KIRKUS BEST

The thing about large best of the year lists is that they’re likely to include stuff that doesn’t get a lot of press. Case in point: Kirkus released their Best Picture Books of 2015 and there are a bunch of surprises on there. And nice to see Tea Party in the Woods included, too. Click here to read.

SLJ BEST

On the other side of the coin, we have SLJ, who presents a trim Best of 2015 collection. Click here to read more. They presented the titles in a live webcast, which you can watch here.

The Secret Subway by Shana Corey, illustrated by Red Nose Studio. Out March 8, 2016

Red Nose Studio. Put those words on the cover of a book, and I’m interested. The guy who makes the best three-dimensional illustrations in the biz is back, with a bit of nonfiction by Shana Corey about the creation of New York City’s first subway.

In the lead to Thanksgiving, I’ve been reading Balloons Over Broadway to 4th grade classes. I’ve also been telling them to keep an eye out for my personal favorite Macy’s balloon on Thursday:

(Image Credit)

The Wimpy Kid himself.

But then I realized I didn’t know for sure if Greg Heffley would be back in action this Turkey Day. So I looked into the matter:

@100scopenotes You bet! And it'll be the last year with that specific #WimpyKid balloon, so even more of a reason to watch

— ABRAMS Kids (@abramskids) November 23, 2015

Good to hear.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness remains one of the most affecting books I’ve read. Thanks Colby Sharp for letting me know the teaser trailer for the film adaptation is up and running.