GET THE SHMEAR BECAUSE SCOOPS ARE FOR ICE CREAM! AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR ALAN SILBERBERG BY LAUREN KASIARZ     THE BAGEL WHO WANTED EVERYTHING Written and illustrated by Alan Silberberg (Viking Books for Young Readers; $18.99; Ages 3-7)     FROM THE PUBLISHER: “The Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast series meets The Food Group books in this tale of a plain bagel who dreams of being more!“ FROM KIRKUS: “With charm and a lesson of self-empowerment, this bagel book has lox to recommend it.” THE INTERVIEW: Lauren Kasiarz: Let’s welcome today’s guest, Alan Silberberg. His most recent book,…

      THE TRAVELING TACO Written by Mia Wenjen Illustrated by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong (Red Comet Press; $19.99, Ages 5 and up)         Let's welcome today's guest author, Mia Wenjen. Her most recent picture book, The Traveling Taco, takes readers around the world with some surprising food facts.   Did you know many well-known dishes are food immigrants? The Al Pastor Taco traveled from Lebanon to Puebla, Mexico... French fries originated in Belgium... And pasta arrived in Italy long before Marco Polo visited China. This fascinating nonfiction book featuring rhyming text takes the reader on travels around…

    HOW I PUBLISHED A GRAPHIC NOVEL AS AN AUTHOR —AND HOW YOU CAN TOO A GUEST POST BY LYDIA LUKIDIS     THE INSIDE SCOOP: If you’re an author dreaming of publishing a graphic novel but you’re “just” the writer, I’ve been there—and I’m here to say it can be done, though it may be challenging. My graphic novel Groucho the Grouchy Groundhog (book 1- Pancake Panic) hit shelves on July 15th, and it’s the culmination of a journey that began way back in grade five when I was editor of my elementary school newspaper, Pizzazz. Inspired by…

  THE BIG SQUEEZE Written by Molly Harris Illustrated by Alison Hawkins (HarperCollins BYR; $19.99; Ages 4-8)             From the publisher: “A hardworking sponge…has a BIG job. She washes and mops and scrubs away all the messes in the kitchen. But what happens when the mess gets TOO BIG and she just CAN’T clean anymore?”   From Kirkus: “Harris’ debut is a humorous foray into cleaning routines with a valuable message about avoiding burnout.”   Review: In The Big Squeeze, an enthusiastic sponge helps around the sink, washing dishes, brushing away crumbs, and cleaning up…

TWO TOGETHER by Brendan Wenzel (Chronicle Books; $18.99; Ages 3-5)         ★ Starred reviews -  Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: In this companion book to They All Saw a Cat and Inside Cat, a journey home leads to unexpected adventures for a cat and dog. A playful, imaginative story of friendship, empathy, and discovery by Caldecott Honor winner Brendan Wenzel.   REVIEW: In Two Together, New York Times bestselling author and Caldecott Honor winner Brendan Wenzel has once again created a book filled with empathy, friendship, and understanding, following the successful companion…

RACHEL CARSON'S WONDER-FILLED WORLD How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover Changed the Environmental Movement Written by Kate Hannigan Illustrated by Katie Hickey (Calkins Creek; $18.99; Ages 7-10)           FROM THE PUBLISHER: "This STEAM picture book biography highlights how scientist and writer Rachel Carson became the author of the groundbreaking book Silent Spring and the mother of the modern environmental movement." From Kirkus Reviews: "A soaring tribute to the perceptive naturalist and writer who jump-started the modern environmental movement."   REVIEW: In the early 1960s, author and environmentalist Rachel Carson spurred readers to action in her…

    THE JUNETEENTH ALPHABET Written by Andrea Underwood Petifer Illustrated by Ana Latese (Sourcebooks; $14.99; Ages 3-6)             Review:   For decades, advocate and teacher Opal Lee fought to give Juneteenth the recognition it deserves. In 2021, her hard work and dedication came to fruition when the U.S. government, under President Joe Biden, officially recognized Juneteenth as a holiday. Author Andrea Underwood Petifer saw the recognition as an opportunity to educate both young children and adults about the history behind June 19th, which inspired her newly released children’s book, The Juneteenth Alphabet, with illustrations by…

RAINBOW ALLIES: The True Story of Kids Who Stood Against Hate Written by Nancy Churnin Illustrated by Izzy Evans (Beaming Books; $18.99, Ages 4-7)       GUEST REVIEW BY AUTHOR DEKE MOULTON:   Rainbow Allies: The True Story of Kids Who Stood Against Hate written by Nancy Churnin and illustrated by Izzy Evans, is a picture book showing one example of how a community can come together to say no to fear and hateful tactics of othering those who are different.     The story follows Brendan, Landon and Sommer—three kids in the neighborhood who help their lesbian neighbors…