Picture Book Mix Tape

A playful playlist

Recently I’ve been thinking about mix tapes, remembering the times my friend slipped one into my hand as we passed each other in the school hallway. Treasure recorded on magnetic tape and wrapped in a rectangle of plastic. There were always hand scrawled liner notes inside, and the knowledge that someone had spent their time thinking of you, hitting record, picking out the next song, creating a rhythm. A flow. A one of a kind gift that cost very little and meant the whole world.

I think I’ve been missing a bit of that magic in my life recently. I asked some current adult friends if kids still do equivalent things these days. Digital music playlists are convenient and cool, but do they carry the same weight if they can’t be held in your hands?

Today, I was looking at Monica Arnaldo’s Wish List on the PB Rising Stars Mentorship site, and my brain made a connection: This was a picture book mix tape! As I was looking at the list, I thought, “I love all of these”, and “Oh, I haven’t read this one yet!” and “I should take this list with me on my next library trip and read them all in an afternoon. That would be so fun.” While this list was not made specifically for me, it was carefully curated and I’m pretty good at pretending. And I know lists have been around forever, but I just got really excited and nostalgic today and wanted to share with you in case you also liked this framing device.

Unfortunately I’m not eligible to apply to this dream mentorship, but I can live vicariously and so can you! Check out the list of mentors on the PB Rising Stars site, find a great match, and enjoy your carefully curated picture book mix tape. Read your favorites over and over again. Find some new comp titles for a project you’re working on. And then, if you are eligible, apply for the mentorship! Applications close April 4th.

And because part of the mix tape experience is making one yourself, I’ll make some picture book mix tapes to share with all of you! I’m already dreaming up themes to curate around. If you have a great playlist… er… reading list in mind, drop those suggestions in the comments.