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First reviewed on 10/31/11, Wildwood stands out as an instant classic, an epic American fantasy that will easily it alongside the Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter on the shelves. The trilogy will end on 2/4/14 when Wildwood Imperium is published. Laika, the company that made Paranorman and Coraline, is adapting the novel into a movie! It’s not often that I choose to read a book over

This review first ran 8/5/09. I discovered Catwings in a bookstore in Portland, OR when I was in college and was immediately enchanted - both by Le Guin's straightforward story about these amazing creatures and by Schindler's realistically detailed illustrations. These were the first chapter books my daughter and niece read, but they make for fantastic read-out-louds as well. Also, it's really

WINTERLING is now in PAPERBACK! <!-- START INTERCHANGE - WINTERLING -->if(!window.igic__){window.igic__={};var d=document;var s=d.createElement("script");s.src="http://iangilman.com/interchange/js/widget.js";d.body.appendChild(s);} <!-- END INTERCHANGE --> I think that it must be very hard for an author to create a fantasy story that has something different and new to recommend it. Of

I have mentioned the book Gnomes by Will Huygen and Rien Poortvliet once or twice before. Along with Where the Sidewalk Ends, this book was a huge part of my childhood. I remember saving my allowance and walking down to this little bookstore on Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica and buying it when I was eleven or so. While flipping through my tattered, falling apart copy, I discovered a 5x7 note

I have probably said this here before, but I think that it must be very hard for an author to create a fantasy story that has something different and new to recommend it. Of course, not everyone wants something different and new. In fact, children especially seem to enjoy the same things over and over endlessly (this is based on my experiences making hundreds of boxes of macaroni and cheese

The Author One of the first books I reviewed when I started my blog in 2008 was Polly Horvath's Newbery Honor winner, Everything on a Waffle, the story of Primrose Squarp of Coal Harbor, British Columbia, who loses both her parents (and a few digits over the course of the story) in a storm but never gives up believing that they are alive and will return home. The story follows her from neighbor

Eden Phillipotts's quote, "The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper," opens Katherine and John Paterson's "freely abridged" version of her children's book, The Flint Heart, first published in 1910. Katherine Paterson, Newbery Award winner for Bridge to Terebithia and Jacob, I Have Loved and Honor Winner for The Great Gilly Hopkins, as well as being

I first discovered Inga Moore by way of the illustrations she did for Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden and Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, which she abridged as well as illustrated. I read and loved The Wind in the Willows as a child and was entranced and transported by it and in turn read it (and the quartet of books byWilliam Horwood that continues the stories of the

It’s not often that I choose to read a book over 400 pages these days, but Wildwood by Colin Meloy with illustrations and maps by Carson Ellis, had enough to recommend it that I willingly dove into this 541 page tome. For those of you who don’t know, Colin Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the band The Decembrists. The band is known for epic ballads that often tell stories focusing on

I have mentioned the book Gnomes by Will Huygen and Rien Poortvliet once or twice before. Along with Where the Sidewalk Ends, this book was a huge part of my childhood. I remember saving my allowance and walking down to this little bookstore on Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica and buying it when I was eleven or so. While flipping through my tattered, falling apart copy, I discovered a 5x7 note

The author of A Tale Dark and Grimm and the story of how he came to write this book are almost as interesting as the book itself, so what follows is a two part review. Part One, About Adam Gidwitz sheds light on his background as well as the importance of fairy tales and the appropriateness of the violence that is a crucial part of these stories. Part Two is a review of his debut kid's book.

StoryWorld:  Create-A-Story-Kit by John and Caitlín Matthews, with illustrations by Wayne Anderson, Paul Hess, David Lawrence, Nicki Palin and Tomislav Tomić is the most wonderfully amazing, creatively inspiring way to get kids thinking, talking and maybe even writing.  Published by Templar Books, the UK arm of American children's book publisher, Candlewick Press, this gorgeous collection is

When I first saw The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties on the shelf one day at work, I pounced on it. When I opened the pages, I was transported back to my childhood - to Winnie the Pooh, Beatrix Potter, Tasha Tudor and the delicate, delicious illustrations that accompanied the engaging, sometimes silly stories. Toon Tellegen and Jessica Ahlberg are definitely heirs to the legacy of AA Milne

I know, the two amphibians REALLY worth knowing are Arnold Lobel's brilliant creations, Frog and Toad. However, I think there is enough room in the world of children's literature for a few more frogs on the shelf... A Froggy Fable , John Lechner's first pictue book, tells the story of a frog who is frustrated by the changes going on all around him. Without giving the whole story away, I can say

Catwings by Ursula Le Guin begins with one of the best opening sentences for a book ever, "Mrs Jane Tabby could not explain why all four of her children had wings." Cats with wings, how cool is that? Better than a unicorn any day, I'd say. If you have a cat in your family, your kids will really love these stories. But, I have no doubt they'll love them even if you don't. Over the course of

Sticky Burr , illustrated and written by John Lechner is one of the most exciting books to come across my path in a while!  Aside from being a charmingly illustrated story that packs adventure, humor and a little nature lesson (in the form of the main character's journal) into the book's colorful pages, there is a map, a copy of the Burrwood Gazette (Summer issue) and sheet music for a delightful