Book-A-Day Almanac
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics and the new books on their way to becoming classics.
Locomotive
Elementary School, Nonfiction, Picture BookOctober has been designated National Reading Group Month. Usually, reading groups select novels. But today I recommend an unusual and brilliant work of narrative nonfiction published last month: Brian Floca’s Locomotive. With a career that began when Brian illustrated books for Avi in the early 1990s, the artist has continued to grow and get better […]
History, Science, Technology, Trains, TransportationFeatured on October 21
Mr. Gumpy’s Outing
Babies and Toddlers, PreschoolToday, I want to talk about two of our classic books for babies and toddlers. As Julie Roach, Manager of Youth Services of the Cambridge (MA) Public Library, has told me on many occasions, the best titles for this age group include a text with few words that encourages participation and simple images and plots […]
Animals, Award Winning, Caldecott, Trains, TransportationFeatured on April 11
Wendell Minor
Elementary School, Nonfiction, PreschoolToday illustrator Wendell Minor celebrates his birthday. Both Wendell and his wonderful wife Florence, one of the great teams in children’s books, happen to be good friends of mine. Normally, that would stop me from writing this post because it is hard for me to be objective. But I think Wendell has worked so hard […]
Animals, History, Nature, Penguins, Revolutionary War, Trains, TransportationFeatured on March 17
The Polar Express
Elementary School, Picture BookIn 1985 a book appeared by Caldecott-winning artist Chris Van Allsburg that would immediately become a bestseller and over the years establish itself as a picture book ritually read and enjoyed by families during the Christmas season: The Polar Express. Chris came to his career as a children’s book writer through his work as a […]
Adventure, Christmas, Holidays, Magic, Trains, TransportationFeatured on December 25
Daily children’s book recommendations and events from Anita Silvey.
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics . . .
The new books on their way to becoming classics . . .
And events from the world of children’s books—and the world at large.
