Betsy Bird interviewed Frank Morrison and author Derrick Barnes on their book, Seven Million Steps, for the Fuse8 Blog. The book chronicles Dick Gregory’s 1976 two-and-a-half month run from Los Angeles to NYC to raise awareness about food insecurity and poverty in the US. When Frank was asked to describe what appealed to him about working on the book, he said, “I’m just trying to do my part by collaborating with this amazing team, visualizing a world where everyone has their basic needs met. This is not about us, it’s about the people. During the pandemic, the world came together and mobilized in response—can you imagine if we had that kind of stance for the poor and hungry?” See the full interview here. Seven Million Steps was also included in the New York Times article, “How Four Picture Books See America at 250.” The article says, “Frank Morrison’s expansive illustrations emphasize Gregory’s lean physique and robust spirit, the natural beauty he encountered and the people he welcomed into his orbit. That there were no parades for him when he crossed the George Washington Bridge on July 4 did not bother him; Gregory believed that “what we’re here for” is doing […]
Core, a division of ALA, included TATE TUBER: SPACE SPUD by Michael Slack (Holiday House) on its Golden Duck Notable Picture Books List, recognizing excellence in children’s science fiction. Congratulations Michael! See the full list here.
Imperfectly Perfect Posey (Spinning Wheel Stories) by Lizzie Brooks, illustrated by Enni Heikura has a starred review from Kirkus. “Posey is sweet and sympathetic, and Heikura’s soft, swirly pastel illustrations are the perfect complement.” Congratulations Enni! The book will be released June 9, 2026 Pre-order it here
No More Gnomes (Lerner) by Beth Mills, and Goats Afloat (Amazon/Two Lions) by Lezlie Evans and illustrated by Julia Patton have made The Children’s Book Council’s Kids Favorites List for 2026. See the full list here
The Woman Behind the Magic: How Lillian B. Disney Shaped the Disney Legacy (Beach Lane) by Brittany Richman and illustrated by Joanie Stone has been i longlisted for MPIBA’s Reading the West Award under the Picture book category! Congratulations! The shortlists will be announced on May 1st and public voting will be open May 1-31. Final winners will be announced in June. Get the book here
Fight for the Right to Read (Creston Books) by Jeff Gottesfeld and Michelle Y. Green, illustrated by Kim Holt was recently featured in ALXnow, an online news source of everything Alexandria. Fight for the Right to Read tells the story of the Alexandria Library sit-in as Tucker, at age 26, led a group of five young Black men to enter the whites-only Alexandria Library on Aug. 21, 1939. “I have an affinity for older things, history in particular, and that is from a drawing perspective,” Holt, a graduate of Tucker’s alma mater, Howard University, said. “Even my personal art that I do is like ’40s, ’50s, ’60s. Those times really resonate with me and I love little-known history, because I just feel like it expands what you know, and so many times I’m like, ‘man, I wish I had learned this in school.’” Read the full article here Get the book here
