Written and Illustrated By...

It's Children's Authors and Illustrators Week! All year long I enjoy reading through children's books, but this week especially I thought I'd share some of my favorites. Why don't you try browsing through the children's library the next time you're in? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you'll find.

Growing up, I absolutely loved the series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, beginning with Little House in the Big Woods. Not only were the stories and characters beautiful, but the illustrations were too. Garth Williams brought Laura Ingalls to life for me. I can picture scenes vividly even today - Laura milking a cow, Almanzo digging into a delicious dinner, the covered wagon rolling over a hill. Perfection.



When it comes to picture books, currently I've been engrossed with Mo Willems. He wrote and illustrated books such as Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct. Fun stories, fun illustrations! Humor that parents and "big kids" will appreciate as much as the little ones. 



I can't write a blog post about children's lit without mentioning my favorite series of all time: Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling has my respect as a gifted storyteller. I understand and relate to her characters as if they were real. The illustrations in these books, drawn by Mary GrandPre, only come at the beginning of each chapter, but they compliment the stories beautifully.


Our children's librarian here at Abington, Mary Ann McGrath, shared with me the new 2012 Newbery Medal Winner and the 2012 Caldecott Award Winner, both here at our library. Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, is a quirky middle grade novel about Jack, a boy who has to spend his summer vacation typing obituaries about the people who founded his town. A Ball for Daisy, by Chris Raschka, is a story for children told entirely in pictures about a dog and her ball and the drama that ensues. Check out these prizewinners!

Oh, this post could go on and on! Let me close with one last popular book - The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. This novel told in words and pictures just recently hit theaters as the movie Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. This story for children (and adults alike!) is unique in that it's told as much through the illustrations as through the words.

Well this post went a little longer than usual, but hopefully you've enjoyed hearing a bit more about children's lit. Do some exploring in that section next time you visit the library, and I guarantee you won't leave disappointed.

Laura
On behalf of the ACL