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Author: Judy Butler

  • P.S. At the Window

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    Judy Butler
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    At the Window (2025) by Hope Lim arrived via interlibrary loan after my “Windows” post of January 26. I love this book, so here it is. Quin Leng animates this story with a friendly touch, often with multiple scenes per page. For example, when the main character walks their dog along a sidewalk, we see…

  • Windows

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    Judy Butler
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    There are almost always exceptional picture books at library sales. For just a few dollars, I bring home a variety of artwork that’s hidden inside them. Gary Blythe paints the seashore of a grandmother’s childhood. (1) Ted Rand shows a flock of sea birds as seen from the boat of a Vietnamese fisherman and his…

  • Learning to Love Books

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    Judy Butler
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    The cover art for Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp (2016) previews what’s inside the book. This is a gentle story about a child who struggles with reading. Madeline wants to read, but she doesn’t like to read because it’s difficult. She wants to earn stars for reading like her peers do.…

  • A Shout-out for Skillshare

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    Judy Butler
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    Skillshare is “an online learning community with thousands of classes for creative and curious people, on topics including illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, and more.” It’s a fun place to access art classes at any time of day. I’m amazed by the fine art and collage in some children’s picture books. Now I’m learning a little…

  • Stone Soup Served Three Ways

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    Judy Butler
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    Stone Soup by Ann McGovern (1968) has illustrations copyrighted in 1986 by Winslow Pinney Pels. (That’s a cute reversal of numbers: 68 and 86) The cover shows only a little old lady and a young adult. The younger one is barefoot. One foot is wearing a bandage. This story begins with a young man walking…

  • Leonardo’s Horse

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    Judy Butler
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    Leonardo’s Horse by Jean Fritz and Hudson Talbott (2001) is a masterpiece. Young readers will appreciate the reading level at grades 1 – 4. Middle and high schoolers can research the many references to Leonardo de Vinci, his endeavors, his contemporaries, and the setting in which he lived. This book condenses a huge amount of…

  • The House that Jack Built – Illustration Matters

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    Judy Butler
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    In The House That Jack Built  (1954, 1982), every character is smiling, except a few chickens, the rat, and the dog. I’m referring to a Little Golden Book Classic. This book is a happy-go-lucky rendition of that familiar story in the public domain. With blueprints in hand, Jack builds a small house. As he stands on a ladder to…

  • A Wire of Freedom

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    Judy Butler
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    The timeless theme of freedom meanders through Emily Arnold McCully’s trilogy about Mirette and Bellini. In the first book, Mirette on the High Wire (1993), her young protagonist feels free when walking the wire. Perhaps she’s freed from the grueling domestic work she does in her mother’s boarding house. We never see Mirette at school…

  • Let’s Support Human Creativity

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    Judy Butler
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    Rosa Bonheur wants to be an artist. Tomie dePaola wants to be an artist. Allen Say wants to be an artist. Each one embraces their aloneness and pursues a path that is different from their peers.  In The Art Lesson, Tommy wants to be an artist when he grows up, so he “drew and drew…

  • Rabbits Learn to Share

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    Judy Butler
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    If You Plant a Seed by Kadin Nelson (2015) is a beautiful book illustrated with lovely paintings. The cover is a close-up of a rabbit and a mouse that radiates light and color. It appears they’ve  collaborated to plant something. They gaze at a young seedling that’s emerging from rich brown soil. We can infer…