Nearer My Freedom Cover Design Historic Topic, Contemporary Cover

By Athena Currier, Senior Designer

Reluctant readers sometimes think of historical nonfiction as “vitamins”—more obligation than entertainment. But YA nonfiction can be so much more than that! Good books make history come alive.

Yet frequently those books come packaged within covers that feel a little too historic. How can a book’s cover design be both appropriate to its topic, while also fresh and exciting? How can a designer give a book the best chance of grabbing potential readers’ attention without misleading them as to its genre? Read on to find out the answers to these questions!

by Carol Hinz, Associate Publisher of Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books

I love picture book biographies, both because of the fascinating range of people featured and because of the wide range of approaches authors use in writing them. Would I have known about Isatou Ceesay’s efforts to clean up her community in the Gambia if it weren’t for One Plastic Bag? Would I have had any idea how Cherokee values shaped Mary Golda Ross’s career as an aerospace engineer without Classified? Would I have been aware that a Mexican American teen girl with a passion for woodworking made a gift for President Roosevelt during the Great Depression if not for the forthcoming Piece by Piece?

Picture book bios are a mainstay of children’s nonfiction, but there are a lot of them, which can make it hard to stand out from the crowd. What elements does a picture book bio need to be successful?

May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! This month provides an opportunity to reflect on the rich history, culture, and achievements of these communities and to celebrate their diversity and unique contributions to our society.

One great way to celebrate is to read some of the amazing stories that showcase such rich history and culture of these communities. Read on to see our ‘must-read’ book recommendations for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month!

Trees are the tallest living things on Earth. But how do they grow to be so tall? Science writer Rebecca E. Hirsch presents a poetic introduction to the tree life cycle in Rise to the Sky: How the World’s Tallest Trees Grow Up. Accompanied by Mia Posada’s detailed collage illustrations, this book features the tallest tree species from around the world, including the coast redwood, the Sitka spruce, and the giant sequoia.

Today Rebecca and Mia join us to talk about how they wrote and illustrated this masterful picture book. Read on to discover their hopes for young readers and download the free activity guide!