Authors & Illustrators
Each book in Sarah Sax’s Brinkley Yearbooks graphic novel series (Knopf, 9–12 years) centers on a different protagonist. In the second and latest, Tryouts, athletic Al becomes the only girl on the school’s baseball team, and that’s just the beginning of a nuanced tale of teamwork. See also the Sports...
Edel Rodriguez has worked in formats and genres including adult graphic memoir, fiction and nonfiction picture books, and iconic covers for Time magazine. His fantastical wordless picture book The Mango Tree / La mata de mango (Abrams, 4–8 years) is inspired by his own story of migration from Cuba and...
Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire (Norton, 12–18 years) by Paula Yoo provides a thoughtful, in-depth, and very compelling account of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, the events leading up to it, and its aftermath from...
Vehicles are a staple of picture books, and Sylvie Kantorovitz’s new early-reader comic A New Car for Pickle (Holiday, 5–8 years), capitalizes on that favorite topic for readers who are speeding toward independence — and with plenty of humor and whimsical panel illustrations, it’s perfect for summer reading. See Kantorovitz’s...
In Black Girl You Are Atlas (Kokila/Penguin, 12–17), Renée Watson insightfully explores Black girlhood and womanhood through poetry encompassing a variety of experiences and influences, with an emphasis on support from other Black women, all accompanied by Ekua Holmes’s stunning collages. National Poetry Month is in April; see also “At...
The picture-book biography The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith! (Candlewick, 6–9 years) introduces young readers to a passionate musician whose long career also included influential advocacy for women in music. For books that sing a similar tune, see the “Express yourself” section of this issue of Notes...
The picture-book biography Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller (Dial, 5–8 years) introduces young readers to a groundbreaking Black librarian and her contributions. We spoke with author Breanna J. McDaniel (a former Horn Book Guide reviewer and graduate of the Center for the...
In Stories of the Islands (Holiday, 8–12 years), Clar Angkasa retells three Indonesian folktales in a gorgeous graphic format, reframing the tales in ways that empower their female protagonists. 1. Were folktales a big part of your experience growing up? If so, who would share them with you? Clar Angkasa:...
In Ghost Book (Holt, 8–12 years), July Chen can communicate with the wandering soul of William Xiao, a boy who is in a coma. This middle-grade graphic novel takes them on an adventure through the Hungry Ghost Festival, with high emotional stakes but plenty of fun to be had along...
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