At the very end of 2024, we were able to share a bounteous serving of news about books from our publishers that had earned spots on an array of “best of the year” lists from librarians, educational associations, professional journals, and more. The lists continue to arrive, with the most recent from the United States […]
Outstanding International Books 2025 Read More »
Just as two eyes provide depth missing when we look ahead with just one eye, a pair of complementary books provide a deeper experience of their shared—and complementary—theme. The pairs suggested here each fit together, rather than presenting oppositional or dichotomous views. Like a pair of friends rowing a boat across new waters with greater
It’s the end of another publishing year and the best lists are snowing upon us! What we love about the plethora of these lists from children’s literature experts, review publications, and national press resources is how so many perspectives pop into focus: diverse list makers see “best” in so many different—and complementary—ways. Some of the
Celebrating Titles Featured on 2024’s Best Books for Kids Lists Read More »
Culture and tradition are part and parcel of every person’s identity and yet many of us—perhaps especially in the United States—tend to see the identities of those around us as flattened into tropes. Instead of ignoring the nuances that encompass unforced and forced migrations, developments in social and political surroundings, and even availability of food
Explore Diversity in Jewish Identity with Picture Books Read More »
Introducing children to participating in and observing the natural world holds well-acknowledged merit—as well as rich offerings in current children’s books. No matter how urban a child’s environment may be, there are almost always snatches of nature available: the sky and weather; a vendor selling fruit that was planted and grown to be eaten and
Picture book illustrators use so many different media to create engaging—and often revealing—elements for the pages children examine during read-aloud times. Sometimes the illustrator makes use of a tool other than a brush, a pencil, pen, or cut paper. Sometimes, we see picture books—in a range of age interests from board books to informational books
Photo Perfect Picture Books Read More »
August is celebrated annually as Women In Translation Month. This is the time when we turn specific attention—and give gratitude—to the women writers and the women translators who make possible access to stories from many languages to readers who can access them only in their own home languages. Professional translation is an art, just as
Women Who Connect the World of Books to Readers Read More »
One of the developmental steps in reading proficiency is learning how to predict while suspending certainty sufficiently to discover what actually occurs in the text. If the author had only one path to take and we could predict it with total accuracy, reading as recreation—which is how we get enough practice to make reading a
One, Two, Three, Plot Twist! Read More »
Sometimes it appears that attention from many quarters comes to rest on one theme or an object with unanticipated universal agreement that this is the IT topic for the moment. This year in kids’ books we’re seeing that happen with—eyeglasses! In books that come to us from Spain, the Netherlands via New Zealand, the United
Look Here! These Books Are Spectacular! Read More »