All picture books, all the time

Margaret’s Unicorn by Briony May Smith

Margaret’s Unicorn, by Briony May Smith is a book that I have wanted to wrap my hands around for some time. I just adore Briony May Smith’s captivating illustrations. Look at that unicorn’s curling long tail! The book is exactly what my picture-book-loving soul needed and I’m so happy to …

Tons of puns for little ones

I have long admired writers whose gifts go beyond writing and creative skills. Because of my own organizational short-comings, I especially admire writers who devise new ways to market their work and the work of colleagues, and even manage to IMPLEMENT those ideas. Julie Hedlund is one such writer. I’ve …

Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins!

Happy autumn! Because I’ve been here … … on the seat of a tractor for weeks now, sometimes with the help of a grandkiddo (they think…don’t worry, we aren’t moving in this photo), I’m having to skip an OUTSIDE THE BOX post this month (but, ooh, have I got a …

El Cucuy

October is a month full of monsters. And I love ‘em! But not the terrifying, rip your throat out kind of monsters. Please, no! I prefer my monsters to be civil and harmless and with a full range of curiosity and empathy. And it doesn’t hurt if they are easy …

Meet Katie Kath: A rock star illustrator

When you’re a picture book author, you know all about why you wrote the book you wrote. What inspired it. What you were trying to convey. And then … then … your words go off to an illustrator, and that person brings a whole new level of talent and skill …

MEDITATION STATION: Interview with Susan B. Katz (+Giveaway)

MEDITATION STATION is what I call a cutie pie book, which means it’s one of the cutest books I’ve ever seen. It reminds me that I can choose to “stay in the station” and focus on my breathing rather than dwelling on negative thoughts. Being a person with a busy …

NIKI NAKAYAMA: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites with Jamie Michalak, Debbi Michiko Florence, & Yuko Jones. Plus a book & art giveaway!

Foodie picture book biographies are totally my jam. So I’m super excited to share NIKI NAKAYAMA: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites with you today. Co-authors Jamie Michalak and Debbi Michiko Florence, plus debut pb illustrator Yuko Jones were kind enough to answer some questions — and they’re giving away …

One Sheep, Two Sheep with Editorial Director Meredith Mundy (+giveaway)

WARNING! Brace yourselves for some barnyard ridiculousness on October 19. That’s the release date for my latest book with Troy Cummings called One Sheep, Two Sheep. Feel free to pre-order a signed-by-yours-truly copy: Click here! Click here! Click here! This is what Kirkus has to say about this bedtime barnyard …

The Little Wooden Robot & the Log Princess

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess is a fun and fabulous fairytale written and illustrated by Tom Gauld. What an intriguing cover— it feels like a magical seek and find right from the start. Then we move to the incredible end pages and I now have very high …

Part 2: Picking and committing to a picture book structure

This is a follow-up to a post I wrote in August about the importance of picking a structure for your picture book and committing to it. It might be helpful to read that post first, if you haven’t. After my last post about why it’s so very important to consciously …