“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” -Stephen King Yep! It's as simple as that. So, if you are going to write picture books, then you need to read them, right? And what better books to read than the best ones! Since it's getting close to the end of the year, many sites have come out with "The Best of 2013." I think every picture book writer should read hundreds of books, especially all of the classic ones. But it's very important to know what is currently selling, what the current trends are, and how picture books work today. Only knowing the classics puts you at a huge disadvantage for writing and selling picture books. I just finished the PiBoIdMo challenge and there are many upcoming challenges this year for writers that I am really excited about. But there should be a reading challenge for writers. Take on the personal challenge of reading as many current picture books as you can. In the document below, I've compiled many of the lists all in one place. The lists consist of ALA Awards, Amazon's Best Children's Books, New York Times Best Illustrated, New York Times Notable, Goodreads Choice Awards, School Librarian Journal Best of 2013, Huffington Post Best of 2013, NPR's Book Concierge, and Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2013. Take a look and see how many books on this list you've read. ![]()
And if you want all the lists in one, in alphabetical order, check out this document. ![]()
And just for fun, here is a list of the books that appeared on multiple lists. The number indicates the number of times it showed up on a list. ![]()
Are you up for the challenge? How many of the 2013 books have you read? 2014 is drawing near and will bring brand new must read picture books. So get reading!
8 Comments
Juliana Lee
12/8/2013 10:53:12 pm
Love how you cross referenced the lists!
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Kelly Vavala
12/8/2013 11:16:00 pm
Thanks for the list! Going to download and begin reading from the list...great suggestion!
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12/8/2013 11:16:20 pm
Wow!. Thank you for such a comprehensive set of lists. I've read many, but not all of them. Happy creating to you. T.
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Charlotte Dixon
12/9/2013 03:55:26 am
Thank you Mandy-this is wonderful!
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Annette
12/9/2013 08:32:22 am
So cool that Kadir Nelson's book about Nelson Mandela is on this list!
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Deanna Ruttenberg
12/10/2013 04:54:19 am
Thanks, Mandy. Appreciate!
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We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our awesome bloggers!!
Here's our lineup: 1st Mondays begin with awesome Aussie debut author and former student Amanda Lieber who will be focusing on Aussie kidlit. 2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books. 3rd Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info. 4th Mondays will be a mystery for right now. And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break Archives
September 2023
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