So you’re reading a picture book to your kiddos or perusing the new pb shelf at the library or paging through new releases at the bookstore, and you’re blithely going along – yes, oh cute, uh-huh – when you come to a line that grabs you by the glottis. Whoa, …
This is a story-behind-the-story post, but it’s also for those of you who are waffling over attending a writing conference in 2015. Consider this your sign. Why? Because wondrous things happen at conferences, specifically SCBWI conferences. Just ask my friend Sarvinder Naberhaus, who submitted a stack of poems for an editorial …
I wanted to start this post with: I fell in love with Henry and Elliebelly the first time… But I feel like I start too many posts that way. Which in no way reflects a sad truth: I rarely fall in love with ANY book. I’m more often disappointed/disenchanted. So when …
Early in September, I stopped in at my local Barnes & Noble to peruse the New Picture Books shelves. Blocking my way was a special display holding dozens of copies of Keith Richards’ Gus & Me, The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar. My first thought? Ugh, another …
Even though hundreds of character-driven picture books are published every year, great ones are still a relatively rare thing. They need a likable/relatable main character, a compelling story, emotional resonance, a distinctive voice, etc., etc., etc. It’s only occasionally that lo, those many elements magically mesh to create something special. …
One of my favorite books of 2014 is Poor Doreen – A Fishy Tale, written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by *Alexandra Boiger. Want a book with a superlative VOICE? This is it. When reading this story for the first time, I smiled all the way through. But then I heard …