Recent Book Club Publication – A Shimmer of Joy

A Shimmer of Joy
One Hundred Children’s Picture Books in America
by Chris Loker

Picture books are a jewel in the crown of children’s literature.

They are composed of words, illustrations, and the dramatically paced rhythm of pages turning in the reader’s hand. When these elements come together with creative mastery, a surge of mind or heart can occur, as with any form of fine art. At its most inspirational, a picture book can provide a transporting reading experience—punctuated by shimmering moments of joy—for the children and adults who journey inside its covers.

A Shimmer of Joy is an exciting and colorful presentation of one hundred children’s picture books published in – or imported to – America from 1900 to 2015. Each of the one hundred books profiled has been selected based upon its notable fame or collectability by Chris Loker, an authority on children’s literature. Some of the best-known, and most loved books profiled in A Shimmer of Joy are:

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter (1901)
The Story of Babar, by Jean De Brunhoff (1933)
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown (1947)
The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems (2003)

Specifically, A Shimmer of Joy offers readers:

• A vital definition of the picture book, with an overview of its history and significance in American children’s literature.
• Intriguing in-depth essays on the past, the present, and the possible future of the picture book, written in enlightening detail by three scholars in the field.
• Fascinating profiles of one hundred famous or collectable picture books, accompanied by two to four color photographs of each book.

A Shimmer of Joy: One Hundred Children’s Picture Books in America is a companion volume to the author’s earlier work, One Hundred Books Famous in Children’s Literature, the prize-winning catalogue of an exhibition mounted in 2014 at the Grolier Club in New York City. Together these two volumes offer commentary on the field of children’s literature in an integrated fashion.

Chris Loker is an author of children’s books and books about children’s literature. She graduated from Stanford University and attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is a former member of the board of the Book Club of California, and currently serves on the boards of the Grolier Club, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Rare Book School in Charlottesville, VA, and Bring Me A Book.

Expected publication date: December 2, 2019

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