Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 28, 2023

 This author/illustrator's first book, inspired by her daughter's love of cupcakes and obsession with a certain color, came out in 2016. It grew into a series of colorful titles. The is Victoria Kann (who began writing with her sister Elizabeth) and her first book was Pinkalicious.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 21, 2023

 This New York author wrote training manuals for the Army during WWII and came home to work for magazine publisher Conde Nast. There he met his wife, an illustrator, and their friends the Reys (of Curious George fame) encouraged them to try a picture book. Their book, Harry the Dirty Dog, came out in 1956 and is still beloved today. Others followed, but, sadly, when the couple divorced in 1968, the writer never wrote another book. The author was Gene Zion and his wife was artist Margaret Bloy Graham.

Tuesday KidLit Trivia for March 14, 2023

 This Jewish author/illustrator, born in Brooklyn in 1916 to Polish immigrants, knew what discrimination felt like, and he thought stories for children should represent kids who didn't often see themselves in books. His Caldecott-winning collage style books were among the first to feature an African-American main chatacter, Peter, who found simple joys in his urban neighborhood. This is Ezra Jack Keats, and his most famous book is The Snowy Day, published in 1962.

Vivian Kirkfield's 50 Precious Words challenge

 It's a tough challenge--write a story with a beginning, middle and end, in just 50 words. Here's my entry this year: 

Starting Over (50 words) by Deborah Holt Williams

Wildfire! “Take one thing,” said Mom. “We’ll go get Granny.” Layla grabbed the box Gramps carved. Shelter news: Layla’s house--OK, Granny’s cabin--gone, except her old tub. Granny cried and moved into Layla’s. In the box? Seeds from Granny’s old gardens. The tub? A planter, for a new garden.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for February 28, 2023

 This author/illustrator has won Caldecott medals for his illustrations and Newbery honors for his writing. Born in the Bronx in 1907, he helped support his family during the Depression by selling cartoons to the New Yorker and other magazines. He was in his 60's when he started writing children's books featuring animal characters, such as a mouse dentist. One book was banned in places because the police were pictured as pigs. This is William Steig, author of Dr. De Soto and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for February 21, 2023

 This environmentally conscious singer/songwriter, born in Egypt, turned his lyrics into children's books. Not great literature, perhaps, but kids who knew the songs could follow along eagerly and enjoy the printed words. His titles include One Light, One Sun and Down By The Bay. This is Raffi Cavoukian, whose family moved to Canada when he was 10.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for February 14, 2023

 This Irish-born author of over 250 books feels a bit like a Shanachie, a traditional Irish storyteller. Her  book The Valentine Bears (1985), about a bear couple who wake from hibernation to celebrate Valentines Day, is illustrated by Jan Brett. Her story Fly Away Home (1991) is about a homeless father and son living in an airport, and her The Wall (1992) is about searching for a grandfather's name on the Vietnam memorial. The Cart That Carried Martin (2013, illustrated by Black artist Don Tate, tells about two mules and a borrowed cart that carried Martin Luther King's casket. This is Eve Bunting.