Kirkus’ Best Picture Books of 2019 went live on Nov. 18th, and we were delighted to see that three of our illustrators’ books were included. The Best Informational Picture Books list celebrated The Roots of Rap illustrated by Frank Morrison; Where Are You From? illustrated by Jaime Kim was a Best Picture Book To Get Kids Thinking; and My Shoes and I illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck was featured as a Best Picture Book About Small People in a Big World. We loved seeing our artists’ books among this wonderful selection, and send our congratulations to Frank, Jaime, and Fabricio, as well as the other authors and illustrators on the list!

The Secret Garden of George Washington written by Gene Barretta and illustrated by Frank Morrison has received a starred review from School Library Journal. SLJ writes, “Barretta’s prose, combined with Morrison’s art, fully illuminates the depth of Carter’s considerable contributions to the science of agriculture, the farming community, and racial equality.” Congrats Gene and Frank!

The book isn’t out until January 14^th, but you can pre-order a copy here.

This year the Advisory Council of the Georgia Center for the Book chose Frank Morrison’s illustrated book The Roots of Rap as a 2019 Book all Young Georgians Should Read! Congratulations, Frank!

Pick up Roots of Rap here

Elise Gravel has 9 books on the Renaud-Bray Bestseller list for the week of October 3rd! Renaud-Bray is the largest chain of French-language bookstores in North America and one of the largest bookstore chains in Canada. The bestsellers listed include: Une patate a veio (A Potato On A Bike), Tribu qui pue(La), Tu peaux (You Can Be), Pire livre du monde (Le) (The Worst Book Ever), Je suis terrible (I Am Terrible), Ada, la grincheuse en tutu (Cranky Ballerina), Je veux un monstre! (I Am A Monster), Grand Antonio (Le) (The Great Antonio), Cle a molette(La) (The Wrench). Read the whole bestseller list here

Congrats Elise!

The Roots of Rap by Frank Morrison has been selected by Booklist as a 2019 Top 10 Art Books for Youths. They celebrate The Roots of Rap, saying  “his free-verse picture book does an excellent job of capturing the essence of rap.”

To read the full list click here

To buy The Roots of Rap click here

Everybody Says Meow by Constance Lombardo is out now from HarperCollins! Kirkus praises the book saying, “the messages of inclusion and acceptance are welcome. An enjoyable addition to noisy storytimes.” And the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books says, “this readaloud swiftly becomes a read-along, and little ones will quickly join in with the various animal sounds. A final comic punch will leave listeners giggling and wanting more.”

Pick up a copy here.

Charnelle Barlow’s interview with Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast  is online now! Charnelle discusses her debut illustrated book, Just Like a Mama, coming out this January from Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster. She also chats with Jules about her inspirations, favorite mediums and more! Click here to read the full interview and see a preview of Just Like a Mama. And you can pre-order a copy of the book here

Kirkus praised Elizabeth Zunon’s upcoming picture book, Bedtime for Sweet Creatures, written by Nikki Grimes and due out January 14^th 2020 from Sourcebooks. Kirkus writes, “Zunon’s art takes this book to the next level: Her portrayals of the animals mentioned in the text are colorful and full of intriguing patterns and shapes,” and “the expressions on the faces of the mother, child, and animals speak volumes.”

Read the full review here, and pre-order a copy here.

Harper Kids is promoting its #ReadInFullColor campaign, “a social movement to highlight three special picture books where not only young readers feel relatable to a character or story, but also appeals to adults who may not have felt represented when they were younger.” Jaime Kim’s illustrated title, Where Are You From?  is part of the campaign, and can be seen featured in a short animation. The animated clip includes Kim’s two main characters, a young girl and her abuelo.

Click here to watch the animation and here to pick up a copy of the book.