Author Archive

“A girl alters a simple phrase and changes the world….Gauthier’s gorgeous mixed-media illustrations are quirky and angled, with an energetic combination of drawn lines, watery paint, cut paper, wood textures, and photo collage….Topsy-turvy offbeat fun.” Click here to read the full review

“Rendered in pencil and watercolor, the illustrations depict the drama and danger of the wind, driving rain, and Malini’s effort to protect the rice seedlings and soothe the ox.” Click here to read the full review

“Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Genre: animal fiction What did you like about the book? …This is an excellent choice to display teamwork, to learn about camping and canoeing and having fun….A simple, short story perfect for beginning chapter book readers. There are bright, detailed digitally created illustrations on every page. Anything […]

“The moods of Sri Lanka’s rainy season come alive as Kim La Fave, illustrator of the award-winning Shin Chi’s Canoe, uses a fresh style that is both contemporary and impressionistic to depict the courage of one little girl facing the power of a flash flood…. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and, surprisingly, lyrical. The writing is, […]

“Anxiety is more than a feeling in this visual narrative, more than the pressure of school tests, the loneliness of exclusion by classmates, or the fear of such shortcomings being discovered at home. Anxiety, represented here by ominously sharp swirls of black ink, has a visceral, visual gravitas—it grows to fill literal and figurative space […]

“This is one of those books that I can’t believe we almost missed. Fortunately a former MSBA member reviewed this and I decided to request it and read it. Wow – this is really something….The book was part prose and part poetic narrative and was beautifully done.” Click here to read the full review

“Told in simple text by Theo Heras, charmingly illustrated on every page by Renne Benoit, and delivered in a sturdy, padded cover with stronger pages that are perfect for little hands, Baby Cakes…is especially recommended for children ages 1 to 3, making it appropriate for family, daycare center, preschool, and community library collections.” Click here to read […]

“This look at an experience foreign to most readers in the United States hits on some easy-to-spot universals of children around the world, including the experience of learning, of disappointment, and of playing with friends.” Click here to read the full review

“The sibling pair that last made Baby Cakes (2017) now walk themselves through a bedtime routine….As in the prior book, the pictures’ focus is on the children, both brown-skinned and with straight, black hair. The brown-skinned adult hands that place the toddler in the bath and then lift the tot back out make it clear that the […]

“The first-person narration makes Lauren’s logic clear…Frequent clear pencil and digital illustrations break up the sometimes-long paragraphs and should help young readers understand Lauren’s emotions and others’ reactions.” —Shoshana Flax Read the full review in the March/April 2018 issue of The Horn Book Magazine