I am a sucker for art supplies. Like most artists I know, I’m a coveter, a collector, a hoarder of them. Every time I am drawn into an art supply store I am mesmerized. Overwhelmed by a feeling of “must have.” I am beckoned by pencils and paints and papers. …
Happy summer, Everyone! When Jill handed out the blog schedule and I saw that had been assigned Aug. 15th, I was like: “Why does that date seem SO familiar?!” And then I realized: it’s the 1-year birthday of BRAINSTORM!, my debut book, illustrated by Kate Kronreif! Talk about time flying! …
It’s mid-August and I am ignoring all the back to school ads urging me to buy notebooks in bulk, and the social media photos of friends’ children decked out in first day smiles and shiny, oversized backpacks. School doesn’t start until after Labor Day here and I am still deep …
Oh, people. Who doesn’t enjoy a day at the playground with a good friend? You Go First, written by Ariel Bernstein and illustrated by Marc Rosenthal, stars two good friends, Cat and Duck, who discover a brand new slide on the playground. Duck can’t wait to try it out. And …
Charming and unexpected, Most Marshmallows, by Rowboat Watkins, is a sweetly delicious delight. Its superpower is its brilliantly executed absurdity. “Most marshmallows don’t grow on trees, or come from storks, or even Mars.” The story continues to list things that most marshmallows really do do, which are ordinary tasks and …
The apartment is quiet, the tea bag is steeping, and you’ve just opened the cover of a shiny new book, or maybe a tattered old favorite. Ahhhh. You curl up with your book and your tea and disappear into the pages. Or you don’t. The intercom buzzes, the phone rings, …
As soon as I saw Janet Nolan’s new book, Get Ready For School (Albert Whitman), I knew it would be the perfect book to feature in a late-July post. This is an ideal book to share with kiddos on the cusp of that all-important (and more than a little intimidating) …
Hi Everyone! I can’t tell you how thrilled am to be here sharing my very first blog post as the newest member of Picture Book Builders! I have been a fan of this blog (not to mention a fan of ALL its members and their incredible books) for YEARS so …
Andrea Wang was thinking about perfect picture book pairings recently. And, great minds must think alike, because I was doing the same thing. For people who adore picture books, that’s common, I think. We read a book, love it, and then our minds say, “Oooo! That would go really well …
After spending two weeks in Singapore earlier this year and then two weeks in Shanghai, I’m in serious dumpling withdrawal. So what better time than to read picture books about dumplings? A quick search revealed that other authors also have dumplings on the brain. I only needed two books to …