Between the By-Road and the Main Road: Book Resources

I am in the process of designing four units of study with a group of public school teachers who work in the Bronx. One question I am asked (and was asked) is: How do you find so many great books? I decided to put together a response that they and you can access of resources and book companies I often use.

Websites for Reviews of Children's Books

Favorite Independent Book Publishers of Children's Literature

Annick Press: Annick Press publishing children’s book for ages 6 months to young adult. They are “committed to publishing Canadian authors. You can find submission guidelines on their site. I have bought The Streets are Free and When I Was Eight. Both titles I would recommend.
Arte Público Press and Piñata Books - Two picture books from Piñata Books I recently bought, Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water and Adelita and the Veggie Cousins / Adelita y las primas verduritas. I have bought lots of books from Piñata over the years.
Barefoot Books: This publishing house was begun by two moms. They are very conscious of sustainability. I just bought The Barefoot Book of Children and La Frontera: Mi viaje con papá / My Journey with Papa ( a must read!).
Bharat Babies A new publisher for me. They publish books about India (culture/religion).
Boyds Mills Press Every time I go to their site I find a book I want. Just saw, Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop.
Chronicle Books The masthead to their site reads, "see things differently." I think that summarizes well the books they produce. They do help me to see the world differently. Brendan Wenzel's Hello Hello is stunning.
Cinco Puntos Press Last purchase was All Around Us. I’m still puzzling over it—a good thing. I have purchased from them for a good amount of time.
Enchanted Lion Books I like everything about this book publisher. I love their books. Their site is under construction. This is A Poem that Heals Fish was great. I think they publish some of the finest children’s books. Visually amazing books.
Fifth House They are a bilingual publishing house often producing books in English/Cree. Dragonfly Kites is my latest purchase.
Fitzhenry & Whiteside: I have been buying their books for at least a decade. Cathryn Sill's About Birds remains a favorite.
Groundwood Books/House of Anansi. This is one of my very favorite publishers of children's books. The quality of illustration, story, and diversity is stellar. I recently bought A FAMILY IS A FAMILY IS A FAMILY, THE TRIUMPHANT TALE OF THE HOUSE SPARROW, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GARDEN, THEY SAY BLUE, and THE FUNERAL. I'd recommend all of these highly. Their books make me think.
Just World Books I came across them when I purchased Gaza Writes Back, which I would recommend. Highly political press.
Kids Can Press - I enjoy the books they publish and use a lot of titles in the curriculum I design. Last purchase was WILD BUILDINGS AND BRIDGES.
Lee & Low Books: My go-to publishers. I have been buying their books for years. The quality, range and diversity are exceptional.
Magination Press (APA): Appreciate the healthy picture books they produce without getting too preachy. Latest purchase, When You Look Out the Window: How Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Built a Community.
Orca Book Publishers If I remember right it was my search for Julie Flett books that first led me to Orca Book Publishers. They have quirky titles that fill in collection well. City Kids is a favorite.
Pajama Press - They published recently one of my favorite books, My Beautiful Birds. They are new to me.
Shen Books Now an imprint for Lee & Low. Their Cinderella stories are outstanding.
Tara Books Their books are not ordinary. I like to browse these books as they are artful. For example, the fold out book - A VILLAGE IS A BUSY PLACE! is a great example of form and content mixing.
Tilbury House I am never disappointed with purchases of their published books. They are always stunning, artful, compelling works. Rogério Coelho's Boat of Dreams is one example. Wow.
Tradewind Books I love Julie Flett's books (authored and illustrated) and purchase all her books. Last purchase, A Day with Yayah. This has become one of my favorite publishing houses. They have an eye for choosing authentic and compelling books.
Tundra Books: Last thing I bought there was From the Heart of Africa.
Wings Press These are books I read as an adult reader. Last purchase, Borderlines: Drawing Border Lives / Fronteras: Dibujando las vidas fronterizas. Inspiring.

Here are a 30 blog posts where I recommend books.

Between the By-Road and the Main Road

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Saturday, June 9, 2018

Book Resources

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