Illinois Authors

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, Minn. : ©2007.

Learn the alphabet by looking at very unusual sculptures.

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, MN : 2010.

These eighteen paintings by Raczka cover a wide range of times, places, and artistic styles.

Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Conn. : ©2003.

Rhyming text and photographs show that art is much more than just what can be hung on a wall or set on a pedestal.

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis : ©2008.

Introduces art works that feature people reading.

This book focuses on the childhood works of seven artists, with lots of interesting facts about who or what influenced them when they were children and young adults. Three works from each artist are included, showing how their style developed and changed over time.

Charlesbridge October 8, 2019

A cautionary tale using words made up of only the five letters in the title (B, E, W, A, and R). Can a bear and a bee become friends?

Abe and Bree aren't supposed to get along. When they meet, they panic. Abe swats! Bree stings! Now they're both hurt. Together they figure out how to find friendship despite differences and preconceived notions. This rare-bear, wee-bee tale helps to create a web of understanding with unique language and a clever structure.

Scholastic, New York : 2012, ©2011.

The delights of autumn are described in mixed-up verse and illustrations, and the reader is challenged to uncover the errors.

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Boston [Mass.] : 2010.

Raczka and Reynolds present a humorous haiku collection perfect for guys (big and small) that celebrates outdoor fun throughout the seasons.

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, Minn. : ©2006.

Fourteen famous artists' self-portraits illustrating their different styles and views of themselves.

The day after Mighty Casey's strikeout, the Mudville Nine are in a crucial game when a relief pitcher--a girl--is sent in and quickly proves herself to the crowd using moves from football, tennis, and soccer.

Roaring Brook Press, New York : 2011.

Part anagram, part rebus, part riddle - this brand new poetic form turns word puzzles into poetry.

This book, which introduces children to similes, focuses on a boy on a boring summer day who, while exploring, meets a girl on a swing.

Provides images of paintings and new, sensory ways to experience them, such as tasting the milk in Vermeer's

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis [Minn.] : ©2009.

Learn about fourteen different artists and their different styles.

This book shows children how New York's streets, structures, and landmarks can provide a unique playspace.

Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Conn. : ©2002.

Reproductions of famous paintings-from the art of Georgia O'Keeffe to Paul Klee-combine with simple texts to introduce children to the unique visions of individual artists and encourage them to experience art with all their senses.

A book of poetry about the presidents written in clerihews--

Twenty-five haiku give readers a fresh, humorous perspective on Santa's December preparations, and rich illustrations pull readers into every wintry scene.

Albert Whitman & Co., Morton Grove, Ill. : 2008.

Illustrations and simple rhyming text portray winter activities, from snowman-building, sledding, and sitting by a fire to feeding birds.

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis : ©2010.

Art lover Bob Raczka pairs thought-provoking (and sometimes funny) quotes by famous painters with colorful examples of their best work. From Edgar Degas' The Rehearsal (1878-79) to Georgia O'Keeffe's Evening Star, No. III (1917) to Romare Bearden's Family (1986), you'll discover the works--and the wisdom--of eighteen artistic masters.

Albert Whitman, Morton Grove, Ill. : 2007.

Winter melts into spring with the sights and sounds of hopping and skipping, sowing and mowing, and blading and lemonading.

Albert Whitman, Morton Grove, Ill. : 2009.

Illustrations and rhyming text celebrate the sights and sounds of summer, from days of diving and swimming to nights of stargazing and fireflies.

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis : ©2008.

What is America? Shape a fascinating image of the United States through the eyes of eighteen artists who have painted, sculpted, and photographed the U.S. landscape and culture.

In this look at seven paintings by Jan Vermeer, author Bob Raczka takes on the role of interviewer and the people in the paintings become his willing subjects.

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, Minn. : ©2006.

Invites the reader to look at twenty-six paintings from different eras and styles presented in pairs. Each pair lends itself to a story the reader can discover by looking at the paintings in a new way.

Who says words need to be concrete? This collection shapes poems in surprising and delightful ways. Concrete poetry is a perennially popular poetic form because they are fun to look at. But by using the arrangement of the words on the page to convey the meaning of the poem, concrete or shape poems are also easy to write! From the author of the incredibly inventive Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word comes another clever collection that shows kids how to look at words and poetry in a whole new way--

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis : ©2007.

Pay a virtual visit to thirteen different places and times via thirteen works of art.

Albert Whitman, Morton Grove, Ill. : 2007.

Rhyming text and illustrations portray the sights and sounds of autumn, from "rakers, leapers, and corn crop reapers" to "trickers, treaters, and turkey eaters."

Neal Porter Books 2023

An empowering reflection on the many things we are and the ways we relate to the world. Poet Bob Raczka’s You are a Story highlights all of the nuance and potential of a growing person’s identity, delighting in the things that make us special and connect us to others. Text and illustrations replete with inventive imagery and appealing metaphors show how we all live as individuals and citizens of the world. You are a living thing. You breathe. You eat. You Sleep. You work and play. You have dreams and fears. You have thoughts and memories. You are. What makes you you? So much goes into who you are, and you are so many different things: A child, an animal, a body of water, a friend, a mystery, one-of-a-kind, a miracle. You are and could be so many things, but whatever you choose to do, it’s your life to write, you are a story.