Fractured fairytales are fun, but my children are young enough that they don't know all the traditional stories yet. Someday we'll read The Stinky Cheese Man and Cinderella - with Dogs! but I would be skipping a step if that's where we started. The picture books in this list have no puns, no spoofs, no references. They're all current renditions of fairytales, each taking a totally distinct approach to lean into the weirdness, the wisdom, and the delight of these timeless stories. ...
March is Women's History Month, with March 8th being specified as International Women's Day. I decided the way I wanted to celebrate Women's History would be threefold: to read books by women authors I am already familiar with, refresh my memory about major women in history by reading or rereading biographies, and continue to seek out new books primarily featuring women authors and illustrators. Following are five of the books that fit into one of those categories. They are favorites of mine, and I hope you will enjoy them as well. Louisa Learns to Write Written by Kate Hannigan Illustrated by Sofia Moore New York, NY : Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, 2026. Informational. Louisa May Alcott is a treasured author whose work has inspired generations of readers. This lovely biography presents the reader the background story behind her famous book Little Women. I loved the elements highlighted that contribute to Louisa becoming a great writer, includi...