#neal porter books

[winningthesweepstakes]

Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp, illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández

Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp, illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández. Neal Porter Books, 2024. 9780823453924  Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: Hardcover picture book What did you like about the book? Poetically written in Spanish with English translation, each member of a Latine family expresses the culture of musicality through playing a traditional…

[stephaniejoanneus]

Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil by Ana Crespo, illustrated by André Ceolin

Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil by Ana Crespo, illustrated by André Ceolin. Neal Porter Books, 2024. 9780823452293 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover picture book What did you like about the book? A little girl walking with her Mamãe explores the concept of saudade. When something pleasant reminds Mamãe of Brazil, she whispers, “Que saudade!” The girl finds…

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Maple and Rosemary by Alison James

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Publication Date: February 28, 2023

Synopsis:

A touching story about a sugar maple tree who finds a lifelong friend when a young girl comes to seek comfort in its branches. For the longest time, Maple was on her own, ignored by the cedars and the pines. All she wanted was a friend she could talk to. Then one day, Rosemary climbs into her branches, sad and searching for a friend of her own. Together they form a bond as real as roots. Through the seasons and across a lifetime, Maple and Rosemary tells a story of true friendship, one in which the experiences we share become a part of who we are. Alison James's spare, eloquent text is accompanied by luminous illustrations that capture the shifting seasons in all their glory, by Jennifer K. Mann, creator of the much-acclaimed picture book, The Camping Trip.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

Kiddo (9) and I loved this sweet story of the friendship between a girl and a tree. It reminds me of the Giving Tree only better - instead of a relationship where the boy takes and takes, Rosemary and Maple's friendship has both of them giving, both of them receiving the love they need to grow strong and to move past the loneliness they both share at the beginning of the book. The illustrations are whimsical and have a childlike charm. Kiddo said they looked a bit like crayon drawings and they do have that air about them. They also have a lot of character and show Rosemary's expressions really well. Kiddo listened rapt through the whole story (with only one interruption to ask anxiously if Rosemary would ever come back) and was very thoughtful after we finished. He is at the age where he is beginning to want friends and recognize loneliness, and the story seemed to resonate with him, as both Maple and Rosemary begin the story struggling with that. I love that it ends on a positive note. We never read the Giving Tree much, as it does not depict a healthy relationship and isn't really a happy story. Maple and Rosemary, in contrast, ends with Maple and Rosemary realizing they have become a part of one another and neither will ever be lonely again. It does a great job illustrating what true friendship is like and softens the bittersweet knowledge that Maple will outlive Rosemary, because Maple will always have memories of her. It would be a perfect read-aloud book for storytime and I am going to recommend it to my library as it is just the sort the children's librarian there likes to choose. *Thanks to Alison James and Neal Porter Books for providing an early copy for review.

[picturebookmakers]

Sydney Smith

In this post, Sydney talks about Do You Remember?, a contemplative and deeply moving picturebook, told from the perspective of a young boy who is moving home and is trying to understand his emotions. To be published by Neal Porter Books in October 2023.

Visit Sydney Smith’s website

Sydney: At this moment I am sitting on my doorstep waiting for a book to arrive in the mail. I am waiting for that complicated moment of holding something in my hand that is final and limited in its form. Something that had filled my days, months, and years and brought more struggle than I expected and uncovered more of myself than I was prepared to face. It started as a book about memory. I should’ve guessed I was in for a challenge.

I had experimented in past books with painting softly and playfully. Those images looked like how a memory might appear if we could project our mind on a screen and show others that time when we were young.

Memory is something that is inherently personal and private but universal. As a visual artist I could try to communicate that feeling and the look of a memory. I wanted to speak to readers about the nature of memory, but I soon found out that I was swimming the deep end without my water-wings. It is vast area of the human experience, and I was unsure about my ability to tell an interesting story and relate it to the theme to which I was committed.

Hindsight tells me I was going about this all backwards. Starting with the theme and trying to fit a story to that theme requires too much forcing and manipulation and often makes for an awkward and stilted flow. I was not alone on this journey, my Virgil was my editor, Neal Porter. He gave me the freedom to explore and with every draft we shared we went deeper into the weeds, all the while Neal asking the only real question worth asking, “What is it about?”

It was a book about remembering the past and making a memory of the present with someone you loved. But the characters, a mother and son, were sharing memories that were mine. They were real memories about living in the country, about picnics in the field, and riding my bike on the driveway then leaving all that behind and moving to the city. The two characters are in a bedroom on the first night in a new home in the city far from the farm. The book was working but I couldn’t even look at it. It felt deeply wrong. I was omitting a major element of the story, of my story. The part that made each memory worth recalling.

What actually happened was my parents divorced and my mother and I relocated far from our home in the country. Everything was uncertain and my world was turned upside down. My mother still calls it the Great Upheaval. I knew that if the story wasn’t true to our experience, I would be denying a part of my history even though it was painful to everyone involved. At the time of the divorce my role was to convince those around me who were in such pain that I was unaffected and stable. I understood that my sadness would make others sad. I felt like a custodian for the emotions and guilt that surrounded me. As the book evolved into a story of a broken family, I understood that my feelings of discomfort were there because I was pushing against the instinct that formed when I was that 8 year old. I was showing my sadness and it was ok. But that was not all. I was also answering the question my parents have silently asked for 36 years. It’s the same question I am asking now with children of my own. What will you remember? What will your memories of this time look like? Will you remember the upheaval, the darkness, the uncertainty?

The answer is that I remember love. Unconditional and ever present.

This book is for my mother, but she has not seen it yet. I am sitting on my doorstep, waiting for this book to arrive in the mail. With its 40 pages and a handful of words, it could never say it all but it says enough.

Illustrations © Sydney Smith.

Buy this picturebook

Do You Remember?

Sydney Smith

Neal Porter Books, United States, 2023

Can you hear the morning wind in the trees? Can you feel the snowflakes landing on your wrist? Can you taste the sweetness of the warm berries?

A boy describes the memories that are so meaningful to him as he is about to move into a new home. Sydney Smith takes us into the mind of the boy as he processes the complex emotions that he experiences as he contemplates his new surroundings.

[libraryofcolours]

What worked and/or what didn't: There is a dreamlike quality to the illustrations. There is a surrealness to them that feels like they are being shown through a haze of time and remembrance. The warped perspective on each page has buildings, landscapes, and people curved and bubbled in a way that cannot be real, but perhaps remembered from a dream.

The tone of this picture book is hopeful, dreamlike, and reminiscent. This is conveyed in both the prose and the pictures. It feels like walking from a dream and trying to tell it to someone as parts fade and others become more clear.

The pacing of this story works very well with the otherworldly quality this book emulates. Each page adds to the story and moves the narrative forward months or years at a time. The passage of time is clear with the small child growing from a baby to a toddler by the end. 

Why I read it: Looking at a list of Pura Belpré Award winners, the cover of this book really drew me in and I liked the use of colors. Once we started reading it, the colors and bubbled nature of the pictures kept Bruno's attention. I enjoyed the conciseness of the story and how even though it ended it left a hopeful feeling. 

How I enjoyed it: I read this as an ebook that I borrowed through Libby. Digital format is my preferred way to read.

Category Chosen: Pura Belpré Award

Citation: Morales, Y. (2018). Dreamers. First edition. New York, Neal Porter Books/Holiday House.

[ulkaralakbarova]

A man obsessed with conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of his theories turns out to be true. Unfortunately, in order to save himself, he has to figure out which theory it is. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Jerry Fletcher: Mel Gibson Alice Sutton: Julia Roberts Dr. Jonas: Patrick Stewart Agent Lowry: Cylk Cozart Mr. Wilson: Steve Kahan Flip: Terry Alexander Cynic: Alex McArthur Justice Guard: Rod McLachlan Justice Guard: Michael Potts Justice Guard: Jim Sterling Public Works Man: Rich Hebert Clarke: Brian J. Williams Piper: G. A. Aguilar Henry Finch’s Secretary: Cece Neber Labao Alice’s Secretary: Saxon Trainor Grouchy Nurse: Sage Allen Nurse – Roosevelt Hospital: Joanna Sanchez Cop – Roosevelt Hospital: Michael Shamus Wiles Lawyer: Andrew Lauren Tech: Danny Smith Surveillance Operator: Sean Patrick Thomas Helicopter Pilot: Al Cerullo Cleet: Dean Winters Night Security – Federal Building: Rick Hoffman Surveillance Operator: Peter Jacobson Intern: Troy Garity Alice’s Father: Bert Remsen Jonas’ Aide: J. Mills Goodloe Old Man in Book Store: Leonard Jackson Film Crew: Director of Photography: John Schwartzman First Assistant Director: Jim Van Wyck Original Music Composer: Carter Burwell Producer: Joel Silver Editor: Kevin Stitt Producer: Richard Donner Casting: Marion Dougherty Assistant Editor: Kris Cole Associate Producer: Julie Durk Writer: Brian Helgeland Co-Producer: Richard Solomon Art Direction: Gregory Bolton Editor: Frank J. Urioste Co-Producer: Dan Cracchiolo Co-Producer: J. Mills Goodloe Post Production Supervisor: Ilyse A. Reutlinger Unit Production Manager: Helen Pollak Unit Production Manager: Nan Bernstein Freed Second Assistant Director: John G. Scotti Set Decoration: Casey Hallenbeck Set Designer: Lauren Cory Set Designer: Joseph G. Pacelli Jr. Set Designer: Thomas Betts Leadman: Steven Curtis Husch Still Photographer: Andrew Cooper Video Assist Operator: Martin Glover Underwater Director of Photography: Pete Romano Second Second Assistant Director: Sean McCarron Unit Publicist: Stephanie Pond-Smith Script Supervisor: Sioux Richards Key Grip: Les T. Tomita Best Boy Grip: Audie Aragon Dolly Grip: Brad Rea Location Manager: Robbie Goldstein Location Manager: David E. Kaufman Negative Cutter: Mo Henry Color Timer: David Orr “A” Camera Operator: Mitchell Amundsen Steadicam Operator: Neal Norton First Assistant Camera: Christopher Duskin First Assistant Camera: A. Anthony Cappello Second Assistant Camera: Thomas D. Lairson Jr. Second Assistant Camera: Charles B. Katz Camera Loader: Jacobus Marcus Supervising Sound Editor: Mark A. Mangini Supervising Sound Editor: George Simpson Sound Editor: Richard L. Anderson Sound Editor: Mike Chock Sound Editor: John Dunn Sound Editor: Julia Evershade Sound Editor: Eric Lindemann Sound Editor: Geoffrey G. Rubay Assistant Sound Editor: Oscar Mitt Assistant Sound Editor: Sonny Pettijohn Music Editor: Adam Milo Smalley Scoring Mixer: Michael Farrow Orchestrator: Sonny Kompanek Supervising ADR Editor: James Simcik ADR Editor: William C. Carruth ADR Editor: Denise Horta ADR Mixer: Troy Porter Sound Re-Recording Mixer: John T. Reitz Sound Re-Recording Mixer: David E. Campbell Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Gregg Rudloff Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Jeffrey J. Haboush Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Kevin E. Carpenter Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Dan Hiland Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Gary D. Rogers Foley Editor: Solange S. Schwalbe Foley Editor: Aaron Glascock Production Sound Mixer: Tim Cooney Boom Operator: Todd Bassman Chief Lighting Technician: Andy Ryan Assistant Chief Lighting Technician: Brian Evans Assistant Costume Designer: Christopher J. Kristoff Costume Design: Ha Nguyen Production Design: Paul Sylbert Costume Supervisor: Kimberly Guenther Durkin Makeup Supervisor: Lee Harman Makeup Artist: Richard Dean Makeup Artist: Mel Berns Jr. Key Hair Stylist: Stephen Robinette Hairstylist: Lyndell Quiyou Hairstylist: Monique DeSart Property Master: Erik L. Nelson Assistant Property Master: Christopher Amy Special Effects Coordinator: Michael Meinardus Stunts: S...

[cloverdalebooks]

Watercress

Written by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin 

Print book

Published March 30, 2021 by Neal Porter Books

Awards: Randolph Caldecott Medal (2022), Newbery Honor (2022), Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (Picture Book, 2021-2022) 

Dimensions: 11.5 x 9 inches, 32 pages long 

Age range according to publisher: 6-9 years. I agree. While this is a picture book, some of the emotional material might be too heavy for younger children. 

After being required to help forage watercress from a roadside ditch, the daughter of Chinese immigrants is angry and embarrassed by the way her family’s differences make them stand out in small-town Ohio.

When the watercress is served at dinner that evening, the daughter initially refuses to eat it, prompting her mother to share how foraging to survive famine in China shaped their family history. 

Watercress is semi-autobiographical and the author’s note states that this story is about the power of memory. The text and illustrations indeed unite to provide the effect of a childhood memory. The illustrations are done in soft watercolors that lend a warm, memory-like quality to each scene. Definition and details are lightly rendered, so the landscape and background look gently textured. The poetic text fills in specific sensory and emotional details such as a rusty scissors, a wet shirt, and the flavor of watercress. The details in the text contrast with the softly-toned art, as if to express how some long-ago memories are more of an atmosphere with some specific details rising to the surface. 

This book could be a great selection for someone seeking materials on immigrant narratives, family history, and/or Chinese-American representation. 

Watercress is quite emotional and would also be good for readers seeking books that are more serious in nature. Its characters experience shame/embarrassment, family conflict, homesickness, famine, loss of a sibling, and wanting to belong. The famine and loss of a sibling might cause tears at bedtime if this is read in the evening, so caregivers should use their judgment.

Overall, Watercress stands out as a book that is layered, unique, and emotionally resonant.

[literaticat]

Are there imprints you've never had a book with that you'd like to have a book with?

Over like, 15 years and 600+ books, I pretty much have something with almost every publisher/imprint. So... I dunno. Maybe Neal Porter Books? That's the only one I can think of off the dome!

[readleafbooks2022]

【素敵な洋書絵本の紹介】 ある農場の夜。 納屋に、ラバとウシとウマがいました。彼らは日が昇るのを待っていました。納屋の中は静かです。風が吹くと屋根の風見鶏がキュキュキュと鳴きます。 「夜が明けるのがおそいね」ラバとが言います。 「ご主人もね」牛が言います。 「フクロウに聞いてみようか。何をしたらいいのか」ウマが言います。 そうして三頭は厩舎のフクロウに聞きに行きました。夜が明けるのが遅いから、どうしたらいいのかと。 農場の小さな世界で暮らす動物たち。 彼らが見ている世界はそれほど大きくはないけれど、でもとても大切なこと場所。 静かな農場の夜を描いた絵本です。 Philip C.Stead & Erin E.Steadの描く絵本はどれも優しさを感じますよね。 The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer Contributor(s): Stead, Philip C (Author) , Stead, Erin E (Illustrator) EAN: 9780823444281 Publisher: Neal Porter Books Binding: Hardcover Pub Date: November 29, 2022 Physical Info: 1.09 cms H x 22.58 cms L x 24.43 cms W (0.37 kgs) 32 pages Annotation: "On a peculiarly long night, three farm animals set out on a daring quest to bring the sunrise"-- #erinestead #philipcstead #readleafbooks #art #picturebooks #本 #本棚 #絵本 #児童書 #絵本屋 #洋書絵本 #絵本が好き #絵本が好きな人と繋がりたい #芸術 #英語 #イラスト 　　 @readleafbooks Webショップで紹介中。プロフィールからぜひどうぞ！ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp-A_GePgQv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[winningthesweepstakes]

City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions by Amy Hevron

City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions by Amy Hevron. Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2024. 9780823453184 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover What did you like about the book? Ants. Always amazing! Leaf cutter Ants live in Central and South America, as many as 8 million in one nest!  They form a society, each with a specific job; some…

[stephaniejoanneus]

Gifts from Georgia's Garden: How Georgia O'Keefe Nourished Her Art by Lisa Robinson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Gifts from Georgia’s Garden: How Georgia O’Keefe Nourished Her Art by Lisa Robinson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper. Neal Porter Books, 2024. 9780823452668 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: Hardcover picture books Genre: Biography What did you like about the book? This insightful look at the artist Georgia O’Keefe shows how she gained inspiration from the plants…

[roesolo]

Books About Kindness

Books About Kindness @HolidayHouseBks

We’re heading toward the holidays, which means my library system is gearing up for their annual “It’s Time for Kind” campaign, where we encourage our communities to show kindness to one another. This year, it means a LOT. I won’t get on too much of a soapbox here, but I will say that I live in a state where people are arriving scared and alone, and need kindness more than ever. These books have…

[roseunspindle]

Feb TBR

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29100207-welcome-to-night-vale

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48166780-voices-in-the-snow

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246255.The_Middle_Ages

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40859678-gridlinked?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=HHoVhbY5It&rank=1

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34314712-the-fifth-season?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=olTT2t5zGL&rank=1

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6364718-john-dies-at-the-end

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28220892-vassa-in-the-night?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=fbA7LlISPz&rank=1

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6487308-fallen?from_search=true&qid=PUmE6zgmYa&rank=1

[blackchildrensbooksandauthors]

Happy Birthday, Jimi Hendrix

📖Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix

Charles R. Smith Jr.

Edel Rodriguez

Neal Porter Books (2021)

[thelogbook]

Animated robot workings sketch.

The UK edition of ‘The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess' will be out in 7 days from Templar Books!

The US edition from Neal Porter books / Holiday House is out now!

Get it from your local bookshop or visit tomgauld.com/childrens-books

[librarycomic]

Endless Pawsibilities by Sean Charmatz. Penguin Workshop, 2021. 9780593223796. http://www.powells.com/book/-9780593223796?partnerid=34778&p_bt

"A Book for Furever Friends!" Charmatz draws on photos of paws to turn them into characters, and uses bolded letters and words to turn the text about friendship into cat-related wordplay. The result is silly and adorable.

Be Still, Life by Ohara Hale. Enchanted Lion, 2018. 9781592702572. http://www.powells.com/book/-9781592702572?partnerid=34778&p_bt

Hale's poetic picture book starts in a pond the moves to its edge, up and into the breeze, and then into houses and streets, encouraging you to be still and listen to hear the strangest, tiniest sounds, including your heartbeat and silence. And then it moves on to scents, and asks you to take a whiff and embrace the life all around you. It's colorful and fun and just a bit silly (but also very serious).  

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld. Neal Porter Books, 2021. 9780823446988. http://www.powells.com/book/-9780823446988?partnerid=34778&p_bt

A king and a queen want a child. One asks an inventor for while while the other asks a witch. Then they have the two kids in the title. The log princess has a secret though -- every night she turns back into a log until she is awoken by a series of magic words which the little wooden robot uses to wake her up.  But one day the robot is distracted, the log is discarded from his sister's bed, and then he has to go out and find her (which is hard because she's been thrown in with hundreds of other logs).  This is a beautiful, fable-like picture book adventure that makes perfect use of Gauld's deadpan style. My favorite pages are the one-page summaries of adventures there isn't room to recount in the book -- I hope we all get to see them in detail at some point soon.