A Few Of My Favorites:

“The Party” by Jamaica Kincaid is one of the most unusual and most powerful children’s books I have read in a long time. But what is it about?

It’s not very often that you can experience art without any preconceptions from awards or reviews. I experienced the pure joy of Doug Salati’s “Hot Dog” without having any idea that it had won the 2023 Caldecott Medal.

To read Jean Jullien’s illustrated children’s book of “Imagine” is to achieve the kind of transcendent, dismantled experience that John Lennon depicted in his iconic song.

Sometimes I look at author-illustrator Sophie Blackhall’s farm in upstate New York, and I wonder if it’s the life I was supposed to have.

The children’s book Knock, Knock by Daniel Beaty with illustrations by Bryan Collier is a devastating and beautiful story of heartbreak and hope. Its untidy, confusing world left my heart in pieces.

Michael Rosen’s picture book explores grief in a way few books for adults seem to match.

What are “adult themes” and how soon is too soon to expose young readers to them? This is a question the literary world asked when David Small’s graphic memoir Stitches was nominated for the National Book Award in the Young People’s Literature category.

Adrian Tomine’s work is reminiscent of 19th century Japanese woodblocks.

The movie Up was brutally hard for me to see, but it contained an especially meaningful lesson.

Thunder & Lightning will make you wish all science was taught by artists.

Meet the illustrator whose thoughtful interview will take you back to a place you left long ago.

Sure, a lot of folk music for kids sounds like a cross between Barney and John Denver. But there is great folk music too that stands out from the crowd and is a whole lot more than just dopey vanilla strumming.