Hello, PBB friends! Just a very quick post to wish you all a happy new year! May it be filled with lots of great picture books! And I hope you won’t mind if I share a giveaway: If you’re a classroom teacher or librarian, you can enter to win a …
Oh, people. There are so many wonderful picture books heading our way in 2026. In honor of the Twelve Days of Christmas, I have included twelve such books right here in this very post (two of of which are written by yours truly).
Recently, I was online looking — not at all compulsively — for news or reviews of my latest picture book ONE CAN BE. I found my book, but I also found a picture book I hadn’t heard of before called ONE CAN written by Lana Button and Eric Walters and …
Hello, readers! Today, a treat for the poetic among us. I first met Dr. Colleen Kelley many years ago at an SCBWI conference. Unlike me (a dabbler, at best), Colleen is a serious student of poetry. We’re currently in a picture book study group together (via Zoom), and if we’re …
Hello Picture Book Builder Fam! I’m very excited to share yet another FANTASTIC poetry collection, TORRIBLE PUNS, written by Tricia Torrible, and illustrated by Robert Dunn. Here’s my review: This poetry collection is HILARIOUS and the concept is absolutely brilliant. Each poem tells a little story that leads the reader …
As 2025 wraps up, I will keep this post short and sweet. After four years of writing for Picture Book Builders, I am stepping away to focus on other work. Thank you for sharing your reading lives with me, and thank you especially to Jill Esbaum for being a wonderful …
December is a month full of lists: to-do lists; wish lists; gift lists; and, of course, book lists of every category and description. So I’m jumping on the listicle bandwagon with six picture books that I read this year and why I think they’re great for this holiday season (as …
Howdy, Picture Book Builder people. This November, Cowboy Camp, my very first book, turned 20! The idea for this book literally knocked on my door. One night, years and years ago, my husband and I tucked our kids into bed for the night. We were getting ready to sit down …
Need a laugh? Need an unexpected, unpredictable, highly enjoyable read? Yes, yes we do! So here is DON’T EAT EUSTACE written and illustrated by Lian Cho. Bear lives in alone in their lighthouse. One day they catch a fish named Eustace, and it’s obvious that Bear is going to enjoy …
When my family gathers for Thanksgiving, we have food and games. This year, we’ll also have a story. The idea to share a story for the holiday came when I first saw GATHER GRATEFUL (Candlewick Press, 2025), written by Megan Litwin and illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey. And, yes, in my …