Oh, Picture Book Builders people. Prepare to be a little bit mesmerized. Jessica Young and Rafael López have teamed up to create a masterpiece of a book. Going through the pages is like getting lost in a poem and an art gallery at the very same time. This is what …
I’m taking a little break from talking about book-making in this post. I’m busy making heads. My studio is a bright and sunny upstairs bedroom. The walls are covered with eclectic art by friends, family, and people whose work I love. Antique furniture holds up my printer and scanner. Two large …
I love it when new picture books pop on the scene. In fact, finding them and reading them is one of my favorite things to do. And, when, a cool new picture book is written by a friend who’s worked hard to be the best writer possible for years, well, …
When I decided to use my 2021 posts for inspirational chats with picture book authors/illustrators who think OUTSIDE THE BOX, I knew I’d be talking with one of my favorite people in publishing, Alli Brydon. I first met Alli at an Iowa SCBWI conference in … 2012? In 2013 she …
The new book by Barbara Davis-Pyles (Stubby the Fearless Squid, Grizzly Boy), illustrated by Justin Hillgrove, is Cliff the Failed Troll. It stars a stocky, young troll named Cliff. Cliff is attending Troll School to become a proper troll. He is a likable enough student, though he is not welcomed …
Hello, all! Today I’m thrilled to welcome Brandon Reese to the blog. Brandon is the author and illustrator of several picture books, including, most recently, CAVE DADA (Chronicle Books, 2020)—a classic bedtime story with a Stone Age twist. When Baba asks for his favorite book, his weary father resists. But …
Hooray for animal families! I was lucky enough to be paired with Matt Cordell several years ago for our picture book ITSY BITSY BABY MOUSE, a story about a mouse who gets lost. ITSY BITSY is still twirling and whirling; teachers tell me they use the book to teach kids …
Last week I enjoyed Pat Zietlow Miller’s January 15 post celebrating her 22nd book sale. Congrats Pat! The feelings of fear she experienced while attending her first SCBWI conference really resonated with me. As an engineer who didn’t take a single writing class in college and who struggled with writing …
Okay. One look at this cover and you KNOW you are going to get yourself a funny book. The title says “sheep” and the art says “definitely NOT a sheep”–this makes little readers feel in on the joke from the start. We see that Brenda is literally a wolf in …
What a stunning and uplifting picture book by Apryl Stott. It’s her author and illustrator debut. Bear is sad. Because of his size the forest animals are afraid of him and think he must be mean. The front end pages echo this message and the second page of the book …