Karen Beaumont is a master of the rollicking read-aloud and one of my favorite picture book authors. So when Karen has a new book out—which she does now—I consider it a cause for celebration. But I can’t talk about just ONE of Karen’s books. There’s so much to learn from …
I’m deviating from our usual kind of post to mark a personal milestone of sorts. Twenty years ago this month, I quit my job at UCLA to write children’s books. Not exactly something I’d recommend—the quitting your job part—especially since I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. But …
I’ve enjoyed Margie Palatini’s books for years. And when I crack one open, I’ve come to expect certain things: a distinctive voice, great humor, and lively, rhythmic language packed with repetition, puns, and clever wordplay. What I don’t usually expect? Brevity. But No Nap! Yes Nap! (Little, Brown, 2014) IS brief. …
It’s been a rough winter, hasn’t it? Here in central North Carolina, my son has finally returned to school after nearly two weeks of cancellations due to nasty weather. And yet our little bit of snow is nothing compared to what you folks in the northeast and elsewhere have endured. …
As Jennifer Black Reinhardt put it so well in this post, books take so darn long to make that you’ve got to celebrate them when they’re finally finished. So to celebrate the publication of Little Baby Buttercup (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin), I asked the book’s oh-so-talented illustrator, You Byun, to answer …
Ever had a great idea for a picture book—one you’re really excited about—only to discover your idea has already been fleshed out, written, illustrated and published so well there’s no point in pursuing the project? Disappointing, right? Ever discovered the existence of this book only after you’ve invested several months …
If you’re familiar with my books, you know I love rhyme. I love writing in rhyme, and I love reading rhyme (good rhyme—no one likes reading the clunky stuff). I love the music, the rhythm, the sound of it. Well-written verse is just plain fun to read aloud. But not …
Many of us are drawn to writing children’s books because we want to share some hard-won wisdom or help kids deal with a difficult situation or emotion. But how do we do that without sounding overly message-y and preachy? Try humor. Let’s take, for example, Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great (Disney-Hyperion, …
I like it when authors talk to me. In their books, I mean (although it’s nice when they do it in person, too). And when they do, I feel compelled to respond. So when Hervé Tullet tells me to Press Here, I press. Right there. When Jan Thomas asks Can …
Recently, on a family vacation—thousands of miles and a dozen years since we’d read the book he was referencing—my son said, “Look—an Oliver Tolliver dog.” Now if you haven’t read Mary Ann Hoberman’s book One of Each, you wouldn’t have known to look around for an Airedale Terrier, but my …