iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 11h

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Where is the Dragon? Leo Timmers Caught the Timmers-bug and enjoy this art so damn much. Fun characters. Silly trick your mind plays in the dark.

Book cover for "Where is the dragon?" showing three small armored knights with red plumes and huge noses, peering from grass beneath a large black dragon silhouette against a starry sky.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 28/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks A Fish Like Me Jamie Sumner & Devon Holzwarth @devonholzwarth.bsky.social Really well done story. Combining some magic of imagination with a fun mindset around therapy and mobility.

Children's book cover for "A Fish Like Me" showing a smiling child with arm floaties underwater reaching toward a colorful tropical fish among coral, sea plants and bubbles, and a wheelchair pictured on the pool deck above.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 25/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Wide Open Spaces Robyn McGrath & Polina Gortman @polinagortman.bsky.social Lyrical story of a family road trip. Fantastical-imagination moments at different points across the trip. Back matter on mindfulness. Very sweet.

Children's book cover "Wide Open Spaces" showing a smiling child with green-tipped hair and arms outstretched, sitting on a large orange sea shell in a meadow.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 23/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Old Blue is My Home Lita Judge Very well done housing insecurity story. Good at building empathy about different situations. Shows the joy that living in the van gives the family too.

Children's book cover "Old Blue Is My Home" showing a family camping by a blue van at dusk. 2 children are reading by a lantern inside the van, a dog nearby, and parents are hand washing and hanging clothes.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 21/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Whale, That Was Unexpected Casey Lyall Kathryn Durst @caseylyall.bsky.social My new favorite read-aloud. Cumulative story of sorts. Great wordplay and rhythm. Fun voice. I enjoyed reading this one.

Children's book cover "Whale, That Was Unexpected" showing a giant whale's open mouth looming over a stoic fisherwoman and a dog, both in yellow rain gear, on a boat

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 18/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Robin and the Stick E.B. Goodale @ebgoodale.bsky.social Kid growing stronger. The stick collecting felt so true (like based on a real kid). Growth mindset to collect the branch. Simple illustrations with great use of the red sweater.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 16/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks I'm… (series) Michael Ian Black Debbie Ridpath Ohi @michaelianblack.bsky.social @debbieohi.com This whole series is great. Funny. Kid-friendly. Great read aloud. A girl, a flamingo, and a potato. Love it!

Photo of 5 picture books. each with a pastel cover and I'm the title in bold. some have a pink flamingo on them, others a brown potato or others a line drawn girl with yellow hair clips.

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P. J. Purtee, AKA Jill (Shields) @pjpurtee.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

THE ADVENTURES OF BEEKLE: The Unimaginary Friend ✍🏻 & 🎨 Dan Santat @dansantat.bsky.social 2014, Little Brown BYR #PB #Friendship #adventure #journey #Caldecott Medal an island🏝️ an imaginary friend a journey to find a friend ❤️❤️❤️ 🥰 🥰 🥰 #kidlit #librarians #teachers #parents

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 14/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Have you seen my Invisible Dinosaur? Helen Yoon Really well done illustrations of something invisible. Magical realism. SPOILERS: You think the kid is just imagining it, but then he finds the dinosaur.

Children's book cover for "Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur?" showing a small child in a yellow hat carrying a coiled blue hose and peering up against a speckled pale background.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 11/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Seahorse is Furious (and there is NOTHING you can do about it) Morag Hood @moraghood.bsky.social Story looks at the small steps you can make even if someone is grumpy. Just being there is most important of all.

Children's book cover titled "Seahorse Is Furious" showing an angry blue seahorse on a blue background with smiling yellow fish, a smiling red crab, and smiling green seaweed

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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Not a bad day. The announcement went out this afternoon: The Poetry Foundation chose moi as the next Young People's Poet Laureate! That's reason enough to smile, don't you think?

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 09/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Pizzasaurus Tammi Sauer & Kyle Beckett @tammisauer.bsky.social @kybeckett.bsky.social I was caught off guard with how funny and kid-friendly this was. Lots of puns and dino humor. Excellent read-aloud.

Cover for "PIZZASAURUS" showing a smiling orange, polka-dotted dinosaur wearing a chef's hat and holding a dripping slice of pizza beside an open pizza box.

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Sarah Steinbacher, Ed.D. (she/they) @sarahsteinbacher.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Craving a fresh bedtime story? Check out this stellar picture book by @jessixabagley.bsky.social THE BACK OF THE UNIVERSIE is perfect for space fans! Read my interview with Jessixa Bagley at www.sarahsteinbacher.com/blog/intervi... #picturebooks #kidlit #kidlitauthor #authorillustrator #booksky

The image discusses children’s literature and features Jessixa Bagley’s picture book THE BACK OF THE UNIVERSE, an illustrated children’s book about a child’s bedtime ritual that visualizes a journey home from the farthest corner of the universe. Against a dark starry background, the title reads: “Bedtime Kidlit.” Below the title to the right is a large image of the cover of the picture book THE BACK OF THE UNIVERSE, written and illustrated by Jessixa Bagley and published by Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House. To the left of the book are 4 reviews, each with the reviewer’s icon. The top review from Booklist says: “this serene visual poem offers an inventive, indelible lullaby, a luminous choice for bedtime collections.” The second review from Publishers Weekly says: “this epic wind-down melds telescopic reach with snuggly intimacy.” The third review from School Library Journal says: “a lulling cadence well suited for bedtime sharing.” The bottom review from Kirkus says: “a calming tale that makes the infinite feel a little more manageable.” At the bottom is “Exclusive Interview” with an arrow pointing to: https://www.sarahsteinbacher.com/blog/interview-jessixa-bagley

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 07/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Bear's Lost Glasses Leo Timmers Really funny. What does the world look like without glasses? Silly friendship story. Great expressions.

Cover for "Bear's Lost Glasses" showing a bear peeking from the bottom with wide eyes and red round glasses on their head.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 04/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Home Tonya Lippert & Andrea Stegmaier @andreastegmaier.bsky.social Covers a family struggling with permanent housing and different ways a home might look. Very well done and opened lots of conversations.

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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 03/09/2026

Hey illustrators, How about this, to celebrate the 1st #kidlitartpostcard of the fall season (Labor Day is so late this year!) I’m going to offer a free 1 hour portfolio review + coaching session via Zoom. To enter share 1 image from your portfolio below and a winner will be chosen at random. 💙❤️

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 02/09/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Bo The Brave Bethan Woollvin @bethanwoollvin.bsky.social Love this story of a little girl befriending the "beasts" and saving the dragon her brother went to hunt. She shows them!

Cover for "BO THE BRAVE" showing a pink-haired child in a cape standing on a mountain peak with a raised sword, surrounded by trees and clouds.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 31/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks The Blanket Where Violet Sits Allan Wolf & Lauren Tobia "The House That Jack Built" style while going out to the universe level. Lovely rhythm and expanding perspective.

Cover for "The Blanket Where Violet Sits" showing a family on a grassy hillside in a city, girl is bundled on a red blanket looking through a telescope at the moon.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 28/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Llama Destroys the World Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox Zany. Hilarious. Just perfect for silly kids. Unintended consequences conversations. Great art. Love it!

Cover for "LLAMA DESTROYS THE WORLD" bright orange background with large white title text, small cartoon llama saying "I am Llama!"

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 26/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks How to be a Lion Ed Vere @edvere.bsky.social Love this story and art. Finding courage in words and friendship.

Cover for "How to Be a Lion" showing a simple black outlined lion and a golden orange background

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P. J. Purtee, AKA Jill (Shields) @pjpurtee.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

WHEN YOU FIND THE RIGHT ROCK ✍🏻 Mary Lyn Ray 🎨 Felicita Sala 2024, Chronicle #PB #rocks #feelings #emotion #nature BIG rocks 🪨 for standing on ❤️ little rocks 🛘 for your pocket ❤️ etc. 🥰 🥰 🥰 #kidlit #librarians #teachers #parents

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 24/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Toto Hyewon Yum Really lovely. Great use of color. First day of school nervous and also fearing revealing a piece of yourself. This story is frequently requested in our house.

Cover for picture book "Toto" showing a pencil-drawn smiling young child pulling her hair back to reveal a red birthmark on her forehead.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 21/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Off-Limits Helen Yoon I'm such a fan of Yoon's books. The art is amazing and so expressive. I love the movement captured. Very cute and kid-focused.

Children's book cover for "OFF-LIMITS" showing a cartoon child with tongue-sticking out, peeking up over a desk and reaching toward office supplies

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 19/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Most Marshmallows Rowboat Watkins This is one of my all-time favs. I get it out a few times a year to reread. I love the art and using real drawn-on marshmallows. Plus the unexpected fire ending! So ROAR!

Book cover for "Most Marshmallows" showing a stacked group of drawn upon marshmallows with eyes and small accessories (party hat, goggles, red clown nose) posed like a class photo against a chalkboard

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 17/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks are you SMALL/BIG? Mo Willems I love these types of books that challenge your world perspective. As always, Mo Willems is masterful. Playful, kid-friendly. Fantastic books.

Covers for picture books "are you SMALL?" and "are you BIG?

Each with solid background color and bright titles. "Small" shows a little cutout head waving from the side, while "Big" shows half of a large red smiley face.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 14/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks The River of Caregiving Jocelyn Chung & Sarah Gonzales Empathy book about how caregiving changes over time. Soft illustrations and kid friendly approach to this sometimes difficult topic.

"The River of Caregiving" book cover showing an illustration of a multigenerational family gathering and picnicking on a grassy riverbank.

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P. J. Purtee, AKA Jill (Shields) @pjpurtee.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

ON ACCOUNT OF THE GUM ✍🏻 & 🎨 Adam Rex 2020, Chronicle #PB #humor #rhyme a girl’s hair gum 🍬 removal?: scissors 💇‍♀️ butter 🧈 everything but the kitchen sink and then . . . 😊 🤣 😊 #kidlit #librarians #parents

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 12/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks A Whale of a Dream Maïlys Cart-Lamy I liked the re-imagining of other famous works and the dreamscape.

Children's book cover titled "A Whale of a Dream" showing a gentle blue whale gliding through swirling, starry night skies with glowing orange moons, a child reaches toward one of the orange swirls.

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Sarah Steinbacher, Ed.D. (she/they) @sarahsteinbacher.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

We’re all invited to the party! ***Like/share/repost to win a signed copy of ALL BRAINS WELCOME or a fiction picture book critique*** Then read my interview with @johannapeyton.bsky.social at: www.sarahsteinbacher.com/blog/intervi... #kidlit #picturebooks #booksky #neurodivergent #BeAnAmbassador

This image discusses neurodivergence and inclusivity in children’s literature and features the picture book ALL BRAINS WELCOME written by author Johanna Peyton and illustrated by Olga Popova. Against a light pink background with pink swirls and lines around the edges, the title reads: “Every brain brings something special to the party!” To the center right is the cover of the picture book ALL BRAINS WELCOME written by author Johanna Peyton and illustrated by Olga Popova. To the left of the book cover is the following quote from the author: “The world is built for and around neurotypical thinkers…This often leaves neurodivergent children (and adults) feeling different and uncomfortable…But neurodivergence…is a different and beautiful way of viewing the world and comes with many unique gifts…Having children’s books that share this celebratory view helps reinforce the positivity and proud ownership of neurodivergence. -Johanna Peyton” To the bottom left of the quote is a pink illustration of a brain. At the bottom is “Exclusive Interview” with an arrow pointing to: https://www.sarahsteinbacher.com/blog/interview-johanna-peyton

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Mary Helen Berg @handle.invalid · 09/08/2026

A must-read from Jane Friedman

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 10/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Time to Leave Laverne! Lana Button & Yong Ling Kang SEL. Transitions. Stuffies help with big feelings. Relates feelings to storms. I loved this book and its sweet, struggling character!

Cover for "Time to Leave, Laverne!" with the title in a large speech bubble from above. The top of an illustrated angry young kid's face pokes out from the bottom of the book with dark thundercloud background.

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Sarah Steinbacher, Ed.D. (she/they) @sarahsteinbacher.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

It’s kinda chic to support other kidlit writers and illustrators. Share your favorites in the comments. #kidlit #kidlitauthor #booksky #kindachic #BeAnAmbassador

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 07/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Wildspeak Sangma Francis & Lexi Vangsnes Lovely nature book. With made-up words for natural phenomena plus introductions to landform words.

Cover for WILDSPEAK showing a kid in a tan explorer hat peeking through tall grass with a bird, bees, butterflies and stylized flowers.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 05/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Tears Sibylle Delacroix Lovely story that normalizes tears. Why we cry. Compassionate look at tears. Engaging illustrations.

Cover for TEARS with a pencil sketch of a wide-eyed child shedding two blue teardrops.

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SCBWI Eastern PA @scbwiepa.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

🌞Good morning!—Wake-up & Write-in happening August 3 and 19 🌞 2 hours of writing sprints—dedicate some personal writing time alongside other SCBWI creators🌞Sign-up www.scbwi.org/regions/epa/... See you there! #writingtime #onlinewritingcohort #workinprogress #freeSCBWIevent #scbwiepa

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 03/08/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks My Pollinator Garden Jordan Zwetchkenbaum & Kate Cosgrove @k8cosgrove.bsky.social Perfect summer read. About bees/pollinators and the specific plants they need.

Children's book cover for "My Pollinator Garden" showing a joyful child with glasses and a crown of flowers reaching amid bees, butterflies, a hummingbird and colorful blooms.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 31/07/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks Only Ants for Andy Jashar Awan @jashar.bsky.social Where are my picky eaters? This book is fantastic for those with a fear of trying new foods. I love that the MC is an anteater!

Book cover for Only Ants for Andy, teal background with a pink anteater tongue looping around the title. A singular ant sits on the tip of the long tongue, while an anteater in a striped shirt holds a fork over a plate piled with ants.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 29/07/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks A friend is a friend is a friend Sara O'Leary & Qin Leng This series is very good. This one was the 7-year-old's favorite.

Cover for "A friend is a friend is a friend" showing a slew of children laughing and climbing a large tree.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 27/07/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks If You Find a Leaf Aimee Sicuro Beautiful. Slightly rhyming. Lyrical. Fun, real leaves within the art. We loved picking out leaves we knew and thinking creatively about how natural items can be used in art.

Children's book cover for If You Find a Leaf. Showing a small child and dog sailing in a boat while a large red leaf serves as their sail, on blue waves beneath a soft pastel sky.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 26/07/2026

Today was a hard day. I spent it helping friends pull together what few smoke-damaged possessions were left after a house fire. No one was injured but they lost everything. Hug your loved ones.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 24/07/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks A Pocket Full of Rocks Kristin Mahoney & E.B. Goodale @kmcmahoney.bsky.social @ebgoodale.bsky.social A circular story of collecting. Rocks, petals, shells, and acorns. Through the seasons. Lovely and lyrical. I adored this.

Cover for A Pocket Full of Rocks. Shows a smiling child in a yellow-and-white striped shirt cradling a handful of speckled rocks against a colorful floral background.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 22/07/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks A Tree is a Community David L. Harrison & Kate Cosgrove @k8cosgrove.bsky.social Lyrical and lovely. All the life supported by a tree. Amazing!

Cover for A Tree Is A Community. Showing a large tree filled with birds and a raccoon, two children swinging from a branch beneath a bright sun.

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Cait Darfler..... is on SUBMISSION! @caitdarfler.com · 22/07/2026

📚👍 So many good books. #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks It finally came! Thanks to my Indie Bookstore @buffalostreetbooks.bsky.social I've been waiting months to get my own copy of ENOUGH TO SHARE by Mary Helen Berg and Sue Todd. @maryhelenberg.bsky.social @suetodd.bsky.social

Cait smiling, with short gray hair and purple glasses, holding the children's book "Enough to Share" outside.

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Sarah Steinbacher, Ed.D. (she/they) @sarahsteinbacher.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

What’s your favorite picture book summer read? Share it below. Be sure to check out TOGETHER WE SWIM by @valeriebolling.bsky.social & @kaylanijuanita.bsky.social Read my interview with Valerie at www.sarahsteinbacher.com/blog/intervi... #picturebooks #kidlit #kidlitauthor #booksky #BeAnAmbassador

The image discusses children’s literature and features Valerie Bolling and Kaylani Juanita’s picture book TOGETHER WE SWIM, an illustrated children’s book about a child’s first swimming lesson with his mom. Against a background of light blue swimming pool water, the title reads: “summer reading.” Below the title to the left is a large image of the cover of the picture book TOGETHER WE SWIM, written by Valerie Bolling and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita. To the right of the book are 3 reviews, each with the reviewer’s icon. The top starred review from Kirkus says: “Black family pride and joy abound…Warmly buoyant.” The middle review from School Library Journal says: “this excellent read-aloud celebrates accomplishment and honors fear and a misstep or two.” The bottom review from Horn Book says: “joyful exuberance of conquering one’s fears…with the calming steadiness of a loving family.” Below the reviews at the bottom is the concrete corner of the pool. On top is a pair of sunglasses and a yellow and white towel roll. On top of the towel roll is “Exclusive Interview” with an arrow pointing to: https://www.sarahsteinbacher.com/blog/interview-valerie-bolling

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