If Wendell Had a Walrus, written by Lori Mortensen and illustrated by Matt Phelan is a quiet, pleasant surprise of a picture book. The premise […]
This is a Moment
This is a Moment by Micah Player is a strange kind of concept book, half math/philosophy (about what a moment actually is), half common/defining moments […]
Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas
Man, was this book fun. Aaron Blabey’s 2015 picture book Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas features vivid, wonderfully ridiculous images. The piranhas in this book have […]
I Am the Spirit of Justice
This was an interesting book to read, because of the clashing reality of that reading experience. On one hand, I could see the book’s goals, […]
I Am NOT Your Hat!
Lisa Bentley’s 2025 picture book I Am NOT Your Hat! is a bright and vivid book. Burt is an oversized bird–an ostrich, by appearance–who likes […]
What the Seal Saw
Sherry McMillan’s 2011 picture book What the Seal Saw is a quiet, unified pleasure. The pages with words on them all have four lines; in […]
Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear
Marissa Valdez had me at “hedgehogs,” but hedgehogs and underwear? That’s kidlit gold. I was there. I was ready. Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear (20225) is […]
Night Walk
I often talk with people about how to deal with tough topics with kids. “Deal with” is intentionally vague. It refers to what children’s books […]
Beautiful Oops!
Barney Saltzberg’s Beautiful Oops! (2010) really is beautiful. It is also kind–more on that in a moment. Beautiful Oops! is a book about making art. […]
Gifts from the Garbage Truck
Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away (2024) is a very earnest picture book. A foreword by […]