Once a day I experience forty minutes of absolute chaos and those forty minutes are called “cafeteria duty.” There are illegal snack trades to crack down on and treacherous linoleum to navigate. Cartoonists, take note: banana peels aren’t that slippery, but boiled green beans are the black ice of the …
There’s a part of my school visit presentation where I ask students for the definitions of nonfiction and fiction, and then quiz them about what genre they think each of my books fall into. It’s usually quick–kids are super bright, after all–and then I move on to other topics. But …
Hello, people. Have you ever had a best friend…until you didn’t? Deborah Underwood and Sergio Ruzzier explore this experience in their heartfelt book Walter Had a Best Friend. Behold the opening spreads: This delightful opening establishes the friendship between Walter and Xavier. Then something occurs. And that something occurs slowly…and …
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! A day full of love and I’m excited to celebrate a picture book with which I am quite enamored ❤️ The Big Bath House, written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Gracey Zhang. The story is narrated by a little girl going to visit her Baachan which, …
People who have hung out with me for any period of time have probably heard me talk about picture books I want to hug. These are books I love so much, I just have to hug them and re-read them, and then go off and attempt to write something even …
I’ve been following the work of illustrator Rebecca Gibbon for a couple of years now, ever since learning she’d be illustrating my 2024 biography with Calkins Creek, BIRD GIRL. So when I heard that Rebecca had illustrated author Gretchen Woelfle’s new book, A TAKE-CHARGE GIRL Blazes a Trail to Congress: The …
The new picture book by Dan Richards and illustrated by Shanda McCloskey, Nubby, takes a new look at a familiar old chestnut or two. It is the story of a stuffy that is loved so much and so hard that their mere existence—and survival—is a wonder. The wear and tear …
Every Friday from March through November my daughter and I stop for a scoop of ice cream on our way home. I miss this weekly tradition now while our favorite spot is closed for the season. But Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better by Glenda …
As 2022 came to a close, I had the incredible honor of being asked to write a review for The New York Times. The two picture books I reviewed were My Strange Shrinking Parents, written and illustrated by Zeno Sworder, and The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name, written …
Oh, people. There is not much more that I love than a good sweater. Sweaters have even made an appearance in two of my books. In I Love Cake!, illustrated by Angie Rozelaar, Moose is always in a sweater, and, when he finally owns up to eating all of Rabbit’s …