I don’t remember the last time I laughed out loud reading a picture book. So I bought it. Then I made my 20 year old and 17 year old read it. They chuckled and I laughed again and again. Sparky! By Jenny Offill and illustrated by Chris Appelhans is my idea of …
Jill Esbaum’s most recent post was on a picture book that breaks the rules. It made me smile because I’ve been mulling over the same topic lately. I’m a big rule follower. I think rules exist for a reason and, usually, life goes more easily if you follow them. But some …
I’ve found a new superhero to adore. His name? Superworm. His kooky rhyming story is written by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Most character-driven picture book stories follow a traditional format: a) Main character has a problem (or goal) b) Things happen, repeatedly, to keep him …
Cat just wants to be loved. And he is kind of a…um…control freak. When he realizes how loved the Easter Bunny is he is a little put off or jealous. With his snappish back and forth with the reader (using signs, because, really, cats don’t talk) he takes us up …
I’ve enjoyed Margie Palatini’s books for years. And when I crack one open, I’ve come to expect certain things: a distinctive voice, great humor, and lively, rhythmic language packed with repetition, puns, and clever wordplay. What I don’t usually expect? Brevity. But No Nap! Yes Nap! (Little, Brown, 2014) IS brief. …
In Tammi Sauer’s last post, she mentioned that “The Watermelon Seed” made her want to be a better writer. Reading that simple statement led me to know immediately what I had to write about next. Don’t you love it when inspiration strikes like that? (Thanks, Tammi!) My first book, MISS …
A few weeks ago I was invited to be part of the 35th Annual Children’s Literature Conference at Northern Illinois University. This year’s conference topic was “A Celebration of Picture Books For All Ages.”One of the main speakers, Melissa Sweet, shared how she wrote and illustrated her award-winning picture book, BALLOONS OVER …
There is so much to love about YETI AND THE BIRD by Nadia Shireen (Atheneum). I am a sucker for friendship books. Friends found, friends discovered, and friendships of the unlikely. This book seems to have them all. Bird, a little bit clueless, finds a friend when she crashes into Yeti’s …
The medium in which an illustration is executed has an enormous impact on the style and feel of the entire book. Claudia McGehee is an illustrator who works in scratchboard. Her finished illustrations have the look of a woodcut, or linocut print, but the process is very different. Claudia begins …
I have a secret to share. I’ve long admired author Emily Jenkins, illustrator Sophie Blackall and publisher Schwartz & Wade. So, I fully expected to admire their collaboration on the recently released picture book A FINE DESSERT. But, wow. Even though I know that a whole can be greater than the sum …