VanCAF! It’s where our authors (nameless Faith Erin Hicks and Tony Cliff) will be this weekend – how about you?
I Am Henry Finch
I am Henry Finch, by Alexis Deacon, illustrations by Viviane Schwarz; Candlewick Press, $16.99, 40 pages, ages 3-6.
Henry Finch knows he’s destined for greatness, but until now, all he’s done in life is flutter from tree to tree, outwitting the hungry beast who prowls below. One day Henry has enough of the lubmering creature eating his friends, and realizes this is his chance to be great. Well, Henry ends up in the belly of the beast, but what he does there is a charming ode to courage and resilience. Author Alexis Deacon (llustrator of Russell Hoban’s Soonchild) confirms with wit and humor that heroes can appear from the least likely of places. The birds are rendered as red thumbprints and stick figure illustration (courtesy of There Are Cats In This Book author-illustrator Viviane Schwarz), a reminder that we are all unique and capable of soaring high.
@Candlewick #TBThursday goes to the birds.
(Children’s) BookNotes
@MEComicArtsFest @casablancacomics @Scholastic @chicagotribune
Lend your eyes to this week’s noteworthy stories! (Please remember to submit your news as well.)
Planning a trip to Portland, Maine this June? Make sure the Maine Comics Arts Festival is on your itinerary.
Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Now Accepting Applications for 2016-2017 School Year
Kids with “a nose for news’ are encouraged to apply. Find out the details and the application here.
From the Chicago Tribune:
BookExpo comes to Chicago with some new faces
@HMHCo
A Whale of a Tale
A Whale in the Bathtub, by Kylie Westaway, illustrated by Tom Jellett; Clarion Books, $16.99, 32 pages, ages 3-6.
Little Bruno has cried wolf (or in this case, walrus), one time too many regarding bathtime impediments. But now, there really is something in the tub; a huge blue whale bathing in bubblegum-scented soap bubbles, and Bruno’s family won’t fall for his tall tales anymore. How’s a boy to get clean when a 100-ton kroll-crunching mammal is blocking your way? Bruno’s solution will charm young readers and perhaps spark a little creative thinking as well. Debut picture-book author Kylie Westaway deftly captures the child’s despair at not being believed, while fellow debutant Tom Jellett’s plucky, quirky illustrations have a distinct, slightly retro flair. Prepare for a whale of adventure on the soapy high seas.
@penguinkids
Love Me, Love My Dog
From Wolf to Woof! by Hudson Talbott; Nancy Paulsen Books; $16.99, 32 pages, ages 4-7.
Long before Labradoodles and
Schnauzers, wolves roamed the Earth, and they were not man’s best friend. Slowly, some wolves befriended humans, and a beautiful relationship blossomed. Here, in Hudson Talbott’s latest picture book, a prehistoric orphan boy and a lonely wolf pup slowly warm to each other, ultimately forging a bond that leads to the creation of a team of fellow misfits and outcasts whose tribe eventually dominates those without wolves. The relationship survives
millennia, and now over 400 species of domesticated dogs have been bred for hunting, herding, rescuing, and even just cuddling.
Talbott’s ability to synthesize massive amounts of data into an age-appropriate text are nicely matched by his lively watercolors. A bibliography and resources on how to help current wolf populations make this book a howling success.
Nicole Claire reviews her favorite recently published books that will help chase away the winter blues!
Nicole Basbanes Claire is our #TBThursday, sharing her favorites from 2015!
(Children’s) BookNotes, May 10, 2016
All the news that’s fit to link. Remember, send your news!
Catch illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser at Fancy Nancy: the Musical, at the Chace Theater in Anaheim. Now through May 22.
Jerry Craft, Marjuan Canady, and former New York Jets wide receiver Tavon Mason are heading to the 4th Annual African American Children’s Book Fair in Baltimore on Thursday.
Wrap up Children’s Book week by printing out this adorable Sesame Street bookplate
@Owlkids
For the Love of Reading
Mom, Dad, Our Books, and Me, by Danielle Marcotte, illustrated by
Josée Bisallion; Owl Kids; $16.95, 32 pages, ages 2-5.
Canadian publisher Owl Kids Books is making a splash in the spring market (see our recent review of Skunk on a String) with expertly crafted children’s books, and Mom, Dad, Our Books, and Me does not disappoint. Here we meet a young boy just discovering the joys of independent reading. A supporting cast of friends, family, and neighbors also illustrate that reading isn’t limited to books: clocks, palms, thermometers, and facial expressions require such examination.
As part of a growing group of adult writers turning their attention to the booming children’s literature marketplace, Danielle Marcotte makes a seamless transition to the world of whimsy, with uncomplicated sentences full of joy. Cut-paper artwork by fellow Canadian Josée Bisallion is large and welcoming–each page showcases all the different ways we read.
Originally published
in 2013
by Montreal-based Les 400 coups as Papa, maman, nos livres et moi, this book celebrates the pleasures and adventures of reading, no matter the format or language.
Good Things Come in Threes
Hensel and Gretel: Ninja Chicks, by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca Gomez, illustrated by Dan Dantat; Putnam, $17.99, 32 pages, ages 4-7. (May 24, 2016)
In the third in a ninja-themed fractured fairy tale trilogy, Corey Rosen Schwartz, Rebecca Gomez, and Caldecott Medal winner Dan Santat combine witty limericks with bold illustrations to delightful comic effect. Here, in a twist on the Grimm Brothers’ classic Hansel and Gretel, ninja chicks Hensel and Gretel must rescue their parents from the clutches of a cunning fox. Recalling campy 1980s marital arts films, the fleet-footed rhyme is expertly matched by Santat’s bold artwork–close-ups of tense poultry and malicious foxes begs to be read with the soundtrack from “Hard to Kill” in the background. A plucky twist on an old favorite.
Literary Features Syndicate 