All picture books, all the time

Born to Be Wild

Oh, to be an outlier. To bust the chains that tether us. To eschew the mundane and embrace the wild! The new book by Rebecca Van Slyke, illustrated by Anca Sanda, Lana Lynn Howls at the Moon, explores this scenario. Lana Lynn, a young sheep that wants a little more …

SMALL IN THE CITY by Sydney Smith

When you read lots of picture books, as we do around here, you can get a little jaded. Some make me laugh. A few make me tear up. But rarely do I feel surprised, as in “Whoa, I didn’t see that coming.” Then I read Small in the City by …

POKKO AND THE DRUM by Matthew Forsythe

Hello everyone! Today I’m really excited to share POKKO AND THE DRUM, by Matthew Forsythe. I’m a huge fan of Matthew Forsythe’s work, with some of my favorites like MY NAME IS ELIZABETH and THE GOLD LEAF. This book is something special. It has that classic feel of containing all …

Just So Willow (Author Interview + Giveaway!)

I’m excited to share, JUST SO WILLOW by Sara Shacter (illustrated by Stephanie Laberis), which released last week from Sterling. This gorgeous book is humorous, beautiful, and SO perfect for today’s young readers as it shares the story of a polar bear who discovers that friendships and having fun is …

Chicken Break! by Cate Berry aka Hen Solo (+ GIVEAWAY)

If you know me, you know I am pro-chicken. I think chickens make excellent picture book characters. They are flighty (but can’t fly), they are active, and they are FUNNY. Even the word ‘chicken’ is funny. When I first discovered that the wonderful and hilarious Cate Berry wrote a book …

Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Leo Espinosa

“Sometimes it’s hard being a goldfish. You dream of growing fat and exploring coral reefs. But instead here you are in a bowl. Going round and round in circles. And sometimes it’s hard being a child in the summer in the city. All your friends leave and there’s no one …

How reading picture books will make you a better writer

I write picture books. And I love doing so. But many of you probably know my day job is being a corporate editor. I turn jargon into conversational language and try to make complicated topics simple. While the two roles may not seem similar, there’s actually a lot of overlap. …

This Cowgirl Ain’t Kiddin’ About the Potty + an interview with debut author Sarah Glenn Fortson + a giveaway!

Debut authors. We love ’em. Especially when they’re also super nice people and friends, like Sarah Glenn Fortson. Sarah agreed to a visit so we could talk about her new book, THIS COWGIRL AIN’T KIDDIN’ ABOUT THE POTTY (illustrated by Russ Cox, published by Peter Pauper Press). A bit about …

Happy anniversary to PBB!

Welp, who’d believe five years could go by so quickly?! So quickly we missed it, since the actual anniversary date was September 2nd. Anyway, ZIP-ZOOM-ZING!, we’ve been blogging for five years! Time really does fly when you’re having fun. We don’t want to let such a BIG anniversary pass without …

SQUEAK!

I’ve known Laura McGee Kvasnosky for over 25 years. I met her in an evening class at an art school on how to make picture books. It was taught by Keith Baker and was inspiring and bursting with the kind of info every newbie was looking for. There were several …