Say hello to my crit partner and friend, Norene Paulson. She looks like a happy camper, doesn’t she? That’s because her DEBUT book, BENNY’S TRUE COLORS (Imprint, illustrated by Anne Passchier), flip-flaps out into the world TODAY!!! BENNY’S TRUE COLORS is the story of a sweet, lovable little bat who …
I was drawn to this book in the bookstore because of the cover, though I can’t place which one, it reminded me of a book or books from my childhood. Opening it up and leafing through it I was mesmerized with both the style and the subject matter—a myriad of …
Who doesn’t love the Harlem Globetrotters? With their precision shots and hilarious stunts, these phenomenal athletes are admired around the world. But there’s much more to this remarkable team than you might think. My new picture book SWISH! THE SLAM-DUNKING, ALLEY-OOPING, HIGH-FLYING HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS (illustrated by Don Tate), which releases …
Whenever words come to me in the middle of the night, I embrace them. I get up, grab the notepad from my nightstand, and scribble everything down fast. For FLYING HIGH: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles, I was immersed in research about Simone’s life for several months. And …
Welp, here it is—Election Day at long last. If, like me, you’ve found this election—and, well, the last four years—incredibly stressful, disheartening, and often infuriating—here’s a book to soothe your spirits. Two books, actually. Becoming a Good Creature, written by Sy Montgomery and illustrated by Rebecca Green (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt …
I have been fortunate to have created books with many wonderful illustrators: Jeff Berger, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Troy Cummings, Guy Frances, Alison Friend, Goro Fujita, Arthur Howard, Victoria Hutto, Dan Krall, Jeff Mack, Scott Magoon, Dave Mottram, Lynn Munsinger, Mike Reed, Angela Rozelaar, Dan Santat, Bob Shea, Michael Slack, Liz Starin, …
Long ago, I read that adult human beings draw at a 10 year old drawing level. This is because sometime around that age the child realizes that they are not the best artist in the class. Because there is always one, right? And the kids who are not that One …
A new picture book — out now! — recently caught my eye and my heart. It’s NO VOICE TOO SMALL – Fourteen Young Americans Making History, edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley, who also illustrated the book (Charlesbridge). It’s an uplifting, affecting armful of poetry …
In the summer of 2011 I was in-between book projects and felt certain another would never come along. I had moved my studio home from a nice space in downtown Seattle to take care of my wife. The space I had at home was a bit smaller than what I …
Many of us are drawn to writing picture books because we want to have a positive impact on kids. Maybe we hope to encourage a sense of empathy, kindness or self-acceptance, or teach them about a person or issue we find important. But—as my files full of clunky manuscripts attest—good …