What I’m Doing at Kirkus This Week
Friday, August 19th, 2016

I’ve got a graphic-novel round-up here at Kirkus today.
Until Sunday …
Friday, August 19th, 2016

I’ve got a graphic-novel round-up here at Kirkus today.
Until Sunday …
Sunday, August 14th, 2016


Friday, August 12th, 2016
That link is here.
Last week, I wrote here about Kate Hoefler’s Real Cowboys (Houghton Mifflin, October 2016), illustrated by Jonathan Bean.
Today, Jonathan shares some process images and final art, as well as some thoughts on creating the illustrations for this book. I’m happy he’s sharing that today, so let’s get right to it.
Tuesday, August 9th, 2016
The review is here. Below, I’ve got some more spreads from the book. Enjoy!
Sunday, August 7th, 2016
use.jpg)
It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means I’ve got a newly-graduated illustrator visiting today to share artwork. Shane Cluskey, originally from Ireland, actually graduated in 2005 from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin (so, he’s not exactly newly-graduated), but he’s currently working on his first children’s book, so I thought it’d be fun to showcase his artwork. As I understand it, Shane is currently living in London.
Shane also says a few words below about his work, so let’s get right to it. I thank him for visiting. (To see even more of his artwork, here’s his Instagram page.)
Friday, August 5th, 2016

Over at Kirkus today, I write about the debut picture book from Kate Hoefler, Real Cowboys (Houghton Mifflin), illustrated by Jonathan Bean and on shelves in early October.
That link is here.
Last week, I wrote here about Randy Cecil’s Lucy (Candlewick, August 2016), and I’m following up with some art today.
Enjoy!
Thursday, August 4th, 2016
“The beauty of multicultural books is that they open new doors and windows for readers who are outside the culture. They can live, explore, and enjoy other cultures as they read amazing stories. For the majority of children and adults who were born in the United States, an ‘alien’ is indeed someone from outer space, and they do not associate it with immigrants or immigrant status. For me, as a writer of multicultural children’s literature, it is always important to write authentic stories where my readers can learn and discover the immigrant experience and the experience of living in two cultures.”
Over at Kirkus, I talk to author and teacher René Colato Laínez, pictured here, about his newest picture book, Mamá the Alien/Mamá la extraterrestre, published by Lee & Low last month.
That chat is here.
Until tomorrow …
Photo of Mr. Laínez used by permission of Lee & Low Books.
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016
This is in follow-up to my BookPage review. So, if you’d like to read all about the book, you can head here for the review, and more spreads are below.
Sunday, July 31st, 2016

Friday, July 29th, 2016


That is here today.
Last week, I wrote here about Sandol Stoddard Warburg’s The Thinking Book (AMMO Books, May 2016), illustrated by Ivan Chermayeff and originally released in 1960, as well as Giselle Potter’s This Is My Dollhouse (Schwartz & Wade, May 2016). Below is a bit of art from each book.
Enjoy.