I am asked often about where my stories come from. I’m sure each and every writer out there is quizzed on this—and frequently. It can be a difficult question to answer, employing self examination and introspection, or an easy one with a flippant—yet true—“I’ve no idea.” Sometimes, depending on the …
Having a friend that you are comfortable with, that understands you, that you love to spend time with is a great thing. Having a friend that you always have fun with and can “tell what the other is thinking without saying a word” is, indeed, fortunate thing. In Jessixa Bagley’s …
Oh, to be an outlier. To bust the chains that tether us. To eschew the mundane and embrace the wild! The new book by Rebecca Van Slyke, illustrated by Anca Sanda, Lana Lynn Howls at the Moon, explores this scenario. Lana Lynn, a young sheep that wants a little more …
I’ve known Laura McGee Kvasnosky for over 25 years. I met her in an evening class at an art school on how to make picture books. It was taught by Keith Baker and was inspiring and bursting with the kind of info every newbie was looking for. There were several …
I’ve been in Red Wing, Minnesota all week with like-types at a retreat. And thought I’d share a little bit of my experience. I love hanging with other kid’s book building people. Meeting two fellow PictureBookBuilders there was especially nice. There was joy and inspiration at every turn. People read …
I’ve mentioned multiple times here how I am a sucker for fun or interesting or awkward friendship stories. Croc & Turtle! by Mike Wohnoutka (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2019) fits into one or more of those categories. Big, lovable Croc believes he is very good in a number of skills. And …
I’m on deadline this week and, like virtually every project I’ve ever done, woefully behind. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is just the way I work. I start slowly and ramp up the speed and productivity the closer the deadline gets. So as a kind of cop out, …
Okay, sorry writers, this is really illustration-oriented. My illustrations have been called cartoon-like in the past, and I’m fine with that. In the most basic sense, my illustrations seem to be black lines with color fills. Which can be, well…cartoon-like. The second to the last book I did (Swamp Gas) …
I have a love/hate relationship with wordless picture books. Well, not really “love/hate,” more like a “love/um?” relationship. As an illustrator, my love for them is obvious. A whole story told in pictures! How cool is that? As a parent, “reading” wordless picture books to kids, for me, was occasionally …
I had different favorite animals at different points my life. I remember being smitten with monkeys when I was quite young, pining for a raccoon (after reading Rascal by Sterling North) when I was little older, and in high school I studied crows and ravens for a couple of years …