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Make Way for Butterfly – Perfect Picture Book Friday
New authors sometimes ask “What is this thing called ‘a character-driven story?” Today, I’m offering up a stellar example, from the author/illustrator, Ross Burach. He’s created a handful of butterfly...
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A Garden in My Hands – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I have long admired henna art, but I didn’t know how the paint was made, or that its shade deepens the longer the paint remains on the skin. I loved reading the story of this little girl and her...
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The Light Within You – Perfect Picture Book Friday
We need more hope and kindness in our world, and this book offers up a light-filled heart and generous, inclusive spirit. Text ©Namita Moolani Mehra Illustration ©Kamala Nair DIYA WAS READY! She was...
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A Walk in the Woods – Perfect Picture Book Friday
What can I say about a book that’s three kinds of love letters? From a father to son. From a son to a father. From one friend to another. For those who don’t know the story behind the book, Nikki...
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Stickler Loves the World – Perfect Picture Book Friday
What can I say about a main character who has such a big heart it explodes across the page? What can I say about illustrations that feel ethereal, strange, and delicate, yet humorous? Txt/Illustration...
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NaNoWriMo Alert
Illus. by Debbie Ohi * I’ve entered into the NaNoWriMo zone of creation and revision, weaving a new story midst the shards of an old one. And yes, I mean “old” in the historical sense. When the pieces...
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Rumi: Poet of Joy and Love – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Look at that gorgeous gold lettering! Plus other scattered pops of gold on the flowers. It’s a stunning cover that makes a great start to this story about Rumi, an Islamic scholar and Sufi mystic, and...
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Holy Night and Little Star – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Holy Night and Little Star is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book that offers a new take on the standard Christmas story. When the story opens, we see Little Star hovering low in the...
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Mr. S – Perfect Picture Book Friday
* Mr. S is a first-day-of-school book that’s surprising, funny, and fresh. It’s also a book that can be read year round because it breaks the mold of 1st day books. It’s not about conquering your fear...
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Rosie Runs and The Shade Tree – Perfect Picture Book(s) Friday
Picture books in translation tend to fascinate me, because they expand my limited view of the possibilities of what a picture book can do or be, a view that is often restricted to what I usually see...
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Holiday Interlude
All is well at the castle…Ghosts of Gingerbread Constructions past… I wish you peace, hope, and joy in the new year.
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Harriet’s Reflections – Perfect Picture Book Friday
First published in French in 2021, Eerdman’s has brought this engaging translation to the U.S. with the help of Marion Kadi (author/illustrator) and Abram Kaplan. It’s a pleasure to welcome this book...
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Big Sister, Long Coat – Perfect Picture Book Friday
* Sometimes, I wish I had a big sister. And in my mind, she’d be just like the one in this sweet story about how that special person in your life can make even the most troubling days, not just...
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What Makes Us Human – Perfect Picture Book Friday
* As our world grows smaller, it is becoming more homogenous. Whether that can be attributed to mass media and/or careless disregard or intentional extermination of cultures and languages, the purpose...
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The Ramadan Drummer – Perfect Picture Book Friday
* First, let’s just admire that amazing cover, the rich colors and magical feel that sets the tone for the book. Gorgeous! Text©Sahtinay Abaza Illustration©Dinara Mirtalipova Hunger gripped Adam like...
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A Geoduck is Not a Duck – Perfect Picture Book Friday
* What do you get when you cross a little known mollusk with a TV show featuring a Sea Star reporter? A hilarious misadventure. Written in a lively newscast-graphic novel format, this book will keep...
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There Are No Dragons in This Book – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Promise! There are no dragons in this book. Hmmmm. Every child, after seeing that dangling contradiction at the gable of the roof, will eagerly open this book and investigate for themselves. What they...
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Water – Perfect Picture Book Friday
The opening spread for this gorgeously illustrated book asks the question: Does water make you wonder? And if your answer is “no,” I dare you to open to any page (It’s a browsable format.) and read a...
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Dancing Through Space – Perfect Picture Book Friday
When my son was in third grade, he researched and wrote a one-page biography about Mae Jemison. At the time, I don’t think there were any picture book biographies about her. The information he found...
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The Law of Birthdays – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Birthdays are a very popular topic in children’s books, but The Law of Birthdays is unusual. Why? Sure, it’s about one of the most ubiquitous parts of the celebration, the eating of cake. BUT BUT BUT...
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