Browsing all articles tagged with children’s books.
Ripple Grove Press Interview – Fantasy in Children’s Picture Books
When I was at Portland State University going for a master’s in book publishing (Yes, that’s a real thing!), I had the amazing opportunity to work one-on-one with some local publishers. One such opportunity was my internship with a family-owned, children’s picture book publishing company called Ripple Grove Press. The owners, Rob and Amanda, were […]
Frances Hardinge Interview – A Skinful of Shadows
Frances Hardinge is one of the finest fantasy authors around. Her inventive and beautifully written YA novels, the most recent of which is A Skinful of Shadows (2017), are widely loved by readers of all ages and have received many awards. They run the gamut from richly invented fantasy worlds populated by homicidal geese or […]
Monthly Short Story Winner: Writing In A Subgenre You Don’t Like
We chose this topic to achieve two things: First, to acquaint entrants with something new, and second, to help entrants identify what they normally don’t like about their chosen subgenre. We hoped this would force them to write something different, rejuvenating the genre for them. And we are happy to say, the experiment was a […]
J. K. Rowling is Better than Shakespeare
Tell me if you’ve ever read these stories before: – A young male sociopath disapproves of everyone and everything around him, including any of his romantic interests. He changes nothing, learns nothing, and leaves. – It’s the olden days, and terrible things are happening to good people. Terrible things continue to happen for 200 – […]
Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes by Henry, Josh, and Harrison Herz. Illustrated by Abigail Larson.
Re-imagining fairy tales has been going on since the invention of fairy tales, so it stands to reason that it was only a matter of time until someone did the same with nursery rhymes. Monster Goose does pretty much what it says on the cover. All the mini poems are rewritten to feature monsters of […]
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen
Before I get started, this isn’t the sort of review that folks are used to here, given that the book in question is meant for little kids. However it should be noted that little kids find can find the fantastical in everything and books geared towards them tend to reflect that. There’s less concern with […]
A Genre for the Ages
Think back to the first time you picked up a fantasy book. What was it? How old were you? For most of us, the answer is probably pretty young. I remember Sherwood Smith’s Wren To The Rescue and Madeleine L’Engle’s Wrinkle In Time series were some of my earliest favorites. Some of the other middle […]
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell
Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell: a partnership fated to succeed from the start. Gaiman’s modest, restless prose teamed with the trademark art of Riddell results in a frank and glorious narrative that blends elements of well-known fairy tales to create a haunting new story. Refreshingly, no names are mentioned, but it’s clear that Gaiman’s protagonist […]
Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis – Series Review
Kat, Incorrigible is a fun and charming series of children’s historical fantasy books combining magic, adventure, romance and the Regency period, and I’d highly recommend them to both children and adults who are looking for a quick and very enjoyable read! The first book is either Kat, Incorrigible or A Most Improper Magick, depending on […]
Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman
Am I painting with a wide brush when I say that, for most of us, children’s books are something we read as, well, children? Or to children, maybe? Rarely, if ever, have I picked up a copy of Green Eggs and Ham or The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog or the like and simply read […]
Children’s Fantasy: Eight of the Best – Part Two
This is Part Two of our look at Children’s Fantasy series. If you missed it, you can read Part One here. The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin Farther west than west Beyond the land My people are dancing On the other wind. This quartet can often be found in the adult fantasy section of […]
Children’s Fantasy: Eight of the Best – Part One
I do not write for children, but entirely for myself. Yet I do write for some children, and have done so from the beginning. This wonderful, contradictory statement comes from Alan Garner, who merits a place – at least in my mind – at the high table of children’s fantasy literature. Garner continues: Only recently […]
