Adrienne L. Pettinelli

1 week ago | hbook.com | Celia Perez |Adrienne L. Pettinelli |Rachel Payne |Emma A. Shacochis

The author's Horn Book (and other) treasures. Photo: Celia C. Pérez. I keep a storage bin filled with ephemera from my writing life. It is a treasure chest of memories that includes everything from conference badges, event programs, and T-shirts from schools I’ve visited to letters and artwork I have received from readers. Among those items, I have tucked away issues of The Horn Book Magazine. They are the issues in which my books were reviewed or recognized in the annual Fanfare list.

1 week ago | hbook.com | Adrienne L. Pettinelli |Grace Maccarone

Comedy is particularly well suited to the structural limitations of the beginning reader format, where few words can stand in contrast with illustrations that show so much more. In this selection, I’ve highlighted a lot of humorous books, ranging from gentle to as sharp as they come, as these are an effective way to engage children. I’ve included a number of titles in series, since hooking kids on series builds momentum and a familiar framework on which to hang more challenging vocabulary.

2 months ago | hbook.com | Dean Schneider |Kitty Flynn |Annisha Jeffries |Adrienne L. Pettinelli

Robin Smith was the best teacher I ever knew. A nationally known writer and children’s book committee member, she was committed to books as the heart of her teaching. She read hundreds of picture books every year in her second-grade classroom and always had a novel going, too — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; The Tale of Despereaux; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Her students memorized great poetry and recited for other classes.

2 months ago | hbook.com | Kitty Flynn |Annisha Jeffries |Adrienne L. Pettinelli

The winner of the 2025 Caldecott Award is Chooch Helped, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz, written by Andrea L. Rogers, published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido. The Committee selected four 2025 Honor Books: Home in a Lunchbox, written and illustrated by Cherry Mo, published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House. My Daddy Is a Cowboy, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza, written by Stephanie Seales, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams.

Jan 24, 2025 | hbook.com | Kitty Flynn |Annisha Jeffries |Adrienne L. Pettinelli

We’re all excited about Monday's Caldecott and other Youth Media Awards announcements! The YMA presentation will be livestreamed from Phoenix starting at 8 a.m. MT (10 a.m. EST). The Caldecott announcement will come toward the end; here’s a link to the video stream. What a weekend the Committee members have before them — best wishes to them! As we’re winding down our season here at Calling Caldecott, we want to thank our community.