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 …
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’m excited to share, JUST SO WILLOW by Sara Shacter (illustrated by Stephanie Laberis), which released last week from Sterling. This gorgeous book is humorous, beautiful, and SO perfect for today’s young readers as it shares the story of a polar bear who discovers that friendships and having fun is …
As fall approaches, we look forward to cooler days, brightly colored leaves, and of course, spooky stories! So I thought it would be fun to share a scary story hot off the presses, MOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE SCARES: A ZOMBIE TALE by Lynne Marie, illustrated by David Rodriguez Lorenzo. This …
Books and back-to-school go hand-in-hand, so today I want to talk about some books that are great to read if you have a child going back to school or if you work in a school and are looking for the perfect welcome back message. But, first, I want to talk …
I’m a longtime fan of author/illustrator Maryann Cocca-Leffler. Not only does she have a truly cool name, but her books are awesome. So when I heard she had a new release — called GROWING SEASON — coming from Sterling Books in April, I hit the pre-order button so fast I …
I’ve been a Patrice Barton fan for as long as I can remember. She draws children as well as (or better) than perhaps any other illustrator. I remember being enchanted by her work in THE INVISIBLE BOY, SWEET MOON BABY and HELLO GOODBYE DOG. So I might have screamed just …