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Jan 7, 2025 | 
hbook.com | Megan Lambert |Adrienne L. Pettinelli |Brian Wilson
A tall portrait layout might have been the natural choice for Noodles on a Bicycle, with its depictions of bicycling demae (deliverymen) who balance gravity-defying towers of trays and bowls of soba noodles as they move through the streets of Tokyo. Instead, Zhang opted for a square trim, which infuses her illustrations with a sense of stability.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Shelley Isaacson |Martha V. Parravano |Brian Wilson |Betsy Bird
I should have been prepared for the emotional sequence of images on the sixth double-page spread of Life After Whale. It’s not a secret. The title reveals the plot: Life AfterWhale. But I wasn’t prepared. I let Chin’s immersive cover, front matter, and opening scenes — a sequence of full-bleed illustrations painted predominantly in shades of blue — pull me into the aquatic life of a blue whale.
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Nov 21, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Martha V. Parravano |Brian Wilson |Betsy Bird |Adrienne L. Pettinelli
Ahoy there! I’m here to start a conversation about Sophie Blackall’s latest picture book — one that has many of the hallmarks of her previous books (yes, including spectacular seascapes and even a lighthouse) but also breaks new ground — or explores new seas, in this case. And no, the Caldecott committee will not be comparing this book to her previous work, as instructed in the manual, and will also disregard the fact that Blackall has won the Caldecott Award twice before.
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Nov 20, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Patrick Gall |Brian Wilson |Pauletta Brown Bracy |Jessica Agudelo
The Next Scientist: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of the World’s Great Scientists by Kate Messner; illus. by Julia KuoPrimary, Intermediate Chronicle 64 pp. 8/24 9781452176963 $19.99This attractive, informative, and ambitious collective biography begins with a challenge: “Quick! Name the world’s greatest scientist.” Messner (The Next President, rev.
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Nov 19, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Brian Wilson |Betsy Bird |Adrienne L. Pettinelli |Elisa Gall
The Caldecott criteria states that the award should honor a work that provides “a visual experience” for the young reader and “respects a child’s ‘understandings, abilities, and appreciations.’” Cherry Mo’s visually enthralling and nearly wordless debut, Home in a Lunchbox, does just that, using colorful digital illustrations and cinematic flourishes to tell a personal story about a girl named Jun who finds solace in her lunchbox after arriving in the United States from Hong Kong.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Brian Wilson |Pauletta Brown Bracy |Patrick Gall |Jessica Agudelo
Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso; illus. by Rudy GutierrezPrimary, Intermediate Calkins/Astra 40 pp. 8/24 9781635928112 $18.99e-book ed. 9781635928129 $11.99In engaging, economical, and colloquial prose, Alonso chronicles the ascent and career highs of legendary right fielder Clemente (1934–1972), who endured racism as a Spanish-speaking Black man while shattering records during his illustrious baseball career.
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May 13, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Kim Parker |Brian Wilson |Julie Danielson |Jennifer M. Brabander
My Block Looks Like by Janelle Harper; illus. by Frank MorrisonPreschool, Primary Viking 40 pp. 1/24 9780593526309 $18.99e-book ed. 9780593526316 $10.99Harper and Morrison’s vibrant picture book focuses on a Black tween girl’s trip through her city neighborhood on her way to a dance audition.
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May 6, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Brian Wilson |Julie Danielson |Jennifer M. Brabander |Julie Hakim Azzam
All That Grows by Jack Wong; illus. by the authorPrimary Groundwood 32 pp. 3/24 9781773068121 $19.99e-book ed. 9781773068138 $16.99Nature walks and gardening result in an introspective child thinking small (and big) thoughts about the natural world in this quiet, poetic account, effectively told in the first person. The narrator’s sister, experienced and knowledgeable about many things leafy and blossoming, makes grand statements about the plants and flowers they encounter.
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Nov 30, 2023 | 
hbook.com | Julie Roach |Elisa Gall |Jonathan Hunt |Brian Wilson
In a city after dark, the lit windows look warm and interesting. Each one has a story going on behind it. Who are these people? What are they doing? Julie Downing’s Night in the City explores that curiosity visually: some people, like the child in the story, prepare for sleep, but there are lots of other people working. The dust jacket shows the busy city; however, the hidden cover art beneath is more intimate, featuring two mirrored perspectives from one window.
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Nov 28, 2023 | 
hbook.com | Elisa Gall |Jonathan Hunt |Brian Wilson |Rachel Blier
Today on Calling Caldecott, a conversation between Elisa Gall and Jonathan Hunt about folklore and the Caldecott Award. (This is an entry in their "why-the-hell" Calling Caldecott series.
