Today I’m pleased to interview my longtime SCBWI friend, Terry Catasús Jennings, about her latest book, THE LITTLE HOUSE OF HOPE, published by Neal Porter Books and illustrated by Raúl Colón. The book received great reviews in a wide selection of publications including the New York Times. School Library Journal’s review concluded, “Colón’s trademark watercolor …
What can you do to solve that problem? It’s what I say when kids tell me their pencil has no point, or that the LEGO brick they need most in the whole wide world is in someone else’s sticky fist. I say it when kids are squished too close together …
Last weekend I attended the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English in balmy Anaheim, CA. The last time the convention was in person was 2019, and it was great to see many author/illustrator friends again! The NCTE convention is a great way for authors and illustrators …
It’s that time again! 🙂 I hereby give you my list of 23 of the MANY Picture Books I’m Looking Forward to in ’23! WINNER:
I keep seeking out character books because these days I find them few and far between. Here’s one for everyone’s bookshelf, Knight Owl, by Christopher Denise. We are all probably familiar with Christopher Denise’s glorious artwork from the Redwall series, Bunny in the Middle, Firefly Hollow, just to name a …
The magic of picture books is how they tell a complete story in few words. To help that happen, picture book authors often use repeating elements. Repeating elements are words, phrases or sentence structures that occur several times in the story. They provide a strong framework and help the plot …
I’m always happy for the opportunity to catch up with one of my former editors, now an author herself many times over, Alli Brydon. Her new book with Two Lions, BRIGHT WINTER NIGHT, is a stunner. The story features Alli’s lovely poem detailing how a group of forest friends work …
Time for another self-serving post. Apologies. I’ve written about my Monster a Day October in the past, but feel a need to share again. Because, honestly, I think this may have been my best year yet. Scratch that—it IS my best year yet. As a brief description for those new …
Even though I’m mostly traditionally published, I’m fascinated by the evolution of self-publishing in the past decade. A couple of years ago, I did manage to stick with a manuscript long enough to write a nonfiction book for children’s writers about how to do author visits. In such a tiny …
My students are really into inventing lately, filling my classroom with incredible oddities. For anyone who ever wished turtles came with more cuddly shells, please take note of Feel Good Turtle, lovingly built with pom poms and feathers. And if you want to house two distinct beverages in a single …