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Daci Jaye's avatar

I picked up "One Week in January" recently, by the author of Du Iz Tak — she recently found a journal she kept for a week when she was like, 22, and made several paintings of it. The book is the journals and the paintings and though it's simple, there's something really beautiful about it. "Home," her other picture book, is one of my favorites. I've also been really interested in picture books lately (Why?! It kind of feels like everyone is?) and am into this Substack from Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett https://lookingatpicturebooks.substack.com/

Also thank you, I have now added three books and a shoe bag to my to-buy list 🙃

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Victoria McGinley's avatar

Ok I love this comment. First of all, I'm curious to hear more about your personal deep dive into PBs. What led you to the genre? I used to think of them as "just for kids," and sure, that's the market, but the more I work on crafting them, the more I fall in love with their precision, how the art and copy drive each other, and how the best ones do so much in 32 pages. At a recent kidlit conference, an agent opined that PBs were the greatest form in literature, because they were completely dependent on the page turn. "The page turn is the engine of a PB," he said, and I almost shouted, "YES!"

(Side note: I think more and more adults are into them regardless. Enchanted Lion recently launched an imprint called Unruly, specifically making PBs for adults and teens.)

Second, I am DEAD at the fact that Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett have a freaking Substack and oooeee I've never subscribed to anything so fast. My daughter found THE SKULL on my desk the other day and 50% of me was dying to read it to her and the other 50% was like, "You're 4. Maybe we have to wait another year?" I did recently buy her SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE and was delighted when her dad read it to her the other night and I could hear him laughing the whole time.

Finally, gotta ask — which three books did you add to your own list??

Thanks for commenting in sharing in the PB joy! I'm going to check out the other Carson Ellis titles you mentioned!

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Daci Jaye's avatar

Oh wow I have so many thoughts. First of all I wonder if I'm subconsciously seeking comfort? My older daughter also recently just stopped asking me to read to her (after she became able to read the Van der Beeker books) so now I feel like I've read a full spectrum of kid's literature and have Thoughts. I also just love following artists whose styles lend themselves to doodles and picture books (because I would love to be able to do that). And I have a theory that any creative parent thinks, at some point during the parenting process, that they can write a children's book.

Yes to what you said about the precision! I just listened to an old podcast with Jon Klassen (idk why I'm hanging on to his every word lately??) where he said something similar about the text and the pictures working together in a really unique way which I thought was fascinating.

Books I added to my list: Motherhood, I Would Meet You Anywhere, and On the Other Side of the Forest. (And now, Same and Dave Dig a Hole which I somehow didn't know about!)

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Kelly Champagne's avatar

Love this thread. I am also obsessed with PBs. (Thats a fun acronym I've never used before :) They certainly are comforting, and don't think it's a stretch to say that they are the greatest form of literature. Taylor of Moonbow would agree! https://moonbowbooks.substack.com/

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JL's avatar

A few favorites:

The Swimmers - Julie Otsuka

One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot - Marianne Cronin

Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt

This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub

No Two Persons - Erica Bauermeister

Leaving - Roxana Robinson

and the audiobook of Mostly What God Does with Savannah Guthrie reading it.

Missed your posts the past few years. Glad to see you posting again and hoping to hear more from you! Thank you for your list!

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Victoria McGinley's avatar

Ooh, great list! I did manage to read REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES last year...and will admit that I've had a hard time eating octopus since. The last Emma Straub I read was MODERN LOVERS. Is THIS TIME TOMORROW the best of her new work to focus on first?

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JL's avatar

I think it was my favorite that I have read of hers. Vegetarian here, so get the hard time eating octopus since reading it. I read a lot and the one character my husband remembers from a book I talked about was Marcellus! We ended up listening to it as an audio book too 😊

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Kelly Champagne's avatar

I second Remarkably Bright Creatures and would add Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and Banyan Moon by Thao Thai. Also second all those picture books! Our faves are anything by M.H. Clark, especially Tiny Perfect Things, and Bathe the Cat. Happy reading!

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