2020 has — unarguably — been a difficult year. We’ve been tossed and turned by a pandemic, a contentious presidential election, racial injustices and a variety of natural disasters. That makes I AM THE STORM, a picture book written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple and illustrated by Kristen …
So. I’ll start with the truth. I’m not a dog person. I’m not fond of barking. And jumping and growling. And, after I was bitten by a German Shepherd, I liked dogs even less. They sort of scare me. Not YOUR dog, of course. I’m sure your dog is lovely. …
All effective picture books have some amount of heart. Something in their story that connects with readers — whether they are four or 94 — and makes them think: “Oh! I’ve felt like that. I understand.” My favorite picture books have lots of heart. They tell stories that inspire lots …
Whenever I speak about writing picture books to aspiring authors, I leave time for questions at the end. Almost always, the first question I get is: “Do you get to choose who your illustrator is?” And, when I answer that, no, I do not, there’s an immediate follow-up: “But … …
If you’re a picture book writer — aspiring or published — you’ve likely heard someone say: “Don’t write your story in rhyme. Editors say they don’t want that.” Then, arguments often ensue, with some people talking about how rhyme helps beginning readers learn to process language, and other people talking …
If you’re a writer or a reader, you may have heard someone say: “There’s no such thing as a new story — there are just different ways of telling the same ones.” That might be true from a thematic or structural standpoint, but I recently read a picture book — …
I always find it interesting when similar picture books are released by different authors working with different publishers around the same time. So much of writing and book creating is solitary, so it’s kind of remarkable when different bookmakers end up making similar stories with similar themes — even though …
One of my favorite parts of the picture book process is seeing the final artwork for each of my books. It’s great seeing how a talented artist interpreted my story. And, I was especially excited to see Daniel Wiseman’s art for MY BROTHER THE DUCK, which releases April 21 from …
I have to admit. For most of my life, I didn’t know a lot about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. I mean … I had heard of them. I knew they were a couple, and I knew they did literary things. I may have vaguely associated them with France. …
A question that picture book writers often ask is: “Should I paginate my picture book before I send it to an editor or agent?” Today, Carol Hinz, editorial director at Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books at Lerner Publishing Group, shares a post she wrote addressing that very topic. Take it …