Maria Marshall - Picture Book Buzz

In May 2024, Sarah Hovorka and I had an interview with Maria Marshall. I really enjoyed this interview and the added questions about how we enjoy the great outdoors. Check out our interview here: https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/the-picture-book-buzz-interview-w-sarah-hovorka-and-alicia-schwab

Order this book! Amazon | IndieBound.org | Bookshop.org | Amicus Ink

Lions, Tigers, and Bears—oh, my!

I’m super excited for my book launch next week for UNICYCLE DAD, by Sarah Hovorka and Alicia Schwab, published by Amicus Ink March 12, 2024.

I made new business cards, stickers and bookmarks.

UPCOMING BOOK SIGNING & SALES

March 16, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Rosemount Writers Festival in Rosemount, MN. Book signing and sale.

March 23, 10:30-Noon, UNICYCLE DAD, Alicia Schwab: Book signing and storytime at Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Avenue, St Paul, MN 55105

#LIBLOOT - Picture Book Graphic Novels

I’ve been reading lots of picture books, both picture books and picture book-graphic novels. Here’s some of my #libraryloot.

Stop That Yawn! by Caron Levis and LeUyen Pham. Levis’ text is spunky and fun. Pham’s character design is superb.

Gabby Wild has had enough of bedtime. Yawn, curl, snuggle, snore—what a bore!

So instead of tucking in, she jets out—with poor Granny in tow—to a place where beds are for bouncing, hushes are shushed, and it’s never too late for ice cream. But sometimes, even when you grit your teeth and seal your lips, it’s impossible to stop that…YAWN!

There’s a yawn on the loose! Can Gabby stop that yawn from spreading the snooze, or will it be lights out for Never Sleeping City?
48 pages, 4-8 years, Trim: 9 x 12 inches, October 2018, ISBN 978-1481441797

Lost & Found, by Shaun Tan
A collection of three jaw-dropping stories: The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and The Rabbits, by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Shaun Tan
128 pages, 12 years and up, Trim: 9 x 11.75, March 2011, ISBN 978-0545229241

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man, by Michael Chabon and Jake Parker
Awesome Man can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs, fly as straight as an arrow, and hug mutant Jell-O! Even villains like Professor Von Evil and the Flaming Eyeball are no match for this caped crusader. But Awesome Man also has a secret. . . . Can you guess what it is?
40 pages, 3-6 years, Trim: 8.5 x 11 inches, Sept. 2011, ISBN 978-0061914621

Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World, Mac Barnett and Dan Santat
Some kids are too smart for their own good...and maybe for everybody else's good. When an overly ambitious little girl builds a humongous robot for her science fair, she fully expects to win first place. What she doesn't expect is the chaos that follows! "I probably shouldn't have given it a superclaw, or a laser eye, or the power to control dogs' minds," she laments. Kids, don't try this at home!
40 pages, 3-7 years, Trim: 10.4 x 11.85, June 2010, ISBN 978-1423123125

#LIBLOOT - Picture Book Graphic Novels

I haven’t posted book reviews in a while. Check out what I’m reading from my local library!

I’ve been taking Rivkah La Fille’s Graphic Novel Writing Workshop via NE SCBWI. She has loads of good information. I highly recommend her courses.

We learned that for the graphic novel genre, authors focus on page count instead of word count. Graphic novel-picture books can have +32 pages. Most picture book authors aim to limit their manuscripts to 32 pages and 500 words.

Another great graphic novel course is from Ken Lamug via Storyteller Academy. This is a pace-yourself-style class that is great for busy people.

Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann and Janet Lee


Welcome to Anorev, a land where time has no meaning. Robots work and children play, but the play is no fun and the work is no use. A curious boy named Ayden and his robot friend Zoe know that something's missing, but they can't imagine what it might be… until 314 identical men in green bowler hats fall from the sky. At last, our heroes have a chance to discover what happened to their world, what might start the clocks back up again, and what tomorrow really means. Blending clockwork whimsy with majestic art-nouveau visuals, Jim McCann and Janet Lee present a hand-crafted fairy tale that feels both familiar and entirely new in this prestige reprinting!

146 pages, 9-12 years, Trim 9.81 x 11.38 inches, August 2017, ISBN 978-1603094139

The Wanderer, by Peter Van Den Ende

Without a word, The Wanderer presents one little paper boat's journey across the ocean, past reefs and between icebergs, through schools of fish, swaying water plants, and terrifying sea monsters. The little boat is all alone, and while its aloneness gives it the chance to wonder at the fairy-tale world above and below the waves, that also means it must save itself when it storms. And so it does.

96 pages, 8-14 years, Trim 9.4 x 12.35 inches, Oct. 2020, ISBN 978-1646140176

THIS IS NOT MY STORY, BY RYAN Uytdewilligen and David Huyck

The brave captain of a tiny spaceship is surrounded by flying saucers. Though the situation appears dire, he knows just what to do … um, wait! The brave captain - ahem, boy - tells the author to stop the action: He’s got it all wrong. This is not the boy’s story. He belongs in a different story.

40 pages, 6-9 years, Trim: 8.85 x 11.3, June 2023, ISBN 978-1525303432

MAd Scientist Academy: The Dinosaur Disaster, by Matthew McElligott

Welcome to Mad Scientist Academy! The first day of school is always exciting, and Dr. Cosmic’s new students can’t wait to get started. After their teacher reveals that their school pet, Oscar, is a dinosaur, they quickly realize Dr. Cosmic has an unusual teaching style. To find Oscar, the class has to follow the clues through the realistic dinosaur exhibit Dr. Cosmic designed and built over the summer. But when a malfunction causes the robotic dinosaurs to come alive, this prehistoric exhibit feels a little too real!

40 pages, 5-8 years, 8.6 x 11 inches, July 2017, ISBN 978-0553523782

Here's pb24Galore member Jenin Mohammed's new book

THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM

written by Tonya Duncan Ellis and illustrated by Jenin Mohammed.

Balzer and Bray, May 14, 2024

About the book

A moving picture book about the history of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas—and the origins of Juneteenth.

When people visit me, they are free—to run, play, gather, and rejoice.

They built me to remember.

On June 19, 1865, the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas learned they were free, ending slavery in the United States. This day was soon to be memorialized with the dedication of a park in Houston. The park was called Emancipation Park, and the day it honored would come to be known as Juneteenth.  

In the voice and memory of the park itself—its fields and pools, its protests and cookouts, and, most of all, its people—the 150-year story of Emancipation Park is brought to life. Through lyrical text and vibrant artwork, Tonya Duncan Ellis and Jenin Mohammed have crafted an ode to the struggle, triumph, courage, and joy of Black America—and the promise of a people to remember.

Cover Reveal & Enter to Win a Portfolio Review!

Thank you, Vivian Kirkfield for hosting our UNICYCLE DAD cover reveal on her blog! https://viviankirkfield.com/ Enter to win a portfolio critique #giveaway from ALICIA! And a manuscript review from SARAH HOVORKA. Go to Vivian's blog to enter. Vivian will draw a winner by the end of October.

UNICYCLE DAD

written by Sarah Hovorka and illustrated by Alicia Schwab
Amicus Ink, March 12th, 2024!
You can pre-order the book here.
 @amicus_publishing @authorsarahhovorka @viviankirkfield

Spirits Dancing Cover reveal

Here is the cover I designed. Preorder a copy of SPIRITS DANCING The Night Sky, Indigenous Knowledge, and Living Connections to the Cosmos

Photography by Travis Novitsky, Text by Annette S. Lee

Minnesota Historical Society Press (November 7, 2023)

An exploration of human connection to the aurora, the Milky Way, and the wonder of the universe above us, with gorgeous photographs by a master photographer.

Read full description

I enjoyed designing this cover. Travis Novitsky’s photography is stunning.

Cover design: Alicia Schwab

#PB24Galore: new picture books to explore!

Meet our fabulous team of explorers! We all have new picture books in 2024. Check back for more news and giveaways.

ADAM MING linktr.ee/adamming

ALICIA SCHWAB linktr.ee/AliciaSchwab

COLLEEN MUSKE colleenmuske.com

JEANETTE FAZZARI JONES https://jeanettejones1981.wixsite.com/jeanettefazzarijo

JENIN MOHAMMED https://www.jeninmohammed.com/books/

MIRKA HOKKANEN smart.bio/mirkahokkanen

SARAH KURPIEL https://sarahkurpiel.com/

ZAINAB KHAN https://www.facebook.com/zainab.khan.967

Downtown St. Paul Voice

Another lovely article in my local paper, the Downtown St. Paul Voice. Our book, THE HOUSE WE SHELTERED IN / THE MASKS WE WORE, was written by Freeman Ng and illustrated by 16 illustrators (including me).

The book is about the pandemic and how the world learned to live during this challenging time in our history. A dual volume: two stories that start from each end of a flippable book. The flippable dual structure of the book seemed a natural expression of its yin-yang nature. The first poem, The House We Sheltered In, is inward-looking. It’s about comfort and security. The second poem, The Masks We Wore, is outward-looking, about the actions we took in the world to combat the virus.

Order your copy today at www.pandemicpb.com

A day for celebration!!

“WHO says Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency.” Thank goodness.

BOOK LAUNCH: Yes, I made a book with TWO covers! I collaborated with a team of creators from around the globe. We made a #pb flipbook celebrating the joys of homebound life and the collective heroism of our fight against COVID-19. By author Freeman Ng & 14 international illustrators: Alicia Schwab, Anaya Pinney, Annie Kuhn, Brigitte West, Cheryl Anne Warren, Eshanthie Tyner, Gabriela Vega, Haley Grunloh, Jessica Chrysler, Julianna Castro, Rebecca Hoenig, Ruby Michelle, Sara Nintzel, Olivia Pinney, and Wendy Roble. https://pandemicpb.com/
BUY THIS BOOK!