I have attended the Annual SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles nine times. One of the very best parts to come out of those wonderful experiences is that I met Kate Dopirak. Kate = joy. Joy, I tell you! Right away, Kate and I became friends. Together, we commiserate, we …
Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer is breathtakingly beautiful and deceptively simple. “Daniel knows all the rocks, trees, and animals in the park.” So when he sees a poster advertising “Poetry in the Park” he sets out to ask his park friends, ‘what is poetry’? He soon learns that …
The second in a four-part series interviewing editors that run their own imprints. Anne Schwartz is an editor extraordinaire! In her distinguished 35-year career, she has worked for many top publishers. Anne was publisher of Apple Soup Books at Random House, spent a decade at Simon & Schuster, where she started …
A new book from Lisa Wheeler is always a treat. But when I saw the cover of The Christmas Boot, I knew it was something special. I asked Dial for a preview, and they were kind enough to send an f&g. Oh, people. Besides feeling like a folktale we should …
I picked up BECAUSE OF AN ACORN at my local indie the other day. I was drawn to it by the cover art. A lone acorn on the ground on what appears to be a perfect fall day in all it’s gray glory. Written by Lola M. Schaefer and her …
I’ve admired David LaRochelle’s books for many years, ever since reading The Best Pet of All, a clever twist on the kid-wants-dog tale. Then there’s It’s a Tiger!, which has to be one of the best read-alouds of all time. (Really. Check it out.) So I’m thrilled that David agreed to …
One of the unforeseen joys of writing and illustrating picture books has been that of making friends with other writer/illustrators, and seeing their books come out into the world. I think I’m often just as excited for and proud of them as when my own books come out. One of these …
Two gorgeous science books, BABY LOVES QUARKS! and BABY LOVES AEROSPACE ENGINEERING!, written by Ruth Spiro (illustrated by Irene Chan) released earlier this month from Charlesbridge. Being a science nerd, I instantly fell in love with these gorgeous and engaging books. So I’m extremely pleased to have author Ruth Spiro join …
Over the years, I’ve shared many of the books I love on Picture Book Builders. There was A Hungry Lion: A Dwindling Assortment of Animals, written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins. I love that it’s subversive, funny, and unexpected. There was Mimi and Bear in the Snow, written and …
I found two picture books that I really like. And the funny thing is, they are both wordless and both use a limited color palette. First up is SPOT, THE CAT, by Henry Cole. This book has utterly delightful, very detailed, black and white line illustrations with all the charm and …