Award-winning author ALEX KILLIAN comes from a film background, and she’s worked in both film production and creative development. As in film, Alex loves the intersection of words and images in picture books. Alex’s debut book This Table (Greystone Kids) will be followed by In-Between Places (Chronicle Books). She went to college in Chicago, and she’s lived in a handful of cities in California, most recently in Long Beach.

“A delightful text that makes judicious use of alliteration and wordplay is set against warm watercolor illustrations that show the family at the heart of the story“—CCBC

Alex’s bookshelf:

In-Between Places
by Alex Killian
illustrated by Grady McFerrin
Chronicle Books | 2025
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• a CBC Book Council Hot Off the Press selection
• a Society of Illustrators Original Art Show selection, 2025
• an Atlanta Parent Best Books of 2025 selection
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★ “Killian and McFerrin lean into the possibilities that live in every transition. Though fully accessible to the youngest of readers and their caregivers, this picture book will be equally appreciated by adults (young or otherwise) who find themselves “in the place between where you’re going and where you’ve been.” Playing with images of seesaws, bridges, and tunnels, McFerrin fills each full-bleed spread with saturated color and intricate details. The artwork enlivens the simple text, which begins with confident declaratives—“In-between places are not up or down, not in or out”—before transitioning to a rhythmic sequence of lines focusing on uncertainties, each beginning with “Sometimes” or “You might be.” Though each page features a riot of color and patterns, the palette is unified across the book. Relying on elegant yet child-friendly metaphors (“You might be drifting shore to shore on a cool blue sea. A gap between two mountains. A pause between two steps”), Killian acknowledges the difficulty and darkness that might accompany these in-between places but ends on an optimistic note, insisting that “sometimes they lead…somewhere unexpected but bright with possibility.” The characters vary in skin tone and family structure. A hopeful book for readers of all ages, perfect for those graduating, moving away, or starting over.”—Kirkus, starred reviews

“The in-between places, we learn, are neither here nor there. They “are not up or down, not in or out. They’re not all the way to one side or the other.” Killian (This Table, rev. 3/24) goes on to describe what in-between places can be: bridges and ladders; staircases and slides; a long, dark tunnel; dawn and dusk; and even dreams. On one spread, a bus full of people goes in one direction while bicyclers determinedly go in another; you’re “between where you’re going and where you’ve been.” McFerrin’s imaginative illustrations make the most of Killian’s open-ended musings. Full-bleed double-page spreads, saturated in bold colors, provide detailed scenes to pore over, from the everyday (a car trip) to the adventurous (a descent by parachute; a hot-air balloon ride) to the fanciful (a dream’s make-believe animals). Many images emphasize forward motion such as a spread showing a child mid-launch from a tire swing into a body of blue water. As the text says, eventually you might “choose…to leap!” which can “lead to just where you wanted to be” or “to more in-between places…or somewhere unexpected.” There is a world of possibilities. Pair with two other recent contemplative picture books: Volker’s Are We There Yet?“—The Horn Book

“Sometimes you’ll find yourself in the place/ between where you’re going// and where you’ve been.” In this absorbing philosophical picture book focusing on the beauty of transitions, concise prose by Killian describes in-betweenness (“bridges and ladders,/ staircases and slides”), while simultaneously encouraging choice, risk-taking, and patience (“Sometimes in-between places lead/ to just where you wanted to be./ Sometimes they lead/ to more in-between places”). McFerrin’s page-filling ink and digital artwork renders text’s metaphorical meaning with mesmerizing patterns. On one spread, a mint and teal horizon and sea merge behind a venturing sailboat; on another, figures stare down a tunnel of pink trees. Together, the creative team paints a wondrous vision of the in-between. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones”—Publisher’s Weekly

This Table
by Alex Killian
illustrated by Brooke Smart
Greystone Kids | 2024
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• a CCBC Choices Best Book of the year, 2025
• a CCBC Book of the Week selection
• dPICTUS: 100 Outstanding Picture Books 2025
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★ “This beautiful picture book takes the reader from a tree’s seed to a finished wooden table, lovingly constructed to become the center of a family’s life.”
—Youth Service Book Review, starred review

★ “This book is an explosion of possibilities. It tracks not the life, but the many lives a table can inhibit through the years. The illustrations, strong and simple, depict the deep joy around an inclusive family table… remind[s the] readers of the beautiful moments created not just by the table, but by those we love.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“A table is at the center of a home. This cozy book about a hand-hewn wooden table starts and ends evocatively: “This table began as a seed.” The seed grows into a “great strong tree” that’s felled by a lumberjack…or perhaps by lightning…or, possibly, a windstorm. Later, a skilled, brown-skinned carpenter cuts and measures the timber, sands it, attaches legs, stains and seals it, and leaves it to dry in the sun. Now it’s a “strong and stable” table, ready for use. And what stories the table could tell as it stands “in the middle of a room, in the middle of a house, and [as] life grew up around it.” It serves as a dining space, as well as a place to play and draw, to do puzzles and schoolwork, and, mostly, “for gathering, sharing stories, and being together.” Readers learn that this table, the “heart” of a home, centers people and families—a nice thought. This simply told Canadian import is quite lovely; children may wish to volunteer thoughts about how tables in their own homes compare with the one in the book. The inviting, homey watercolor illustrations, especially those of the table, have an appropriately grainy appearance, and the racially diverse characters also have an air of sturdiness, giving them not only a slightly “woodsy” appearance but also suggesting strength of character and purpose. A warm charmer that will help readers reflect on life’s most important things.”—Kirkus

“Killian, making a picture book debut, and Smart (Families Belong) celebrate how a farm-style dining table, born from a single helicopter seed, becomes “the heart of someone’s home.” Expertly shaped, sanded, stained, and sealed so it radiates a warm luster, the former tree becomes “strong and stable,” serving as center stage for a busy extended family, portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. The table holds birthday cakes, puzzles, and projects of all kinds; becomes the infrastructure for a blanket fort for “secret club meetings”; and hosts “many meals big and not so big.” Warm-hued, close-lined double spreads occasionally depict the table in two different time periods, as when its left side is the scene of a brightly lit and cheerily decorated birthday party, while the right side suggests a moment early the next day—remnants of the decorations still linger, and the grown-up who orchestrated the party is now feeding a baby as morning light streams in. Pieces of furniture like the table may no longer strictly be living things, but they are essential parts of human life, creating spaces for “gathering, and sharing stories, and being together.”—Publishers Weekly

“The main table in a home is often where memories are made. Killian’s debut picture book explores this table’s many roles in one family’s life. The easy-to-read story starts where a wooden table begins: “as a seed that grew into a great strong tree.” The tree is felled, taken to a workshop, and carefully crafted. The top is sanded, legs attached. The wood is stained, sealed, and set to dry. The family places the table “in the middle of a house, and life grew up around it.” Smart’s watercolor illustrations add to the story with playful and inventive scenes. The number of people grows and shrinks, and scenes evolve from the quiet act of arranging flowers to a birthday party spilling over with family and friends. Their table is filled to overflowing with the chaos of an unfolded map, children’s drawings, and more. A clean, empty table shown near the end prompts discussion about readers’ own experiences around family tables. The story concludes where it started: “This table began as a seed and became the heart of someone’s home.”—Horn Book

“What began as a seed that grows into a tree ends up as a table, but that’s barely the beginning of this warm-hearted picture book about the table–and members of a single family–across years. It’s a table around which (and under!) the bustling, growing, multigenerational family gathers for celebrations and quiet moments; art projects, puzzles and imaginative play; homework and grown-up work; and much more. But “mostly it was for gathering, and sharing stories, and being together … the heart of someone’s home.” A delightful text that makes judicious use of alliteration and wordplay is set against warm watercolor illustrations that show the family at the heart of the story with skin tones and hair in a range of shades and colors. Entertaining visual details chronicle myriad relatable moments as well as change across the years, with children growing up and adults aging. The final page spread shows this family and table at the center of a scene offering glimpses of other families gathered around tables small and large in their homes.”—CCBC