Title: Creepy Crayon!
Author: Aaron Reynolds
Illustrator: Peter Brown
Publisher/Date:  Simon & Schuster BYR (August 23, 2022)
The “gist”: Jasper isn’t crazy about school, but the purple crayon he finds turns him into an A student…until he realizes that’s not what he wants either.
My favorite part: I love that there’s a scene where Jasper is wearing the underwear from “Creepy Pair of Underwear”!
My response as a reader: You’d think Jasper would be psyched that his crayon can solve all his problems, so it’s neat that it doesn’t take him long to realize it’s actually not so great. And like with the others in this series, it does get pretty creepy.
My “take-away” as a writer: I love that the books in this series aren’t afraid of, well, being scary. Are they a tiny bit formulaic? Sure, but so are horror movies and lots of other fun entertainmen. Aaron just happens to have found a formula that works.

Title: Just Try it!
Author: Phil & Lily Rosenthal
Illustrator: Luke Flowers
Publisher/Date:  ‎ Simon & Schuster BYR (March 5, 2024)
The “gist”: Phil loves trying new things– his daughter Lily, not so much. But eventually, at the food truck festival, Lily is finally convinced to “just try it!”
My favorite part: Once Lily gets the hang of trying new things, She gets her dad to try something HE doesn’t want to do. Payback!
My response as a reader: Ok, full disclosure, I’m always hesitant to read books by celebrities, let alone to review them (they get enough publicity). But I just LOVE Phil, how could I be mad at someone who so genuinely exudes joy?
My “take-away” as a writer: This is written in the first person from Lily’s perspective which is really effective since we can identify with her “yuck” factor. I should think about doing more first person stories.

Title: How Dinosaurs went Extinct
Author:Ame Dyckman
Illustrator: Jennifer Harney
Publisher/Date:  Little, Brown BYR (April 18, 2023)
The “gist”:  A very clever dad lets his kid know that the dinosaurs went extinct for doing all sorts of things (like not changing their underwear) they should not do.
My favorite part: The mom’s reaction to this strategy (especially after seeing how the child reacts) is perfection.
My response as a reader: The names of the dinosaurs are so totally fun — everything I would expect from Ame Dyckman who is one of the quirkiest and most imaginative writers I know!
My “take-away” as a writer: If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I love to point out when a story doesn’t “follow the rules” of children’s writing. First, the narrator and most active voice is the dad, as opposed to a child who “solves their own problem.” (The child is just along for the ride until the end). It also does NOT follow the rule of threes– there are a whole litany of dinosaurs described. But the examples are so wacky the reader is caught up and just waiting for the next example. Leave it to Ame to be a rebel rule-breaker, right? Maybe when *I* get to be a rock star PB writer…

Title: Tricky Chopsticks
Author: Sylvia Chen
Illustrator: Fanny Liem
Publisher/Date:  Atheneum BYR (March 19, 2024)
The “gist”:  Jenny Chow worries she will be the only one in her family EVER to be unable to use chopsticks.
My favorite part: I love that in the end, while she had a “trick” to help her learn to use the chopsticks, by the end all she had to do was think about it.
My response as a reader: Sylvia incorporates lots of Chinese characters and culture, but she does it completely without alienating the reader. As someone who grew up in a very rural non-diverse town (but who grew up to be a HUGE fan of diversity), I know how important this is for introducing cultures to a wide audience.
My “take-away” as a writer: Sylvia is amazing and was one of the talented and generous judges for “PB Party,” so I’ve been following her for a while. I have read several of her posts about the writing process for this story and the changes it went through, which are fascinating. It’s a good reminder that a “short” picture book text is not easy and can take many drafts!

Title: We don’t lose our Class Goldfish
Author/Illustrator: Ryan T. Higgins
Publisher/Date:  ‎ Disney Hyperion (March 28, 2023)
The “gist”: Penelope Rex is afraid of the class goldfish — she has a whole list of cons about bringing it home when it’s her turn. So the only thing that’s worse is when it goes missing!
My favorite part: The list of scary things about the goldfish (which transforms into not-so-scary things later) is charming, particularly since I’m not a big goldfish fan!
My response as a reader: There’s a “Mother Bruce” promotional poster SIGNED with a little Bruce drawing on the wall of my son’s room that’s proabably ten years old. So I’m a big Ryan Higgins fan (I live just one town over). They’re all classics. All of them.
My “take-away” as a writer: As always, I’m in awe of author-illustrators. But as adorable as these illustrations are (particularly the eyes in this case), it’s the story that wins this one and there’s a lot of heart here.