Because we could all use a little cheeriness, here are 50 more covers. And it looks like there will be enough fodder for at least 2 or 3 more posts for 2017 picture books. Stay tuned!

(And in case you missed it….)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Enjoy!

50 more covers… and you know what that means… Part NINE!

(And in case you missed it….)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Enjoy!

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Several students in my university courses and colleagues and friends have asked which books published in 2016 I’d recommend. Whether you’re someone building a classroom wish list, a Christmas wish list, or any other kind of list, these are some books from 2016 that I want to highlight. Enjoy!

This is a very timely picture book about welcoming everyone with open arms. Publication couldn’t have happened at a more appropriate time. The warm story has a message that is sure to resonate with children.

When I read this book, I wanted to give Drift the snowman a hug. Again, a subtle message about being happy when you give what you can spare to those who need it.

A fascinating story about Ezra Jack Keats written with rich language and accompanied by extraordinary illustrations. There really is not much more to say.

I knew very little about Ada Lovelace before I read this book. And I believe she’s a woman that everyone should know a little something about. And Fiona Robinson’s illustrations? They seal the deal.

I am a sucker for Christmas books. I am a bigger sucker for heartwarming Christmas books. This one carries so many great messages with it, and Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations are the perfect match for this Christmas story that is sure to be passed on for years to come.

You know how I feel about Christmas books, and this is another standout from the year. It’s all about making the best out of a sad situation.

I first became familiar with April Pulley Sayre’s photographs in Raindrops Roll. Now she’s back, this time with a flurry of winter photos and poetic language. I want to spend the day with April taking pictures. I think I could learn a thing or two.

Candace Fleming takes what’s known about a very unknown creature and weaves together rich and wonderful poetry, accompanied by Eric Rohmann’s oil paintings. This book made me and the readers I shared it with want to know even more about the giant squid.

This is a title that made me say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Genius idea executed perfectly. I hope these two continue to make books together.

One day there was a gigantic package outside of my office. “What on earth is that?” The return address was from Candlewick… I opened it up to find this oversized treasure of a book. While the text is simple, the illustrations are what make this book stand out- along with its size.

After reading Mother Bruce to my children’s lit class in the spring, the students wondered if there were plans to write any more Bruce books. Thankfully, the answer was yes. Ryan T. Higgins did not disappoint in the sequel, and I understand there’s even more to come.

We need quality books that help even our youngest readers begin to develop a sense of empathy for those in our communities and around the world who don’t live like us. This is an amazing example of that kind of book.

A big struggle for me as a teacher of the primary grades was to help students understand that there are always different ways of looking at things. As Dr. Phil would say, “No matter how flat you make a pancake, it will always have two sides.” – While this book is an exceptional title that can be used to talk about different ways animals see the world, it will also help develop a mindset that there are more than one ways of looking at something.

From burping in church to throwing sand at people, this dragon is up to no good. A hilarious story with a warm ending that readers will lavish.

I would use the song Five Little Ducks to teach my students the “take away one” subtraction notion. After using it for several years in the classroom, the song became stale and if I had taught another year, I would have gladly welcomed a fresher song. However, Denise Fleming has put her signature style onto this classic, and it makes it one I’d welcome back into my classroom with open arms.

There are so many great themes and issues weaved throughout the pages of this book, but the one that stuck with me the most was that even in situations where you don’t get exactly what you want, you can still be happy. That’s a tough thing for children to understand. This book helps them with that mindset.

Each illustration in this book is so unique and detailed that I would hang each one in my home if I had them. Evan Turk’s style won me over long ago, and this book is no exception to the high quality we’ve come to expect from him.

Hannah Harrison knocks it out of the park once again with her expressions and a timely message for all children. You can never have enough books about forgiveness, being a friend, and standing up for what’s right.

I read this one over and over again when I first got a copy- it highlights that very special bond between a grandparent and a grandchild, and is eloquently illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.

It’s common to bubble up with a big dream, only to have it popped by someone who doesn’t believe in you. You know what they say, if people aren’t laughing at your dreams, you aren’t dreaming big enough. This book encourages dreaming big and reaching for the stars.

I am not a fan of most “dark” picture books. However, this one is not too dark, and reminds us to never underestimate the power of the underdog.

This book became an instant favorite- Gilbert Ford’s unique diorama illustrations come together to tell a fascinating story about the invention of the toy slinky. There’s a video out there that shows how Gilbert intricately worked to bring these illustrations to life.

I enjoyed this book when I first read it. And then I heard Mo Willems read it aloud at ALA, and I became enamored with it. It’s all in the delivery- be sure to rehearse this one before you deliver it to the ears and eyes of young readers.

I’ve said before that Stacy has a knack for writing picture book texts. She had several released this year, but this one stands out for me as a favorite. There is so much cleverness in this story, and another one with a resounding message.

A sentimental book that reminds kids that whatever they’re feeling- it’s OK to feel- and somewhere along the line, it’s something that everyone has felt at one point or another.

When I interviewed Ben Clanton on my blog earlier this year, I learned one thing: I am not the only one in the world who opens the mailbox each day with an eager desire to see what is possibly inside. Liam, the main character of this book, feels the same way, and learns an important lesson.

The language in this book is so perfect. Writing such exquisite poems about something so seemingly simple is no small feat.

This book addresses the ever important question- Ah, so you want to be king? You want to be in charge? – Desires to rule and be greedy have their consequences. This fits right up there with Where the Wild Things Are and Yertle the Turtle. 

So many children try so hard to avoid going to bed. 10-5- or even 1 more minute of staying awake will satisfy them until the clock runs out. This is a book many children can relate to. It’s Lisa Graff’s debut in picture books, and I think it’s a format she should continue to write.

Dads. They are often stereotyped in picture books, but this book gets to the heart of the matter and delivers a knock out text that truly captures what they are and the special relationships children have with them.

As a person who was afraid of dogs as a child, I could relate to Hannah. But this is a book about more than being afraid of dogs- it’s a book about conquering any fear.

I see more and more classrooms adding Makerspace places to their routines and environments. What’s even better is when they add picture books to encourage that mindset- this is a great title to set up in your makerspaces to encourage thinking outside the box (pardon the pun) and using your imagination to its full extent.

I loved the made up language here, and the banter between two best frints. Antoinette has created a masterpiece that is guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of readers.

Julie Fogliano. Master wordsmith. Julie Morstad. Master illustrator.
What do you get when you combine the two?

It’s no secret that I’m a softie. Always have been, always (probably) will be. This one had me sobbing. Not just tearing up- sobbing. Such an important message about legacy and gripping tight the memories that precious loved ones leave behind.

In a world where continual change is almost guaranteed, we need more books like this- comforting children and reminding them to look to the constants of life for comfort. Matthew Cordell was the perfect match for this text by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.

Hi Marsha! Thanks for joining me here to talk about what’s up with you!

All thanks be to you, Dylan. I’m delighted to be here with you. You’re an inspiration and such a wonderful supporter of authors, illustrators, readers, and students.

Tell us a little bit about your recently released book, Waiting for Snow.

Waiting for Snow’s birthday was yesterday, November 1^st, just in time to help impatient little ones pass the time until the first snowflakes fall. I’m so very happy about this book because I worked “alongside” two of our industry’s luminaries, my editor Kate O’Sullivan and my illustrator Renata Liwska. A writer couldn’t ask for anything more!

I think of Waiting for Snow as a meditation to patience, with sensible Hedgehog advising throughout, “It will snow in snow’s time.“ But Badger is such an impatient fellow, yelling at the sky, “Wake up, Sky! It’s time to snow.” Thankfully, he has friends who, after trying to fix the problem with tricks and superstitions, finally settle down to just be together and wait…”until…it was time.”

And you’ve done some board books for the first time, which will debut in 2017?

Yes, my first-ever board books, Baby Animals Take a Bath and Baby Animals Take a Nap, will be out in February 2017.  The illustrator is Phyllis Limbacher Tildes, who happens to be in my online writing group, so that is a nice bit of serendipity.

I’m really excited about these books, first because it seems every parent would want a copy to read at nap or bath time, and secondly because, although board books are usually for preschoolers, I can still share my research with older students during school visits. They’ll love the video I took of baby sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica. The sea otters’ “holding-hands nap” will lead to exploring how sea otters live in kelp beds. “Steam bath” takes us to the Japanese macaques (snow monkeys) keeping warm in hot pools during the winter in the snowy mountains of Japan. So many things to share!

Tell us a little bit about your process.

Let’s see – meandering, haphazard, now and then, interested in everything, brief flashes of inspiration – that’s about it. My office is fairly well organized, but my mind is not.

Have you always been into writing and illustrating?

Not at all.  As a child, I was a reader, but I would never have presumed I could write books like the wonderful ones I was reading.

I was a stay-at-home-mom; it was my pre-school children who inspired me to start writing. I wrote an award-winning weekly column, homegrown treasures, for ten years before my first picture book was published.

Sadly, I’m not an illustrator, but I so wish I were. My father and his five brothers were farmers, but they had a natural talent for painting and drawing. I simply don’t seem to have the patience for it. I really need to read Hedgehog’s advice in Waiting for Snow again.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?

Seeing your words in a beautifully illustrated book is pretty exciting in itself, but I’m also delighted when visiting schools and talking with students about writing, reading, and books. I’ve visited schools from Missouri to Puerto Rico to Germany to Kenya. That’s exciting!

Next week, I’m traveling to Alabama for a two-day visit. Walter Jackson School has been celebrating my 1998 book The Pumpkin Runner for five years with a special Pumpkin Run Day. It’s filled with pumpkin-related games and activities and a mile run in honor of my characters Joshua Summerhayes and Yellow Dog. I’ve Skyped with the school each year in honor of the day; I’m super excited to be there in person this year, to run alongside the kids and teachers.

What inspires your creativity?

So many things. Life is amazing, isn’t it? Nature and animals are always fascinating. Sometimes I’m inspired by woodland animals as in Waiting for Snow, sometimes it’s a morning dream (Lost. Found.) or a two-paragraph snippet in a magazine (The Pumpkin Runner).

What is one thing that readers don’t know about you, that only you could tell us?

My life is pretty much an open book; I don’t keep many secrets. You can read a lot about my life on my website. I even have it divided into chapters! You might start with Chapter 2, my Kansas years. (http://www.marshadianearnold.com/meet-marsha/biography/chapter-2-kansas)

Okay, let’s see, something my readers don’t know about me. I’m 68, but still love to climb trees, hike in forests, scuba dive, and stargaze. So, it might not surprise them that I also talk to animals, plants, and trees. But the thing they don’t know…sometimes the animals, plants, and trees talk back to me.

If you weren’t writing books, what do you think you’d be doing?

I’d like to work with animals in some way. Maybe I could be my heroine Jane Goodall’s assistant, or be the wombat keeper at the San Diego zoo, a dolphin communicator, or a National Geographic wildlife photographer. Those things all sound pretty wonderful to me. And I’d have even more material to write books about!

What can readers expect from you in the future?

I had such fun writing about Badger and his friends in Waiting for Snow. I actually have two more Badger stories that I’m hoping will find a publishing home, if I can just be patient.

Soon I’ll be able to share news on two manuscripts that were just bought in August and September. But it’s hush-hush for now. Both of them are layered with fun, inspiration, and information. I’m looking forward to discover who the illustrators will be and am very impatient to have to wait to be able to share these stories at school visits.

Anything else you’d like to share with readers of this blog?

Readers, young and old, hear my words. 🙂 

When I was a child growing up in my Kansas home with no running water or indoor plumbing, I would never have thought that as an adult I’d be writing children’s books that travel the world.

My very first book was about a small kitten, the runt of the litter, who had a big dream – to give himself a name like that of the Beautiful Bengal Tiger on Naming Day. When readers asked me what inspired the story, it gave me pause…until I realized that the kitten was me. I was writing my own story. I was trying to teach myself that it was all right to have a big dream and follow that dream.  As Little Four said, “In my heart I am bigger than what you see.”

The manuscript was rejected 13 times before I found the editor who loved it as much as I did. Remember readers, young and old, it only takes one “yes” to be on the way to where you want to be. Heart of a Tiger went on to accumulate many awards, including the Ridgway for Best First Book by a New Author and three state Children’s Choice Awards.

As wise Hedgehog explains in Waiting for Snow, “Crocuses always bloom in spring, the sun rises every morning, stars shine every night. Sometimes they come late and sometimes early, but they always come, in their time.”

So, follow your dream. No one else can do that, but you.

WAITING FOR SNOW BLOG TOUR

October 31st, Monday – Cynthia Alaniz, Librarian in Cute Shoes – https://librarianincuteshoes.blogspot.com

Nov 1st, Tuesday – Alyson Beecher, Kid Lit Frenzy – http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com

Nov 2nd, Wednesday – Dylan Teut, Reading with Mr. Teut – https://readingwithmrteut.wordpress.com

Nov 3rd, Thursday – Mia Wengen, Pragmatic Mom – http://www.pragmaticmom.com/home/

Nov 4th, Friday – Margie Myers-Culver – Librarian’s Quest – http://librariansquest.blogspot.com

Nov 6th, Sunday – Matthew Winner – The Best Book Ever (This Week) – http://www.allthewonders.com/best-book-ever-this-week/

Nov 7th, Monday – Niki Ohs Barnes, Daydream Reader – https://daydreamreader.com

Nov 8th, Tuesday – Bridget and the Books – https://bridgetandthebooks.wordpress.com

50 more covers…. you know what that means… PART SIX!

(And in case you missed it….)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Enjoy!

50 more covers…. you know what that means… PART SIX!

(And in case you missed it….)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Enjoy!

Hey Adam! Thanks for stopping by. Tell us a little bit about the books you’ve recently had published!

So I have two picture books that came out over the summer—one that I wrote but didn’t illustrate and another I illustrated but didn’t write. The former is School’s First Day of School, illustrated by Christian Robinson, about a brand new school who is nervous about his first day of children. And the latter is How This Book Was Made, written by Mac Barnett, literally about how the book How This Book Was Made was made. About writing drafts and editorial arguments and waiting and waiting and waiting; but also about pirates and tiger arm wrestling and the part a reader has to play to really make a book a book. 

They are both terrific books- so, one you’re an author, and another, you’re the illustrator. Is this the first time you’ve written a book that you haven’t illustrated yourself? How did that feel? Was there a reason you chose not to illustrate it?

It was more like a confluence of reasons. I’d been wanting to try writing but not illustrating a picture book for a while. Because I wanted to see how the other half lived. Because it might mean I’d get to collaborate with people I’d never work with otherwise. Because I’ll be able to publish more of my stories if I don’t insist on personally taking the four months I need to illustrate them.

But, also, I was interested in someone else illustrating School’s First Day of School specifically because I wasn’t sure how I’d do it. The main character is a building, and I don’t think I’m especially famous for my great buildings. I wasn’t sure how to handle personifying or not personifying the school. And whenever I thought about what I might do, I kept imagining a style that looked an awful lot like Christian Robinson’s. So I felt like I was on a course to either rip him off or see if we could get him to do it instead.

And, tell us a little bit about the process of illustrating How This Book Was Made.  Did you construct 3-D objects for the illustrations? I just read it today, actually, and was very impressed with the illustrations.

I did set up little dioramas to photograph, much like I did for Chloe and the Lion, but this time they were mostly made of cut paper. 

I drew in dark black Prismacolor pencil on construction paper, cut out the shapes, set them up in little tableaus, and photographed them as best I could. I am not, strictly speaking, a photographer. So you couldn’t be blamed for wondering why I keep doing this kind of thing to myself. Anyway, after getting the pictures into my computer, I tinted them ever so slightly in Photoshop. I didn’t want to overpaint anything, because I wanted to preserve the weird depth and authentic interplay of the subjects that I got from photographing them in actual space.

I also repainted a globe to serve as a setting for some of the spreads. I basically had to spray paint the whole thing with an off-white, hand-paint all the water back in, and then paint the United States and Malaysia pink, since those are the only two countries mentioned by name in the text.

Ah, fascinating! So what has become your favorite/preferred medium to use as an illustrator?

I’m still very comfortable using oils, because I’ve been painting in oils since I was eleven, but I almost don’t have a favorite medium. I’ve been doing a lot digitally lately, but that’s a trap of convenience: I often don’t ENJOY the process of making art digitally as much as I like making it with traditional media, but the digital art is so much easier and faster that I do it anyway. It’s like I don’t think I have the time to eat a good meal so instead I wolf down a gas station hot dog while standing over the kitchen sink.

That’s unfair, actually—digital art has been getting more and more fun to do as the technology advances. I just got a really cool load of Photoshop brushes from Kyle Webster’s store.

Shifting from art to writing…. Does your creative process differ when you’re writing as opposed to your process with art?

Well, when I get inspired to write something, I suppose what I’m generally doing is sitting down and diving in and hoping, just by chance, that I write something perfect and amazing from beginning to end. This doesn’t happen, but what I’m trying to convey here is that I don’t outline or plot or go through any visualization exercises ahead of time. I just write. I try to write thoughtfully, but I also try not to get too bogged down. Like I said, I’m hoping that I HAPPEN to write something perfect, but I also know I can go back and rewrite.

If I were approaching illustration in the same way, then that would be like trying to paint a printable image on a single surface from beginning to end, conception to polish. Like priming a big piece of watercolor paper and diving right in with oil paint and seeing if I could just make an illustration without thinking about it ahead of time. I could try this, but I never have. 

Instead, I plan the image out with messy thumbnail drawings, which I refine over one or two more steps into a clean sketch. I get this sketch approved by the editor and use it in conjunction with photos I’ve gathered and/ or taken myself, plus maybe a maquette I’ve sculpted, plus whatever else I need to make the best final image I can.

In the digital space it’s easier (for me) to actually layer that final rendering right over the top of the clean sketch, which in turn is right on top of the thumbnail, so in this way a digital illustration is maybe the closest my picture-making process comes to my writing process.

Still: I never write as loosely as I thumbnail sketch. If one of my thumbnail sketches were text, it would be an incomprehensible stream-of-consciousness listicle, spelled phonetically.

Have you always been into writing and illustrating?

Well, all kids start out as illustrators. Almost every kid draws, and they draw to tell stories Which is about all illustration is. I just didn’t stop around the age everyone else does.

I liked writing stories, too, but growing up we all decided that writing was my brother’s thing. So I didn’t get into it seriously until late high school or early college.

So you studied writing/illustrating? How did your career launch? What was your first book deal?

I studied illustration, and got a BFA. 

I did take one creative writing class right before I left college, and it’s lucky I did. Because of some mixture of AP credits and clerical error, I’d managed to fulfill every requirement of my major without having taken the correct number of credit hours. So I was basically told, at the last minute, that I needed to take another four credit hours of…something. They didn’t care what, as long as it was outside the college of art. So I took a very strange one-credit class in which we were asked to read only excerpts of books—apparently this class was designed to ease students with learning disabilities or college anxiety into the university life—and I also took an Intro to Fiction Writing course.

I’ve often told people that if they want to learn how to draw and paint, that they’ll improve more during their first semester art class than they will at any other point in their lives, and I feel the same way about this writing class. I went into it thinking I was already pretty good at writing fiction, and I was quickly disabused of a lot of bad habits. I probably didn’t come out of that class knowing exactly where I was and where I needed to go, but I came out with a map and a compass.

Meanwhile, I was already working as a freelance illustrator. Mostly fantasy role-playing game jobs I’d scored after years of showing my work around at Comic-Con. But that kind of portfolio doesn’t get you work in children’s books, so I landed some low-paying assignments from magazines like Cricket and Spider. The work I did for these refreshed my portfolio every six months, and after five or six years of sending samples to New York publishers, I had a fan at FSG. He gave me my first manuscript to illustrate (The Dirty Cowboy), and I was off to the races after that.

What’s coming up for you/ and what are you working on now?

Next year is going to be fun. I’ll have three picture books out—one I wrote but Scott Campbell illustrated, one I illustrated but Drew Daywalt wrote, and a third I did all myself. They are about, respectively, unrequited love between ungulates; the legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors; and the heartache of having nothing rhyme with you.

They all sound great! As you continue to make new projects, from where do you draw your inspiration/ideas?

(Adam Rex moves to his front door, opens it, gestures sweepingly at everything outside before turning to indicate everything inside as well)

Aha! What’s one thing about you that readers don’t know, that only you could tell us?

I don’t know—my Social Security number? I’m a pretty open book. My problem is oversharing, if it’s anything. I was just on tour with Christian, who I think is a lot more comfortable with silence, and I’m pretty sure he knows my Social Security number by now. I don’t explicitly remember sharing it, but he saw me get pretty drunk one night in Decatur so who knows.

Ha! Well, Adam, it’s been a pleasure, I just have one last question.. Anything else you’d like to share with readers of this blog?

I am trying to break your heart. Only instead I keep accidentally making books about funny monsters and sandwiches.

What happens when you expect an itty-bitty kitty . . . but get a lion instead?
It’s kitten delivery day, but—SURPRISE. Congratulations on your new LION! We know you ordered a kitten, but we ran out of those. Fortunately, the big cat comes with instructions—like, try very hard NOT to look like a zebra. Or a gazelle. And give your lion PLENTY of space to play. But soon the feathers and fur start flying and everything’s in chaos. Is there any way a lion could actually be a child’s purr-fect pet?

Look for Caring for Your Lion from Sterling Children’s on May 2, 2017!

50 more covers…. you know what that means… PART SIX!

(And in case you missed it….)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Enjoy!

50 more covers…. you know what that means… PART FIVE!

(And in case you missed it….)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Enjoy!