100 Scope Notes

I looked high and low to find all the 2026 books from past winners of the Schneider Family Book Award (honoring books that embody “an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences”).

Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments.

Previously . . .

2026 Books from Newbery Winners

2026 Books from Caldecott Winners

2026 Books from Geisel Winners

2026 Books from Pura Belpré Winners

2026 Books from Coretta Scott King Winners

2026 Books from Sibert Winners

2026 Books from Stonewall Winners

2026 Books from Printz Winners

2026 Books from APAAL Winners

2026 Books from AIYLA Winners

An Author Visit with Ruth McNally Barshaw!

Travis Jonker — Mon, 11 May 2026 04:01:00 +0000

Author/illustrator Ruth McNally Barshaw recently visited our school and we have the photos to prove it . . .

All set up the night before the big day

Student coloring pages hung up to welcome Ruth

More student coloring pages

A gift for the visiting author!

Showtime! Ruth was drawing with students for much of the session.

Drawing stories

Ruth showing her sketchbook from when she was a kid!

A page of student artwork after the visit. Thank you Ruth!

10 MORE to Note: Spring 2026

Travis Jonker — Fri, 08 May 2026 04:01:00 +0000

Trying something new here.

For years I’ve put together these ten-book seasonal previews, and the worst part is all the books I have to leave out.

So today, I’m going to share a quick and dirty post of the books that were the toughest to leave off the list on Monday.

No author/title/pub info. No blurbs. Just the covers of some MORE books I’m looking forward to this season. All books below are coming out in March, April, and May.

Now on The Yarn: Philip Stead

Travis Jonker — Thu, 07 May 2026 04:01:00 +0000

With his latest book – A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic – Philip Stead tried something new: writing middle grade fiction.

In the latest episode of The Yarn podcast, I talk with Phil about how the book was made.

2026 Books from American Indian Youth Literature Award Winners

Travis Jonker — Tue, 05 May 2026 04:01:00 +0000

I looked high and low to find all the 2026 books from past winners of the American Indian Youth Literature Award (AIYLA).

Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments.

Previously . . .

2026 Books from Newbery Winners

2026 Books from Caldecott Winners

2026 Books from Geisel Winners

2026 Books from Pura Belpré Winners

2026 Books from Coretta Scott King Winners

2026 Books from Sibert Winners

2026 Books from Stonewall Winners

2026 Books from Printz Winners

2026 Books from APAAL Winners

10 to Note: Spring 2026

Travis Jonker — Mon, 04 May 2026 04:01:00 +0000

Here are 10 books coming out this season (March, April, May) that I’m looking forward to.

Picture Books

All the Ice Cream in the Land by Emmy Kastner

May 5 | Simon & Schuster | Grades K-2

Anyone else up for a greedy king story? I always am. In this cumulative tale, the royal subjects assume the princess wants “all the ice cream in the land”, but what she really wants is quite different.

Bear for a Day by Corey R. Tabor

May 19 | Greenwillow (HarperCollins) | Grades K-2

I have Corey R. Tabor season tickets. Based on his stellar track record, I’m in for any new book he releases. This one, about the day in the life of a bear, takes an unexpected turn about halfway through, causing the reader to see the book from a completely new perspective.

Loops by Jashar Awan

March 3 | Simon & Schuster | Grades PreK-2

Fresh off his Caldecott Honor win for the excellent Every Monday Mabel, Awan is back with that book’s spiritual twin: a story about perseverance in the face of shoelaces.

Chapter Books

Destiny Ink: Sleepover Surprise by Adeola Sokunbi

April 1 | Nosy Crow | Grades 1-3

In the first book in this highly illustrated chapter book series, Destiny is headed to her first sleepover. She’s excited and nervous. Thankfully, what she doodles comes to life, so she can be prepared.

You’re a Winner, Gracie Wei (Gracie Wei #1) by Kristen Mei Chase, illustrated by Basia Tran

March 3 | Knopf | Grades 2-4

It’s a high-stakes spelling bee showdown in this first book in a series. Gracie wants to make the “Wall of Wei” – a place Gracie’s family displays their accolades. So she sets her sights on the 4th grade spelling bee.

Sherlock Roach and the Case of the Crunchy Crumb by Joe McGee, illustrated by Jannie Ho

May 5 | Simon Spotlight | Grades 1-4

Sherlock Roach and his loyal partner Dr. Wormston are on the hunt for a missing crumb, collecting clues to crack the case.

Middle Grade Fiction

A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic or Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm by Philip Stead

April 7 | Neal Porter Books (Holiday House) | Grades 4-6

The (second) subtitle for Stead’s first foray into middle grade fiction is “a story out of order”, and it delivers, kicking things off on chapter thirteen. Full of Python-esque absurdity and a whole lot of goats, this book has already picked up a bunch of stellar reviews. Fans of The Phantom Tollbooth should be on high alert.

Roohi and Nate Are Not on the Same Page by Supriya Kelkar and Jarrett Lerner

March 3 | Abrams | Grades 3-6

Unlikely friends team up to save the library in this illustrated novel from two of my favorite creators.

Graphic Novel

A Fishboy Named . . . Sashimi by Dan Santat

April 14 | Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan) | Grades 2-4

A Dan Santat graphic novel is always a special event. Sidekicks, The Aquanaut, and A First Time for Everything are some of the best out there. In Sashimi, he leans into the humor, as the fishboy tries to fit in with the humans.

Nonfiction

If I Were a Plant by Gaia Stella

May 5 | Little Smith (Penguin) | Grades PreK-1

Illustrated books with nonfiction concepts for pre-readers (that aren’t board books) are pretty rare, so this STEAM-themed picture book caught my eye. A kid imagines what it would like to be a plant, dropping facts along the way.

I Need to Stop Pretending Roald Dahl Wasn’t Problematic

Travis Jonker — Fri, 01 May 2026 04:01:00 +0000

When I was a kid, Roald Dahl was my favorite author. Dude pretty much turned me into a reader. I’ve written about my pre-internet quest to find every last one of his books. I wanted to ride in the great glass elevator. I wanted to live in Danny’s caravan and pull one over on Mr. Hazell.

But I’ve known for a while that he wasn’t someone to look up to. An awful guy, actually. Anti-semitic. Misogynistic. Mean. While he was alive, a number of edits were made to his books to remove racist or otherwise offensive content. After he passed, his estate did more (BTW: This HAS to be the best post title that’s ever appeared on this blog).

While evidence of his indefensible faults and biases is more widely known than ever, his life and work seem to be all around. John Lithgow is playing him (warts and all) on Broadway. Film adaptations of his work are still being released.

What do you do when your favorite childhood author is someone you don’t approve of? It’s the tired “Can you separate the art from the artist?” debate all over again.

My next assignment is to listen to a recently released podcast on Dahl. It’s called The Secret World of Roald Dahl. I’m curious to see if it leads to any new insights on an author I used to love.

Notes on April 2026

Travis Jonker — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:01:00 +0000

In April . . .

. . . we learned that there might be an unexpected new Seuss sequel on the horizon.

It was an April 1st announcement. April 1st.

. . . we learned that there are a lot of new books by past Sibert, Stonewall, Printz, and APAA award winners.

Rounding them all up for your perusal.

. . . I put out a LEGO-fied challenge!

Can you name these three books?