Pajama Press

Pajama Press is excited to announce that Adrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy’s Story of Survival by author Marsha Forchuk Skyrpuch with Tuan Ho, and illustrator Brian Deines is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada 2017 Information Book Award Honour Book.

The Information Book Award “is given annually to a book that arouses interest, stimulates curiosity, captures the imagination, and fosters concern for the world around us. The award’s aim is to recognize excellence in Canadian publishing of children’s nonfiction.” Pajama Press previously won the 2015 Information Book Award for A Brush Full of Colour: the World of Ted Harrison by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson.

Pajama Press extends our congratulations to Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Tuan Ho, and Brian Deines. Our sincerest thanks go to the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada for championing and supporting the development of quality nonfiction in Canadian children’s publishing.

Other notable accolades for Adrift at Sea include nominations for the 2017 Forest of Reading Golden Oak Award, the 2017 Red Cedar Information Book Award, and the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice (LYRC) Award: Grade 3-5; a Starred Selection in the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Spring 2017 Best Books for Kids & Teens; a New England Children’s Booksellers Advisory Council (NECBA) 2016 Hot Titles List selection; and a 2016 Resource Links “The Year’s Best” selection.

“…when I’d recently read Iris Baby Cakes, by Theo Heras and Renne Benoit, she’d declared, ‘That’s such a good book, Mommy.’ Mostly because she’s obsessed with cupcakes, but still. Plus there was a recipe for cupcakes in the endpapers; I said, ‘We’ve got to make these.’ And so on Saturday night, we did.

This book would make a great Christmas gift from 3-5-year-olds. With simple vocabulary, a brother and sister work together to make cupcakes (with the unhelpful assistance of their pet cat). The story lists the equipment necessary—‘Here are a big bowl and measuring cups and spoons.’—and goes through the recipe, ‘Sprinkle salt, but not too much.’ And ‘Creaming the butter is hard work.’ And is it ever! The recipe inside makes for a nice extension of the book, bringing the story to life and inspiring the reader to try something new. That the brother and sister in the story bake together without the help of grown-ups (except for with the oven) inspires independence. Plus, the cupcakes were delicious.”

Click here to read the full review

“The poetic text is accompanied by expressive artwork that examines the importance of water throughout the world.”

Click here to read the full review

“This picture book shows a young child and the family cat helping mom make cupcakes….The illustrations are cute and everyone looks like they are having fun. It’s a nice idea for kids who like to help in the kitchen….[T]here has been much discussion of late of more children’s books where the children can see themselves in the books they read, requiring more diverse characters in kids’ books, especially where the characters are just themselves without commentary on race or ethnicity and I was pleased to see this book as a great example of filling that need.”

Click here to read the full review

“[4/4 stars]…Wendy Orr’s Dragonfly Song is a work of beauty. From the stunning cover to the mythological imagery and lyrical prose, readers are drawn in and carried along on an intense ride. Since Aissa is mute for much of the story, her thoughts and observations are inserted in the form of short poetic phrases. This change in format does not remove the reader from the story in any way, and these pieces could, in fact, stand alone as beautiful poetry. Those with no knowledge of Greek mythology will benefit from the opening author’s note, but prior knowledge is definitely not a requirement to enjoy this book. Orr’s language is gripping and enchanting, and Dragonfly Song would make a perfect read-aloud chapter book for middle grade teachers. While the academic cross curricular subject areas are obvious, including history, mythology, religion, spirituality, even bullying, I enjoyed this story simply as a pleasure read. Readers will find that Dragonfly Song and its fearless heroine will stick with them long after the final chapter.

Highly Recommended.”
—Cate Carlyle is a librarian at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, NS.

Click here to read the full review

“From morning to bedtime, this little girl is go, go, go! She’s not just a wild thing, she’s the Wild One!…

Wild One is Jane Whittingham’s first picture book and it’s a charming recount of a child’s day filled with play and activity. Kids love pretending that they are animals–how often do they imagine themselves to be bears growling or dogs barking or snakes slithering?–but here Jane Whittingham demonstrates, playfully, that we belong in the animal kingdom, sharing many attributes with animals far and wide….[Noel Tuazon’s] style here is appropriately light, subtle and simple, as complements the story of a preschooler’s life. The detail is unnecessary as the pairing of an activity with an animal is all that is needed, especially for the very young for whom this book is written.”

Click here to read the full review

Pajama Press is excited to announce that My Beautiful Birds by author-illustrator Suzanne Del Rizzo is the winner of the 2017 Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature.

The Malka Penn Award “is given annually to the author of an outstanding children’s book addressing human rights issues or themes, such as discrimination, equity, poverty, justice, war, peace, slavery or freedom.”

Pajama Press extends our congratulations to Suzanne Del Rizzo. Our sincerest thanks go to the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center for their commitment to human rights education and their support of children’s literature.

Other notable acclaim for My Beautiful Birds includes a New York Times Book Review, a 2017 OneBook for Kids, One San Diego selection, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and nomination for the 2017 Cybils Award for Fiction. My Beautiful Birds is also a NECBA Windows & Mirrors Fall 2017 selection, and a selection among Betsy Bird’s “2017 Books I’m Really Looking Forward To”.