All picture books, all the time

What a sport — a visit with illustrator Terry Widener & giveaway!

The reason I love writing picture books so much is because of…the PICTURES! Seriously, working with a variety of amazing artists has taught me so much about leaving room for the illustrator’s ideas and feelings about our topic. It’s a true partnership and I treasure each relationship. Sometimes it seems …

You Are Home, by Evan Turk

I don’t remember where I first saw mention of author-illustrator Evan Turk’s upcoming YOU ARE HOME — An Ode to the National Parks. I only remember how my heart rate picked up when I saw this cover. Actually, I think my family has a slide of my brother and me …

Gondra’s Treasure! Interview with Linda Sue Park (and me) and a GIVEAWAY!

I am a lucky illustrator. Not only is this the second book that I was asked to work on with Linda Sue Park (we did Yaks Yak, Animal Word Pairs), but I got to draw dragons! Gondra’s Birthday was on April 2 and I asked Linda Sue to help me …

Gear up for GROWING SEASON

I’m a longtime fan of author/illustrator Maryann Cocca-Leffler. Not only does she have a truly cool name, but her books are awesome. So when I heard she had a new release — called GROWING SEASON — coming from Sterling Books in April, I hit the pre-order button so fast I …

A visit with debut author Hayley Barrett and BABYMOON

You know how sometimes you find a book in which text and art work so beautifully together it gives you a big ‘ol lump in your throat? That’s how I felt when I paged through Hayley Barrett’s BABYMOON, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. (It didn’t hurt that we’d just had a …

It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee

I volunteer as a School Reading Partner through my local school district. My job? Reading one-on-one each week with two first graders I’ll call Eva and Nick. Although the program provides reading materials, the selection is limited. So each Friday, I bring in a big bag of books hoping some …

PIG THE WINNER by Aaron Blabey

Hello everyone! If you don’t know me, I’m someone who enjoys a good laugh and today’s book, PIG THE WINNER by Aaron Blabey, delivers more than just a chuckle. My wife and I were in a bookstore and I saw this one, read it, and had to buy it, because …

Sketches

I’m on deadline this week and, like virtually every project I’ve ever done, woefully behind. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is just the way I work. I start slowly and ramp up the speed and productivity the closer the deadline gets. So as a kind of cop out, …

Welcome, Danielle Dufayet, Debut Author of YOU ARE YOUR STRONG!

This spring marks the debut of one of our loyal subscribers, Danielle Dufayet. I couldn’t be happier to talk with her about her book, You Are Your Strong (Magination Press/illustrations by Jennifer Zivoin). In a minute. First, here’s what I like about this one. As we all know, kids often …

The Fox on the Swing

The Fox on the Swing written by Evelina Daciūtė and illustrated by Aušra Kiudulaitė is translated into English from Lithuanian. It is quirky, odd, unexpected, and delightful. This book is charming and unique. The text is chatty and clever. The fonts change and morph into the illustrations creating a seamless …