United States Board on Books for Young People, USBBY, and International Board on Books for Young People, IBBY, provide an excellent source of information, reviews, and lists of outstanding international books – an international celebration of diversity. Each year…
Tag: picture books
A Family in Wartime: A Review of Three Years and Eight Months
A month ago I highlighted the winners of the 2013 Skipping Stones Honor Awards, given to outstanding multicultural and nature books published in the previous year. Although published in 2013, Icy Smith and Jennifer Kindert’s Three Years and Eight Months…
Kids at the Rodeo: A Review of Cowboy Up!
When I was growing up in Houston, Texas, one of the high points of my year was going to the rodeo in February. While most of my peers looked forward to the circus, I enjoyed watching the competition among the…
Regrets: A Review of Each Kindness
Most picture books have happy endings. The main character experiences a challenge or problem, resolves it on her own with some guidance from a wise elder, and grows in the process. Jacqueline Woodson’s haunting new picture book, Each Kindness (Nancy…
Human Rights for Kids: A Review of The Stamp Collector
Some readers might know that I’m in Portugal right now and will be here until the end of the year, as my husband has a visiting professorship. This afternoon I was looking at the bookshelf of the young woman from…
A grandparent comes to live and provides a special glimpse into multi-generational love even as it opens new horizons to the author
This week readers get a Q & A between Ann Angel and writer Sheri Sinykin’s transformation from middle grade novelist to picture book author followed by guest writer Donna Pierquet’s heartfelt review of the picture book Zayde Comes to Live. Sheri admits this…
Focus on Malawi: Laugh with the Moon and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
The small country of Malawi, in south-central Africa, rarely appears on children’s authors’ radars, but two books published in 2012—Shana Burg’s middle grade novel Laugh with the Moon (Delacorte) and the picture book version of The Boy Who Harnessed the…
Marriage Equality for Kids: A Review of Operation Marriage
After years of struggle and frustration—including a close call in 2009—same sex couples gained the right to marry in New York State this past summer. The victory followed countless demonstrations, endless negotiating, the declared support of newly elected Governor Andrew…
Preserving an Endangered Culture: Lucine Kasbarian and The Greedy Sparrow
Last month Armenians throughout the United States and the world commemorated the 1915 genocide as part of Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month. To coincide with this remembrance, Marshall Cavendish published Lucine Kasbarian’s adapted folktale from Armenia, The Greedy Sparrow. While…