Brooke Smart – illustratör

A family can beAny kind of numberMaybe there’s one parentStrong like thunderThis charmingly heartfelt board book is for families: families who cook together and families who sing together, families with lots of members and families with a special few, families who live together and families who live separately - for all families. Celebrate the differences that make each family unique and the similarities and love that connect us all together.

This formative board book is an appreciation of school communities and the many ways in which they help develop empathy, compassion, and collective responsibility. Through a handful of specific yet universal school scenarios, young readers will understand what it means to be a part of a school community and celebrate how to share with and care for one another.

Decode the story of Elizebeth Friedman, the cryptologist who took down gangsters and Nazi spiesIn this picture book biography, young readers will learn all about Elizebeth Friedman (1892–1980), a brilliant American code breaker who smashed Nazi spy rings, took down gangsters, and created the CIA's firstcryptology unit. Her story came to light when her secret papers were finally declassified in 2015. From thwarting notorious rumrunners with only paper and pencil to “counter-spying into the minds and activities of” Nazis, Elizebeth held a pivotal role in the early days of US cryptology. No code was too challenging for her to crack, and Elizebeth’s work undoubtedly saved thousands of lives. Extensive back matter includes explanations of codes and ciphers, further information on cryptology, a bibliography, a timeline of Elizebeth’s life, plus secret messages for young readers to decode.

For fans of Sophie Blackall’s Farmhouse comes a gorgeous story of one table and the life that grows around it.This moving picture book traces a table and its transformation: from a seed to a tree to a treasured object in a home. Strong and stable through the years, the table becomes a space for being together: for birthday parties and science projects, and meals big and small. With captivating text and lush illustrations, This Table will inspire conversations about the everyday, ordinary objects in our lives, and their role in creating lifelong memories.The table was strong and stable.It was placed in the middle of a room in the middle of a house, and life grew up around it.It was perfect for birthday cakesand catching a slice of morning light,for drawing imaginary worlds, and unfolding maps to discover real ones.