What first drew me to My Busy Green Garden (Tilbury House Publishers), by author Terry Pierce and illustrator Carol Schwartz, was its colorful cover. On it were some of my favorite flowers – daisies, lilies, a purple coneflower. Oh, wait. There were insects, too? A praying mantis, a honeybee, a …
Narwhal, Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton is a marvel. An undersea romp with confidence and joy and a little bit of absurdity. The opening line, “NARWHAL IS REALLY AWESOME,” pretty much nails this terrific little book. It contains short tales, natural history facts, and even a song …
I loved fairy tales as a kid, and for the most part was happy to suspend disbelief no matter how bizarre the concept. Magic seeds? Sure. Talking mirrors? All right. Gold spun from straw? Why not? But there was one story that strained plausibility beyond even my generous standards. Could …
Last year, I shared this post while in the thick of final art for the picture book by Caroline McAlister, JOHN RONALD’S DRAGONS: THE STORY OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN (Roaring Brook/MacMillan). This month, on the 21st of March, the long-awaited release of that project will be here! I can’t wait to share it …
Today I’m excited to introduce Anna Comstock, the pioneering scientist featured in my newest book — OUT OF SCHOOL AND INTO NATURE (Illus. by Jessica Lanan.) Anna was an important role model who boldly changed the “rules” of her day by proving that women could be researchers, scientists, and even …
I had the pleasure of meeting Annie Silvestro a couple of years ago at the NJ-SCBWI Conference. Trust me when I say Annie is every bit as delightful as her debut picture book, Bunny’s Book Club. This is what Kirkus had to say about the book: “A sweet salute …
Why do we fall in love with one book and not another? It’s not all because “it’s well written”, or has “stunning illustrations”, or is “a brilliant new idea”. Sometimes it has to do with where we are in our lives. Like a song that expresses the perfect mood that you’re …
I’m a fan of the TV show “Chopped.” That’s the one where contestants are given baskets full of odd, seemingly unrelated food items and have 20 to 30 minutes to combine them into a delicious dish. I watch enough episodes to be able to predict what the judges will say …
My friend Sue Lowell Gallion’s first book, the warm and adorable PUG MEETS PIG (Beach Lane Books), entered the world last fall, and I thought it might be fun to talk about the book and interview Sue. What better time than Valentine’s Day to highlight a story in which two …
(This is the post I was supposed to put up early last month. Kind of a new year’s post. I think early February still counts…) Last year was a tough year. It was full of fear and stress and disappointment and sadness. The passing of what seemed like an extraordinary number …