All picture books, all the time

Avocado Asks

Before a recent trip to the bookstore, I thought my favorite way to enjoy an avocado was in tortilla soup. People, I was wrong! It turns out my favorite avocado encounter is this book written and illustrated by Momoko Abe. Avocado Asks made me laugh, and it made me feel. Who knew I …

Woodpecker Girl (& Fishtastic! Winner)

Woodpecker Girl, written by Chingyen Liu and I-Tsun Chiang, is gloriously illustrated by Heidi Doll. This is the true story of Yipei Huang. A girl born with cerebral palsy and destined to life in a wheel chair. The dream-like illustrations are magical. They portray Yipei often as quite small on …

SIX New Books from Our Subscribers!

I’m taking a break from my OUTSIDE THE BOX series this month to give a shout out to six new books authored by some of our loyal subscribers. Not one of them solicited a post (we prefer to discover titles on our own), so it was especially delightful to surprise …

A Return to Retreats

Warning: This is nothing more than self-indulgent, overly-long musings, peppered with random photos, that meander through the author’s grey matter after returning from his first in-person writers’ retreat since 2019. It borders on a humble-brag and you wouldn’t be blamed for skipping it. The pandemic has robbed us of a …

On Departures, Arrivals & Imperfection (plus PHOEBE DUPREE IS COMING TO TEA giveaway)

Hello! In my first post of 2021, I wrote about the importance of making space for new things. And so, after more than six years and nearly 80 posts, I’m stepping away from PBB. I’m grateful to Jill Esbaum for inviting me to join this effort, to the talented authors …

Poetic Picture Books With Author Notes

Poetic picture books make my heart soar. They make complex themes accessible, capture deep emotions, and convey stories with brevity and grace. No easy feat. Author notes are a wonderful way to provide additional details that complement a lovely, spare text. Here’s a look at three of my favorite poetic …

THE PEOPLE’S PAINTER (author interview with Cynthia Levinson!)

I’m thrilled to highlight a gorgeous book today, THE PEOPLE’S PAINTER, by Cynthia Levinson with illustrations by Evan Turk. This lovely and important picture book biography shares the story of Jewish artist and activist, Ben Shahn. It released just last month and has earned four starred reviews! As a boy …

Picture Book Barcode Bonanza Part 2

It has been YEARS since I posted about my love for a well-placed barcode on the back of a picture book. This was the initial post. Welcome to Picture Book Barcode Bonanza Part 2! I was inspired to gather more of these barcode wonders because of the wild joy I …

A FISHTASTIC! Interview and Giveaway!

There is a new picture book swimming about in the world— And it’s called Fishtastic!! The subtitle is, “A Tale of Magic and Friendship” which is extremely apropos. Because, you see, this book is written by my very dear friend, Tess Weaver, and I had the privilege to illustrate it. …

OUTSIDE THE BOX with Jody Jensen Shaffer!

To say that Jody Jensen Shaffer likes to keep herself busy is an understatement, as you’re about to see. I only met this talented writer a couple of years ago, when she graciously allowed me to hitch a ride from Kansas City to NerdCamp Kansas and back again. Ten minutes …