style and feel of a vintage comic book, panels and layering lending the book a dynamic feel.” All in all, they conclude that Wrong Man and Power Girl is, “A lighthearted adventure story that charms and entertains.” Kirkus’s full review is available here. The Adventures of Wrong Man and Power Girl! is coming out in March 2018. Pre-order it here!
With the modern drive to focus on diversity in picture books, more stories than ever feature amazing female protagonists. The Washington Post recently compiled a list of the some of the best of these female-driven picture books in an article titled, “These books can help build strong girls — and boys — for today’s world.” Included on this list was The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist, written by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. The Youngest Marcher is the story of one of the youngest children to march in the Birmingham Children’s March in the civil rights era. The Post describes The Youngest Marcher as ” a celebration of her bravery and refusal to back down.” The Washington Post’s full article is available here. The Youngest Marcher is available for purchase here.
