Welcome to The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
We are one of the nation’s leading children’s book review journals for school and public librarians. We provide concise summaries and critical evaluations to help you find the books you need for your library’s collection.
September’s Big Picture
C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien began their legendary fantasies with a shock of instant immersion, not just an invitation to an entirely new, fascinating place but an immediate pull toward something deep into which readers could gleefully dive headlong. Author/illustrator John Hendrix takes a similar tact in this month’s Big Picture, a graphic novel biography of both authors. Hendrix sets up a fantastical world of his own to honor the two literary giants with a balance of fact and creative license, using sourced quotes, letters, and dialogue, along with fictional interactions. The end product is its own immersive journey that starts readers in one place and could land them in a number of other ones, perhaps wiser, perhaps more curious, but absolutely entertained.
2023 Blue Ribbons
Our best books of the year list for 2023 is available! Whether young readers are looking for a belly laugh or a cathartic cry, they’ll find something to love with this year’s selection.
The Center for Children’s Books
The Bulletin is partnered with the Center for Children’s Books, a research center whose mission is to facilitate the creation and dissemination of exemplary and progressive research and scholarship related to youth-focused resources, literature, and librarianship.
Cover illustration from The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix. Illustration copyright © 2024. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Abrams Fanfare.
