I was reminded how much I enjoyed Frank Viva’s work during a recent re-read of A Trip to the Bottom of the World With Mouse, so I thought I’d check out some of his other picture books. I should have done that earlier, since Young Charlotte, Filmmaker was perfect for me. Produced by The Museum of Modern Art in New York, it’s the story of a young woman who adores black and white and makes her own movies. Sometimes she’s […]

The latest Pop Classics storybook from Quirk Books is my favorite. Doctor Who: The Runaway TARDIS is, as with the others, illustrated by Kim Smith, who has a gorgeous, approachable, colorful style. The other credit is “based on the series by Chris Chibnall”, which means it’s the thirteenth Doctor, with a likeness to Jodie Whittaker. I’ve previously covered The Karate Kid and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and this follows the same pattern: The movie books retell the story, but the […]

My Dad Thinks I’m a Boy?! is a trans positive children’s book by Sophie Labelle that shows the reader what it’s like to be a trans child with an unaccepting parent. Stephie is seven years old and clear on who she is and what she likes. Her dad wants her to be Stephen and go fishing with him because that’s what her father likes, even though it makes her sad. The flipped perspective, where the father is childish and stubborn […]

If you’re not ready yet to let go of lovely holiday feelings, let me recommend a charming Christmas romance collection. Let Your Heart Be Light by J.R. Lawrie (published by Carnation Books) is a set of three M/M holiday love stories about two couples. The first is a goofy blue-haired stand-up comic who finds the love of his life in an older civil servant. The second features two neighbors who finally get a chance to meet after one is treated […]

If you’re a fan of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag — and if you’ve seen it, I’m assuming you’re a fan, because it’s fabulous — you may want to check out this time capsule book. Fleabag is a TV show, available in the US on Amazon Prime Video, that’s funny and true and raw and insightful and uncompromising. The first season (2016) is about the title character, otherwise unnamed and played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (who also wrote it), coping with the loss […]

Kahlo’s Koalas by Grace Helmer is a fun introduction to some artists with popular styles able to be easily evoked. As this small board book counts from one to ten, we see the same number of creatures in two-page spreads, from “1 Picasso Panda” to “10 Monet Mice”. Other artists include Matisse, Pollock, and Van Gogh. (The only woman is the titular Kahlo.) The book concludes with a couple of sentences about each artist, summing up the most obvious elements […]

The Karate Kid: The Classic Illustrated Storybook is the newest in the Pop Classics line from Quirk Books. I previously talked about Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A Picture Book, from the same line. That book was an original story, but this one retells the 1984 movie. It’s based on the film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen, and this book is adapted by Rebecca Gyllenhaal and illustrated by Kim Smith, who has done all the […]

The Little Guys has an odd topic and message for a children’s book. When I first heard of the concept, that tiny little creatures — they look rather like beards with acorn caps and stick arms and legs, so they have no analogue in the real world — teamed up together, could do anything, I thought that that sounded like a typical, encouraging read about teamwork. That is not this book. As the promotion asks, But as they begin to […]