This Table

Alex Killian is a picture book author whose debut picture book, This Table, will be followed by In-Between Places. She comes from a film background, and she has worked in both film production and creative development. Alex still has a handmade wooden table she picked up after college, which has occupied a special spot in her living places in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as in her current home in Long Beach, California.Brooke Smart lives with her husband and three children in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her work appears in children’s books, children’s magazines, newspapers, and on walls of buildings near and far. She loves working with traditional media, especially with watercolor, gouache, and (on occasion) acrylic paint. Much of her time is spent at her kitchen table with her family—eating, playing board games for endless hours, creating imaginary worlds from Legos or paper or cardboard and, of course, drawing.

dPICTUS: 100 Outstanding Picture Books 2025"This book is an explosion of possibilities. It tracks not the life, but the many lives a table can inhibit through the years. The illustrations, strong and simple, depict the deep joy around an inclusive family table... remind[s the] readers of the beautiful moments created not just by the table, but by those we love."—School Library Journal, STARRED review“This beautiful picture book takes the reader from a tree’s seed to a finished wooden table, lovingly constructed to become the center of a family’s life.”—Youth Service Book Review, STARRED Review“A warm charmer that will help readers reflect on life’s most important things.”—Kirkus"A farm-style dining table, born from a single helicopter seed, becomes 'the heart of someone’s home.' Expertly shaped, sanded, stained, and sealed so it radiates a warm luster, the former tree becomes “strong and stable,” serving as center stage for a busy extended family, portrayed with various abilities and skin tones.”—Publishers Weekly“Prompts discussions about readers’ own experiences around family tables.”—Horn Book