KENNETH KRAEGEL

This Is a Book of Shapes is out today!

9/8/2020

This Is a Book of Shapes hits the shelves today! You can find it at your favorite independent bookstore or at an online retailer like Indiebound, Barnes and Noble, Target, or Amazon.

This Is a Book of Shapes is an Amazon Best Book of September

9/1/2020

emu from the This Is a Book of Shapes coloring page

my colored-in emu from the coloring page

It is really sweet to have a book in the Baby - Age 2 category. Those are the readers who don't just flip through a book, but really take their time with a book - they really chew on it! It is also really sweet to see This Is a Book of Shapes listed on Amazon as a Best Book of September in that category!

And here is what the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books said about This Is a Book of Shapes:
Concept books come with expectations, and everybody knows them. Mastering basic shapes is a key element for preschool readiness, and everybody knows that. Kraegel breaks, most delightfully, from the program, throwing his audience off balance with one change-up and then another, until this rudimentary lesson is so swamped with giggles that tykes might forget they’re learning.

The emus with the triangles is from the coloring page that you can download here.

The New England Book Show and a New Coloring Page

7/17/2020

This is the rhino from the coloring page

Wild Honey from the Moon received an Honorable Mention at the New England Book Show! At the NEBS, the Bookbuilders of Boston select titles for their design, quality of materials, and workmanship. Kudos to Pam Consolazio, the designer of Wild Honey from the Moon (and most other books of mine) and the rest of the production team at Candlewick for crafting such great books and being so great to work with!

I have just put up a new coloring page. The black and white rhino is how he appears on the coloring sheet and the colored-in rhino is how it appears in This is a Book of Shapes (coming September 8, 2020). Download it and many other coloring pages here.

and this is how I colored it in.

KidLit4BlackLivesRally and One More "Best of" List

6/25/2020

Below is the recording of the KidLit4BlackLivesRally that took place on June 4, hosted by the Brown Bookshelf. Lots of different children's book authors share their thoughts on where we are on race in the USA and how we can move forward. I found it very useful in guiding my own thinking. The rally starts at around 10 minutes into the video.

On a separate note, Wild Honey from the Moon was listed on the Bank Street Best Children's Books of 2020 and given an outstanding merit designation in the 5-8 year old category.

Wild Honey from the Moon Gets a Gold

6/11/2020

Wild Honey from the Moon received a gold award from the Parent's Choice Foundation!

Black Lives Matter, Black Kids Matter

6/8/2020

The AADL Short Story Award Ceremony (from home)

4/18/2020

Here is my talk for the Ann Arbor District Library's short story contest award ceremony. I was really looking forward to meeting all the young writers (3rd - 5th graders) but we were not able to all be together, of course. Instead the AADL recorded the ceremony remotely, including my talk about my creative process. I was able to sit in my studio and show every step, something I can't do as well in front of a group of people. Congratulations to all the participants and to the winners!

Green Pants Now in Paperback!

4/14/2020

The paperback edition of Green Pants is now available! Get it from your local bookseller or at:
IndieBound
or Barnes and Noble
or Target
or Amazon.

Create with Kenneth Kraegel

4/10/2020

Here art is the video series I did with Schuler Books and Nicola's Books. It was a combined effort to reach out to kids and adults during this stay-at-home period. We make an illustration together in five sessions. In the first video we make a frame and talk about using straight edges. In the second video we draw a dog and talk about sketching. In video #3 we talk draw a lot of butterflies and discuss perspective. In the fourth video we talk about and draw foreground and background. And in #5 we address color. Enjoy!

Facebook Live Event with Schuler Books

3/19/2020

Instagram square - follow me on instagram @kennethkraegel

From March 30 - April 3 at 11 AM EDT, I'll be leading a series of mini-art classes with Schuler Books as a Facebook Live Event. We will have a lot of fun! Everyday, I will show how to do one step of an illustration (right now I am thinking of dragons and butterflies) so that by the end of the week we will have created a finished piece of artwork. The sessions will only last around five minutes, but should keep your artists busy for a while after the lesson is over. Each lesson will contain an art tip as well. I'll be updating this post with more details. :)

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