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Kelsey E. Gross

@kelseyegross.bsky.social

1.5K followers 2.3K following 140 posts

#kidlit author. WINTER: A SOLSTICE STORY (2023) and SUMMER: A SOLSTICE STORY (2024), both #picturebooks from Paula Wiseman/ Simon & Schuster. Coming fall 2026: FALL: A SEASONS STORY (Beach Lane). Member #12x12PB & #SCBWI. kelseyegross.com

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Nov 18

Hi! I'm happy to connect with #picturebook and #kidlit fans here on Bluesky! To learn more about me and my books, visit kelseyegross.com

Cover of the picture book, "Winter: A Solstice Story"

Cover of the picture book, "Summer: A Solstice Story"

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Reposted by Kelsey E. Gross

American Library Association @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social · 4d

Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights.

Today kicks off #BannedBooksWeek, and this year's theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights.

https://www.ala.org/bbooks.

BANNED BOOKS WEEK Oct. 5-11, 2025. Censorship is so 1984 - Read for Your Rights. ala.org/bbooks. American Library Association

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 3d

Just finished this triumph of a #mg novel! A beautiful, emotional story of intergenerational relationships, friendship, and a reminder that we can always start again. I cried at the end! #kidlit

Bank Street Library @bankstreetlibrary.bsky.social · Feb 11

The 2025 Josette Frank Award goes to "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman (Simon & Schuster). This award for fiction honors a book in which children or young people deal in a positive way with difficulties in their world.
@bankstreet.edu #gayleforman #BankStreet #BankStreetCBC #BankStreetCCL #kidlit

Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 6d

I 💜"quiet books"! @fuse8.bsky.social is spot on-- this one is a triumph! Well done, Angie Kang! #kidlit

Betsy Bird @fuse8.bsky.social · 6d

Sometimes you need to watch out for the quiet books. They know how to sneak up on you. I review Our Lake by Angie Kang. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/10/03/r...

Review of the Day: Our Lake by Angie Kang

Sometimes you need to watch out for the quiet books. They know how to sneak up on you.

afuse8production.slj.com

Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 8d

This is a stunning #picturebook by Paloma Angelina Lopez & Abraham Matias. A beautiful exploration of the beliefs around dying in Indigenous Mexican culture, the warmth of family love, and the experience of grief. The art is so soft and inviting! Check out this masterpiece! #kidlit #kidlitart

Cover of the picture book, POPO THE XOLO. An older woman is shown outdoors wearing a shawl and using a walking stick. A small dog is at her side. There is a sunset in the background in purple, pink and orange, along with a tree.

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 14d

Stunning new #picturebook from @lesliebarnardbooth.bsky.social and @scatterbee.bsky.social -beautiful lyrical language, gorgeous art, and told with a sense of awe and wonder. A must-read! #kidlit

Cover of the picture. book, I AM WE: HOW CROWS COME TOGETHER TO SURVIVE by Leslie Barnard Booth and Alexandra Finkeldey. A large crow is in the forefront, while other crows are in the background, sitting in a tree. The sky is a sunset.

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 16d

Excited to find this new #picturebook from @joannahowrites.bsky.social , Caroline Pritchard, and @dansantat.bsky.social. Encourages readers to be open to new ideas, to love books, and support everyone's freedom to read. Awesome! (with amazing illustrations, of course). 👏 #kidlit

Boy reading a book about flight with his eyes open wide in surprise. Behind him, other students look bewildered, empty-handed, with the word "POOF!" floating above them.

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 17d

Next year this scene will be even more beautiful: I'll be holding FALL: A SEASONS STORY with Renata Liwska's gorgeous illustrations! ❤️ Wishing everyone a wonderful season! #kidlit

Hand outstretched with trees in the background, autumn colors of orange and yellow leaves.

Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 20d

I'm loving all these #kidlitart night art posts! 😍
Great winter scene, @gordywright.bsky.social

Gordy Wright @gordywright.bsky.social · 20d

Artists! Quote with your night art!

#kidlitart #illustration

Snowy blue illustration with a person walking a dog through a frosty forest in the moonlight. Two deer, a squirrel and a hare watch them go.

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 23d

I love @jilanne.bsky.social's work -- check out this gorgeous cover for her March release!! 😍 #kidlit

Vivian Kirkfield @viviankirkfield.bsky.social · 23d

Like a work of art in a museum unveiling, a picture book cover reveal is a special moment. Please join us in congratulating @jilanne.bsky.social and illustrator Khoa Le on this gorgeous work of art! The book launches March 3, 2026 from Millbrook viviankirkfield.com/2025/09/15/_...

Cover Reveal: THE OCEAN’S HEART: The Tiny Creatures Essential to Life

Hip hip hooray!!! Time to lift the curtain and REVEAL a beautiful new picture book COVER! And this one is for a dear friend, author Jilanne Hoffman who has a new book launching March 3, 2026 from M…

viviankirkfield.com

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · 27d

It's so exciting when a friend spots your book in the wild -- here's WINTER at Rocky Mountain National Park Visitor Center! (wish I could go there right now!!)
#kidlit #picturebook

The picture book, WINTER: A SOLSTICE STORY on the shelf at Rocky Mountain National Park Visitor Center. Cover has an owl at the top, and other woodland animals at the bottom; natural objects like feathers and nuts and grasses form a circle in the middle

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Sep 9

Well deserved STAR! I adore this new #picturebook from Sue Soltis and Sonia Sánchez! Explores loneliness, friendship, and the rhythms of the natural world. Feels magical! #kidlit

The Horn Book @thehornbook.bsky.social · Jul 31

THE MOON MOVED IN (@chroniclekidsbooks.bsky.social‬‬) by Sue Soltis; illus. by Sonia Sánchez will receive a starred review in the September/October 2025 #HornBookMagazine. Congratulations! #HBMag #HBStars www.hbook.com/story/blogs/...

Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Sep 4

This is a #picturebook that feels like a hug! So many relatable everyday kid experiences with a sweet grandma/child relationship. The illustrations are delightful! Well done, @steph-graegin.bsky.social !! #kidlit

Cover of the picture book, EVERYDAY BEAN by Stephanie Graegin. Shows a child-like hedgehog character dressed in a shirt, boots, and bandanna jumping through the air off a swing with a blue background.

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Sep 2

I cried at the end! So much emotion, along with drama and gorgeous writing (and I love the hiking element!) Another masterpiece #MG from @katemessner.com. #kidlit

Kelly Mangan (She/Her) 🏳️‍🌈💖💜💙 @kellyamangan.bsky.social · Aug 25

THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES, by
@katemessner.com, is about a boy’s fraught relationship with his father, & the unresolved feelings & questions raised by his father’s sudden death.

Finn’s dad was a 9/11 first responder & a local hero. But people didn’t see the whole story…

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Reposted by Kelsey E. Gross

Teresa Robeson @teresarobeson.com · Aug 29

Attention #educators: @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social has an awesome giveaway for you! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #kidlit

WNDB Giveaway: BACK TO SCHOOL BONANZA

With this giveaway, WNDB is uplifting educators heading back to the classroom this fall. We are thrilled to give away more than TEN THOUSAND BOOKS to schools and organizations nationwide. Please not...

docs.google.com

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Aug 29

Happy Friday! It's the perfect day to read FISH FRY FRIDAY, a new #picturebook from @armyvet5.bsky.social & C.G. Esperanza. I love SOUL FOOD SUNDAY and this one is just as great! Family love, joy, tradition... a heartwarming text w/ colorful art that invites you into the story. A must-read! #kidlit

Cover of the picture book, FISH FRY FRIDAY by Winsome Bingham and C.G. Esperanza. Shows a girl and her grandmother, dressed in colorful printed clothing. The grandmother is holding a fish, while the girl holds a plate with fried fish and sides. They are smiling at each other.

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Reposted by Kelsey E. Gross

PB Spree @pbspree.bsky.social · Aug 26

Happy, happy book birthday @jyotigopal.bsky.social !Book

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Reposted by Kelsey E. Gross

PB Spree @pbspree.bsky.social · Aug 19

#PBSpree #kidlit #teachers #librarians

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Aug 26

Fun #picturebook packed with puns and kid-friendly humor --but also explores what it's like to feel like you don't fit in, the immigrant experience, and how traditions can change over time. Adorable boba characters, too! Well done, @joannahowrites.bsky.social and Amber Ren! #kidlit

Cover of the picture book, BECOMING BOBA by Joanna Ho and Amber Ren. Picture of a cartoon-like boba tea character smiling and waving while standing on a bridge, behind it are two big buildings that appear to be apartments in an urban area.

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Aug 25

So exciting to get my own copy of this beautiful #picturebook! Congrats, @natashakhankazi.bsky.social!! #kidlit

Cover of the picture book, BELA AND LILY by Natasha Khan Kazi. There are two girls pictured smiling. They are laying in the grass and flowers.

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Aug 20

Fantastic new #picturebook biography about the first female smokejumper. The text is perfectly geared toward kids and the illustrations are evocative and so soft. Well done, Jessica Lawson and Sarah Gonzales! #kidlit

Cover of the picture book, ABLAZE by Jessica Lawson and Sarah Gonzales. Shows a women in the center, behind her is a red, yellow, and orange background with a wildfire, and someone jumping with a parachute near the fire.

Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Aug 19

Such a sweet book about making friends with kids from different cultural backgrounds and who speak different languages -- so important! Congratulations @natashakhankazi.bsky.social on beautiful text and illustrations! #kidlit

PB Spree @pbspree.bsky.social · Aug 19

Happy Book Birthday to @natashakhankazi.bsky.social as we welcome Bela and Lily into the world. You will fall in Love with Bela and Lily as they learn you don’t need to speak the same language to discover beautiful friendships are universal and get a glimpse at the Bengali language! #kidlit

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Reposted by Kelsey E. Gross

PB Spree @pbspree.bsky.social · Aug 19

Happy book birthday to @marziehabbas.bsky.social and Anain Shaikh. Don't miss this lyrical, heartfelt story about love for libraries and how Roshan the camel saved the day during the pandemic. #kidlit

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Aug 14

A fascinating, well-researched #STEM book by @lynnstreetbooks.bsky.social -- I enjoyed learning about blue jays and their role in seeding new oak trees!
#kidlit #picturebook

Lynn Street Books @lynnstreetbooks.bsky.social · Aug 4

Thanks to School Library Journal for recommending THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST as "educational and visually stunning." www.schoollibraryjournal.com/review/the-b...
@annehunterstudio.bsky.social
@steamteambooks.bsky.social
@12x12challenge.bsky.social
#picturebook #nonfiction #kidlit #birds

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Jul 30

Congrats @marziehabbas.bsky.social! Can't wait to read this new #middlegrade novel in verse! #kidlit

PB Spree @pbspree.bsky.social · Jul 30

This fabulous book is out in the world! Grab yourself a copy. Congratulations @marziehabbas.bsky.social on your latest book! @PBspree #middlegrade #kidlit #picturebooks #writingcommunity

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Kelsey E. Gross @kelseyegross.bsky.social · Jul 29

I read I GOT YOU this morning and it's FANTASTIC! A moving and joyful ode to brothers! #kidlit #picturebook Well done, Derrick Barnes and Shamar Knight-Justice!

Penguin School & Library @penguinschoollib.bsky.social · Jul 16

Watch author Derrick Barnes share the inspiration for his newest picture book, I GOT YOU, a touching and joyful celebration of siblinghood featuring stunning art from illustrator Shamar Knight-Justice. #EduSky

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