"Speed Round": a Few Picture Books Featured During NCTE 2023

 

HOLIDAY HOUSE, 2023

To make up for several missing weeks of posts, this time I will spotlight several picture books that followed me home from my recent NCTE Conference. To name any single title, author, session, or special event as the best would not do justice to the well-planned array of experiences offered. Even so, I'll admit that joining the Notable Children's Book Awards Luncheon was unforgettable. I was seated at a table hosted by Holiday House, showcasing their informational poetry picture book THE DIRT BOOK: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet. Author David L. Harrison was a special guest of the publisher and I was delighted to take part in some lively conversation. Big bonus?  I received a signed copy of his book!

I reviewed this delightful picture book earlier this year, a library copy, and this is what I had to say at that time:

"What's better than a collection of poems in a variety of forms that informs and explores the various lives (from roots to earthworms to mice) that abide mostly underground. Easy, right, to conclude "out of sight out of mind"? Not so in this case. Sharing the common habitat of "dirt", each exploration entertains and amazes in ways both familiar and unexpected. The " What's better?" part is in the trim size and art design that requires readers to turn the book 90 degrees and view the spreads from very long top-to-bottom expanses. The dark-toned illustrations also remind and invite readers to consider things that don't sparkle or flash, but may well, often do, prove to be treasures of nature."

That's all true, and now I happily add that this is a 2023 Notable Picture Book of Poetry!

Random House Studio, 2023 

During those whirlwind four days I also attended a fantastic panel session that included the noted, multi-award-winning, and always inspiring Melissa Stewart. Her presentation did not disappoint, and I later lined up to meet her and receive a signed copy of her latest non-fiction picture book, WHALE FALL: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem.

This is both luminous and enlightening in its informative text, the fluid and movement-infused illustrations, and the remarkable facts of this after-life contribution of whales. Their biodegrading processes have served the ocean ecology since whales first existed and yet evidence of a whale fall was  only discovered and study begun in recent decades. This is one astonishingly powerful picture book I urge you to read and share.Everyone should know this powerful portrait of life.

GROUNDWOOD BOOKS, 2023

In a light and lively twist, author Nadia L. Hohn shared her latest release, MALAIKA, CARNIVAL QUEEN. In this title, Malaika continues to splash her warm-hearted and colorful joy of life in CARNIVAL season. As in earlier titles featuring Malaika, a contemporary story is woven with local language, culture, family history, and an innovative, engaging personality that sparkles on the page and leaps into young readers' lives. 

These three varied  titles range across library categories, target ages, and purposes.These are only a first sampling of the exciting books and authors I encountered in a few short days. I promise to return soon with some more special offerings and background stories. Meanwhile, this trio of beauties are available in libraries and for holiday gifting. With such a variety of topics and treatments, there must be someone in your life who would love to find one or more of these in their lives, right?