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Picture This A series of conversations between the authors who write children's books and the artists who illustrate them.
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Picture This

A concert audience of houseplants? A new kids' book tells the surprisingly true tale

In The Enchanted Symphony, a young boy named Piccolino harnesses the power of art, nature and community. Illustrations © 2023 Elly MacKay hide caption

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Illustrations © 2023 Elly MacKay

A concert audience of houseplants? A new kids' book tells the surprisingly true tale

The latest children's book from Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton and illustrator Elly McKay is about the power of nature and music. They discussed their creative process in an interview with NPR.

A concert audience of houseplants? A new kids' book tells the surprisingly true tale

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Rabbit and Opossum come to life in 'Ancient Night' — a new twist on an old legend
Art © 2023 David Álvarez

Rabbit and Opossum come to life in 'Ancient Night' — a new twist on an old legend

David Álvarez's twist on traditional myths from Mesoamerica is about rivalry, jealousy and making amends. What started as a wordless picture book now has text by author David Bowles.

Rabbit and Opossum come to life in 'Ancient Night' — a new twist on an old legend

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A little boy falls in love with nature in 'Emile and the Field'

Reprinted from EMILE AND THE FIELD. Copyright © 2022 by Kevin Young. Illustrations copyright © 2022 by Chioma Ebinama Make Me a World, an imprint of Random House Children's Books hide caption

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Make Me a World, an imprint of Random House Children's Books

A little boy falls in love with nature in 'Emile and the Field'

Kevin Young first wrote his story about Emile, a boy in love with a field, as a bedtime poem for his son years ago. Now, it lives on as a picture book with watercolor illustrations by Chioma Ebinama.

A little boy falls in love with nature in 'Emile and the Field'

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Hop in the minivan: 'Summer Is for Cousins' invites you on a family vacation
Illustrations © 2023 Abhi Alwar

Hop in the minivan: 'Summer Is for Cousins' invites you on a family vacation

Summer is for swimming, playing cards and talking all night. Summer is for ice cream and doing nothing. And, in this new picture book from Rajani LaRocca and Abhi Alwar, summer is also for cousins.

Hop in the minivan: 'Summer Is for Cousins' invites you on a family vacation

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Trumpet was too loud, clarinet was too soft — here's 'The Story of the Saxophone'

Art from The Story of the Saxophone, text by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustration by James E. Ransome Holiday House Publishing, Inc. hide caption

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Holiday House Publishing, Inc.

Trumpet was too loud, clarinet was too soft — here's 'The Story of the Saxophone'

A shared love of jazz led author Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrator James Ransome to discover inventor Antoine-Joseph "Adolphe" Sax and the instrument named after him.

Trumpet was too loud, clarinet was too soft — here's 'The Story of the Saxophone'

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After 30+ years, 'The Stinky Cheese Man' is aging well
Illustrations © Lane Smith

After 30+ years, 'The Stinky Cheese Man' is aging well

Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith created The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales in 1992. They remember their work on the classic children's book and how their partnership began.

After 30+ years, 'The Stinky Cheese Man' is aging well

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'I Don't Care' is a book about what matters in friendship, illustrated by best friends
Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal / Holiday House Publishing, Inc.

'I Don't Care' is a book about what matters in friendship, illustrated by best friends

When illustrator Molly Idle read the text of Julie Fogliano's children's book, she immediately thought of her buddy Juana Martinez-Neal — and in true friend form — she volunteered her for the job.

'I Don't Care' is a book about what matters in friendship, illustrated by best friends

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Kids want to know: 'Will It Be Okay?' — this book answers that question
Jessica Love / Cameron + Company

Kids want to know: 'Will It Be Okay?' — this book answers that question

Crescent Dragonwagon was in her 20s when she wrote a story told entirely in dialogue between a mother and her child. Now, she's updating her 1977 text with new illustrations by Jessica Love.

Kids want to know: 'Will It Be Okay?' — this book answers that question

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The forecast: Still tasty (and terrifying) in 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'
Ron Barrett

The forecast: Still tasty (and terrifying) in 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'

In the 1978 children's classic, it rains soup, it snows mashed potatoes, and hotdogs blow in from the northeast. Judi and Ron Barrett look back on their delectable tale of the town of Chewandswallow.

The forecast: Still tasty (and terrifying) in 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'

Listen · 7:52
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40 years after she took the stage, 'Angelina Ballerina' is still dancing
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

40 years after she took the stage, 'Angelina Ballerina' is still dancing

Angelina is a determined little mouse in a pink tutu who dreams of becoming a ballerina. Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig revisit their beloved character, the star of more than 25 picture books.

40 years after she took the stage, 'Angelina Ballerina' is still dancing

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A kids' story unfolds without words in 'A Day For Sandcastles'

A Day For Sandcastles Illustrations copyright © 2022 by Qin Leng hide caption

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Illustrations copyright © 2022 by Qin Leng

A kids' story unfolds without words in 'A Day For Sandcastles'

Three siblings spend a summer day at the beach building sandcastles and watching them get demolished in a wordless picture book written by JonArno Lawson and illustrated by Qin Leng.

A kids' story unfolds without words in 'A Day For Sandcastles'

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Behold! 'The Great Zapfino' takes a big leap to overcome his fears
Beach Lane Books

Behold! 'The Great Zapfino' takes a big leap to overcome his fears

A circus performer whose act is called "The Leap For Life" loses his nerve and gets a regular job as an elevator operator. Then a moment comes when The Great Zapfino must finally perform.

Behold! 'The Great Zapfino' takes a big leap to overcome his fears

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Colin Kaepernick says 'I Color Myself Different' in his first children's book
Scholastic/Kaepernick Publishing

Colin Kaepernick says 'I Color Myself Different' in his first children's book

Colin Kaepernick's kindergarten teacher gave his class an assignment: Draw a picture of your family. When he colored his family yellow and himself brown, it became a pivotal moment for his identity.

Colin Kaepernick says 'I Color Myself Different' in his first children's book

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A kids' book travels through history to ask: Where does 'Blue' come from?
Daniel Minter/ Alfred. A Knopf Books for Young Readers

A kids' book travels through history to ask: Where does 'Blue' come from?

The color blue is all around us, but where does it come from? In Blue, written by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and illustrated by Daniel Minter, the answer is as deep as the sea and wide as the sky.

A kids' book travels through history to ask: Where does 'Blue' come from?

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Grandma's garden of magical rocks is 'Where Wonder Grows'
Cinco Puntos Press / Lee & Low Books

Grandma's garden of magical rocks is 'Where Wonder Grows'

A grandmother brings her granddaughters to her special garden, where they learn about their connection to nature and tell stories about magical rocks, seashells, crystals and meteorites.

Grandma's garden of magical rocks is 'Where Wonder Grows'

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WaaaAAH! Rraak! 'Everybody in the Red Brick Building' is awake!
HarperCollins Children's Books/Balzer + Bray

WaaaAAH! Rraak! 'Everybody in the Red Brick Building' is awake!

Baby Izzie howls, Rayhan's parrot screeches, Benny and his friends play flashlight tag, and Natalia launches her rocket in the new children's book by author Anne Wynter and illustrator Oge Mora.

WaaaAAH! Rraak! 'Everybody in the Red Brick Building' is awake!

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In 'The Sour Cherry Tree,' a child keeps memories of her late grandfather close
Owlkids Books

In 'The Sour Cherry Tree,' a child keeps memories of her late grandfather close

The day after her beloved Baba Bazorg dies, a little girl remembers some of her favorite things about him: his striped slippers, the mints in his pockets and the fig cookies he always shared.

In 'The Sour Cherry Tree,' a child keeps memories of her late grandfather close

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Return to a world of caring and kindness, in 'Amos McGee Misses the Bus'
Roaring Brook Press

Return to a world of caring and kindness, in 'Amos McGee Misses the Bus'

In Erin and Philip Stead's follow-up to 2010's A Sick Day for Amos McGee, the fastidious zookeeper gets help from his animal friends to finish his chores, so they can go on an exciting outing.

Return to a world of caring and kindness, in 'Amos McGee Misses the Bus'

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2 cousins celebrate their childhood neighborhood in 'Dream Street'
Anne Schwartz Books

2 cousins celebrate their childhood neighborhood in 'Dream Street'

Meet Mr. Sidney, who's always sharply dressed. Belle, who catches butterflies in jar. And the Hat Lady, Ms. Sarah. They're just some of the residents of Dream Street, the best street in the world.

2 cousins celebrate their childhood neighborhood in 'Dream Street'

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You can do it: Elizabeth Warren makes a pinkie promise to girls
Charlene Chua/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

You can do it: Elizabeth Warren makes a pinkie promise to girls

Polly is tired of being told "that's not what girls do." Then she meets a woman running for President, who makes a pinkie promise with her to always remember that girls can do anything.

You can do it: Elizabeth Warren makes a pinkie promise to girls

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A Father's Day Gift From Meghan To Harry Is Now A Kids' Book
Christian Robinson/Random House Children's Books

A Father's Day Gift From Meghan To Harry Is Now A Kids' Book

For Prince Harry's first Father's Day, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, got him a bench — and wrote a poem about the moments she hoped her husband and their son would share together there.

A Father's Day Gift From Meghan To Harry Is Now A Kids' Book

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A Boy And His Grandfather Visit Home 'On The Trapline'
Illustrations by Julie Flett / Tundra

A Boy And His Grandfather Visit Home 'On The Trapline'

A little boy and his Moshom — which means grandfather in Swampy Cree — travel north to visit the trapline where, many years ago, the grandfather grew up living off the land.

A Boy And His Grandfather Visit Home 'On The Trapline'

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