Study: New children's books lack reference to nature, animals

Read the whole thing at USA Today.

Researchers at several universities reviewed about 8,100 images in 296 children's books. The books were all Caldecott Medal winners and honorees from 1938 to 2008. The Caldecott awards are given annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. 

Researchers categorized images as containing either a natural environment, such as a jungle or forest; a built environment, such as a house, school or office; or a modified environment, such as a mowed lawn, park or farm field. They also identified wild and domestic animals.

Jan Berenstain's Obituary

Here is Jan Berenstain's obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Mrs. Berenstain was stricken at her home in Solebury, Bucks County, on Thursday. Just two days earlier, she had still been at work in the studio, illustrating two books that will appear later this year, said her son, Michael Berenstain, an artist who has been her coauthor in recent years. The books, which Michael Berenstain will finish, are to be published in December.

Rest in Peace, Jan Berenstain

From the Washington Post: Jan Berenstain, co-creator of Berenstain Bears children’s books with husband Stan, dies at 88.

“They say jokes don’t travel well, but family humor does,” Jan Berenstain told The Associated Press in 2011. “Family values is what we’re all about.”

Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling

A good article from Maria Popova at the Atlantic discussing Martin Salisbury's new book, Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling. 

I found his Illustrating Children's Books: Creating Pictures for Publication very interesting and valuable, and have added this new book to my wish list. 

In Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling, illustrator Martin Salisbury and children's literature scholar Morag Styles trace the fascinating evolution of the picturebook as a storytelling medium and a cultural agent, and peer into the future to see where the medium might be going next, with case studies of seminal works, a survey of artistic techniques, and peeks inside the sketchbooks and creative process of prominent illustrators adding dimension to this thoughtful and visually engrossing journey.

I Am a Pole

Believe it or not, Stephen Colbert is publishing his picture book, I Am a Pole (And So Can You!). 

Roald Dahl Stamps

I would love for the USPS to do this!

The U.K. Royal Mail has issued a special set of stamps, commemorating six of Roald Dahl's most beloved stories. More than 20 years after his death, Dahl's books continue to grow in popularity and have been translated into more than 40 languages.  

Illustrations by Quentin Blake are featured on the stamp set, including Blake rendering the book titles (here, "James and the Giant Peach") in his own handwriting. 

Scholastic's Top Ten Children's Books

From USA Today, here are Scholastic's top ten children's books. I loved Frog and Toad when I was little!