Greenlight

Breanna Carzoo is the author-illustrator of the picture books Lou, Greenlight, and The Squish. She crafts illustrations with painted cut-paper collage and mixed media. Her debut picture book, Lou, was shortlisted for the 2023 Barnes and Noble Children’s and YA Book Awards and named on many state award lists, and both Lou and Greenlight were named Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of 2022 and 2023. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and dog. Visit her at breannacarzoo.com.Breanna Carzoo is the author-illustrator of the picture books Lou, Greenlight, and The Squish. She crafts illustrations with painted cut-paper collage and mixed media. Her debut picture book, Lou, was shortlisted for the 2023 Barnes and Noble Children’s and YA Book Awards and named on many state award lists, and both Lou and Greenlight were named Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of 2022 and 2023. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and dog. Visit her at breannacarzoo.com.

Irresistibly invites young audiences to holler along. . . and to let their own lights shine. A stopper for readers ready. . . and set to . . . GO! — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)With a wink of humor and a lot of heart, it’s a story that sheds a moving light, so to speak, on powerful mantras of self-acceptance, awareness, and appreciation.  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)Much like Carzoo’s forlorn fire hydrant (who makes an appearance here) in Lou (BCCB 06/22), Greenlight makes for a charming protagonist with relatable insecurities, while the premise invites readers in on the joke and gives nuance to what seems like a straightforward message. . . The book emphasizes the value in determining one’s own worth, but it also points to the possibility that others see our strengths in ways that we do not. . . This would pair nicely with the aforementioned Lou to lend an emotional/social learning element to a traffic-focused storytime.   — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books