Happy book birthday to Constance Lombardo‘s Mr. Puffball: Escape from Castaway Island! The third book in Lombardo’s Mr. Puffball trilogy, Escape from Castaway Island follows the final adventure of everyone’s favorite feline. Chock-full of drama, jokes, and stunts galore, Mr. Puffball’s escapades on his road to Hollywood stardom are sure to delight readers. In this eagerly anticipated conclusion, Mr. Puffball dives headfirst into the thrilling world of reality TV.  Will this be his ticket to the red carpet?

Grab your copy of Mr. Puffball: Escape from Castway Island here today to find out.

Since its surprise release on March 18th, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo has garnered non-stop attention and praise. Illustrated by EG Keller aka Painted Words’ very own Gerald Kelley, the book was the #1 most sold book on Amazon Charts for two weeks in a row, and still remains in the top 5 this week. It’s currently #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list for picture books, and has been posted about on prominent news outlets such as People, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal, where it’s currently #10 on the fiction best-selling book list. John Oliver appeared on The Ellen Show to talk about the book, as well as Late Night with Seth Meyers, where Meyers commented on the “gorgeous illustrations” by Keller aka Kelley.

Show some more love for Marlon Bundo and the two great charities (The Trevor Project and AIDS United) that benefit from your purchase by ordering a copy here today.

Happy book birthday to Exotic Fruit by Huy Voun Lee! Exotic Fruit is a board book that introduces kids to nine varieties of fruits that aren’t indigenous to the United States. Going beyond mere apples and oranges, this vibrant picture book both informs and entertains, with colorful drawings that reveal the inside and outside of each fruit, as well as their origin and alternate names.

You can grab your copy of Exotic Fruit here.

April 6th, 2018

This Saturday, April 7th, London Ladd will be speaking on two panels at The Color of Children’s Literacy Conference at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. The conference is being held by Kweli Journal, an online magazine with a mission to ” nurture emerging writers of color and create opportunities for their voices to be recognized and valued.” London will be speaking on the panels, “The Power of the Picture Book” and “Lifting the Veil.” More information about the conference and panelists can be found here.

Join freelance Illustrator, Sarah Jung, on https://www.behance.net/live as she creates an original illustration over three days in Photoshop Sketch – her preferred Adobe mobile app. This week she will show off her signature style, which evokes traditional media using only digital tools.

Don’t forget to tune in April 12th at 12PM EST to watch!

What do you get when two curious robots make a mess of things? An excellent review in Publishers Weekly! Michael Slack‘s fun new board book Standroid & Dandroid Make A Mess hit shelves on Tuesday, and has already gained positive feedback from reviewers. Nobody can resist the allure of this “charming robot pair” as they cause trouble and seek a solution to their sticky situation.

You can read the full review here and grab your copy of Standroid & Dandroid Make A Mess here.

Congratulations to Vanessa Brantley Newton, who illustrated The Youngest Marcher, which has received the 2018 Carter G. Woodson Book Award for an Elementary Level book. The award is given to “the most distinguished books appropriate for young readers that depict ethnicity in the United States,” and is meant to “encourage the writing, publishing, and dissemination of outstanding social studies books for young readers that treat topics related to ethnic minorities and race relations sensitively and accurately.”

You can view the complete list of winners and honorees here.

On Saturday April 7th join Maria Gianferrari and Jia Liu, author and illustrator of Terrific Tongues! as they read and sign copies of their book at Curious Iguana bookstore in Maryland. For more information about the event, click here.

Kirkus had only positive things to say about Michael Slack‘s upcoming sequel to 2017’s Shorty & Clem. In Shorty & Clem Blast Off!, the uniquely dynamic duo of dino and bird butt heads over a model rocket kit, with their drastically different personalities putting them at odds. Will Shorty and Clem be able to set their differences aside to get the job done? Kirkus notes the pair’s “expressively drawn faces,” and remarks that the “sophisticated pacing … practically guarantees chuckles.”

You can read the full review and pre-order your copy of Shorty & Clem Blast Off! here.

On Saturday, March 17, The Highlights Foundation unveiled their 2018 Visual Arts Exhibit, and hosted a reception in honor of children’s illustrator Shadra Strickland, whose inspiring artwork can be viewed on display at the Barn throughout the year. The director of customer experience, George Brown, stated that Shadra’s work will “serve as a source of creativity and encouragement for writers and illustrators.”

Read the full press release from the event here.