October is a month full of monsters. And I love ‘em! But not the terrifying, rip your throat out kind of monsters. Please, no! I prefer my monsters to be civil and harmless and with a full range of curiosity and empathy. And it doesn’t hurt if they are easy …
When you’re a picture book author, you know all about why you wrote the book you wrote. What inspired it. What you were trying to convey. And then … then … your words go off to an illustrator, and that person brings a whole new level of talent and skill …
MEDITATION STATION is what I call a cutie pie book, which means it’s one of the cutest books I’ve ever seen. It reminds me that I can choose to “stay in the station” and focus on my breathing rather than dwelling on negative thoughts. Being a person with a busy …
Foodie picture book biographies are totally my jam. So I’m super excited to share NIKI NAKAYAMA: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites with you today. Co-authors Jamie Michalak and Debbi Michiko Florence, plus debut pb illustrator Yuko Jones were kind enough to answer some questions — and they’re giving away …
WARNING! Brace yourselves for some barnyard ridiculousness on October 19. That’s the release date for my latest book with Troy Cummings called One Sheep, Two Sheep. Feel free to pre-order a signed-by-yours-truly copy: Click here! Click here! Click here! This is what Kirkus has to say about this bedtime barnyard …
The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess is a fun and fabulous fairytale written and illustrated by Tom Gauld. What an intriguing cover— it feels like a magical seek and find right from the start. Then we move to the incredible end pages and I now have very high …
This is a follow-up to a post I wrote in August about the importance of picking a structure for your picture book and committing to it. It might be helpful to read that post first, if you haven’t. After my last post about why it’s so very important to consciously …
Twenty+ years ago, back when I was a beginning writer receiving rejection after rejection, a mentor/friend suggested I back up the truck and try writing for magazines. I know, now, that was simply his kind way of telling me I needed to better understand the framework of STORY. Anyway, I …
Of all the things we treasure in our youth, few things move forward with us. I was surprised recently to discover my three-year old granddaughter cuddling the panda in a red and black striped shirt, affectionately called “Toon” by my son, now 37. He loved Toon when he was about …
This month I wanted to share one of my favorite picture books of all time. I’m embarrassed to say I only discovered the book a few years ago, but immediately fell in love with the magical title, the stunning illustrations and the ingeniously original, lyrical rhyme scheme. On the off …