Spring is right around the corner, and I can’t wait to watch my flowerbeds unfold, leaf by leaf. The weeding that soon follows? Meh. But that dirty work is rewarded when I come upon a toad hiding in a shady spot. Good to know they’re in there, eating the slugs …
My absolute, by far, unquestionably favorite book of last year was the gorgeous and moving BOATS FOR PAPA by Jessixa Bagley. It touched me. It moved me. It made me question, laughingly, why I think I could/should even be in this business. It had a lot of Caldecott buzz, deservedly. …
Three years ago, when Random House editor Maria Modugno was considering illustrators for my manuscript Henry Wants More!, she shared a sample of Brooke Boynton Hughes’s work. Well, I was smitten. And I’m hardly alone in my admiration. Brooke has won SCBWI’s Mentorship Award and two Portfolio Honor Awards in …
Animal characters are a staple of children’s books. In fact, when I think of my Very Most Favorite characters in classic books, almost all of them are anthropomorphic. A quality that I love unique to animal characters is that they can be shown living grown-up, independent lives (sometimes it can …
As you may have figured out from my earlier posts, I’m a huge fan of picture book biographies (which is probably why I write them.) This month I’d like to share a picture book biography gem, Muhammad Ali, Champion of the World (2007) by Jonah Winter (illustrated by Francois Roca.) If I …
Holy moly. There are hundreds of wonderful picture books in store for us in 2016. I want-want-want so many of them. On top of all of the upcoming standalones, I am really excited for some companion books. For instance…. Hotel Bruce Written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins (Disney*Hyperion, October …
Night Animals by Gianna Marino, what a hilarious and beautifully designed romp through the very “scary” night woods. Only the whites of their eyes show on the black end pages and set the stage for the “dark” story to come.The premise that night animals are afraid of the dark …
Some stories stay with you. I don’t remember exactly when I first heard the story of Wilma Rudolph. It was probably sometime in grade school. But I do remember the details of her life. Wilma grew up in a low-income family with 22 children in Clarksville, Tennessee, a segregated town. …
I’m so excited to have author/illustrator Rebecca Bond here today to talk about her gorgeous book, Out of the Woods – A True Story of an Unforgettable Event (FSG, 2015). What a treat! When I read that Out of the Woods was based on a family story passed down from Rebecca’s …
A DOG WEARING SHOES is a delightful and moving book. Written and illustrated by Sangmi Ko, it is a somehow familiar story to me regarding a dog or two from my youth. When Mini and her mother rescue a dog in traffic wearing shoes, they can’t find it’s owner right away …