Kate Merrit‘s recent board book, Beach Baby, has been named one of Amazon’s best books of June for the category of Baby to Age 2. Beach Baby is part of the Indestructibles series, a series of board books designed to handle the rough attention of babies and toddlers. It tells the sweet story of a baby’s day at the beach. Congratulations, Kate!
To check out the full list of winners, follow this link. You can order Beach Baby online here.
February 1, 2017
Angie Karcher, a children’s author and blogger, has nominated her top ten rhyming children’s books for 2016, and two books illustrated by our artists made the cut. Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack, tells in rhyme the story of a tiny piratical dinosaur. Mary Had a Little Glam, written by Tammy Sauer and illustrated by Vanessa B Newton, takes the story and rhyme scheme of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and retells it as a story of a fashionable little girl and her attempts to glamorize her classmates. Both have been praised for their fun story and playful rhymes as well as their bright, energetic illustrations.
The final award announcements will be streaming on KidLitTV February 12th at 8 pm ET. Make sure to check it out!
The full list of rhyming winners can be found on Angie Karcher’s blog here. Pirasaurs! can be purchased here and Mary Had a Little Glam here.
September 16, 2016
This weekend is Speak Like a Pirate weekend at Bel and Bunna’s bookstore in Lafayette, CA, so of course you can find Michael Slack and the Pirasaurs there this weekend (9/17-18). Michael will do a reading and signing of his new picture book, Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael. He’ll also do drawings and, obviously, he’ll speak like a pirate. He’ll be at Bel and Bunna’s from 11 am to 2 pm, so be sure to drop by if you’re in the area!
You can read more about the event on Bel and Bunna’s website. Pirasaurs! can be ordered online here.
September 8, 2016
In their September issue, the School Library Journal reviewed the recently released picture book, Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack. Pirasaurs! is the story of the youngest recruit on a pirate ship that is, of course, run by dinosaurs. The School Library Journal praised the rhyming prose and wrote that Michael Slack’s “Angular and toothily aggressive depictions of the pirasaur crew bring the digital cartoons to life.” All together, they call it, “A rip-roaring read-aloud for storytime or small group sharing.”
You can order Pirasaurs! online here.
August 4, 2016
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. Pirasaurs! 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.
June 8, 2016
Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack, is, of course, a picture book about dinosaurs who are also pirates! In this energetic new picture book, it’s up to the smallest and newest recruit of a pirate crew to save the day when the crew conflicts with another pirate crew. Publisher’s Weekly praised Pirasaurs!, complimenting the rollicking rhyming text and Michael’s illustrations. They write, “Slack’s…richly textured digital artwork may, in this context, bring to mind images painted on a ship’s deck. His hero is adorable and appropriately child-like, while the toothy, bug-eyed crew is fiercely funny.”
You can read the full review on Publisher Weekly’s site here. Pirasaurs! isn’t coming out until August 30th, but you can preorder it online here.
Pirasuars!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack, is, of course, a picture book about dinosaurs who are also pirates! In this energetic new picture book, it’s up to the smallest and newest recruit of a pirate crew to save the day when the crew conflicts with another pirate crew. Publisher’s Weekly praised Pirasaurs!, complimenting the rollicking rhyming text and Michael’s illustrations. They write, “Slack’s…richly textured digital artwork may, in this context, bring to mind images painted on a ship’s deck. His hero is adorable and appropriately child-like, while the toothy, bug-eyed crew is fiercely funny.”
You can read the full review on Publisher Weekly’s site here. Pirasuars! isn’t coming out until August 30th, but you can preorder it online here.
February, 5, 2018
Last week, the New York Public Library hosted a Facebook Live video for World Read Aloud Day, and The Cranky Ballerina by Elise Gravel was one of the 6 books included! Click here to watch a recording of this special event, where Gravel’s book is read at about 26 minutes in.
August 2, 2016
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!
July 6, 2016
Quill and Quire wrote a wonderful review for Elise Gravel‘s upcoming picture book, The Cranky Ballerina, coming out August 9th. Quill and Quire complimented Elise’s “fun, expressive illustrations,” humor, and the valuable life lessons about kindness and failure. They write that “By following Ada’s story, [readers will] also learn that sometimes failing at one thing just means they might end up being exceptionally good at something they haven’t tried yet.”
You can read the full review here.
July 1, 2016
The Cranky Ballerina, Elise Gravel‘s upcoming picture book, was recently reviewed by the School Library Journal. The Cranky Ballerina tells the story of Ada, a little girl who hates her ballet lessons and would much rather learn karate. The School Library Journal praised Elise’s complex portrayal of her character, pointing out that Ada’s grumpiness is not merely for humor but is due to her frustration. They write, “This book will resonate with children, especially those who have yet to channel their misunderstood talents.” They also praise Elise’s humor and the illustrations in her signature style and call The Cranky Ballerina, “A noteworthy addition for most collections.”
June 8, 2016
Elise Gravel‘s newest picture book, The Cranky Ballerina, will be coming out this upcoming August, but it already has great reviews coming in. The Cranky Ballerina tells the story of Ada, a little girl who would much rather cause some good old chaos than dance in a tutu. Publisher’s Weekly praised Gravel’s humor and expressive illustrations, as well as the moral of the story. “Gravel is clearly not in the camp that believes that “quitters never win.” Instead, she suggests…why not channel your energy into something you actually enjoy?”
To read the full review, follow this link. You can pre-order The Cranky Ballerina here.
Elise Gravel‘s newest picture book, The Cranky Ballerina, will be coming out this upcoming August, but it already has great reviews coming in. The Cranky Ballerina tells the story of Ada, a little girl who would much rather cause some good old chaos than dance in a tutu. Publisher’s Weekly praised Gravel’s humor and expressive illustrations, as well as the moral of the story. “Gravel is clearly not in the camp that believes that “quitters never win.” Instead, she suggests…why not channel your energy into something you actually enjoy?”
To read the full review, follow this link. You can pre-order The Cranky Ballerina here.
This Saturday, Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina will be holding a Middle Grade Author panel to celebrate middle grade books. The panel will include Constance Lombardo, author of the Mr. Puffball illustrated middle grade novel series. The event will start at 3 pm. If you’re in the area, make sure to check it out and say hi to Constance! To find out more information and see what other authors will be attending, visit Malaprop’s website here.
This Saturday, May 14th, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore will be holding their 4th Annual African American Children’s Book Fair. This free book fair is open to anyone who wants to learn more about books by and for African Americans and people of other ethnicities, and every family will receive a free children’s book for as long as supplies last. Picture book illustrators Shadra Strickland (Sunday Shopping) and London Ladd (Frederick’s Journey) will be participating, and Shadra will be awarding the first annual Jack Ezra Keats Bookmaking Competition. The festival will be running from 12 to 4 pm, with London taking part in the Illustrator’s Painting Presentation at 2 pm and Shadra participating in the Quick Draw Contest at 2:20. If you’re in the Baltimore area, make sure to stop by! You can find more information about the book fair on the museum’s website here.
Picture book artist Shadra Strickland has created an online course called “The Art of the Picture Book” to teach the aspiring illustrator the basics of the art. Shadra’s course includes seven videos on topics such as how to develop characters and structure your picture book, tons of downloadable material, and the chance to ask Shadra direct questions on the virtual classroom. Check it out online here!
In an article about children’s picture books that explore new words for children, the New York Times gave high praise to Il Sung Na‘s new picture book, The Opposite Zoo, which explores the concept of opposites at a zoo closed for the night. The New York Times praised Il Sung for “bring[ing] fresh energy” to the familiar idea of opposites. They appreciate his humor and clever touches, and especially complimented his art, writing that he has “a coloring style that feels as if someone took a firecracker to a box of crayons.”
You can read the full review of The Opposite Zoo on the New York Times site here, and you can purchase your own copy here.
Liz Zunon will be busy this May! On Friday, May 6th she’ll be doing a book signing from 10:15 to 11 am at the SSL Conference at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York. You can find out more on the SSL site here.
On Saturday, May 7th, Liz will be reading Don’t Call Me Grandma, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Liz, and other books at the Hudson Children’s Book Festival from 12:30 to 1. You can find her in the Author Tent in the Gymnasium. To find out who else will be participating in the festival and other information, check out the book festival site.
Saturday, May 14th, you can find Liz at Mango Tree Imports in Saratoga Springs, New York. She will read One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia, written by Miranda Paul and illustrated by Liz, and participate in a plastic bag craft activity for children. She’ll be there from 1:30 to 3:30 pm.
Tuesday, May 17th is Young Author’s Night at Ichabod Crane Primary School. Liz will be participating by signing books from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.
To finish her busy month off, on Wednesday, May 25 she’ll be participating in a symposium at the Library of Congress Young Readers Center in Washington, DC. The symposium will be on “Immigration and Children’s Literature: The Role of Heritage in Storytelling” and will run from 1 to 2 pm, followed by book signing. The invitation below contains more information.
