To be read as though you have the worst cold ever: Bob, Not Bob! written by Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick is illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Matthew Cordell. The premise is that poor Little Louie has the worst cold ever. “Today, Little Louie’s nose was clogged. …
I think every picture book author has a mental list of picture books he or she loves SO MUCH that the writer wishes he or she had written them. My personal “why-couldn’t-I-have-written-that” list has five books on it.* And one of them is Carolyn Crimi’s BORIS AND BELLA, an absolutely …
I appreciate a good metaphor. I really appreciate an entire book full of them. But I lurrrrve a quirkily illustrated book full of them that makes me smile as I page through AND makes my heart go all melty at the end. Oh, and it rhymes, too! No wonder …
The Neuroticism of Accomplishment (#16 in a series) In the picture book world, for those unfamiliar, authors and illustrators are given the opportunity to have a look-see at what their soon-to-be, real-life book will look like. It is an assemblage of pages called an F&G, which stands for folded and …
I occasionally teach a workshop on “Writing the Rollicking Read-Aloud,” so I’m always on the lookout for books to add to my resource list. I’m happy to share with you the latest addition to that list : WHOOPS! by Suzi Moore and illustrated by Russell Ayto (Templar/Candlewick, 2016). It starts …
The Picture Book Builders blog has a new picture book writer and illustrator joining us this summer, so get ready, because it’s . . . MIKE BOLDT!!! If you’re not yet familiar with Mike’s work, you are in for a treat. A few of his own books include 123 VERSUS ABC, …
Hooray! Today I get to introduce an adorable new picture book–ALL ABOARD THE LONDON BUS by Patricia Toht (illustrated by Sam Usher) which releases next week (May 4th!) It’s the delightful story of a family exploring the exciting sights of London (Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Big Ben, and much …
Have you ever ordered a kitten, but the pet delivery truck dropped off a lion instead? Then this book is for YOU! (It’s also for everyone else.) CARING FOR YOUR LION (Sterling), my latest book, is illustrated by the oh-so-fierce Troy Cummings. Troy’s art is warm, wonderful, and, well, purrrr-fect. …
Niko Draws a Feeling, written by Bob Raczka and beautifully illustrated by Simone Shin. How much of why I love this book is because I’m an artist? Because as an artist I have felt dear Niko’s frustration watching blank faces staring at my masterpieces? Well… perhaps a lot of it. But Niko …
Recurring elements are one of my favorite features in picture books. Picture books are shorter affairs, so the writer has to fit a plot into a tighter-than-normal space. To make the story hang together and feel like a coherent whole, there often are words, phrases or themes that repeat throughout …