Tag: Stephen Costanza

Only Picture Books’ 21 Favorites of 2021

On By Only Picture BooksIn OPB Favorites, Picture Book Lists

Okay, 2021 wasn’t a ton better than 2020 for many folks, though we had lots of high points in the picture book world that helped us through it all.

So, without further ado, here are 21 picture books that delighted OPB enough to include in this year-​end roundup of our favorites. (If we missed anything awesome–quite possibly the case–please share your own faves in the comments. We LOVE to hear what books really work for you, and why!)

Barbara Throws a Wobbler by Nadia Shireen (1 June 2021)

An excellent book about feelings with lovely illustrations and more than enough humor to make kids want to hear it again. Did I mention how good the art is?

Read the Kirkus review for it here.

 

Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman (26 January 2021)

Doug just doesn’t like hugs and that’s perfectly okay. This is a very good book to help spark discussions about boundaries, though it has humor and fun too–it’s not just a message book.

Read the Children’s Books Heal review for it here.

 

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho (5 January 2021)

This lyrical tale show a young Asian girl learning about the beauty of her eyes and her heritage. The art is a knockout, too.

Read the Kirkus review for it here.

 

I Am Not a Penguin: A Pangolin’s Lament by Liz Wong (19 January 2021)

It’s exactly what you think from looking at that cover–a pangolin is having an identity crisis. Even if I weren’t so partial to penguins and pangolins, this is a fun informational picture book told mostly with word balloons.

Read the YA Books Central review for it here.

 

King of Ragtime: The Story of Scott Joplin by Stephen Costanza (24 August 2021)

This lovely nonfiction picture book biography tells how Scott Joplin became one of America’s greatest musical pioneers. The writing is full of rhythm, but the art steals the show.

Read the OPB review for it here.

 

The Longest Storm by Dan Yaccarino (21 August 2021)

This is the powerful story of how a family–three kids, a parent, and a pet–weather a crisis together at home. It’s reassuring to see how they handle their unwanted confinement. The art feels old school in all the right ways, which adds a real sense of mood throughout.

Read the Kirkus review for it here.

 

The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio (2 February 2021)

Each year, there’s one or two wordless books that earn their way onto the OPB favorite list, and this beautiful book deserves it. It reveals all the magic that happens at night when a fair is closed. Wonderfully so.

Read The Portland Book Review review for it here.

 

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christopher Robinson (2 February 2021)

During a long subway ride with an older sibling, Milo’s imagination is hard at work. “Maybe you can’t really know anyone just by looking at their face,” Milo thinks, and he’s totally right. This book is lovely and has a well-​earned emotional punch at the end.

Read The Horn Book review for it here.

 

My First Day by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huy’nh Kim Liên (16 February 2021)

A young Vietnamese boy heads out in a wooden boat with a backpack and an oar–it’s his first time making this trip, he admits. He navigates the Mekong River all on his own, and the wonders of nature are everywhere. Where is he heading? To another first, of course.

Read the Kirkus review for it here.

 

Off to See the Sea by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (12 January 2021)

Bathtime is an ocean of fun when you bring your imagination with you. The story is purposefully simple but very effective.

Read the Publisher’s Weekly review for it here.

 

Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham (5 January 2021)

This timely book beautifully showcases life during the pandemic. It’s deep and empathetic in all the right ways, and it shows some of the bravery and sacrifices that were made. Lovely art makes this a must-have.

Read the OPB review for it here.

 

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen (21 April 2021)

A hat-​wearing turtle has his day ruined when a rock falls from the sky right onto his favorite spot.  He’s stubborn, so he’s going to make it work somehow. His critter friends aren’t much help, though.

It’s a big book–really five books in one. But it’s dark, brooding, and has lots of deadpan fun.

Read the The Wall Street Journal review for it here.

 

A Sky-​Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman, illustrated by Peggy Collins (30 November 2021)

The hardships of living in a war-​torn country are made clear when Aria returns to school after an accident–her body isn’t the same. She’s worried about having somewhere to sit, though all the benches have been used for kindling during wartime. A touching Author’s Note completes this fine book.

Read the Seattle Book Review review for it here.

 

Something’s Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear by Jory John, illustrated by Erin Kraan (23 March 2021)

A bear remembers to do everything before leaving the house…except take off those embarrassing tighty whities. Hilarity ensues in typical Jory John fashion.

Read The Novel Hermit review for it here.

 

Ten Beautiful Things by Molly Beth Griffin, illustrated by Maribel Lechuga (12 January 2021)

During the long ride to their new home, Gran asks Lily to find ten beautiful things to pass the time. Lily isn’t into this plan, but soon learns to see beauty in unexpected places.

Read the OPB review for it here.

 

Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi, illustrated by Juana Martinez-​Neal (31 August 2021)

In this story, food forms a very special bond between generations. You even get tomato facts as a bonus!

Read the Kirkus review for it here.

 

Two Grooms on a Cake: The Story of America’s First Gay Wedding by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Robbie Cathro (4 May 2021)

This heartwarming book shares the struggle for the first same-​sex couple to be legally married in America. The cake-​making throughline is sweet and delightful.

Read the Mombian review for it here.

 

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (1 February 2021)

This powerful book reveals the story of how a 1921 incident with a white female elevator operator and a Black shoeshiner launched one of the worst racial battles in American history. Cooper’s art vividly brings this moment to life.

Read the Kirkus review for it here.

**Since we lost Floyd Cooper in 2021, you might want to check out the OPB interview with him. He’s amazing.**

 

Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin (30 March 2021)

A touching autobiographical story about how a child of immigrants learns about her family and heritage. Note the wonderful Chinese-​inspired art by Justin Chin!

Read the Long and Short Reviews review for it here.

 

We All Play by Julie Flett (25 May 2021)

A tender book by Cree-​Métis artist Julie Flett that reveals how animals play just as we all do.

Read the Publisher’s Weekly review for it here.

 

Weirdo by Zadie Smith and Nick Laird, illustrated by Magenta Fox (15 April 2021)

It’s a judo-​loving guinea pig. What more do you need to know than that?

Read the More About Books review for it here.

Picture Book Review: King of Ragtime by Stephen Costanza

On By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews2 Comments
Author: Stephen Costanza
Illustrator: Stephen Costanza
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
24 August 2021
56 pages

This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Owner/​Operator of Only Picture Books) and longtime OPB pal (and Ringling College of Art and Design Illustration Professor) John Herzog.

–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–

King of Ragtime, the new picture-​book biography by author/​illustrator Stephen Costanza, drives home the point that Joplin created his music by using his own creativity as well as the sounds and music of the world around him. From the start, Scott Joplin was a quiet boy who “hardly spoke above a whisper” because he preferred to listen instead. And listen he did, to the “Buzzz-​zuzzz!” of a wasp’s nest to the “Chhh-​chhhipp!” of a cicada or the “Rrrrrrummm-​bum-​bum!” of a thundercloud that could just as easily be an unseen train in the distance.

Because sound is so vital to this story, Costanza employs subtle rhymes and onomatopoeia to emphasize the rhythms and music of life that Joplin took as source material. It’s clear that the King of Ragtime heard things in a way no one else quite did.

It’s a little surprising that Joplin’s parents were so supportive of his musical interest despite facing profound poverty. Yet his father didn’t insist his son join him for the dependable work on the railroad, and his mother traded cleaning services for piano lessons. They even “scrimped and saved” enough to buy a dusty, old second-​hand piano so that Joplin could make his own music versus asking to use pianos in the homes of wealthy white families where his mother cleaned.

“Who knew a piano could roar like a train or sing like a nightingale?”

Joplin did, of course. And he soon went from being a local sensation playing for church socials, dances, and Juneteenth celebrations, to living in St. Louis and working as a pianist in saloons and dance halls. He even played outside the 1893 World’s Fair–“Black pianists weren’t allowed to play at the fair, but in the nearby cafés a red-​hot piano sound filled the air”–and that seemed to help introduce the music known as ragtime to the world. Later, Joplin studied music in college and published “Maple Leaf Rag,” the first of his many popular songs.

The book’s Back Matter includes a Recommended Listening list of Joplin’s music and a short Bibliography, as well as 2+ pages of historical information that includes the story of how the author became interested in Joplin and his life. This material provides welcome context for how Joplin and his music was received in his own time, too.

Throughout King of Ragtime, Costanza doesn’t shy from issues concerning race. In both images and words, he shows many of the challenges that newly free Black people faced. Through it all, they returned to music “for solace and celebration,” which is something Joplin’s own beautiful music offered them, too.

This book is visually stunning from start to finish–so much so that I find myself imagining a wordless version, especially in those moments where the text and image line up perhaps a bit too linearly. I’ll let John say more about the art, but wow, it’s really evocative and memorable.

With King of Ragtime, Costanza has created a lively book that does justice to Joplin, the King of Ragtime, whose work inspired generations of jazz musicians. Libraries and teachers, in particular, should have a copy on their shelves. (I can also imagine amazing read-​alouds of this book with music introduction and accompaniment to help young readers appreciate just how different ragtime is from so many other types of music.)

4.25 out of 5 pencils

 

–John’s Review of the Illustrations–

Stephen Costanza’s King of Ragtime is an absolutely beautiful picture book and–dare I say it–an instant classic.

There. That’s my review.

What? You need more? All right…

From an illustration perspective, this book is an incredibly enjoyable combination of the surreal and the traditional. It’s a fever dream of bright colors, captivating perspective, and appealing characters. I suspect that Costanza’s mixing of popular art styles from the time of Joplin (Fauvism, Expressionism, and American Modernism) is not a coincidence. Instead of using a more classical illustrative approach for this reverential story–which, let’s be honest, would’ve been a bit hokey–Costanza’s illustrations reflect the style and methods of the time, trading in digital illustration for wax pastels, collage, and gouache. It not only feels true to the time, but also to Joplin and his music.

Each illustration is a feast–so much so that I often forgot there were words to read. The written story is perfectly fine, but the reality is that I was consumed by the art. And honestly, the illustrations do such a good job of telling the story that I feel this could’ve easily been a wordless picture book. There is so much story to mine from the visuals that the text almost feels a bit redundant.

Now, to acknowledge my bias: I am a massive fan of Mary Blair. Her use of color, design and composition–all of it is perfect in my opinion, and right up my alley. If you’re unfamiliar with Mary Blair, click here to learn more. While reading King of Ragtime, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Blair’s wonderful work. And while I don’t know if Costanza overtly referenced her art while making this book, he’s done an amazing job of capturing all of the qualities that makes Blair’s work so amazing and fun.

In conclusion, and I know I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but Stephen Costanza’s King of Ragtime is an absolutely beautiful picture book and–dare I say it–an instant classic.

5 out of 5 crayons

John Herzog is an award-​winning illustrator and educator. 

His clients include Hasbro, Dreamworks TV, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, and Highlights for Children. He also teaches illustration classes at Ringling College of Art and Design.

John is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, where he received the 2018 SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for his Highlights High Five cover illustration. He lives in Florida with his wife, two kids, a pair of geckos, a bearded dragon, and a tarantula.