One Was Johnny

Maurice Sendak’s 1962 One Was Johnny: A Counting Book is another of the tiny picture books from the period. Like Let’s Be Enemies and This […]

This Thumbprint

Contemporary picture books are usually oversized. They are big, with big images. However, in the 1960s, a number of smaller picture books were published, often […]

The Big Cheese

I recently read the 2023 picture book The Big Cheese. It’s written by Jory John and illustrated by Pete Oswald, a pair who have worked […]

Let’s Be Enemies

What a great title! This 1961 picture book by Janice May Udry is tiny: it would definitely fit in a coat pocket, and maybe in […]

A Tree is Nice

I picked up A Tree is Nice as a follow-up to my recent discussion of The Happy Day. Both books are mid-20th century picture books, […]

The Happy Day

The Happy Day is a 1949 picture book written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Marc Simont. Both of these creators had long lives–Krauss died […]

Towed by Toad

Because I enjoyed Every Monday Mabel (and, to a lesser extent, Loops), I picked up Jashar Awan’s 2024 picture book Towed by Toad, It is […]

the fountain

Recently the AOI (Association of Illustrators) announced their selections for this year’s World Illustration Awards. One category is for children’s publishing, and if you ever […]