passionately sharing, discussing and admiring children's picture books
Day 2 of the picture book countdown to Christmas includes this book which is probably cheating to be called a picture book. At 102 pages, this is much more of a storybook, chapter book, or…? But the Nutcracker story is a classic Christmas tale and this edition by Maurice Sendak is a delightfully unique version of the famous story. Here’s E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Nutcracker, translated by Ralph Manheim, with pictures by Maurice Sendak, 1984.
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Day 1 of our picture book countdown to Christmas begins this year with a sweet little ode to a tiny Christmas tree. Here is Little Tree by e.e. cummings, illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray, 1923/1987.
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It’s that time of year! I took a true holiday last year and didn’t do my usual 25 picture books countdown to Christmas. It was lovely to step away for a bit, but I’m ready. So here we go! I will do my best to keep each day short with just a quick post about the book and a picture or two.
And if you want to check out past years: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. Happy December 1!
Once again, Christian Robinson’s illustrations have stolen my attention and heart. I’ve had my eye on this book coming out since the first illustration hints I saw on Robinson’s Instagram. I saved it as an idea for potential gift giving for one of my children, but then it came out this September and who am I kidding, I wanted it for me! Take a peek at this marvelous new collaboration between the delightfully poetic author, Julie Fogliano and the brilliantly clever illustrator, Christian Robinson. Here is When’s My Birthday?
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Today is the day! Not So Scary Jerry by Shelley Kinder, illustrated by me, Caryn Schafer, is officially out in the world. I cannot wait for you to meet Jerry! I’ll be back to posting regularly again very soon and have lots to share about the creation of Jerry and other exciting projects. Pick up Not So Scary Jerry at Clear Fork Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and ask your local bookstore and library to carry it!
What a crazy couple weeks of spring we have had. So much sickness and completely missing school and Easter and friends and possibly spring too. But I’m thankful to have a constant pile of new books to look through. Last week I received this book from Disney-Hyperion in hopes that I could review it, and they also offered a really amazing giveaway to one of my readers. How could I turn that down? Thankfully, we liked the story. So let’s take a look at a fun, summery, ballerina beach book, with a crazy unique twist. Here is Vampirina at the Beach by Anne Marie Pace, picture by LeUyen Pham, 2017. (And stay tuned in the post for the fantastic giveaway!)
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Three Books a Night 