A few days ago I mentioned getting curious about picture books about my region. Salmon Stream, a 2000 picture book by Carol Reed-Jones, illustrated by […]
An Elephant Grows Up
An Elephant Grows Up is a 2006 picture book written by Anastasia Suen and illustrated by Michael L. Denman and William J. Huiett. This is […]
A Change is Gonna Come
This is a strange and ambitious picture book. It succeeds in some ways, and does not succeed fully in others…and I should start by admitting […]
Play With Me
I recently learned of Marie Hall Ets. I may have seen her name on the list of Caldecott Medal winners–she won it in 1960–but I […]
Big Ole
I live in Bellingham, Washington. It’s a good-sized town about 85 miles north of Seattle. It’s fairly artistic and literate, and I got curious if […]
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
I picked up Charlotte Zolotow’s 1962 picture book Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present for one reason: Maurice Sendak illustrated it. I’m glad I did–it […]
The Two Giants
Eve Bunting had a long life and a prolific career in children’s literature: she died in 2023 at the age of 94, after having published […]
Yuck, You Suck!
Jane Yolen is a treasure. She’s published hundreds of books (over 400!) for kids, teens, and adults. She’s won many awards, including the top awards […]
I Need My Monster
Amanda Noll’s 2009 picture book I Need My Monster is solid, post-Monsters Inc. fun. By that I mean, given the fact that the book is […]
Tuck Me In!
Nathan W. Pyle’s 2025 picture book Tuck Me In! is somewhat original and somewhat successful. The book personifies the Moon and its effect on the […]