Author Archive

“MY EXPERIENCE: …I appreciated the way that rabbits are used as anthropomorphic representations, perhaps softening this jarring subject matter. The gouache and pencil drawings are child-like and effectively portray the wide-range of emotions that Elliot feels throughout the course of the hectic back-and-forth of his journey from birth family to foster family and back and […]

“Rating: (1-5, 5 is an excellent or starred review)  5… What did you like about the book? This is a story of a young girl who lives in Sri Lanka….The illustrations and the text both give the sense of gravity and danger to the situation. The blustery wind and the driving wind, along with the cries […]

“A much anticipated sound awakens Malini! The ox cart driver is finally here with his very important load of rice seedlings. The rice is ready to plant; Malini is ready to help with that planting. The driver asks the young girl to ‘keep an eye’ on his ox while he takes a needed break. Malini is a bit frightened by its […]

“I know a science teacher whose go-to book to introduce interrelationships of living things and the balance of natural ecosystems is Celia Godkin’s award-winning book Wolf Island (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1989/2006). I encourage a new generation of science teachers to look to her new book The Wolves Return to demonstrate those same concepts as they relate to the wolves of […]

Pajama Press is thrilled to announce that Two Times a Traitor by Karen Bass is a Junior Library Guild 2017 selection. The Junior Library Guild “is a book review and collection development service helping thousands of school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books, saving them both time and money….Our services help librarians with […]

“…DESCRIPTION: This unique title reads like a crossover between a picture book, poem(s), and a non-fiction title. The necessity of water is focused through the lens of its vital importance to twelve children from different countries….The ultimate goal of the book is to spark discussion (and hopefully a plan for conservancy) about the vital role that water plays to each […]

“What did you like about the book? Written in the jargon and accent of a true pirate, this book is a great read aloud book that will keep young children entertained. The illustrations are large and colorful so children hearing this book at a story hour in a library will be able to see the pictures […]

“This is a story of a pig and his friend, Jack. Jack helps Ollie as much as he can, but when he realizes that pigs just can’t fly, he comes up with an idea that makes everyone cheer. The illustrations are made from plasticine, polymer clay…They’re creative and fun and children will be able to […]

“Suzanne Del Rizzo’s plasticine art brings a different visual perspective to this children’s picture book of a pig who wants to fly….Good reading skills or parental read-aloud assistance will lend to this fun saga of a determined pig and his supportive friend.” Click here to read the full review

“Allenby and Gauthier’s picture book opens on a scene likely familiar in many households…The grumple, a cranky bearlike creature, doesn’t want to get out of bed to greet the day…Allenby’s lilting lines encourage singing progressively louder, tickling toes, and kissing foreheads to get little grumples out of bed, but it’s the music that’s the most […]