Best picture books, chapter books, young adult books, graphic novels and non fiction for kids.
Congratulations to author Kaylin Melia George and illustrator Mae Waite of Aloha Everything for winning APALA’s Best Picture Book of 2025! Leanna interviewed Kaylin during their Kickstarter for Aloha Everything: The Ig Live is part of Read Your World’s weekly interview series by Leanna to showcase diverse children and YA book creators. I always…
Today, I’m thrilled to talk to illustrator and artist Violeta Encarnación. She is the illustrator for Barbed Wire Between Us, which is the story of my heart. Our picture book is scheduled for release on March 24, 2026. Q1: What was your journey to becoming a children’s book illustrator? I’ve always loved drawing, but it…
I was able to see Salmon Run by Annie Chen at ALA in Philadelphia. It was hot off the presses. Not even the author/illustrator, Annie Chen, had seen it. It felt like a full circle moment because Annie Chen is my oldest daughter’s best friend from college. A dual degree RISD/Brown student, Annie took the…
Dorktales Podcast’s Hidden Hero of History series features Makoto Hagiwara from picture book Fortune Cookies for Everyone! A tale of artistry, innovation, and lasting legacy! Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese American landscape architect, transformed a World’s Fair exhibit into San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden. It’s the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, still cherished…
Read Your World is celebrating Native American Heritage Month with a free virtual event on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at 7:00 PM EST. Meet Xelena González, James Bird, Sherri Maret, and Carla J. S. Messinger, and register for a chance to win 1 of 4 book bundles. Sign up here: readyourworld.org/NAHMVirtual Event p.s. Related…
BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US [STARRED REVIEW!] Author: Mia Wenjen Illustrator: Violeta Encarnación Review Issue Date: November 15, 2025 Online Publish Date: October 10, 2025 Publisher: Red Comet Press Pages: 48 Price (Hardcover): $19.99 Publication Date: March 31, 2026 ISBN (Hardcover): 9781636551920 Section: Children’s Japanese Chinese American author Wenjen and Cuban American artist Encarnación have created a sobering, stupendous reminder of recurring injustice. Wenjen’s reverso…
Please welcome my guest author, Maria Gianferrari, today. She has a book list featuring horses in celebration of her newest picture book, Rain and the Reading Horse! Rain and the Reading Horse by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Hannah Salyer Rain is very shy, and words get stuck in her throat when she tries to read…