The feels we get from picture books are all over the map. We love big laughs, we love being inspired, we love to feel good and we love being moved. We even love being sad sometimes. Because sadness in a picture book is virtually always accompanied with a certain joy. …
I’m honored to be the newest contributor to PBB, and especially honored to step into Linda Ashman’s shoes. I’ve been a fan of Linda’s books for many years. To celebrate my first post, today will be a double giveaway, meaning we’ll have two winners! One will receive my newest, ONE-OSAURUS, …
I love it when fascinating, true stories inspire fiction for children. A brand new picture book called THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH is a wonderful example. Join me in welcoming author Bryan Patrick Avery to Picture Book Builders! Bryan’s rhythmic language and Jerome White’s charming illustrations are full of emotion. Inspired …
Hello! I’m thrilled to be a new contributor here on Picture Book Builders, a blog I’ve admired for a long time. A little about me: I write both fiction and nonfiction picture books, as well as middle grade novels. I’m a science geek who used to be an environmental consultant, …
Before a recent trip to the bookstore, I thought my favorite way to enjoy an avocado was in tortilla soup. People, I was wrong! It turns out my favorite avocado encounter is this book written and illustrated by Momoko Abe. Avocado Asks made me laugh, and it made me feel. Who knew I …
Woodpecker Girl, written by Chingyen Liu and I-Tsun Chiang, is gloriously illustrated by Heidi Doll. This is the true story of Yipei Huang. A girl born with cerebral palsy and destined to life in a wheel chair. The dream-like illustrations are magical. They portray Yipei often as quite small on …
I’m taking a break from my OUTSIDE THE BOX series this month to give a shout out to six new books authored by some of our loyal subscribers. Not one of them solicited a post (we prefer to discover titles on our own), so it was especially delightful to surprise …
Warning: This is nothing more than self-indulgent, overly-long musings, peppered with random photos, that meander through the author’s grey matter after returning from his first in-person writers’ retreat since 2019. It borders on a humble-brag and you wouldn’t be blamed for skipping it. The pandemic has robbed us of a …
Hello! In my first post of 2021, I wrote about the importance of making space for new things. And so, after more than six years and nearly 80 posts, I’m stepping away from PBB. I’m grateful to Jill Esbaum for inviting me to join this effort, to the talented authors …
Poetic picture books make my heart soar. They make complex themes accessible, capture deep emotions, and convey stories with brevity and grace. No easy feat. Author notes are a wonderful way to provide additional details that complement a lovely, spare text. Here’s a look at three of my favorite poetic …