the five of us

Angie, Ollie, Simona, Mario and Eric are five friends with fantastic powers, although Eric’s ability is a little hazy when we first meet him.  The friends’ amazing abilities are as diverse as they are.  On a excursion in the countryside, mishap comes their way but in a beautiful act of teamwork, they avert disaster and save the day.  (Oh, and we discover Eric’s amazing ability at the end.)

Quentin Blake’s unmistakable loose line and playful watercolors imbue his characters with humor and lightheartedness.  His exuberant work is immediately identifiable on first glance  and it’s hard to imagine what the kidlit landscape would be like without his significant contribution.

The Five of Us was written and illustrated by Quentin Blake and published by Tate.

ingreedies and the forest feast for kids

Two brilliant cookbooks for the young aspiring chef and their families.

The Ingreedies take you on a unique trip around the world, one dish at a time, combining gastronomy and storytelling.  The book features illustrated maps, curiosities, adventures, culinary points of interest from each continent and thirteen recipes that families can cook together, like British cheesy chivy pie, Moroccan chicken stew, French pear tarte tatin and American haddock chowder.  A team of ingredient hunters (the Ingreedies) teaches kids about the culture, history, geography and science surrounding the food we eat, like how Swedes preserve their food, what kinds of plants are edible in the Amazonian rainforest and how Australians cast their line to catch their dinner.

The Forest Feast for Kids is a gorgeous and thoughtful approach to fruit and vegetable-centric recipes for children.  Beautiful and rustic food, photography, hand lettering, watercolors and illustrations by Erin Gleeson.

Around the World with the Ingreedies: A Taste Adventure was written and illustrated by Zoë Bather, Joe Sharpe and Chris Dickason, and published by Laurence King.  The Forest Feast for Kids was written by Erin Gleeson and published by Abrams Books.

let's bake a cake

If you’ve got a little baker at home, they’ll love helping a group of mice bake a cake by pulling tabs and lifting flaps to measure flour, pour in the sugar, mix the batter, put the cake in the oven and of course, drizzle on the finishing touches when it’s done! Nate loved baking up a frenzy and his favorite part of the book—cracking the eggs.

Let's Bake a Cake was written by Anne-Sophie Baumann, ilustrated by Hélène Convert,  published by Twirl Books and distributed by Chronicle Books.

dot and anorak magazine + giveaway

If we love anything, it's a design-centric magazine for kids and their parents.  Magazines provide a fresh perspective from artists and writers, featuring their newest work and ideas.  This week we’re enjoying flipping through Dot and Anorak, whose engaging stories, puzzles, games, creative projects, imaginative prompts and interactive pages are perfect for a road trip or an afternoon out at a cafe, paired with a cozy hot chocolate and croissant.  Anorak is for 6 to 12-year-old readers and Dot is its younger counterpart, perfect for little ones.

Be sure to check out the international Dot and Anorak giveaway going on at @littlelitbookseries.  It ends Thursday, December 8, at 11:59 PST.

Little Lit Book Series: Favorite Books of 2016

It's been an incredible year for children’s books and today in #littlelitbookseries we’re sharing some of the best kidlit published this year.  We can’t possibly include all of them today but be sure to follow us at @littlelitbookseries as we share some of our favorite books of 2016 there throughout the month.

The Airport Book by Lisa Brown was far and away one of our favorite books published this year.  She really captures the bigness and airiness of an airport, with its comings and goings and ubiquitous swarms of people. When I first flipped through its pages, I had flashbacks of memorable times spent in airports—waiting, breathing in all the activity, getting lost in the sea of background noise, walking around and looking up at everything.

For more of this year’s best kidlit, search the hashtag #littlelitbookseries on Instagram.