All picture books, all the time

The Rescuer of Tiny Creatures

As a child I remember having an affinity for bugs. At least certain species of bugs. Ladybugs, roly-poly bugs, fireflies, etc. I don’t remember having any particular fear of bugs, other than some “bugs” I would never encounter living in the Pacific Northwest—scorpions and tarantulas. I really wasn’t even that …

WOOF, THE TRUTH ABOUT DOGS… and a tail-wagging giveaway!

Meet Chloe. She’s the new baby in our house. (Well, at about 8 months, more like a big, goofy teenager, but an eager to please baby, nonetheless.) Anyone who knows me knows I’m dotty for doggies, so I couldn’t wait to check out Annette Whipple’s newest nonfiction title, WOOF, THE …

THE RAMBLE SHAMBLE CHILDREN: Interview with Christina Soontornvat (+Giveaway)

Christina Soontornvat, a two-time Newbery Honor-winning author, is here to tell us about the creation of THE RAMBLE SHAMBLE CHILDREN! Written by Christina and illustrated by Lauren Castillo, this sweet picture book received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Horn Book, and School Library Journal. From School Library Journal: “No need …

When a tree is not just a tree

If you think you’ve seen a plethora of picture books featuring trees lately, you would not be wrong. Both fiction and nonfiction tree books have been sprouting up everywhere. This makes me super happy because I love trees. I even named my dog Tupelo. He gravitates toward water — especially …

Dozens of Dachshunds, A Handful of Questions, and One Giveaway

Psst! Tammi here. Do I have a (doggy) treat for you! My pal Janee Trasler and her pup Pixie Belle are filling in for me this month. Please welcome Janee and PIxie Belle! Thank you, Tammi, for inviting me to write a guest post. You know what, Picture Book Builders? …

The Edward Gorey House

This is one of those random, doesn’t-quite-fit-the-usual-PBB-blog-mold, posts. Full disclosure, I have been on vacation. And I am so darn excited to get to say that— especially after this past year and however many months, that we have all endured and suffered through. I called our trip, “The Great Reinhardt …

A library love letter

I like picture books. I also like libraries. So, it stands to reason that I’d really like a picture book about a library. And, I do like DEAR LIBRARIAN, a new book by Lydia Sigwarth and Romina Galotta from Farrar Straus Giroux. It’s based on Lydia’s childhood and the time …

OUTSIDE THE BOX w/Thunder & Cluck (And happy book birthday, you kooky dinos!)

Don’t worry. I’m not going to interview myself. Or these two characters. I used OUTSIDE THE BOX in my post title because it was this book’s acceptance … …that sparked this year-long feature. (If you’re new to PBB, I’m chatting each month with a picture book creator who’s also writing …

Old Pearl

The feels we get from picture books are all over the map. We love big laughs, we love being inspired, we love to feel good and we love being moved. We even love being sad sometimes. Because sadness in a picture book is virtually always accompanied with a certain joy. …

ROAR! A double dino giveaway!

I’m honored to be the newest contributor to PBB, and especially honored to step into Linda Ashman’s shoes. I’ve been a fan of Linda’s books for many years. To celebrate my first post, today will be a double giveaway, meaning we’ll have two winners! One will receive my newest, ONE-OSAURUS, …