Many: the Diversity of Life on Earth, written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Emily Sutton is full of many wonderful things. I am obsessed with Emily Sutton’s illustrations. They carry me back to my beloved Golden Books with their gentle palettes and decorative layouts. A combo of Mary Blair …
There are books I like. There are books I love. And, there are books that — let’s be honest — I want to hug. Books that astound me. Books that I read. Then read again with wonder. Then try to convince everyone I’ve ever met to read as well. All …
Think writing a simple concept book is easy? Not. First, you have to come up with a topic to capture the interest of preschoolers. Then you have to get into the head space and emotions of a three or four year old. Always, you’re reminding yourself to keep it simple …
Back in 2015, I challenged myself to come up with a story that would invite a lot of audience participation. I also wanted to tell a story in a way that I hadn’t seen done before. The happy result? KNOCK KNOCK is my new book with oh-so-awesome Illustrator Guy Francis. …
I do not possess an MFA. I can count on one hand the number of formal writing workshops or classes I’ve attended as a student. I’m sometimes confused on the more complex parts of speech and still can’t easily spout the definition of “second person.” I’m a voracious reader of …
As per usual with how I’m finding books these days, an instagram cover photo once again caught my eye. It was called Looking After William by Eve Coy. I responded with google search, read the summary, and hit order. Another “gut” feeling book purchase. While I could have easily talked …
We recently had a bat in our house. I was home alone and discovered something with fur on my bathroom vanity. I could tell you that I calmly set down my hair dryer, put on gloves, and removed the bat to the great outdoors. But…
I’m working on the illustrations for my next book and frantic to make the deadline in 4 days. For my post today, since all I’ve been thinking about for the past month or so is these illustrations, I thought I’d share with you my process of one page, number 11. …
It’s hard to write a classic. Most picture books are released, get a bit of fanfare — or not — and then are forgotten in the next year or two as more new books come out. It’s sad, but true. So when a book has staying power, it’s an impressive …
A few years back, I was given the happy opportunity to mentor Cindy Chambers Johnson through SCBWI-IA’s mentorship program. She was hugely talented, but she was also witty and charming and soon felt like a friend. So I couldn’t be more excited about her debut picture book, RUSSELL WRESTLES THE …