I’m very excited to share a very special holiday-themed book with you today. It’s Lisa Eickholdt and Lola Schaefer’s Merry Christmas Zoo (Chronicle), illustrated by Laura Watkins. I don’t know about you, readers, but I had no idea that zoo employees and volunteers work hard each year to make winter …
Hello, picture book people! When I ran into my Missouri friend Jody Jensen Shaffer at the Marvelous Midwest conference this past spring, we had a lot of catching up to do. (See this 2023 interview with Jody about CREEP, LEAP, CRUNCH!, which went on to WIN an SCBWI Crystal Kite …
If you haven’t yet seen Kristen Remember and Matt Faulkner’s new picture book, SQUIRREL NEEDS A BREAK (Charlesbridge), I hope you’ll do so soon. The topic here is something you don’t see every day, which is one reason I think it really stands out. The cover gives a clue. Squirrel …
My first thought, upon seeing the cover of this book by my friend Beth Anderson and illustrated by Jeremy Holmes, was “Wow. I HAVE to read this.” There’s so much going on that I wanted to investigate! My second thought was “Uh-oh.” Because wasn’t there already another book on this …
Happy book birthday to my writing pal, Linda Skeers! Woo-hooo!!! Look at this cover, folks. Doesn’t that beg to be picked up?! Linda is reeeeally good at writing sweet stories with humor and heart, and those elements abound on these pages, adorably illustrated by the funny and talented Heather Fox. …
Hello, my book-loving friends! Today I’m happy to introduce the first two books in a new series from Paw Prints (Baker & Taylor imprint) called BE BOLD!, authored by me. They are Sea Turtle Swims and Kangaroo Hops. I’m guessing these books will be shelved in a library’s nonfiction section. …
Hello, picture book people! My next book debuts in one short week: This is the second in a series with Putnam about oddball animals with what might be called superpowers. Here’s the publisher’s description: Just wait till you hear what a parrotfish can do! You may know they live in …
Stories Close to Home “Write what you know,” the advice goes. Instead, for years I wrote what I didn’t know. I’ve found most of my nonfiction topics by traveling (physically or through primary research) far away from my home. Searching for unusual stories (or unique takes on known stories,) I wound …
Hello, readers. Happy Women’s History month! I’m thrilled today to introduce my newest book (illustrated by the extremely talented Rebecca Gibbon and published by Calkins Creek), a biography of author Gene Stratton-Porter. One hundred years ago, Gene Stratton-Porter was a monstrously popular woman. She’d written 26 books, both fiction and …
Hello, readers! Today I’m keeping it short with a quick look at a funny title from 2022 (Kids Can Press), written by Monica Silvie and illustrated by Elina Ellis. This cover grabbed me right away. Those eyes, right? This little chickadee could not be more quirky and original. Right off …