In addition to his wonderful children’s book art, Michael Slack is also a fine artist. Currently he has two colored pencil and acryla gouache drawings on display at The Compound Gallery in Emerville, CA. See more about the gallery here
A Sprinkle of Sadie (Affirm Press) written by Lana Spasevski, illustrated by Joanie Stone has been published in Australia. In this sweet chapter book, Sadie needs to throw a surprise birthday for her mum, help out at the Cookgrove fundraising day,and welcome someone new to her class. But Sadie’s sweet intentions do not always go to plan! Her vanilla ice-cream cake for Mum is as flat as a pancake. Her cupcake stall has tough competition. And her welcome treat is not welcomed! Can Sadie find a way to save the day? In these three sprinkle-filled stories (complete with recipes!) the unstoppable Sadie shows that any problem can be solved with generosity, kindness and, of course, a delicious baked treat. This book is the first in a series. Congratulations Joanie! Learn more about the book here
King of Ragtime (Simon & Schuster) by Stephen Costanza has won a Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration. The awards are given by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in recognition of excellence in children’s books. Congratulations Steve! See the full list of winners here Get King of Ragtime here
People Magazine recently interviewed Clothilde Ewing about her book Stella Keeps the Sun Up (Simon & Schuster), illustrated by Lynne Gaines. Ewing says she had a very clear vision for how she saw Stella that illustrator Lynn Gaines helped bring to life. “I wanted to make sure that Stella was a little black girl — complexion-wise, I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any ambiguity,” she says. “I wanted Stella to have a beautiful brown skin tone and I wanted to make sure her hair looked like my daughter’s hair, that it had texture. And that she was colorful and exuded joy.” When she first saw Gaines’s drawings, “I almost cried,” she says. “It was so spot-on.” Read the full interview here Get the book here
Above the Rim (Abrams) by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Frank Morrison has been named to the Texas Library Association’s 2022 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List. The purpose of the Texas Topaz Reading List is to provide children, teens, and adults with recommended nonfiction titles that stimulate reading for pleasure and personal learning. Congratulations Frank! See the complete list here Get the book here
BECAUSE OF YOU, JOHN LEWIS: THE TRUE STORY OF A REMARKABLE FRIENDSHIP (Scholastic) by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illus. by Keith Henry Brown Ten-year-old Tennesseean Tybre Faw finds a hero in Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights icon nicknamed “Good Trouble,” who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. As the anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the commemorative march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge approaches, Faw begs his grandmothers to drive him to Selma. There Lewis shakes Faw’s hand and invites the boy to march with him, thus beginning a friendship. Pinkney’s lyrical prose recounts the high points of Lewis’ (and to some extent King’s) life interspersed with details of Faw’s interest in history and the particulars of his meetings with Lewis. She emphasizes Lewis’ mentoring of Faw (and its parallels to King’s mentoring of Lewis), ensuring continuity in the civil rights struggle. Brown’s digitally enhanced watercolor-and-ink illustrations focus on the humans depicted, and several compositions reflect published photos of events. Equally strong are the settings (particularly Selma) and subtle details, such as Faw reading Lewis’ graphic novel, March (2016). Appended with generous back matter, this makes an inspiring addition to the civil rights canon. — Kay Weisman The book will […]
