The School Library Journal has compiled a list of “Some of the Best Picture Books of 2016 Thus Far (Mid Year Summary),” featuring picture books published this year that they believe stand out. Three of our illustrators were included on the list. The chosen books were: Don’t Call Me Grandma, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Liz Zunon Where’s the Elephant? by Barroux K.G. Campbell‘s Dylan the Villain and Who Wants a Tortoise Congratulations, Liz, Barroux, and K.G.! You can read the full list of recommended books here.
Vanessa Brantley Newton’s newest picture book, Mary Had a Little Glam, written by Tammi Sauer, has been receiving lots of great attention! The rhyming picture book tells the story of glamorous little girl Mary, who helps all the children in her school learn about glamour, fashion, and fun. The picture book has been praised by reading blog Mile High Reading and featured on the site Picture Book Builders. Picture Book Builders ran a feature on Tammi Sauer and Vanessa, in which Vanessa and Tammi discuss their inspiration for the story and the importance of diverse books, and included some of Vanessa’s adorable sketches for the picture book. They also ran a giveaway for a free copy of Mary. Check it out here! Mile High Reading praised Mary in their review of it on their site. They were impressed by the book’s rhymes and wrote that “Vanessa Brantley Newton’s delightful, multicultural illustrations pair well with the fun rhyming text written by Sauer.” Read the full review here. Mary Had a Little Glam can be ordered online here.
Illustrator Michael Slack‘s latest work is the picture book Pirasaurs!, which tells the tale of a crew of pirates that are also dinosaurs, and their tiniest new recruit. Pirasuars! doesn’t come out until August 29th, but until then you can listen to his interview on the podcast All the Wonders, in which he discusses his inspirations, art, and how he comes up with his characters. Plus, look out for the pirasaurs to commandeer popular book blogs leading up to the book release. They’ll be featured in specially created gifs on selected blogs. Preorder Pirasaurs! here.
Picture book author/illustrator Elise Gravel‘s upcoming picture book, The Cranky Ballerina, is attracting lots of positive reviews and attention. Recently, Elise was interviewed by picture book themed website, Picture Book Builders. Elise discusses her own experiences with ballet, the inspirations behind The Cranky Ballerina and it’s characters, and how she chooses the trademark bright, fun colors in her illustrations. You can check out the full interview for yourself here! The Cranky Ballerina can be pre-ordered online here. It will be released August 9th!
Elise Gravel‘s forthcoming picture book/comic book, The Great Antonio, is a semi-biographical story of the famous Montreal strongman, Antonio. Kirkus praised The Great Antonio for it’s mixture of fact and fancy, Elise’s characteristic simple, fun illustrations, and the tall-tale effect of the story. They call The Great Antonio “A tribute as heartfelt as it is joyous and a fitting way to remember this larger-than-life performer,” and gave it a starred review. You can read the full review on Kirkus’s site here. The Great Antonio will be released this upcoming October, and you can pre-order it here.
Pantagraph wrote a review of Gene Barretta’s historical picture book, Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare, which compares all the intriguing similarities between the two famous presidents, including their fights for civil rights. Pantagraph praises Gene’s presentation of historical facts, writing that “Gene Barretta shows kids how history can be a weird and wonderful thing,” and they add that he “allow[s] his illustrations to bring the smiles here.” You can read Pantagraph’s full review here. Lincoln and Kennedy can be ordered online here.
