Picture books are mostly meant for small people. So, perhaps, it’s not surprising that there are lots of picture books about small people and small things. I even have one of my own — NOT SO SMALL with Paola Escobar (HarperCollins, 2022). But, today, I want to share two new …
The best picture books often accomplish a lot of things. They can: But, as picture book creators know, doing some or all of these things in 32 pages and a limited number of words is difficult. Where should the focus be? What’s the right balance? How do all these elements …
I like picture books about gardens. Which is kind of funny, because I don’t have a garden and never will. I manage to keep one houseplant alive, and that’s about the extent of my gardening abilities. But hypothetical gardens in picture books are a wonderful thing. And, I love all …
I’ve always been a book geek. When I was young, that involved walking to the bookmobile and trying to convince the librarian to let me check out more books than the rules allowed. It also involved visiting the public library whenever my parents could take me. That’s where they got me an adult …
Happy holidays! If you’re reading this post, you’re probably a bookish sort of person. And, if you’re a bookish sort of person, you probably read a lot of books this year. And, because the end of a calendar year can cause some people — bookish or not — to become …
One of my favorite things is when I stumble across a picture book I haven’t heard much about and it ends up being practically perfect. (And it also goes well with a book I already know about.) The book: PIECE BY PIECE: ERNESTINE’S GIFT FOR PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT is written by …
Small people can feel big emotions. But, they might not have the skills or life experiences to know how to deal with them. That’s part of the reason Tamara Ellis Smith and Nancy Whitesides created GRIEF IS AN ELEPHANT, a picture book about loss that releases Oct. 24 from Chronicle …
Hey, everyone! We’re about to head into the fourth quarter of 2023, which got me thinking about which picture books I’ve read this year that I’ve loved the most. Before I get going, here are some useful disclaimers: In an effort to overcome some of these obstacles, please share your …
Ten years ago this month, my first picture book was published. I sold SOPHIE’S SQUASH to Schwartz & Wade Books (now Anne Schwartz Books) after four years of persistent picture book writing and submitting on my part and 126 rejections on a wide variety of manuscripts. But, after all that, …
Andrea Wang was thinking about perfect picture book pairings recently. And, great minds must think alike, because I was doing the same thing. For people who adore picture books, that’s common, I think. We read a book, love it, and then our minds say, “Oooo! That would go really well …