The Northern Lights Book Awards have been announced, and three Painted Words artists are on the list. Our World is a Family (Sourcebooks Explore) by Miry Whitehill and Jennifer Jackson, illustrated by Nomar Perez is the winner of the Picture Book Non-Fiction category. Playtime for Restless Rascals (Sourcebook Jabberwocky) by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon is the winner of the Family Category, and A Prayer for Our Country (Zonderkidz) by Senate Chaplain Barry Black, illustrated by Kim Holt is the winner of the Religious/Spiritual category.

See the full list here

All Aboard the Schooltrain: A Little Story from the Great Migration (Scholastic) by Glenda Armand, illustrated by Keisha Morris has received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist and Publishers Weekly. Here’s what they said:

* “A vivid evocation of place and era rolling solidly on a bed of timeless values.” ― Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “A child-friendly picture book introducing the Great Migration.” ― Booklist, starred review

* “Lends the meandering feel of family stories to this portrait of a historical moment.” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review

Congratulations Keisha!

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Publishers Weekly has given a starred review to How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee (Candlewick) by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison. The review says “Morrison’s distinctive portraiture shows the protagonist meeting with Black legends in Akron, and juxtaposes the community support Cox enjoys in her home state with experiences of racial discrimination in the nation’s capital.”

How Do You Spell Unfair? will be published April 11 2023.

Read the full review here

Pre order the book here

Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom (Holiday House) by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon has been selected for the 2023 Rise: A Feminist Book Project Booklist.

Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 has been promoting quality feminist literature for young readers since 2002 as a part of the Feminist Task Force and the Social Responsibilities Round Table.

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Keisha Morris’s cover for Words of Wonder (Doubleday) by Zaila Avant-garde is featured on people.com. Avant-garde was the 2021 winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The book will be published June 27, 2023.

See the article here

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Canada’s Corus Entertainment has greenlit a CG-animated series based on author Ashley Spires’ book The Most Magnificent Thing (Kids Can Press) and a same-name 2019 short film for its Treehouse preschool channel.

Millie Magnificent (52 x 11 minutes) features the book’s namesake protagonist taking on kid-sized challenges in the neighborhood with her friends and pet dog using STEAM-based skills and creative problem-solving.

Read more about it here

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Jump In! (Bloomsbury), Shadra Strickland’s debut author illustrated picture book, has been named a Junior Library Guild Selection.

Read more about it here

Jump In! will be published January 31, 2023. Pre order it here

Black Gold (HarperCollins) by Laura Obuobi, illustrated by London Ladd is a NAACP Image Award Nominee as Outstanding Literary Work- Children.

The Awards Ceremony will be televised on BET, Saturday February 25th at 8:00 EST.

See the full list of nominees here

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Congratulations London!

Booklist calls Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar (Doubleday) by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow a “pitch-perfect-picture-book biography” and says that “This upbeat, harmonious portrait of the “Godmother of Rock and Roll” as a child hits all the right notes.”

Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar will be published February 28, 2023. Pre order it here

See the full review in the February 1 issue of Booklist.

Uncle John’s City Garden (Holiday House) by Bernette Ford, illustrated by Frank Morrison has been named a Blue Ribbon Book by the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.

See the full list of Blue Ribbon Books here

Get Uncle John’s City Garden here