All picture books, all the time

Hello, PENCIL! Plus interviews with its creators AND a GIVEAWAY!

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to get look at a manuscript written by my friend Ann Ingalls. Right away, I knew it was something special. It was just one of those stories that grabbed you on the first page and had you giggling throughout. So you can …

WILLIAM WAKES UP Interview + Giveaway!

As Jill reminded us in a recent post, this business can be tough. Rejection. Disappointing sales. Occasional unkind reviews that evoke this Taylor Swift song. So it’s extra important to celebrate the good stuff. Like, say, the arrival of new books! In fact, today just happens to be the pub …

Wordy Birdy Meets Mr. Cougarpants (+ GIVEAWAY)

In February 2018, Wordy Birdy (Doubleday), written by yours truly and illustrated by Dave Mottram, was released. Wordy Birdy is a bird who loves to talk, talk, talk. But she never listens. In fact, Wordy Birdy has so much to say, she has another book due out February 5, 2019. It’s called Wordy …

JUST READ! (+ giveaway)

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a new book hot off the press (releases March 5) titled JUST READ! by Lori Degman, illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. It’s a lovely story with a wonderful, universal theme of reading which probably makes other authors wonder, “Why didn’t I think of that?” …

The Great Puppy Invasion by Alastair Heim (+ BIG giveaway)

Oh, people. Brace yourself for some serious cuteness. Would you expect anything less from a book called The Great Puppy Invasion? This book was written by Alastair Heim and illustrated by Kim Smith. What’s a town to do when not one, not two, but hundreds of adorable, wriggling puppies invade? …

Argyle Fox by Marie Letourneau

I found this darling character story quite refreshing in the shadow of so many ‘deep-meaning’ picture books which I’ve read recently. The story is about little Argyle Fox who goes out to play on a windy day. Unfortunately for Argyle, his choices don’t work successfully in the wind. Building a …

Some wisdom from the remarkable Patrice Barton — and a giveaway!

I’ve been a Patrice Barton fan for as long as I can remember. She draws children as well as (or better) than perhaps any other illustrator. I remember being enchanted by her work in THE INVISIBLE BOY, SWEET MOON BABY and HELLO GOODBYE DOG. So I might have screamed just …

New Year, New Hopes & Dreams

A year ago, I got real on Facebook with this post: The writing life.Here on FB, those of us who write tend to share the yippee stuff and clam up regarding our failures. Who wants to admit those and feel like a loser? Bleh. But a comment somebody made a …

Line Envy.

Okay, sorry writers, this is really illustration-oriented. My illustrations have been called cartoon-like in the past, and I’m fine with that. In the most basic sense, my illustrations seem to be black lines with color fills. Which can be, well…cartoon-like. The second to the last book I did (Swamp Gas) …

A ROUND OF ROBINS and Katie Hesterman Interview (plus Giveaway!)

So, the holiday hubbub has passed, and we’re in that long wintry stretch that has many of us yearning for spring. Yes, it’s still a few months away, but today’s book—A ROUND OF ROBINS by Katie Hesterman—offers a lovely dose of springtime to help tide us over. MORE good news: …