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carolhinz.bsky.social
Carol Hinz
@carolhinz.bsky.social
2.4K followers 1.1K following 390 posts
Children's book editor, knitter, baker, erstwhile ballerina. Wrangler of two no longer small children. (she/her)
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carolhinz.bsky.social
Ahhhh, so thrilled to see both THE BLACK MAMBAS by @kellycrull.bsky.social and REWRITING THE RULES by @drzathome.bsky.social and @joseebisaillon.bsky.social on the Chicago Public Library Best Books list!

Full list here: www.chipublib.org/news/cpl-bes...
Front cover of The Black Mambas: The World's First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit by author and photographer Kelly Crull. A photograph fills the full cover, showing a white pickup truck with dark-skinned women wearing camouflage uniforms sitting on the hood, inside of it, and standing in the bed of the truck, one of whom is scanning the landscape through binoculars. The women are silhouetted with streaks of red, orange, yellow, and blue created by the setting sun behind them. The landscape is primarily green with grass, bushes, and short trees visible beyond the truck. Front cover of the picture book Rewriting the Rules: How Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability. It features Dr. Friel, a pale-skinned woman with rosy cheeks and shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a white lab coat. Her right arm and leg are turned inward and her right hand is curled under due to her cerebral palsy. One her right is a child with light brown skin and medium brown hair, wearing a yellow striped t-shirt, blue pants, and blue shoes. He uses black forearm crutches. To Dr. Friel's left is a child with dark brown skin and black hair that goes midway down their back, wearing a pale blue polka dotted shirt and a red-orange knee-length skirt. The child is blowing on a dandelion to send the seeds flying. Surrounding the three human figures are dandelions (which are associated with cerebral palsy) and fantastical flowers and trees that incorporate the shapes of neurons.
November 17, 2025 at 5:16 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Happiest of book birthdays to two picture books I adore! LIFTOFF! by @ninacrews.bsky.social and REVOLUTIONS ARE MADE OF LOVE by @sunyungshin.bsky.social, Mélina Mangal, and Leslie Barlow. 🎉📚🎉
Front cover of the picture book Liftoff! How the Apollo Moon Missions Made Alma Thomas's Art Soar by author and illustrator Nina Crews. The art depicts a fantastical image of Alma Thomas, a middle-aged woman with medium brown skin and gray hair in an updo. She wears a purple dress and over it is a light blue apron/smock with paint splatters on it. She's standing suspended on a cloud above an indistinct portion of Earth, as though in space, and holds a paintbrush in her hands, which are clasped behind her back. On the right side of the cover, slightly more in the background, is a spacecraft rocketing into space, presumably on the Apollo 10 mission. Interspersed are bits of color (red, yellow, blue, purple) in curved rectangle shapes that are emblematic of the style of stripes Alma used in many of her paintings. Front cover of the picture book Revolutions Are Made of Love: The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs by Sun Yung Shin, Melina Mangal, and Leslie Barlow. It features Chinese American Grace on the left side of the cover in profile with light tan colored skin, black eyes, and very dark brown hair (with some pink and blue tones) looking straight ahead, head held high. On the right side of the cover facing her is James, a Black man with medium brown skin and black hair with tight cirls and a black mustache. He is looking toward Grace, head held high and a very slight smile on his face. The background is a blue-ish purple color, which contrasts with the warm tones of Grace and James's faces.
November 4, 2025 at 3:14 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
So beautiful to celebrate REVOLUTIONS ARE MADE OF LOVE with an event at Leslie Barlow's studio and all of the paintings surrounding us!

Congrats to @sunyungshin.bsky.social, Mélina Mangal, and Leslie on this incredible book that was years in the making!!
Left to right: Carol Hinz (editor, light skin, blond shoulder-length hair), Sun Yung Shin (author, light skin, wavy black hair extending below her shoulders), Melina Mangal (author, light brown skin and curly shoulder-length hair with a mix of black and gray), Leslie Barlow (artist, medium brown skin and long brown hair in small braids, partially done up in space buns), and Danielle Carnito (art director/graphic designer, light skin and brown hair with honey highlights and a slight wave extending below her shoulders). All are smiling. Behind us are several larger paintings, the most prominent of which shows a red, white, and blue banner that reads THE RIGHT TO VOTE and Chinese American activist Grace Lee Boggs in profile, looking bold and confident, her black hair appearing to blow slightly in a breeze.
October 31, 2025 at 2:46 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Also happy book birthday to two fab science-themed photo books!

SO RUDE! is great for younger kids and DINOSAUR SECRETS REVEALED! is excellent for middle grade. Both of these books have received starred reviews from School Library Journal!!
Front cover of the photo book So Rude! Animals Behaving Badly by Jessica Fries-Gaither. It features two penguins on a sloped, snow-covered hill. One appears to be about to snap its beak at the other one, and the title So Rude! appears in an orange speech balloon as though emerging from the penguin's open beak. Front cover of the photo book Dinosaur Secrets Revealed! How High-Tech Tools Spark Discoveries by Sandra Markle. It features the head of a large, fossilized dinosaur with menacingly large teeth on the left half of the cover. The title is in large type on the right half of the cover, with a very dark brown background with a bit of texture evoking dirt or stone behind everything.
October 7, 2025 at 3:31 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Happy book birthday to three amazing picture books!

We have big sagebrush (a vitally important plant); World War II, peace, and reconciliation; and a big rig delivering toys. All nonfiction, and all utterly different. (Though all with fab back matter, of course!)
Front cover of The Big Empty: A Sagebrush Survival Story by Kirbi Fagan. The word EMPTY in white looms in the background of a sparse scene with brown ground, a few small pushes, and a big sagebrush plant in the distance, under which a small, dark brown horse is grazing. A vast blue sky is in the background. Front cover of The Big Empty: A Sagebrush Survival Story by Kirbi Fagan. The word EMPTY in white looms in the background of a sparse scene with brown ground, a few small pushes, and a big sagebrush plant in the distance, under which a small, dark brown horse is grazing. A vast blue sky is in the background. Front cover of the picture book Returning the Sword: How a Japanese Sword of War Became a Symbol of Friendship and Peace by Caren Stelson, illustrated by Amanda Yoshida. A young American soldier is pictured in the center of the cover. He has medium-brown hair, pale skin, and striking blue eyes. He's wearing a tan military uniform and is somberly looking down at the curved blade of a Japanese katana (sword). Reflected in the blade are military planes and a hint of the atomic bomb mushroom cloud. One one side of the soldier are the branches and leaves of a white ash tree, and on the other side are the branches and blossoms of a Japanese cherry tree. The front cover of the picture book I Truck: A Big Rig's Epic Trip by Kelly Rice Schmitt, illustrated by Jam Dong. It features the large, red cab of a semitruck hauling a bright yellow trailer with farm fields, a blue house and red barn, and a hint of gray hill or mountain in the background. The truck's driver is a woman with black hair done up in a bun, medium brown skin, and a pink shirt. In the passenger seat is a white and black dog with a red collar.
October 7, 2025 at 2:55 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Delighted to be publishing THE WORLD GAME by John Coy and Phung Nguyen Quang in time for the World Cup next summer!
Carol Hinz at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought world rights to The World Game by John Coy (l.), illustrated by Phung Nguyen Quang. Beginning with an early morning soccer game in Chicago, readers follow the game across continents and time zones in an action-packed celebration of the power of sport to unite people everywhere. Publication is planned for spring 2026; Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Agency represented the author, and Doreen Thorogood at Good Illustration represented the illustrator.
September 19, 2025 at 3:52 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Happy book birthday to 3 fabulous books! We have a polite pup encountering creepy gnomes; Dr. Kathleen Friel, a scientist who is redefining what is possible for people w/cerebral palsy (including herself); and an amazing look at the science of how baby animals develop. 🎉
The front cover of No More Gnomes by Beth Mills. In the center, a tan bulldog wears a gold medal on a blue ribbon as well as a white, short-sleeve polo shirt, tan shorts, white socks, and red shoes that look like crocs. He is glancing suspiciously at two gnomes to the left with pale skin, white curly hair and beards, and red pointy hats that appear to be staring at him--one of them peeking out from the shrubbery behind the dog. On the right side of the cover is a third gnomes--this one with pale skin, blonde hair, a red pointy hat, and a pink tunic/dress. The shadows of the gnomes seem menacing and the book's title is rendered in a style that is vaguely reminiscent of a horror movie. Edit Profile Carol Hinz @carolhinz.bsky.social 2.3K followers 1.1K following 350 posts Children's book editor, knitter, baker, erstwhile ballerina. Wrangler of two no longer small children. (she/her) Reposted by you ‪Kim Rogers‬ ‪@kimrogerswriter.bsky.social‬ · 5d Excited to have a poem about an inspiring athlete included in this anthology coming March 3, 2026. Pre-order your copy today from your favorite bookstore! ‪Carol Hinz‬ ‪@carolhinz.bsky.social‬ · 5d Cover reveal for FOR THE WIN, a fabulous sports-themed poetry anthology edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters! Poems and photos present twenty contemporary athletes: www.diverseverse.com/blog/3-2-1-s... Front cover of For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes, selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters. The title is at the top in large, yellow-orange letters, and below are (left to right) photos of athletes Jalen Hurts in a green Eagles jersey and holding a football; Nelly Korda in a red, long-sleeved shirt and a red skirt with a golf club, having just completed a swing; soccer star Lionel Messi in a pink striped Inter Miami jersey, pointing with the index finger of his left hand out toward readers; gymnast Suni Lee posing on her right leg, with her right arm angled downward and her left arm raised slightly above her head, angled away from her body; LeBron James in a yellow Lakers Jersey with purple accents, holding a basketball above his head with both hands, as if about to shoot the ball. ALT 1 1 Reposted by you ‪신 선 영 辛善英 Sun Yung Shin‬ ‪@sunyungshin.bsky.social‬ · 4d ❤️ we are so thrilled and grateful! ‪Carol Hinz‬ ‪@carolhinz.bsky.social‬ · 7d Overjoyed that the first review for REVOLUTIONS ARE MADE OF LOVE by @sunyungshin.bsky.social, Melina Mangal, and Leslie Barlow is a ⭐ from @slj.com: "An exceptional choice for libraries that cherish the stories of unsung, exceptional American people." www.schoollibraryjournal.com/review/revol... Front cover of the picture book Revolut… Front cover of the middle grade photo book Watch Them Grow: The Fascinating Science of Animal Beginnings by Carrie A. Pearson. The cover features photos of three pale, ivory-colored bat embryos, which look a little bit like old men wearing hoods. From left to right, the bats' wings grow progressively bigger, with the wings of the third covering much of its body and all of its face. The cover has a black background, and the title and author name are a shade of green that almost appears to glow.
September 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Cover reveal for FOR THE WIN, a fabulous sports-themed poetry anthology edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters! Poems and photos present twenty contemporary athletes: www.diverseverse.com/blog/3-2-1-s...
Front cover of For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes, selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters. The title is at the top in large, yellow-orange letters, and below are (left to right) photos of athletes Jalen Hurts in a green Eagles jersey and holding a football; Nelly Korda in a red, long-sleeved shirt and a red skirt with a golf club, having just completed a swing; soccer star Lionel Messi in a pink striped Inter Miami jersey, pointing with the index finger of his left hand out toward readers; gymnast Suni Lee posing on her right leg, with her right arm angled downward and her left arm raised slightly above her head, angled away from her body; LeBron James in a yellow Lakers Jersey with purple accents, holding a basketball above his head with both hands, as if about to shoot the ball.
September 3, 2025 at 3:18 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Overjoyed that the first review for REVOLUTIONS ARE MADE OF LOVE by @sunyungshin.bsky.social, Melina Mangal, and Leslie Barlow is a ⭐ from @slj.com: "An exceptional choice for libraries that cherish the stories of unsung, exceptional American people."

www.schoollibraryjournal.com/review/revol...
Front cover of the picture book Revolutions Are Made of Love: The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs by Sun Yung Shin, Melina Mangal, and Leslie Barlow. It features Chinese American Grace on the left side of the cover in profile with light tan colored skin, black eyes, and very dark brown hair (with some pink and blue tones) looking straight ahead, head held high. On the right side of the cover facing her is James, a Black man with medium brown skin and black hair with tight cirls and a black mustache. He is looking toward Grace, head held high and a very slight smile on his face. The background is a blue-ish purple color, which contrasts with the warm tones of Grace and James's faces.
September 2, 2025 at 2:17 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Absolutely thrilled by this @slj.com STAR for THE BIG EMPTY by Kirbi Fagan: "With its lilting text and gorgeous artwork, this is the rare book that amplifies the ferocity and the necessity of fire in nature, employing the ecology of the sagebrush."

www.slj.com/review/the-b...
Front cover of The Big Empty: A Sagebrush Survival Story by Kirbi Fagan. The word EMPTY in white looms in the background of a sparse scene with brown ground, a few small pushes, and a big sagebrush plant in the distance, under which a small, dark brown horse is grazing. A vast blue sky is in the background.
August 13, 2025 at 2:16 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Very excited to be sending this anthology from coanthologists @tychapmn.bsky.social and Ari Tison and artist Damon Davis into the world in 2026!
Announcement in PW Children's Bookshelf: Shaina Olmanson while at Lerner/Zest acquired world rights to Witness: Poems to Address the Past, Present, and Future of Policing, a YA poetry anthology compiled by McKnight fellow Ty Chapman (l.) and Pura Belpré Award-winning author Ari Tison (c.), illustrated by Damon Davis (r.). The book presents more than 30 voices including Ada Limón, Mariama Lockington, Erin Entrada Kelly, Tae Keller, Kekla Magoon, Junauda Petrus, Bao Phi, Aida Salazar, Danez Smith, Jason Reynolds, and Laura Ruby. Carol Hinz will edit; publication is set for fall 2026. Savannah Brooks at KT Literary represented Chapman, Sara Crowe at Sara Crowe Literary represented Tison, and sophie lipman represented Davis; Chapman is now represented by Sara Crowe.
August 8, 2025 at 6:23 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
A very happy book birthday (yesterday) to two books that are both great for back to school, one for older readers and one for younger!
Front cover of the picture book The Library in the Woods by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. It features a young boy with medium brown skin and close-cropped Black hair seated on a tree stump. He wears a long-sleeved collared shirt in red with light gray or white stripes and dark gray pants. He holds an open book in his hands and is looking down at it. Near him are two dogs--one is a chestnut brown color with short hair and next to it is a larger dog that is primarily black with a white patch and a brown patch on its back. Beyond these figures is a modest, one-story log building. It has two windows and in the center is a door with a light tan awning above it. Above the awning is a small white sign that says LIBRARY in black letters. The library is in a clearing and beyond it are tall green trees. Front cover of the picture book Dino-School by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Barry Gott. It depicts a scene of various types of dinos sitting at desks with a teacher dino at the front of the classroom. Dinos are different colors, including blue, green, pink, tan, and purple. A red and orange playground is visible out the window in the background.
August 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
We also have some lovely titles for S26 in Carolrhoda--I edited the picture books and @amyarielfitz.bsky.social edited the novels!
Carolrhoda hits the high notes with Choir Grrrl by Ashley Granillo, in which 13-year-old Alondra fronts an alt-rock band she formed with her sisters under her father’s guidance, but secretly joins a choir group at school; A Home on the Page by Kao Kalia Yang, illus. by Seo Kim, about a Hmong American girl who turns to her family for support while navigating anti-Asian racism, ultimately finding refuge in the written word; For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes, edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, an anthology spotlighting 20 contemporary athletes and featuring bios, photos, and quotes from the athletes; The World Game: Soccer Circles the Globe by John Coy, illus. by Phung Nguyen Quang, which depicts kids at various moments mid-game in 12 countries; and Wild Mountain Ivy by Shannon Hitchcock, illus. by Stephanie Singleton, the story of 12-year-old Ivy, still sick months after catching a common virus, who starts dreaming about another sick girl who lived in the same house a century ago.
July 30, 2025 at 2:38 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Did you see that PW has posted S26 Sneak Previews? Here's what's in store for Millbrook Press!

Check out all the previews here: www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
Millbrook Press steps up to the plate with The First Beisból Bat: How Nemesio Guilló Brought Baseball to Cuba by Ramon Olivera, the true story of how baseball first came to Cuba from the U.S. and became popular, thanks to the enthusiasm of Nemesio Guilló, who initially encountered the game as a student in Alabama; The Ocean’s Heart: The Tiny Creatures Essential to Life by Jilanne Hoffmann, illus. by Khoa Le, offering a look at zooplankton, focusing on their nightly migration from the ocean’s depths to the surface and highlighting their vital place in the ocean’s food chain; and Whose Tree Is This?: Poems About the Mighty Oak and Its Companions by Marilyn Singer, illus. by Julian Plum, centered on an oak tree and all the different creatures that depend on it.
July 30, 2025 at 1:57 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
I always tell people that nonfiction is at the heart of what we do here at @lernerbooks.bsky.social. Having four (!) titles on @slj.com's Elementary NF starred review list for this year definitely affirms that!

Full list: www.slj.com/story/35-imp...
Front cover of The Black Mambas: The World's First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit by author and photographer Kelly Crull. A photograph fills the full cover, showing a white pickup truck with dark-skinned women wearing camouflage uniforms sitting on the hood, inside of it, and standing in the bed of the truck, one of whom is scanning the landscape through binoculars. The women are silhouetted with streaks of red, orange, yellow, and blue created by the setting sun behind them. The landscape is primarily green with grass, bushes, and short trees visible beyond the truck. The front cover of the picture book Dreams to Ashes: The 1871 Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre by Livia Blackburne, illus. by Nicole Xu. The cover features a large dragon's head primarily in shades of red, orange, and yellow, with green and blue accents of the type you might see parading down the street for Chinese New Year. In the background is a hint of a tan-colored building with thin lighter tan columns and a couple of indistinct figures wearing long-sleeve shirts or jackets and dark pants. Front cover of the nonfiction picture book Kaho'olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People by Kamalani Hurley, illustrated by Harinani Orme. Collage artwork depicts three people looking out at the viewer, all of whom have various shades of brown skin and medium to dark brown hair. In the background, three more indistinct figures are planting some sort of vegetation. Behind the figures is a stylized depiction of the Pacific ocean with swirls of blue. Behind that is a reddish-brown small island, and near the top of the cover is a rainbow. Front cover of the picture book Rewriting the Rules: How Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability. It features Dr. Friel, a pale-skinned woman with rosy cheeks and shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a white lab coat. Her right arm and leg are turned inward and her right hand is curled under due to her cerebral palsy. One her right is a child with light brown skin and medium brown hair, wearing a yellow striped t-shirt, blue pants, and blue shoes. He uses black forearm crutches. To Dr. Friel's left is a child with dark brown skin and black hair that goes midway down their back, wearing a pale blue polka dotted shirt and a red-orange knee-length skirt. The child is blowing on a dandelion to send the seeds fling. Surrounding the three human figures are dandelions (which are associated with cerebral palsy) and fantastical flowers and trees that incorporate the shapes of neurons.
July 9, 2025 at 2:14 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Thrilled with this @ala-booklist.bsky.social star for THE LIBRARY IN THE WOODS by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and R. Gregory Christie: "The first-person narrative unfolds with simplicity, clarity, and emotional resonance."

www.booklistonline.com/products/981...
Front cover of the picture book The Library in the Woods by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. It features a young boy with medium brown skin and close-cropped Black hair seated on a tree stump. He wears a long-sleeved collared shirt in red with light gray or white stripes and dark gray pants. He holds an open book in his hands and is looking down at it. Near him are two dogs--one is a chestnut brown color with short hair and next to it is a larger dog that is primarily black with a white patch and a brown patch on its back. Beyond these figures is a modest, one-story log building. It has two windows and in the center is a door with a light tan awning above it. Above the awning is a small white sign that says LIBRARY in black letters. The library is in a clearing and beyond it are tall green trees.
June 3, 2025 at 2:27 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Absolutely overjoyed by this @slj.com starred review for REWRITING THE RULES by debut author @drzathome.bsky.social and @joseebisaillon.bsky.social! "A must-purchase for all libraries as it ­reflects the best that modern biographies for young readers have to offer."

www.slj.com/review/rewri...
Front cover of the picture book Rewriting the Rules: How Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability. It features Dr. Friel, a pale-skinned woman with rosy cheeks and shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a white lab coat. Her right arm and leg are turned inward and her right hand is curled under due to her cerebral palsy. One her right is a child with light brown skin and medium brown hair, wearing a yellow striped t-shirt, blue pants, and blue shoes. He uses black forearm crutches. To Dr. Friel's left is a child with dark brown skin and black hair that goes midway down their back, wearing a pale blue polka dotted shirt and a red-orange knee-length skirt. The child is blowing on a dandelion to send the seeds fling. Surrounding the three human figures are dandelions (which are associated with cerebral palsy) and fantastical flowers and trees that incorporate the shapes of neurons.
June 2, 2025 at 2:42 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
A very happy book birthday to STRING BALL by Chris Monroe! Kirkus Reviews nicely summed it up, saying, "Featuring spare visuals yet extravagant in its storytelling, a satisfying tale for impatient kittens everywhere." ❤️🐈‍⬛📚
Front cover of the picture book String Ball by author and illustrator Chris Monroe. It features the title, illustrated by hand with red string-like letters as well as a bright red ball of yarn, with a scruffy black kitten's head sticking out of it, with a slightly mischievous expression.
May 6, 2025 at 3:48 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Wonderful news--both TOUCH THE SKY by @grubreport.bsky.social and @cpark.bsky.social and THE ROCK IN MY THROAT by @kaokaliayang.bsky.social and Jiemei Lin are Star of the North Nominees!! 🎉
A graphic showing 2026 Star of the North nominees, which is Minnesota's student choice picture book award. The books are: Rock Your Mocs by Laurel Goodluck and Madelyn Goodnight, Touch the Sky by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic and Chris Park, Miguel Must Fight by Jamie Ofelia and Sara Palacios, Looking for Happy by Ty Chapman and Keenon Ferrell, Ursula Upsie Down by Corey R. Tabor, Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin, The Rock in My Throat by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Jiemei Lin, The Last Stand by Antwan Eady and Jarrett & Jerome Pumphrey, The Book that Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed and Hatem Aly, and Star Party by Polly Carlson-Voiles and Consie Powell.
April 28, 2025 at 1:38 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Excited that THE BIG EMPTY by Kirbi Fagan has been named a JLG selection! This beauty is coming your way in September!
A graphic with the text: "Coming Fall 2025, Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection" and the cover of a picture books called The Big Empty: A Sagebrush Survivial Story. It is written and illustrated by Kirbi Fagan. The cover features a brown landscape with little plant growth and a small brown horse next to a wind-sculpted big sagebrush plant. The word EMPTY from the title looms large in the background.
April 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
So proud to be sending five incredible books into the world today! There's some great science and nature along with an incredible South African all-women anti-poaching team and a gloriously affirming picture book about disability.
Front covers of the children's books: Watching and Waiting: What Hatches from Nature's Nurseries by Sara Levine; We Are the Scrappy Ones by Rebekah Taussig, illustrated by Kirbi Fagan; The Black Mambas: The World's First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit by author and photographer Kelly Crull; Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger by Patricia Newman, illustrated by Becca Hall; and The Great Narwhal Rescue: Saving the Arctic Ocean's Narwhals by Sandra Markle.
April 1, 2025 at 9:05 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Incredibly proud that Kirkus has selected UNSPEAKABLE by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper as one of the best books of the 21st century (so far)!
A screen shot with the following text: Kirkus Reviews, Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far), Children's, Unspeakable by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. It's accompanied by an image of the book's cover, which features a family--a mother, father, child of about 7 years old, and child of about 2 years old in the mother's arms. They are dressed in clothing characteristic of the early 1900s, their skin is in shades of medium to dark brown, and each person is looking in a different direction, with the youngest child looking directly at the reader. Hints of Tulsa's burning Greenwood district are visible in the background.
April 1, 2025 at 2:15 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Incredibly proud that the picture book WHERE WE COME FROM by Diane Wilson, @sunyungshin.bsky.social, @shannongibney.bsky.social, John Coy, and Dion MBD is a One Book | One Minnesota read this spring!

More details and resources here:
thefriends.org/minnesota-ce...
Front cover of the picture book Where We Come From. It features the title at a very large size with a variety of images shown within the letters, including portions of the faces of the four authors as young people and scenes of nature and landscapes that echo imagery depicted within the book.
March 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Happy book birthday! We have dino birthday celebrations by Lisa Wheeler and @bazgott.bsky.social, a vital NF picture book about Chinese immigration & a terrible attack in LA in 1871 by Livia Blackburne and @nicolexu.bsky.social, and an in-depth look at the slam dunk by Matt Doeden!
The front cover of the picture book Dino-Birthday by Lisa Wheeler and Barry Gott. It features multicolored, sparkling letters in the title and a group of dinosaurs of different colors and sizes gathered around a birthday cake. In the center is a green-skinned T. rex who is wearing a blue and white striped party hat and appears to be about to blow out the candles on a large cake with white frosting and colorful sprinkles. It has 5 lit candles on top of it. In the background are balloons and streamers. The front cover of the picture book Dreams to Ashes: The 1871 Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre by Livia Blackburne, illus. by Nicole Xu. The cover features a large dragon's head primarily in shades of red, orange, and yellow, with green and blue accents of the type you might see parading down the street for Chinese New Year. In the background is a hint of a tan-colored building with thin lighter tan columns and a couple of indistinct figures wearing long-sleeve shirts or jackets and dark pants. The front cover of the book Slam Dunk: The Shot That Changed the Game by Matt Doeden. It features an exuberant Anthony Edwards hanging off the rim of a basketball hoop at Target Center after making a slam dunk. He's wearing a white Timberwolves uniform with green and blue trim. His tank top says WOLVES and has a number 5 on it. Edwards has dark brown skin and black hair that appears to be fairly closely cropped. Other brown-skinned players wearing black uniforms that read BROOKLYN are visible in the background as is a blurry crowd.
March 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM
carolhinz.bsky.social
Utterly delighted that Kaho'olawe by @kamalani3.bsky.social and Harinani Orme now has starred reviews from both Kirkus and SLJ!
A star shape is next to: “An incredible, brilliantly told story of persistence, advocacy, and love.” —Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2025 Another star shape is next to: “A stunningly beautiful book that tells the story of destruction, devastation, and resilience, of both the human and natural world. . . . [A] winner across the board.” —School Library Journal, December 1, 2024 Description of the front cover of the nonfiction picture book Kaho'olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People by Kamalani Hurley, illustrated by Harinani Orme: Collage artwork depicts three people looking out at the viewer, all of whom have various shades of brown skin and medium to dark brown hair. In the background, three more indistinct figures are planting some sort of vegetation. Behind the figures is a stylized depiction of the Pacific ocean with swirls of blue. Behind that is a reddish-brown small island, and near the top of the cover is a rainbow.
February 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM