I bought piles of picture books before I ever had children. And well before I wrote my own books. I read those books myself, of course, reveling in each word. And, when my two daughters — who are now 27 and 23 — arrived, I read to them. When Gwen …
Cuteness alert! I asked my friend Charlotte for a peek at her new book, Hard Hat Hank and the Sky-High Solution, and was I ever glad I did! This is one of those books that, while scrolling down the pages of the PDF, I kept thinking, “Ooh, the boyos are …
Quiet books don’t always need the same structure that other picture books have. Quiet stories are often told without true arcs or without wild swings in the action. Or without any action at all. Sometimes they are just vehicles to explain the way things are, or to express a feeling. …
Hey Picture Book Builders! I have the sweetest and fluffiest treat for you today, just in time for the Jewish holiday of Passover, which is coming up on April 12th! I am thrilled to have the amazing Jenna Waldman with us to celebrate the release of her newest rhyming picture …
The poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “How can the biographer know when enough is known, and known with sufficient certainty? What about secrets, what about errors, what about small black holes where there is nothing at all?…And what about the waywardness of life itself—the proclivity toward randomness—the sudden meaningless uplift …
Beth Anderson is sort of a regular over here at Picture Book Builders, because, well, she is just so darn good at building picture books! I’m so happy that she’s joining us to talk about her latest book, HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: KATE WARNE AND THE RACE TO SAVE ABRAHAM …
Hello, Picture Book Builders people! I am very happy to announce Mary is back! In her first book, she brought some glam to her school. In her second book, she came up with a plan to improve her neighborhood. This time around she spreads the joy of music by orchestrating …
TOOT TOOT! That’s me tooting my own horn. Because a pretty fabulous new picture book has just been released, and I was fortunate to be part of it. MOVING DAY, is written by the talented author, Teri Roche Drobnick, and is her picture book debut. I thought I would ask …
One of my favorite things about reading nonfiction picture books is all the amazing things I can learn about as an adult in just a few pages. Like the La Brea Tar Pits. I don’t ever remember hearing about this natural and historical marvel until I read Joyce Uglow and …
Hello Picture Book Builders family! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the (fingers crossed) tail end of winter. Not sure where you are, but here in NJ, it has been c-c-cold, but I feel optimistic that spring warmth will be on its way soon! I have to admit …