Author Archive for Casey

Friday, Jan 19, 2018

The third installment in a nonfiction picture book series,  Over and Under the Pond , is a delightful exploration of freshwater ecology for young readers. A mother and son spend the day on the water discussing the various forms of life they...

Friday, Jan 12, 2018

Prepare to go on a quest seeking the answers to Marco the fox's world of questions. The journey may be tough, and you may go hungry. But in the end you'll be much wiser, though the questions have changed and many have gone unanswered.  The...

Friday, Jan 5, 2018

This week we are taking a look at Jason Chin's  Grand Canyon .  If you are unfamiliar with Chin's nonfiction works, I encourage you to give  Gravity , Redwoods , Coral Reefs ,  and  Island  a look as well. Grand Canyon  is a fabulous story...

Friday, Dec 29, 2017

Given the current conditions in Iowa City, our next Mock Caldecott review is fitting. It has been almost a year since the publication of Matthew Cordell's  Wolf in the Snow and somehow it remains as fresh and vibrant as it was when I first saw it...

Friday, Dec 22, 2017

  Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines is one of the most successful picture book biographies that I have seen to date.  Not only is the text fantastic, illuminating Lin's childhood experiences and passion for art and the earth, but Dow...

Friday, Dec 15, 2017

Antoinette Portis consistently creates delightful read alouds for children and her latest,  Now ,  is a treasure. A young girl shows us her favorite things including a paper boat, a song, a worm and mud. As we follow her throughout her day it...

Friday, Dec 8, 2017

Librarians and educators are constantly seeking books about seasons and revisit perennial favorites for storytimes and classroom use year after year.  Full of Fall has quickly become one of those favorites. Utilizing short rhyming text with...

Friday, Dec 1, 2017

Since last week was Thanksgiving, I am starting the reviews of our ten mock Caldecott titles with a two for one. This week I will be taking a look at Little Fox in the Forest by Stephanie Graegin and Big Cat Little Cat by Elisha Cooper. With these...

Saturday, Nov 18, 2017

Last year we did our first ever ICPL Mock Caldecott Awards  and had more than 100 votes for the 15 titles nominated by staff. This year we have narrowed the field to ten titles released in 2017 by authors currently living in or citizens of the USA.

Monday, Oct 23, 2017

“Rapunzel” , by Bethan Woollvin is a cut above. Prepare for a delightful and unconventional heroine. Much like her first picture book, “Little Red”, Woollvin’s next installation is a joyful romp. Be sure to look under the dust jacket for...

About Casey

Casey's picture

Casey buys books for ICPL's youngest readers. However, she enjoys reading books of all shapes and sizes. You can find her at the Children's Desk, out and about at one of our area preschools, or providing in-house programming like StoryJAM.