There are a lot of counting books in the world. So it seems to me, if you are going to make one it has to be extra special. Which is why I enjoyed One Dark Bird, written by Liz Garton Scanlon, and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. To look at the …
Dictionaries are always evolving and changing, of course, as our language does the same. But adding words means removing others to make room. Understandable, right? But when Oxford University Press, back in 2007, removed 40 common nature words from their Oxford Junior Dictionary—words like acorn, bramble, dandelion, kingfisher, pasture, weasel, …
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 …
When you read lots of picture books, as we do around here, you can get a little jaded. Some make me laugh. A few make me tear up. But rarely do I feel surprised, as in “Whoa, I didn’t see that coming.” Then I read Small in the City by …
Hello everyone! Today I’m really excited to share POKKO AND THE DRUM, by Matthew Forsythe. I’m a huge fan of Matthew Forsythe’s work, with some of my favorites like MY NAME IS ELIZABETH and THE GOLD LEAF. This book is something special. It has that classic feel of containing all …
If you know me, you know I am pro-chicken. I think chickens make excellent picture book characters. They are flighty (but can’t fly), they are active, and they are FUNNY. Even the word ‘chicken’ is funny. When I first discovered that the wonderful and hilarious Cate Berry wrote a book …
“Sometimes it’s hard being a goldfish. You dream of growing fat and exploring coral reefs. But instead here you are in a bowl. Going round and round in circles. And sometimes it’s hard being a child in the summer in the city. All your friends leave and there’s no one …
I write picture books. And I love doing so. But many of you probably know my day job is being a corporate editor. I turn jargon into conversational language and try to make complicated topics simple. While the two roles may not seem similar, there’s actually a lot of overlap. …
Debut authors. We love ’em. Especially when they’re also super nice people and friends, like Sarah Glenn Fortson. Sarah agreed to a visit so we could talk about her new book, THIS COWGIRL AIN’T KIDDIN’ ABOUT THE POTTY (illustrated by Russ Cox, published by Peter Pauper Press). A bit about …
Welp, who’d believe five years could go by so quickly?! So quickly we missed it, since the actual anniversary date was September 2nd. Anyway, ZIP-ZOOM-ZING!, we’ve been blogging for five years! Time really does fly when you’re having fun. We don’t want to let such a BIG anniversary pass without …