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Articles by Brian Floca
Eilandstorm
Een broer en zus gaan naar buiten vlak voor de storm begint. Ze voelen de wind toenemen en eenmaal bij de zee zijn de golven al gevaarlijk wild. Maar de kinderen lopen verder, het dorp in. Zelfs als het hard begint te regenen en ze gewaarschuwd worden om naar huis te gaan, gaan ze verder, ze willen alles meemaken. En dan barst het onweer los! Ze rennen en rennen, de kortste weg naar huis. Maar in het donker van de storm ziet alles er anders uit. Hoe vinden ze de weg weer terug?
Sonderbooks Book Review of
by Brian Floca pictures by Sydney Smith Review posted January 5, 2026. Neal Porter Books (Holiday House), 2025. 48 pages. Starred Review 2025 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #10 Picture Books This picture book story is told in second person, which I usually don't like, but it works beautifully here. The wonderful pictures start even before the text. On the title page, there's a boy and little sister standing at a window looking out.
Kid Review: Island Storm By Brian Floca
About This Book: In Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca and acclaimed illustrator Sydney Smith’s thrilling picture book, young readers will experience the sheer power of a violent thunderstorm and the calm of its aftermath. A Kirkus Prize Finalist Can you tell when a storm is coming? Can you feel the wind coming and growing? Do you hear the branches bouncing together, hear the whispers of the wind through the leaves?
From toddlers to teens, here's your one-stop shop for young readers
Interested in teaching the younger generation about those things called "books"? Have little (or not-so-little) ones who are ready to broaden their reading horizons? Below you can find tried-and-true picture books, middle-grade reads, and YA novels recommended by NPR staff and critics.
Books for Kids: Rules are made to be broken when you're a ghost
With Halloween just days away, the time seems ripe to take a look at Matthew Forsythe’s latest picture book, Aggie and the Ghost. Author of the article: Bernie Goedhart • Special to Montreal Gazette Published Oct 23, 2025 • 2 minute read A detail from the cover of Aggie and the Ghost, written and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe.
Books for Kids: Rules are made to be broken when you're a ghost
With Halloween just days away and scary creatures like goblins and ghosts top of mind, the time seems ripe to take a look at Matthew Forsythe’s latest picture book. Not that the Toronto-born author-illustrator, who now lives in Los Angeles, is out to frighten his readers (or listeners). Quite the opposite: his one-eyed ghost is a relatively benign being who simply doesn’t like rules, and Aggie is an independent youngster who has just moved out on her own and relishes time spent alone.
Island Storm Book Review
age 4+ Kids push their limits but get home safe in exciting tale. Parents need to know that Island Storm is written by Caldecott-wining author Brian Floca (Locomotive) and illustrated by Sydney Smith. It's the story of a brother and younger sister who venture out from their island home to "see the sea" as a storm approaches. There's tension along the way but no violence, and they make it back safely to the loving, forgiving arms of their mom. Trust and communication are important themes.
July/August 2025 Horn Book Magazine starred reviews
Illustration from Fireworks by Matthew Burgess; illus. by Cátia Chien. The following books will receive starred reviews in the July/August 2025 Horn Book Magazine: The Moving Book by Lisa Brown (Porter/Holiday) Fireworks by Matthew Burgess; illus. by Cátia Chien (Clarion/HarperCollins) Island Storm by Brian Floca; illus. by Sydney Smith (Porter/Holiday) Diggers, Dozers, and Dumpers: Small Stories About Big Machines by Ole Könnecke; trans.
Skipshock (Skipshock #1)
Caroline O’Donoghue. Walker US, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2881-6 Teenage Margo is en route to boarding school in Dublin when her otherwise empty train stops inside a tunnel, triggering a panic attack. When Margo recovers, she notices that the train’s trappings have changed and she’s been joined by passenger Moon, who has never heard of Ireland. Confused and terrified, Margo disembarks with Moon in New Davia—one of several worlds connected by a strictly regulated railroad.
Island Storm
Brian Floca, illus. by Sydney Smith. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5647-5 The wind blows hard, and two children—one taller, one smaller—pull on their boots.
Run Away with Me
Run Away with Me Two boys meet, name one other, and fall in love in an extraordinary illustrated novel set in 1986 Rome—a dreamy YA debut from Selznick (Big Tree). An initially unnamed white-cued American 16-year-old who’s staying in the city with his book conservator mother feels watched by the locale. Finding a hand-drawn map tucked into a broken statue leads the protagonist to encounter an Italian boy, “almost three thousand years old,” who calls him Danny—and whom Danny calls Angelo.
Amelia, If Only
Amelia Applebaum is self-admittedly obsessed with YouTuber Walter Holland, who, like her, is a bisexual Jewish high school senior. Though Amelia’s friends frequently mock her for her “no-risk parasocial infatuation,” Amelia can’t help but resonate with Walter’s videos, in which he discusses how he figured out he was bi.
Best of All Worlds
Thirteen-year-old Xavier “Zay” Oak is on a weekend trip to a vacation cottage outside Montreal with his father and his pregnant stepmother when he notices that everything he thought he knew about the area has changed. The familiar nearby lake is gone, and in its place are a red barn, a pasture filled with goats, a cornfield, and other crops.
Cover Reveal: 'Island Storm' by Brian Floca, illustrated by Sydney Smith
It’s a nearly universal childhood experience: being outdoors as storm clouds gather and the wind picks up, feeling a mix of awe and excitement with a slight undercurrent of fear. Some can’t get inside fast enough, but for others, the pull of nature’s elemental power is strong.
STRONG GIRL PROTAGONISTS
TOO SMALL TOLA by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu The fantastic Anna Hibiscus series creator Atinuke has come up with another memorable character! Tola lives in a dilapidated apartment building in contemporary urban Nigeria with her elder siblings—a soccer-obsessed brother and a book-smart sister—and her grandma. Tola uses her humor and intellect in three episodic chapters to find solutions to issues that arise in the loving family’s everyday lives.
RAR #120: Focus on What Matters Most (psst, that's your relationships with your kids)
I ‘m willing to bet you’re like me, and relationships with your kids matter more to you than just about anything else. But we’re all pulled in a million directions. We’re all short on time. You know what, though? I think it’s easier than we think to focus on what matters most. Today I am sharing 3 simple ways to strengthen your relationships with your kids this year. Not one of these is complicated, cumbersome, or expensive.
Soar Together at Air and Space: All About Rockets (Activities Page)
Explore the activities below to learn all about rockets - the different parts of a rocket, how rockets are important for space exploration, and how they've changed throughout history! Live Events Flights of Fancy Story Time Friday, April 14 and Saturday, April 15 at 10:00 am Join us for Oliver J. Corwin’s twist on the classic tale as Hare and Tortoise Race to the Moon with rockets.
Fanfare 2021 extras
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Spirituality & Practice
Caldecott-Medal winning author and illustrator Brian Floca has been sketching New York City ever since he moved there more than 20 years ago. His pictures took on fresh significance when the city started going through the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Books in Brief: Sunshine, Keeping the City Going, House of Hollow
Books in Brief: Sunshine, Keeping the City Going, House of Hollow 1 of 3 CHILDREN'S Sunshine by Marion Dane Bauer; Candlewick Press, 208 pages ($16.99) Ages 8 to 12. ... This spare, beautifully written novel of family separation and trauma, written from the perspective of an anxious boy reuniting with his mother for the first time, is set in the wilds of northern Minnesota and offers a vivid picture of what life is like pared down to bare essentials.
Keeping the City Going
Keeping the City Going By Brian Floca. Illus. by the author. Apr. 2021. 40p. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy, $17.99 (9781534493773). K-Grade 3. REVIEW. First published April 1, 2021 (Booklist). An ode to the city workers keeping New York City going during the COVID-19 pandemic, this picture book begins with a boy and girl peeking out of their apartment window. With lyrical text and exquisite, detailed illustrations, Floca reminds readers of the early days of the pandemic with an empty city street.
Celebrating Central Park in Books
New York City has many wonderful parks, and the most famous one of all is Central Park. The park is the setting for many terrific stories, and has its own rich history which you can read about in the books below. I have also included two adult books about exploring New York, that have sections on Central Park so you can plan an excursion with your child in the spring when the weather warms up.
Amazon Book Review
Seira Wilson on July 23, 2019 July 20, 2019, marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and we've seen a renewed interest in all things space related for kids this year. The cosmos have long been a source of fascination, awe, and childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut. For the young dreamers of today, there are a number of wonderful children's books available about space, and the history-making endeavor we now celebrate, when man first set foot on a planet far, far, away.
Moonshot
Telling the Apollo 11 story more fully while recognizing the contributions of women and minorities, here's an engaging, enlightening, and timely new edition of this visually stunning book. â Booklist, starred review A soaring commemoration of our space program's most spectacular achievement. This is the rare revised edition that adds enough new material to demand purchase. â Kirkus Reviews, starred review
The Apollo 11 Moon Landing Wasn’t Fake. ‘Moonshot’ Teaches Kids the Truth.
This weekend, parents around the world will (hopefully) be telling their kids about that one small step for humankind taken on the surface of the moon exactly five decades ago. On July 20, 1969, astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first two human beings ever to walk in the soil of a place that’s not the planet Earth.
MOONSHOT by Brian Floca , Brian Floca
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New Books for Small Hands
“The future is board books,” wrote children’s book blogger Betsy Bird just this week. I’ll take her word for it. I’m not exactly hip to what is selling consistently well in children’s books and what the industry trends are, but I do know these board books here today caught my eye and had me looking for the nearest baby with whom to share them.
Picture Books About Cars, Trucks and Other Things That Clank, Roar and Move Fast
They HUFF, they ROAR, they CLANK, they MOVE! Size, strength and speed, embodied! No wonder we are most fascinated by vehicles when we ourselves are at our youngest, smallest and least independent. No wonder, too, that there have been picture books about moving machines for about as long as either has been around.
Best Kids Picture Books of 2013
The best picture books of 2013, as picked by the editors and contributors of The Children’s Book Review. Travel the world without leaving your living room. This book of maps is a visual feast for readers of all ages, with lavishly drawn illustrations from the incomparable Mizielinskis.
Global Kids Connect 2017: Photos from a 'Celebration'
On December 4, some of today’s brightest children’s book creators gathered for a cocktail party in honor of the more than 500 authors, illustrators, and translators whose 2017 books received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The event, which was held following the third annual Global Kids Connect conference, offered a chance for the publishing community to toast exceptional talent. We’ve gathered a selection of highlights from the festivities. All photos by Sean Sime.
2014 NERDY AWARDS FOR NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS ANNOUNCED BY CINDY MINNICH
Posted by CBethM on December 27, 2014 in 2014 Nerdies | When you live with a small child, the world is filled with questions – What is this? How does that work? Why are things the way they are? Who made this? Curiosity is everywhere — and it is contagious. When my son started to ask questions – something that I am grateful has not stopped or slowed down yet – we got into the habit of checking to see what kinds of books were in the library to help answer them.
Children’s Picture Books
When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Best Sellers Methodology A version of this list appears in the April 13, 2014 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending March 29, 2014. Lists are published early online.
Children’s Picture Books
When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Best Sellers Methodology A version of this list appears in the April 6, 2014 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending March 22, 2014. Lists are published early online.
Children’s Picture Books
When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Best Sellers Methodology A version of this list appears in the March 30, 2014 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending March 15, 2014. Lists are published early online.
Children’s Picture Books
When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Best Sellers Methodology A version of this list appears in the March 23, 2014 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending March 8, 2014. Lists are published early online.
Children’s Picture Books
When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Best Sellers Methodology A version of this list appears in the March 9, 2014 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending February 22, 2014. Lists are published early online.
Children’s Picture Books
When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Best Sellers Methodology A version of this list appears in the March 2, 2014 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending February 15, 2014. Lists are published early online.
Children’s Picture Books
When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Best Sellers Methodology A version of this list appears in the February 16, 2014 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending February 1, 2014. Lists are published early online.
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