Chris Raschka

Winner of the 2012 Randolph Caldecott Medal This New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Best Illustrated Book relates a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.

A Ball for Daisy

A 100th birthday tribute to the late jazz artist explores his observations about humanity's discriminatory and violent behaviors as well as his efforts to forge world peace through music with the Sun Ra Arkestra, a group of musicians and singers who performed for people all over the planet. By the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of A Ball for Daisy.

The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra

“[Raschka's] marvelous sequences, fluid style, and emotional intelligence capture all of the momentum and exhilaration of this glorious accomplishment,” raves School Library Journal in a starred review. Learning to ride a bike is one of the most important milestones of childhood, and no one captures the emotional ups and downs of the experience better than Chris Raschka, who won the 2012 Caldecott Medal for A Ball for Daisy. In this simple yet emotionally rich "guide," a father takes his daughter through all the steps in the process—from choosing the perfect bicycle to that triumphant first successful ride. Using very few words and lots of expressive pictures, here is a picture book that not only shows kids how to learn to ride, but captures what it feels like to fall . . . get up . . . fall again . . . and finally "by luck, grace, and determination" ride a bicycle!

Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle

Two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka's dazzling fiction debut. Now that the whole thing is over (and we all survived!), I can tell you what happened. Picture this for a second. Rock wall six inches on my left. Sheer cliff hundreds of feet down on my right, my best friend Norman in front of me, mumbling something, and my mom behind me saying, "Step, step, step." EEEEEEYAAAAAH! Next time my mom bugs me about sitting in front of the computer too much, I'm going to say, "Thanks, I prefer it where the near-death experiences are virtual!" No, seriously, this story is about Norman and about how he grows and learns stuff. Uses his imagination. Observes things. Like his dad, who is so devoted to . . . money! Like how his dad is mixed up with weird creeps of the underworld. All over the world! Why, why are grown-ups so insane? That's exactly the question that Norman, Anna and Emma (the twins), and I, Leonard, try to answer. And with the help of Norman's new tutor, Balthazar Birdsong (also fairly nuts), we nearly do it, too. Praise for SERIOUSLY, NORMAN! A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK "Appealingly quirky and adventurous; a celebration of the power of thinking outside the box."--KIRKUS REVIEWS "This rousing tale contains strong wordplay and a lot of humor."--HORN BOOK "A visual, loopy, absurdist experience."--THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Seriously, Norman!

In his apple orchard, a farmer meets a little man named Take and follows his advice, which does not turn out well, and the next day meets a little man named Give, whose advice is just as bad.

Give and Take

A heartfelt and playful ode to the father-child relationship, by two-time Caldecott-medal-winning author Chris Raschka King and Jester, Boat and Captain, Mountain and Climber... fathers and children are all of these things and more in Chris Raschka's tribute to this familial pair. Each stanza presents three scenarios in which the father and child's roles are subtly balanced. The pairs vary between stanzas, coming together in a visit to an ice-cream truck. With minimal text and maximum emotion, the book encapsulates Raschka's own passion and nostalgia for being a father to his [now-grown] son. Ages 3-5

A Celebration of Dads

Side by Side

Theme: Feeling shy. Introducing . . . Clammy Clam! It’s . . . Clammy Clam! And yet, Clammy Clam refuses to say a simple “hello.” In this tribute to the silent type, readers are reminded that kids can be unpredictable, requiring improvisation and compromise. Chris Raschka’s expert balance of visual and textual humor will bring even the shyest of readers out of their shells! This is a fixed-format ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book.

Clammy Clam

From Caldecott Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author Chris Raschka, this tender and fun-filled picture book celebrates unexpected friendship and city life from the perspective of pigeons! How do two friends find each other? Why choose this one, not another? Are two friends just meant to be— I for you and you for me? Two pigeons fly through the city hoping to find a friend—but where do friends come from? In this brightly illustrated love letter to cities, the fine, feathered characters discover the magical, unlikely connections that happen best in the hustle and bustle of a big city.

In the City

You may be surprised at the tricky music a box, a snowflake, some raindrops, and a kitten can make. Right before your eyes. And on the pages of this book. There is someone backstage watching, encouraging our performers but keeping them under control. Why not listen along?

John Coltrane's Giant Steps

Theme: Wanting attention. Buggy Bug has something to say. But what could it be? We may never know, in this pitch-perfect portrait of the inconsistencies of toddlerhood. Buggy Bug’s insistence on attention—and then denial of attention—will prompt giggles upon each reading. Chris Raschka writes humor between the lines and paints in subtleties that will tickle readers of all ages. This is a fixed-format ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book.

Buggy Bug

Two-time Caldecott Medalist and New York Times–bestselling picture book creator Chris Raschka pays tribute to one of the most quintessential events of childhood—getting new shoes—in this boldly illustrated and inspiring book for the youngest reader. When a young child discovers a hole in a sneaker, mother and child embark on a big childhood adventure—a trip to the store to pick out new shoes. From having feet measured and making a selection to finally showing off the new shoes to a friend, this momentous child moment is treated with respect, excitement, and page-turning energy in a wonderfully age-appropriate picture book. Caldecott Medalist and New York Times–bestselling picture book creator Chris Raschka joyfully captures the event from the child’s point of view. New Shoes is a preschool classic in the making.

New Shoes

"An effective, unusual 34-word story of the beginnings of a friendship, accompanied by wild and wonderful illustrations. . . . (The) one- and two-word exchanges on each spread lead to a tentative offer of friendship, sealed as both boys jump high in the air and yell 'Yow!"--Starred review, "School Library Journal". Awards include Caldecott Honor Book, "The Horn Book" Fanfare List, American Library Association Notable Children's Book, and others.

Yo! Yes?

Combining unfussy, gently rhyming language with vibrant, airy illustrations, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka has created a book that will inspire in young readers the wonder of wondering. A little boy wonders about a crow’s life—from the simple “Where do you go in the cold white snow?” to the not-so-simple “Do you ever worry when you hop and you hurry? Are you ever afraid of mistakes you made? Are you never afraid?” All of life is touched on in simple words and spare, elegant artwork. Little Black Crow is not to be missed.

Little Black Crow

Vladimir Radunsky

A New York Review Children’s Collection Original An ALPHABET book? An ALBUM of old photos? We named it ALPHABETABUM. Here celebrated artists and authors Vladimir Radunsky and Chris Raschka put a delightful new old-fashioned spin on the alphabet book. Radunsky has selected portraits of children from his spectacular collection of antique black and-white photographs. Raschka has given the children names and written deliciously teasing rhymes about them. The result is ALPHABETABUM, a book of letters and pictures to which readers will happily return again and again both to look and to learn.

An Album of Rare Photographs and Medium Verses

Alphabetabum

"A must for Daisy fans everywhere," declares School Library Journal in a starred review. With the same emotional intensity that he brought to his New York Times bestselling, New York Times Best Illustrated, and Caldecott Medal-winning picture book A Ball for Daisy, Raschka has created a story that explores fear as only he can. Any child who has ever felt lost will relate to Daisy's despair upon finding herself in an unfamiliar part of the park after chasing a squirrel. In a nearly wordless picture book, Daisy encounters the unease of being lost and the joys of being found. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers, teachers, parents and, of course, the legions of Daisy fans out there.

Daisy Gets Lost

So, you want to be a sardine? Once there was a fish named Arlene, who wanted to be a sardine. She wanted to be a sardine just like the silvery, salty fish that you see in those little tins at the grocery store. With the bold brushstrokes of his vibrant illustrations, Chris Raschka follows Arlene’s journey from a fjord to a big net to a briny bath aboard a fishing boat. And he reveals just how to get packed like a sardine! This fixed-layout ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book, features read-along narration.

Arlene Sardine

When a child becomes aware of his pending death (children tend to know long before the rest of us even want to consider it), and is given the opportunity to draw his feelings, he will often draw a blue or purple balloon, released and unencumbered, on its way upward. Health-care professionals have discovered that this is true, regardless of a child's cultural or religious background and researchers believe that this is symbolic of the child's innate knowledge that a part of them will live forever. . . . In disarmingly simple and direct language, accompanied by evocative potato print illustrations, Raschka in conjunction with Children's Hospice International (CHI), creates a moving, sensitive book that is also a phenomenally useful tool to talk about death. The message of the book is clear: talking about dying is hard, dying is harder, but there are many people in your life who can help. Children's Hospice International (CHI), a nonprofit organization founded in 1983, is paving the way for the establishment of children's hospice and related services worldwide.

Chris Raschka

Books

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