Attention, children, grownups, and dragons! Liz Starin and I have a book that will be roaring onto the scene on October 6. ROAR! stars a little boy and two dragons who discover what it takes to start a friendship. This, by the way, is what Kirkus said about our book: “Big …
The first step when beginning a picture book project is to go shopping. I have only recently acknowledged this because I seem to be amassing quite a collection of, “stuff”, all in the name of my “craft”. I don’t recall learning this step in art school, so I began paying attention, noticing, contemplating this …
I’m a picture book junkie. I love them truly, madly and deeply, and believe they are for everyone. Babies — They can drool on the edges. Toddlers — They can sit in a lap, help turn the pages and listen. Beginning readers — They can sound out words or call out refrains. Kids …
At book signings there’s always somebody who, after flipping through a book, looks at me to ask, “Where’d you get this idea?” Honestly, it isn’t always easy to remember, 3-5 years after the fact, what sparked a story idea. But if they ask that about my newest book, Elwood Bigfoot: …
Alphabet books are staples in this industry that I often miss. I don’t necessarily gravitate towards them because, whatever their concept, I’m usually certain I’ve seen it before. And few are compelling enough for multiple reads. Some are agonizing in their yawn-inducing lessons about letters. Maybe it is because they are rarely …
Ever worked on a manuscript with a case of the blahs? I have, more times than I care to think about. But the next time I find myself mired in blandness, I have a strategy to try: Role reversal. Yep, the old switcheroo. Let’s consider a few examples. Lots of little girls …
The Austrian illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger is a favorite, especially among other illustrators — there are so many characteristics of her paintings that draw us in and amaze us. When I’m asked why she’s one of my favorites, I often find it hard to put into words. Lisbeth chooses to depict scenes we …
During a school visit a few months ago a teacher commented that my upcoming picture book, The Inventor’s Secret, would be the perfect title to kick off a school Genius Hour program. Well, not being much of a genius myself, I had to admit to her that I’d never heard of Genius …
Kim Norman’s latest picture book is the oh-so-groovy This Old Van (Sterling, August 4). Kim is one of the members in my critique group, the PBJeebies, and, let me tell you, there is so much to love about this book. It’s a real deal story based on a catchy and …
RED, A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall is wonderfully witty and clever and I’m excited to point out some of the smart choices that this author/illustrator has made. First, notice the cover (above), the crayon’s wrapper is red, but its color is not. Uh oh.. here-in lies the problem.