Liz Zunon‘s new book, The Legendary Miss Lena Horne, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Liz, is coming out this upcoming January. The picture book tells the inspiring story of Lena Horne, an African American actress and civil rights activist. The publisher, Simon and Schuster, has revealed the cover (as shown on the left) as well as several spreads online. You can see the beautiful images online here, and you can pre-order The Legendary Miss Lena Horne here.

Recently, Liz Zunon, illustrator of Don’t Call Me Grandma, was featured on the blog of Mr. Schu, the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic. Liz and Mr. Schu discussed Don’t Call Me Grandma and other picture books that Liz has illustrated, the various authors she has worked with, and Liz’s adventures with tassels. Featuring some of Liz’s beautiful illustrations as well as her sweet personality, this interview is a fun read for any fans of Liz or for anyone who is curious about her work. Check out the full blog post here.

Happy Book Birthday to Gene Barretta‘s Lincoln and Kennedy! See what the critics are saying…

“Lincoln and Kennedy don’t immediately lend themselves easily to a side-by-side picture-book analysis. Kudos to Barretta, then, who is stunningly successful at creating such a book by pausing at key moments of each man’s life to see what he’s facing and enriching the biography of both by comparison. . .this will obviously catch the eye of social-studies teachers, but the lively illustrations and inviting approach will entice independent readers as well”―The Bulletin

“The text reads easily, but it’s the cartoonish illustrations―big, bold, and set in cleverly designed pages―that will immediately grab kids’ attention. . . Engaging”―Booklist

“Lincoln and Kennedy is a marvelously original and important book. I can’t think of a better way to interest young readers in American history.” ―Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty! The American Revolution

Order your copy 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.

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!