KENNETH KRAEGEL
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Upcoming Event

2/8/2021

 
Picture
Lola

This March I'll be speaking at the Michigan Reading Association's annual conference. I'll be leading a break-out session called Telling a Good Story with Words and Pictures on March 13, at 3PM. I am looking forward to meeting some literacy educators!

When I visit schools I talk about different things I consider when I am making an  illustration (composition). I have a new way of explaining some of these compositional components that I am excited to demonstrate in my session. I will also have a fun segment on how tension in a story makes us want to know what will happen next.

The pig here, does not have anything to do with the MRA conference, but I think she would probably enjoy it. Her name is Lola, well named by my wife's aunt, for whom drawing was made.

This Is a Book of Shapes wrap-up

12/21/2020

 
Picture
from the Shapes coloring page
Here are a few more places where Shapes has showed up this year:
- The Chicago Public Library listed it as a Best Board Book of 2020.
- Reading Rockets put it on their Holiday Buying Guide 2020. 
- The School Library Journal blog A Fuse 8 Production listed it on a 2020 recommended board book list.
- And the Youth Services Book Review recommended it, calling it, "cute, stylish and original." Something no one has ever said about me, but I am glad they think that of my book.

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

Picture
here is how I colored it in

News regarding This Is a Book of Shapes and peanut butter!

11/13/2020

 
Mother Mag's 50+ Gift Guide for Babies and Toddlers included a few book and Shapes was one of them. Looking at all the little toys and clothes reminded me how sweet those first few years are. Somehow, it is easy to forget the lack of sleep, etc!

Shapes was also on the Let's Talk Picture Books blog as one of their Crushes of the Week. It is nice to be crushed!
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In the last post I mentioned my forthcoming chat with Nanny Miss Monique - it was a lot of fun! Check it out on Instagram @nannymissmonique.
In other good news, I have found a way to easily mix natural peanut butter. I really like the kind of peanut butter that is just ground peanuts and salt, but the one downside to this kind of peanut butter is that the oil rises to the top of the jar, so you have to mix it before you can use it and that is really messy. But if you turn the jar upside down on the shelf, gravity does the mixing for you, without the mess! Yes!

Event, List, Review

10/28/2020

 
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As you can see from the poster, I'll be having a chat with Nanny Miss Monique on October 29th at 1PM CST on Instagram Live @nannymissmonique. Nanny Miss Monique is a great resource for inclusive picture books, plus she is a lot of fun. I look forward to our chat!

It was exciting to see This Is a Book of Shapes appear on the 2020 Holiday 20 recommended book list from Publishers Weekly's ShelfTalker blog. You can read the article here.  It is a fun read!

It was also exciting to see a nice review of the book appear on the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (a children's book illustration blog). I have enjoyed and respected that blog for as long as I have been making picture books, so it was a pleasant surprise to see Shapes appear there.  You can read the post here.


Upcoming Events and News for This Is a Book of Shapes

10/2/2020

 
On Saturday, 10 at 11AM, I'll be doing a Facebook Live event with good old Schuler Books. I'll read This Is a Book of Shapes and who knows what else! We'll have fun!

On Wednesday, October 21 at 11AM, I'll be doing a Facebook Live event with the fabulous Nicola's Books. Similar antics as above.

It was great to see This Is a Book of Shapes listed on ReadBrightly.com's Best Children's Books of September 2020!

The turtles on this post are courtesy of the coloring page I made for Shapes. You can download it from the coloring pages page or right here.
Picture
from the coloring page
Picture
here is how I colored it in

This Is a Book of Shapes is out today!

9/8/2020

 
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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

 
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emu from the This Is a Book of Shapes coloring page
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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

 
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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. 

Picture
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

 
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Wild Honey from the Moon received a gold award from the Parent's Choice Foundation!
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  • Welcome
  • Books
    • This is a Book of Shapes
    • Wild Honey from the Moon
    • Green Pants
    • The Song of Delphine
    • King Arthur's Very Great Grandson
  • Coloring Pages
  • School Visits
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact