Today I’m over-the-moon to announce the release of my new book (March 12) — A COMPUTER CALLED KATHERINE: HOW KATHERINE JOHNSON HELPED PUT AMERICA ON THE MOON, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. Long before the Hidden Figures movie and book (2016) introduced many people to Katherine Johnson, A COMPUTER CALLED …
Introducing characters can be tricky. What do we want readers to know about them? And how do we reveal these traits? In Baabwaa & Wooliam, author David Elliott takes the direct approach. He begins the book by introducing each character in turn, accompanied by Melissa Sweet‘s dignified portraits (click on …
Do you know how many people have walked on the moon? (Hint: check out the post title.) That’s right! Only twelve astronauts—ever—have visited our beautiful moon. You’ve probably heard a lot about the moon’s first guests, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and their famous Apollo 11 landing. Yet most people …
Hello! I’m back already with another post, this time with Beatrice Alemagna’s latest: HAROLD SNIPPERPOT’S BEST DISASTER EVER. I bought this book mere minutes after seeing the cover online just because of the artwork. But what I received was a story that was immensely refreshing and satisfying. I always want …
Hello everyone! This month I’m looking forward to sharing MINI RABBIT NOT LOST, by John Bond, and the wonderful journey that we’re taken on. Today I want to talk about how John Bond is able to take capture childlike enthusiasm and the amazing adventures it can take us on. Simply …
Frank the Seven-Legged Spider, written and illustrated by Michaele Razi. Perhaps it’s the interminable winter? The staggering cold? Remaining housebound for fear of slipping on the ice?I have been quite cranky lately. But finding this little gem absolutely made me smile and, quite FRANK-ly, I needed that. The first line …
A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to get look at a manuscript written by my friend Ann Ingalls. Right away, I knew it was something special. It was just one of those stories that grabbed you on the first page and had you giggling throughout. So you can …
As Jill reminded us in a recent post, this business can be tough. Rejection. Disappointing sales. Occasional unkind reviews that evoke this Taylor Swift song. So it’s extra important to celebrate the good stuff. Like, say, the arrival of new books! In fact, today just happens to be the pub …
In February 2018, Wordy Birdy (Doubleday), written by yours truly and illustrated by Dave Mottram, was released. Wordy Birdy is a bird who loves to talk, talk, talk. But she never listens. In fact, Wordy Birdy has so much to say, she has another book due out February 5, 2019. It’s called Wordy …
Today I have the pleasure of sharing a new book hot off the press (releases March 5) titled JUST READ! by Lori Degman, illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. It’s a lovely story with a wonderful, universal theme of reading which probably makes other authors wonder, “Why didn’t I think of that?” …