Allison Grover Khoury

Dec 4, 2024 | hbook.com | Marva Hinton |Allison Grover Khoury |Shelley Isaacson |Martha V. Parravano

The first time I read My Daddy Is a Cowboy, I was drawn to C. G. Esparanza’s stunning illustrations and the sweetness of the narrative by Stephanie Seales. I love a good father-daughter story, and this one comes wrapped in an incredibly beautiful package. On subsequent readings, I only found more things to appreciate and enjoy. This atmospheric picture book is about a Panamanian American girl and her daddy who take their horses out for an early-morning ride.

Jan 9, 2024 | hbook.com | Julie Hakim Azzam |Monique Harris |Allison Grover Khoury

[This interview took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 14, 2023.]Note: Jack was interviewed in The Horn Book's e-newsletter, Notes from the Horn Book, in June 2023. I deliberately decided not to tread the same water (sorry — the swimming puns are kind of hard to stop) and to ask different questions here. JULIE HAKIM AZZAM: Congratulations on winning the Boston Globe–Horn Book Picture Book Award! What was your reaction to winning that award?

Jan 5, 2024 | hbook.com | Monique Harris |Allison Grover Khoury |Kimberly Olson Fakih |Cathryn M. Mercier

Caldecott decision-makers face the unwritten guideline to evaluate the accomplishments of each picture book throughout the year with an open mind. Each committee member needs to figure out how to engage with each book on its terms rather than on the reader’s preference for a style or visual aesthetic. They need to get beyond what they like and commit to asking questions about how the art functions and what makes it “excellent execution,” no matter its technique.

Jan 4, 2024 | hbook.com | Monique Harris |Allison Grover Khoury |Kimberly Olson Fakih |Betsy Bird

“In childhood, big is good. Big is impressive, aspirational. But somewhere along the way, the world begins to tell us something different: That big is bad. That being big is undesirable.” — from Vashti Harrison's author’s noteWords have an extraordinary influence on our perspective on the world, others, and most importantly, ourselves. Words can build and words can tear down.

Jan 3, 2024 | hbook.com | Allison Grover Khoury |Kimberly Olson Fakih |Betsy Bird |Julie Hakim Azzam

Remember started its life as a poem published in 1983 by the esteemed poet Joy Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke Nation and former U.S. poet laureate (the first Native American to hold that title). Caldecott Award–winning illustrator Michaela Goade (Tlingit Nation) gives Harjo's poem new life in rich and beautifully layered illustrations. Endpapers are the first point of real study when I open a picture book.