Leda Schubert * Writer of Picture Books

Finalist for the Vermont Book Award, 2023. Finalist for the New England Book Award, 2023.

March, 2022, Candlewick Press.

Starred review, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books:

A young girl observes everyday activities that usher out each waning season and welcome each arriving one. Her musings begin in Spring, with events such as the last snow day of the school year, and the first sighting of new grass; Summer sees the last night for sleeping with the window closed, and "the first time we hear june bugs hitting the screens." There's a gentle precision to these annual mile markers, some of which are fairly universal, some of which are regional and climate-dependent, and all of which tickle a desire to partake in a treasured activity. Robin's cut paper artwork introduces each season with a spread of motifs that will appear in larger scenes. Although most are firmly rooted in the featured season, Robin throws in a few curveballs. What does a radio have to do with Spring? It's how the narrator hears about her last snow day. What is an ice cream cone doing in Fall? It's "Maple Creemee," the perfect flavor for the last cone of the year. Although seasons books abound, Schubert and Robin's tacit emphasis on transitions makes this an especially thoughtful offering that will have readers chiming in with their own rosters of rituals that make the year go 'round. EB

School Library Journal:

PreS-K–This is a book about transitions, removed from the calendar and attached to the way children move through the years. The story opens with muted cut-paper collage, in the soft colors of late March before spring bursts out, providing an unsparing look at the "lasts" of winter's grip: snow days, melting and muddy drifts, but also the "first glimpse" of green sprouts pushing up, and as spring arrives, the first game of catch, and the first flowers. Here comes summer, and it's the "last" of the days for flannel sleepwear, and a personal changing season: the last time the "we" who narrates uses training wheels to cycle. There is bliss with each turn of the page, as the pastel hues of spring give way to a summer riot of deeper colors; with  fall, the pages turn orange and gold for a last trip to the ice cream stand. One observation per page, and changing perspectives visually and philosophically, give a dynamism to the primitive but relatable forms. The family reads as white, the setting perhaps New England. VERDICT For any classroom lesson on seasons, this will inspire children to make lists of their own, to note those "lasts" and look forward to more "firsts." A lovely work. –Kimberly Olson Fakih

DOGS LOVE CARS, illustrated by Paul Meisel, published by Candlewick Press, 2021.

Booklist (November 1, 2021 (Vol. 118, No. 5))
Grades K-2. What do dogs love? Just about everything, as this simple, fulsome valentine to the canines in our lives tallies up: car rides and walks, toys and naps, meeting people and other dogs, food .....

In Meisel's suitably waggish cartoon illustrations, dogs by the pack in a great variety of breeds and mixes trot, flop, drool, cavort, and dash about, tangling their leashes as their owners—one beaming child in particular who joins three pooches in a final cozy sprawl—look on happily. Most of all, of course, "DOGS LOVE YOU, / all the time." A doggy delight, as energetic and appealing as Sue Stainton's I Love Dogs! (2014) illustrated by Bob Staake, and a fine complement to Chris Raschka's wordless but emotionally epic A Ball For Daisy (2011).

Kirkus Reviews (August 15, 2021)
Created by dog lovers for dog lovers and dog owners–to-be. When a kid and their parents head to the car for a busy day, their three dogs charge ahead. The dogs' ears flap in the breeze on the drive to the dog park, where both dogs and their owners get wrapped up in play—and leashes. A different topic for each spread captures the world of loved dogs: It's full of rides, walks, playmates (canine, human, and feline), naps, toys, food that tempts from the tabletop, and even school. Each situation is loaded with options and opportunities for antonyms, delivered in an infectious chant: "Dogs love walks. // Short walks and long walks, / up hills and down, / walks in cities and countryside, / fast and slow walks, / off leash and on." Humorous cartoon illustrations realistically show dogs of all shapes and sizes being "good dogs" even as they roll in the mud, tear up their toys, get in the way of chores, and share a love/hate relationship with the family cat. These responsible dog owners keep their dogs on leashes at community events such as a farmers market that shows the vigorous diversity of this White-presenting family's community. At the end of the day, dogs do what dogs do best: "DOGS LOVE YOU, / all the time." A humor-filled love letter to the dogs that love humans so unconditionally. (Picture book. 3-8)

Newest book: NATHAN'S SONG, from Dial Press, illustrated by Maya Ish-Shalom, 2021.

"The author recounts what is loosely her grandfather's journey to America with love and great affection . . . The graphically striking artwork is brightly colored in blues, yellows, and oranges and fills the pages with dancing figures and city buildings. Families may follow this story with tales of their own American journeys . . . A warm and nostalgic family remembrance." —Kirkus

"Ish-Shalom's illustrations lead readers' eyes through the portholes of a large ship, or across docks and city streets, in colorful art that finds contrasts and details of sharply defined and solid characters . . . This title pays tribute to courageous individuals, with an underlying message of the unbroken connection of family love." —School Library Journal

"Schubert bases her tale on her grandfather's experiences . . . simplified figures, sharp as paper cutouts in bright crayon eight-pack colors, composed into scenes that occasionally tip the hat to Marc Chagall and Fiddler on the Roof." —BCCB

"With a storyteller's cadence, Schubert spins a tale of Nathan, a musically talented boy from a shtetl in Russia who leaves at age sixteen to study opera in Italy...Ish-Shalom's expansive digital illustrations, with their bright palette and simple shapes, include frequent musical notes and depict a cheerful, diverse early-twentieth-century New York. A welcome positive tale about a Jewish immigrant's experience..." Horn Book

"Jew­ish immi­gra­tion from East­ern Europe to the Unit­ed States is often viewed as a mass expe­ri­ence, but each immi­grant was a unique indi­vid­ual. As in any part of the world, shtetl Jews had dif­fer­ent tal­ents, hopes, and dreams. In Nathan's Song, based on the life of Leda Schubert's grand­fa­ther, Nathan is not a Tal­mud schol­ar or a future entre­pre­neur. Instead, he is gift­ed with a beau­ti­ful voice, and he longs for the oppor­tu­ni­ty to train as a pro­fes­sion­al vocal­ist. In fact, he hopes to study in Italy, the coun­try that he asso­ciates with the high­est clas­si­cal stan­dards in his field. This pic­ture book is a refresh­ing por­trait of a young Jew ded­i­cat­ed to his art, whose sup­port­ive fam­i­ly and a cer­tain amount of luck lead to a rich and ful­fill­ing life in America...."

Jewish Book Council

MONSIEUR MARCEAU won the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction! WOW! People here (and dogs) are dancing about with joy! Big thanks to the committee and everyone involved in this book!
Also, MONSIEUR MARCEAU is on the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List! Thank you, Texas Bluebonnet Committee. You're the best.

Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, 2007-8
Horn Book Fanfare, December 2006
Kirkus Editor's Choice, December 2006
NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
2006 New York Times Book Review: May 14
New York Times Editor's Choice, May 21
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Starred in Kirkus, 3/15/06
Starred in Horn Book, July/August 06
Great Lakes, Great Books Masterlist (Michigan)

"Leda Schubert's deft, incisive way of telling the incredible story will set young minds spinning." Jed Perl, NYTBR Click on this title on the right for more information.

Booklist: "The joy of learning to read and write is the exciting story in this lively picture book with large, sweet, colorful, cartoon-style illustrations..."

Kirkus: "The appealing character, lively pictures and mild suspense make for a warm family story that shows the fun of having a pet and provides a strategy for learning to read that youngsters will eagerly embrace. A strong choice for school or home reading. Nicely captures the excitement of learning to read and write, complete with the feeling of accomplishment that ensues."

My dogs are very happy about this book. They like books about dogs. Me too.